Page 94 of A Scandal at Stonecliffe

Her face turned serious, her eyes steady on his. “I have a house. I have a business. I have money—what I’m lacking is the man who holds my heart in his hands. You are the kindest, most handsome, best man in all of England, and I love you madly. You were right. I was scared—not just of what Lord Stanhope might do, but scared of risking my heart. Scared of reaching for the life I wanted, the man I loved, just because it might all turn to ash in my hands. Now I finally understand that without you, ashes is all my life would be. You are everything to me, Nathan. None of the rest of it matters.”

“Verity.” Nathan swallowed hard, and his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking lovingly across her skin. “I love you so much—I can’t tell you a tenth of what’s in my heart for you.”

“I already know it.” She smiled and reached up to brush back a strand of his hair that had fallen across his forehead. “This evening, when you looked at me in my torn dress, covered in dirt and stains I’d prefer not to identify, sweating and gasping for breath, that dreadful wig tilted over my ear, you told me I was beautiful and kissed me. I knew.” Her eyes began to twinkle and the corner of her mouth turned up in a teasing smile. “Only love could make you that deluded. And I realized I had better grab you before you came back to your senses.”

“If love is a delusion, then I promise to never regain my senses. I will love you until the end of time,” Nathan told her.

“I’m not sure if that means you’ll be wearing a tailcoat or a straitjacket to our wedding. But, honestly, I don’t even care.”

EPILOGUE

NATHAN AND VERITY stopped in the street, looking up at the sign above her office.

“Dunbridge and Dunbridge,” Verity read with some satisfaction and tucked her hand into the crook of Nathan’s arm. “It looks perfect, don’t you think?”

Of course, everything had looked perfect to her for the past month. They had solved the case. Shoemaker and Hill had confessed to being hired by Robert Douglas for the kidnapping of Malcolm and the attack on Verity and Nathan—though the men had told the authorities that they had only been planning to scare the couple into giving up Will Tolliver when Nathan and Verity attacked them and the men had been forced to defend themselves. Which, Verity, had to admit, was not entirely untrue.

Shoemaker and Hill had also disavowed any knowledge of Tolliver’s murder. Verity found that claim less convincing. Robert Douglas did not seem the sort to empty his own chamber pot, so to speak, but since there was no proof on either side and Robert was dead and therefore beyond punishment, Verity had to satisfy herself with the knowledge that Robert’s two henchmen would spend much of the rest of their lives in prison.

The Dunbridge name remained unstained, and though the Douglases’ reputation had suffered from the gossip surrounding Robert’s actions before his untimely demise, at least Malcolm’s paternity was still a secret. And Malcolm himself had changed enough in his attitude toward Nathan and the Dunbridges that he had attended Nathan and Verity’s wedding.

Even Lady Lockwood and Nathan’s mother and aunt taking over what had been intended as a quiet little wedding in Verity’s parlor—turning it into an extravaganza of white lace and flowers and candles in Lady Lockwood’s ballroom—had not dented Verity’s good humor.

It had been sweet of them, really, and it had been good to have all their friends and family there—not to mention a bit of surprise to see how many friends and family she seemed to have picked up over the course of the last couple of years.

It was really rather embarrassing to be this utterly happy.

“Are you sure you don’t want to name it Cole and Dunbridge?” Nathan asked. “I feel as though I’m taking over your business.”

“Ha. As if I’d let you,” Verity shot back. “I like this. Besides, Cole wasn’t even my real name.”

“It wasn’t?” He let out a chuckle. “I suppose I ought to be inured to surprises from you. What was your real name?”

“Cowhill,” Verity said. “All in all, I prefer Dunbridge.” She grinned up at him. “Besides, I’m beginning a new life. It seems appropriate to have a new name.”

“As long as you don’t change Verity.”

“You said the name was a misnomer when you met me,” she protested.

“Now I find I quite enjoy the irony.”

Verity smiled and leaned her head against his arm. “It’s all been wonderful, hasn’t it?”

“If this is what marriage to you is like, I shall have a very happy life.” Nathan paused. “Others might think it odd to spend one’s honeymoon breaking up a ring of jewel thieves, but I thought it added a certain liveliness to the venture.”

“Well, I could hardly let them steal that poor woman’s necklace—it was a treasured family heirloom.”

Nathan bent to kiss her softly on the forehead. “No, I don’t suppose you could.”

“Besides,” Verity said with a wicked look, “chasing people wasn’t all we did.”

He matched her grin. “No, there was quite a bit more. And it was interesting to actually be husband and wife instead of pretending we were.” He looked up at the sign again. “Shall we go see what mayhem has occurred while we were gone?”

“Wait.” Verity put her hand on his arm. Her stomach was suddenly dancing with nerves. But she wasn’t going to let herself back out. “There’s something I need to do.” She drew a shaky breath. “I don’t want any shadows hanging over us and our life together. I’ve lived in fear of my past for too long. I’ve faced guns and knives and even, once, a sword, and not flinched. Yet when it came to my past, I have been a cowering little girl. But no more. I’m going to face Stanhope.”

“Very well.” Nathan took her hand, and his calm confidence steadied Verity.

“And I want—I need to visit Poppy. You once told me that I should give her the chance to decide whether or not she wanted me in her life. You were right. The only reason I stayed away so long was that I couldn’t face her rejection. But you give me strength, Nathan. With you, I am braver.”