“Speaking of which,” Emily said. “Have the three of you not considered naming yourselves as joint authors?”
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“Well for one thing,Seductive Scandalis a romance novel. Everyone will expect a woman to be the author.”
“Precisely.” Emily tilted her head in thought. “I believe your books would be evenmoresought after if it were known they were written by three men.”
“I don’t know.” Anthony glanced at Ada. “What do you think?”
“In my opinion, you and your friends deserve the credit, so it’s only if you wish to remain anonymous for the sake of privacy that you should keep your names secret. Otherwise, I do think Emily may have a point. It may even encourage men to purchase the book.”
“Exactly.” Emily leaned forward. “All the customers I saw today at the bookshops were women. But if the authors were known to be men, men might want to read the story too. And this could make the second edition sell out as well, which would lead to a third edition, perhaps even a fourth. It’s certainly worth thinking about. Is it not?”
“Indeed,” Anthony murmured, his expression pensive.
The sound of the front door opening and closing made Emily still even as her heart gave a swift series of hops. She glanced at the door and jerked to her feet when it opened to admit Brody and Harriet, followed by Callum.
His warm gaze met hers, weakening her knees to such a degree that she wobbled a little. He must have noticed for there was a blatant degree of amusement in his eyes, not to mention a touch of male satisfaction. It was patently clear that he liked the effect he was having on her.
She couldn’t blame him. It pleased her too when she stepped toward him and saw he wasn’t quite as composed as he tried to let on. The pulse beating at his throat betrayed him.
“Callum,” she whispered, forgoing all manner of etiquette. She gave him a broad smile. “The book is a smashing success. Every shop I visited on my way here is already sold out, including Hatchards.”
He grinned alongside Brody and Harriet.
“That’s marvelous news!” And then, as though it were just the two of them and they’d been married for years, he swept her into his arms and spun her around. “Thank you, my love. It appears as though your review has paid off.”
“Only because you and your friends wrote a wonderful book.”
His eyes held hers. “It would not have had this kind of success without your assistance.”
“I’ve just been discussing the idea of having the book club read it next month. This will help spread the word even more. As would revealing the true identities of the authors. If you and your friends agree, we could host an author event where the book club members get a chance to discuss the book with you.”
“That’s quite a lot to consider,” Brody said.
“Agreed.” Callum, who still held Emily in his arms with complete disregard for propriety, drew her even closer. “We’ll have to discuss it. But first, there’s something more pressing for me to address.”
Before she was able to wonder what that might be, he captured her mouth with his in a searing kiss that completely stole her breath. All she could do was cling to him while their friends clapped and cheered as though all of this were perfectly normal. Then again, none of them were remotely normal. They were three penniless dukes attempting to earn an income, a bookshop owner’s niece, a woman who’d made her living dressed as a boy, and The Lady Librarian.
Appreciating the love and friendship filling the room, Emily kissed Callum back with fervor while counting the days to their wedding.
19
It was a crisp February day when Emily left for St. George’s, but at least the sun was shining. The golden light reflected off the thin sheen of frost that covered the pavement and clung to the fences, producing a shimmery fairy-tale sparkle.
Seated beside her father, with a hot brick at her feet, Emily appreciated the light blue wool frock dress she’d ordered for the occasion. Fashioned from worsted wool and trimmed with white fur, it offered more warmth than she would have found had she chosen to dress in silk.
It had been her mother’s idea and while Emily had been opposed to begin with, she’d changed her mind when Callum had seen the sketch and voiced his approval. With her stomach tight on account of the nerves that had made her feel slightly ill since last night, Emily fidgeted with the ring Callum had given her.
“Take a deep breath,” Papa said, his voice conveying a touch of amusement. “I can feel the tension wafting off you.”
She did as he suggested, then sighed. “I’m sorry, but it cannot be helped. My life is about to change in front of a whole crowd of people.”
“If you’ve changed your mind about marrying him, we can—”
“Of course not. I love him, Papa. Becoming his wife is all I’ve been able to think of these past few weeks.”
