“I am a wicked Winter, you know.”
Mirabel threw back her head and laughed as they waltzed, not caring there were eyes upon them. Not caring who would whisper. When the laughter fled her, she was still dancing in the arms of the man who had shown her happiness and love existed.
She gazed up into that warm, brown gaze, her joy unrestrained. “And I would not have you any other way, my darling man.”
He winked. “You may have me any way you like, and as often as possible.”
She was sure she was flushing to the roots of her hair. But she had never been happier. And all that truly mattered was love.
* * *
The next morning,Octavia rushed to Mirabel’s sitting room with the broadside she had managed to acquire.
Triumphantly, she held it up for Mirabel’s inspection. “You are the talk of London, sister.”
The broadside depicted the crush of the masque ball and showed a red-haired woman wearing a sash bearing the nameThe Duchess of Ice. The Stanhope sapphires were at her throat, exaggerated and large. A handsome, dark-haired man towered over her, dressed all in black, his face obscured by a mask. They were pictured in an embrace, hands linked as they danced the waltz, whilst the crowd around them openly leered and stared.
Mirabel read the title of the caricature aloud. “The Heart Thief.For once, Octavia, I approve of your love of gossip.”
Octavia grinned unrepentantly. “You are most welcome.”
Epilogue
As had become a nightly ritual, Demon, Mira, Octavia, Percy, Joanna, Davy, and Gideon were gathered together in the gold salon at Tarlington House to listen to Mira’s unending story. The children were on the rug at the hearth, Octavia among them, and Demon and Mira were seated together on a settee. Her ever-burgeoning belly rendered it difficult indeed for her to rise from the floor, and he was happy to settle at her side, his arm drawn around her waist, as the children listened in rapture.
All was happy in Demon’s world, and that was how he preferred it. His siblings were contented, he thought. Though what had happened with Gav had been most surprising of all. And Demon? Well, he had discovered a newfound passion to right the wrongs in the world in any way he could. For tonight, however, all he wanted was to savor his family.
This evening, it was Percy’s turn to continue the tale. The eldest of their children was reading aloud from the journal in which he had carefully written his contribution.
“A dragon swooped down from the sky,” Percy announced.
“Did it have scales?” Gideon asked, interrupting.
“’Course it has scales,” Davy said, taking care to pronounce hish. “All dragons do.”
The lad had been working hard in the schoolroom, and it showed.
“Are dragons part fish?” Gideon queried next.
“No, dear,” Mira said, smiling indulgently. “Dragons and fish are decidedly unrelated.”
“Why do they both have scales, then?” the lad asked.
“Dragons are not real,” his sister interjected. “Do stop interrupting, Gideon. We were just approaching the good part of the story. Something is about to happen.”
But her younger brother remained undeterred. “Did you know that herons eat fish?”
“They also eat lads who ask too many questions,” Percy said pointedly.
Gideon frowned. “You said that about lions, too, but Mama said it wasn’t true.”
His siblings groaned. Demon could not contain his chuckle. Life with his family was certainly never boring. Octavia shook her head at her nephew’s antics.
“Herons do not eat lads who ask too many questions,” Demon said. “Dragons, however…well, I am afraid dragonsdo.”
Percy guffawed. The eldest of their children was far more reserved than his younger siblings, but Demon had been making progress with him just as he had with Joanna and Gideon. His sister-in-law Octavia had warmed to him immediately, and he was grateful for her aid in adjusting the children to their new family arrangement.
She was an excellent and doting aunt. Also, something of a hoyden, with a penchant for sneaking about and an unabashed curiosity about the rookeries. But that was something he would only concern himself with if it proved necessary.
