Page 81 of The Earl and His Lady

They parted for breath, her eyes opened, and Lucas could see the rest of his life in their deep green depths.

He was married to this beautiful, intelligent, brave woman.

“I love you,” he told her, dropping his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses touching. “I have loved you for so long, but I didn’t think— I didn’t want to presume anything.”

“Because you are good, kind, and noble.” She punctuated her words with a quick kiss on his lips, but as she pulled away he bent to capture her lips again, more tenderly. She responded in kind, sliding her hands across his shoulders and around his neck. She fit perfectly in his arms, her lips against his, and Lucas had no intention of ever letting her go.

A quiet cough interrupted them. Lucas looked up over her head.

“It’s Gresham,” he whispered, bending to speak closer to her ear.

“Ah. Does he look pleased?” she asked, not stepping away from his embrace.

Lucas hadn’t thought to look that closely. He could feel his cheeks reddening. He glanced at his butler, who wore a supremely smug expression on his wrinkled face. “Yes.”

“Good.” She pressed a brief kiss to his jaw and turned to face the butler. “Gresham, is dinner ready?”

“It is, my lady.” Gresham then did the most absurd thing Lucas had ever seen him do. He winked. At Virginia. Then stood aside for them to go into dinner. Lucas glanced at Virginia in time to see her wink back at the old man.

“I think it’s time to give Gresham a cottage and his pension. A very generous pension,” she said cheerfully, looking up at Lucas as if it was the most normal sort of conversation for them to have.

“You do?” A smile tugged at Lucas’s mouth.

“Yes.” Then she stopped beside her chair, dazzling him with her smile and the light of love in her eyes. “I love you, Lucas.”

What could he do, but kiss her again?

Chapter Thirty

May 1822

Virginia lifted her skirts and ran down the gallery hall, two squealing little girls running before her. They raced by their ancestors hanging on the wall, but just before they reached the stair, Lucas jumped from around the corner.

“Ah ha! Found you at last!” The girls halted too quickly and stumbled.

“They were in the passage,” Virginia said, trying not to laugh as her daughters grabbed hold of each other to stay upright.

Lucas turned to call down the steps. “Phillip, we found them! Call off the search.”

Phillip’s voice, still changing but promising to settle into a rich timbre, came up the steps. “All right, I’ll tell the others. And remind the girls that the passage is cheating!”

Lucas turned back to his daughters, crossing his arms over his chest. “You heard him.”

“It was Emma’s idea,” the younger of the two said loudly, pointing at her nine-year-old sister. Amelia was only six.

Emma folded her arms in a near perfect imitation of her father. “No, it wasn’t. It was Amelia’s.”

A shout came from upstairs. “Did you find them, Papa?”

“Your mother did,” Lucas called up. “It’s time to come down and have luncheon.”

Amelia’s lips stuck out in a pout. “I always get found. I thought the passage would work.”

“Because it’s out of bounds?” Virginia asked, raising her eyebrows.

A loud thump made them all turn to see four-year-old Rupert grinning, laying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. “I jumped four steps.”

Lucas laughed and assisted the boy to his feet. “Well done. But let’s not try five steps until you’re five years old. Will you do that for me?”