He’d been a married man for all of six days, and Edmund never thought a piece of paper would ever matter as much to him as his marriage certificate to Selina did.
With a calmness he hadn’t thought he’d ever feel again, he waited in the foyer of his townhouse for his new wife to hug Octavia good-bye. They returned to London barely two weeks ago, and he’d wasted no time procuring another special marriage license and marrying Selina at the first opportunity.
It hadn’t been cheap or easy, but every farthing was well spent, as far as Edmund was concerned.
Now they were on their way to their country estate for a summer of privacy and solitude. He wanted time with Selina, just the two of them. Since finding her in Dumfries, their days had been a rush of making love and talking.
But trust between them still lay fragile and tenuous, and though they laughed and kissed as if the previous months had never happened, there was still that air of waiting. However, Edmund had no intention of leaving, and Selina had promised she’d not run from him again.
They were in this life together. Through everything, no matter what happened next.
Of course, his manor was close to Strathmore Hall and both Selina and Isabella, the Duchess of Strathmore, had expressed a sincere interest in meeting each other. Edmund planned to forestall that meeting for some weeks; he wanted time with his wife.
Though Hamilton was correct — Strathmore’s wine cellars were far superior to anything else. It was not, however, a good enough reason to visit his closest friend during his honeymoon.
“Oh look,” Hamilton said as if he’d planned his entrance. Edmund thought he may have, knowing him. “I’ve arrived just in time for the emotional display.”
Before Edmund could do more than offer Hamilton a scowl, Selina crossed the foyer. She leaned up and hugged him, her lips barely a brush along his cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Stepping back, as if hugging Hamilton was the most natural thing in the world, she once more stood beside Edmund. He found he couldn’t be jealous of Hamilton, not given the flustered way the other man blinked at Selina.
Edmund had to hold back a snicker at Hamilton’s wide-eyed stare. Hamilton cleared his throat and quickly brought his shock under control.
“I came for the display,” he drawled. “Not to participate.” But then he took Selina’s hand and made a courtly bow over it. “My lady.”
“There will always be quite the display here,” Selina said with a wide grin she hadn’t been able to temper since their reunion.
Edmund swallowed hard and subtly cleared the lump of emotion in his throat. They’d been through too much not to feel something, and if these last months had taught him anything, it was not to ignore that emotion.
His hand settled on her waist, and he pulled her near. He didn’t care if it was a proper display or not; Selina was his wife, and this was their townhouse. If he wanted to hold her, he damn well would.
He merely raised an eyebrow at Hamilton’s knowing look and ignored his friend.
“And there has been since they arrived,” Octavia said with a laugh.
Annabelle stepped into the foyer just then, and Edmund turned to her
“Thank you for agreeing to chaperone my sister,” he said to Annabelle. “Do see she does not overtax you.”
Octavia gave him a baleful glare, but Annabelle merely laughed. They were well matched when it came to having energy for London society.
“Enjoy the season,” Edmund said to both of them with a nod. Turning to Hamilton, he narrowed his gaze. “I leave them in your completely inappropriate hands.”
Hamilton sketched him a mocking bow and turned to Selina. “When you arrive at the estate, locate the footman Gibson.”
Puzzled, Selina nodded.
“He has a talent for liberating the best wine from Strathmore’s estate.” Hamilton leaned in and grinned. “Trust me, you should not ignore that talent.”
Selina laughed, a bright, musical sound that warmed Edmund’s heart. He’d never grow tired of hearing her laugh.
“I’ll be sure to avail myself of his unique skill,” she promised. Looking up at Edmund, she added with a happy smile, “And then I’ll send a gift to Isabella.”
They quickly said their good-byes, and Edmund ushered her out of the foyer. He wanted to begin their journey, but mostly he wanted quiet time with his wife. He didn’t care they were in a carriage for two days; he wanted that time together.
“It’s too late, Selina,” he said as the carriage started forward.
She tilted her head and asked, “Too late for what?”
“Too late to ever leave me again,” he said and leaned down to kiss her. He pulled away and watched her for a heartbeat. “Too late to not be my wife.” He kissed her again, longer this time. “Too late to not have all my love.”
“Yes,” she agreed, her fingers combing through his hair. “It’s far too late.”
She pulled him down for a longer kiss, her tongue sweeping against his, and Edmund felt her sigh against his mouth.
“I love you, Edmund,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him again.
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I hope you enjoyed this second book of my new Regency series: Scandalous Encounters. I loved writing them! Coming next month will be Improper Christmas followed by my second Christmas story, Improper Duke.
Improper Christmas: Miss Lillian Norwood lost everything she had. Her father’s estate passed to a distant cousin, the man she hoped to marry loved and married another, and all she has is the charity he offered. Now she lives in a new and unfamiliar town in a cottage rented for her out of pity.
When she’s introduced to Mr. William Pennington, Lillian believes her fortunes may finally change. Perhaps there is a man able to look beyond her circumstances. With the Christmas feast she’s helped plan drawing closer, Lillian wonders if her poor luck will haunt her forever. Or perhaps the winter season will warm her heart.
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As always, thank you so much for reading!
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