“I love you,” he told her as soon as he’d caught his breath. Having moved slightly sideways, he supported most of his weight on his forearm so he wouldn’t crush her.
Her fingers trailed up and down the length of his spine. “I love you too, Callum. Enormously much.”
Sensing there was something else she wanted to say, he lifted his head and noted that her expression had grown a bit pensive. “What is it?”
She instantly blushed and gave him a hesitant look. “I was merely thinking of that thing you mentioned at Seaton Hall. Do you suppose we might try it tonight?”
He had no trouble recalling what she referred to. To his dismay, the suggestive idea immediately had him ready for additional bed sport. “That and lots of other things. First, however, I think we should both divest of the rest of our clothes. I for one, am rather eager to see you completely naked.”
“I’m eager to see you as well,” she confessed, the softness in her voice suggesting a hint of shyness that hadn’t been there a second ago. It was returning now that their moment of wild abandon had passed.
In time, Callum hoped it would disappear fully. For now, he understood that the simplest way to beat it was through the art of seduction. And since they had an entire night, he intended to take his time.
With this in mind, he gathered his wife in his arms and stood. “I think it’s time for you to become acquainted with our bedchamber.”
“And for me to do that thing I promised.”
He growled as he remembered what she referred to. He’d dreamed of it every night since. So, he hastened his step and climbed the stairs, happy and content in the knowledge that he had found the perfect partner in the most unlikely candidate he’d have imagined. And he intended to guard her and keep her until his dying breath.
EPILOGUE
London, 1834
Emily grabbed her shawl as she left the bedchamber she and her husband had shared for the past seventeen years. Halting at the next bedchamber door, she gave it a knock and entered.
“Are you ready to leave?” she asked.
Two young women, one of debutante age, the other a little bit younger, faced her with eager expressions.
“Yes, Mama,” said Margaret. As the eldest, she was expected to make her debut later that evening. But before that happened, she and her sister would join their parents for a more public event.
“Emily,” Callum called from the foyer, in what most people would likely consider a very uncouth manner. “We have to go.”
“We’re coming, Papa,” shouted Elizabeth, the youngest of the two sisters.
Emily chuckled and sent her daughters a let’s-go look before leaving their room. Confident they would hurry as much as they could, she descended the stairs to the foyer where Callum stood waiting. He greeted her with a wide smile, which was quickly followed by a passionate kiss, despite their butler’s presence.
Their daughters soon joined them and the family departed.
AlthoughSeductive Scandalstill didn’t bear the names of those who’d written it, the subsequent books did. They referenced The Gentlemen Authors beneath the titles, with a brief biography of each man as part of the small introduction that preceded every story. Of which there were now ten in total.
The number of people who came to have their books signed by the dukes never ceased to amaze Emily. Today would be no different, she realized, when their carriage pulled to a halt in front of Between the Pages. Dozens of customers, women and men included, lined the pavement in anticipation of Callum’s, Anthony’s, and Brody’s arrivals.
“I wager there are more people here to see Papa than what I’ll encounter tonight at the ball,” Margaret said, her voice filled with awe.
“Your papa and his friends are immensely popular,” Emily agreed. She squeezed Callum’s hand and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I couldn’t be prouder.”
“And to think it all started here,” he said with a nod toward the bookshop. “Seems like a lifetime ago, yet almost as though it were just yesterday.”
Emily agreed. It was often difficult for her to fathom how long it had been since she and Callum had married. She waited for him and their daughters to alight before letting him help her down. So much had happened during the intervening years, not just for them, but for their friends too.
Ada and Anthony’s marriage had been extremely productive. They now had four sons and three daughters between the ages of three and sixteen. Since Ada’s uncle was no longer able to run Between the Pages, Ada had hired a clerk and a bookbinder to do so in his stead. Covering the extra expense had not been a problem. Much like Callum, Anthony and Brody had both invested the earnings they’d made on the first few books they’d sold, allowing all three to rebuild their fortunes.
Despite being financially stable, however, Harriet remained in Hudson & Co.’s employ since she loved her job there as a compositor far too much to give it up. Having purchased the business from Mr. Hudson when he retired a few years ago, Brody worked alongside his wife, making sure every book The Gentlemen Authors published, was up to par. And with a few extra people in their employ, the Duke and Duchess of Corwin made sure to make time for their three sons as well.
Emily and Callum crossed the street with their daughters and greeted the customers who waited outside before entering the shop, which was already packed with people. Ushering Margaret and Elizabeth forward, between herself and Callum, Emily followed them through the crowd and toward the counter where Anthony and Brody waited together with Ada and Harriet.
“This looks like the best turnout yet,” Callum said once they’d greeted their friends. “I’m rather impressed.”
