A Most Unsuitable Earl (Regency Collection Book 3) Page 21
“Even if there’s thirty of them,” Catherine’s father teased.
“Though,” Ethan’s mother quickly added, “you’ll have to allow us some time alone right after we marry so we can get to know each other better.”
Ethan, who’d been ready to eat a biscuit, shuddered and tossed it back onto the tray. “Mother, please! I’ll never eat again if you add anything else to that statement.”
His mother shook her head. “I don’t understand why such talk should bother you. It’s not like you’re innocent to the ways of the world.”
He clasped his hands over his ears. “If you won’t stop talking for my sake, will you do it for your granddaughter’s?”
“To be fair,” she countered, “it took you time to be alone with Catherine to get my granddaughter.”
Catherine giggled when Ethan groaned. She tried so hard not to laugh, but given the fact that his mother and her father still thought he used to be a rake, his reaction to his mother’s bold talk was too much for her to handle.
“Rachel, the day is pleasant enough to take our granddaughter for a walk,” Catherine’s father said. “Do you mind if we take Audrey out, Catherine? We won’t be gone long, and we’ll be sure to bundle her up.”
“I think it’s a good idea, Father,” Catherine replied.
Ethan rubbed his eyes and muttered something under his breath as the two left the room.
Curious, Catherine placed her hand on his shoulder and leaned into him. “Are you really horrified that our parents are getting married?”
Letting out a weary sigh, he dropped his hands to his sides and looked at her. “How can those two be happy together? My mother has little sense of decency when she talks, and your father holds so rigidly to propriety.”
“I suspect they’ll balance each other out, much like we do.”
He grimaced.
“It’s true, Ethan. We complement each other very well. You bring out the more exciting part of me, one I never knew existed until I married you. And I bring out the part of you that wants to be a reputable gentleman, something you fought hard to avoid before you married me.”
“Well…that’s true.”
“I think we’re better together than we are apart.”
“I can’t argue that,” he replied.
“And they will benefit each other the same way. My father closed himself off to love after my mother died. He wouldn’t remarry because he couldn’t imagine enjoying another lady’s companionship. But your mother will make that part of him live again.”
“And my mother? What does she have to gain from such a union?” Ethan asked.
“She’ll be loved as a lady desires to be loved. Children are a blessing, but there’s something about having the love of an honorable gentleman that makes a lady feel complete.” She reached for his hand and kissed him. “They’ll make a good match, Ethan, just like we do.”
Relaxing, he grinned. “We do make a good match, don’t we?”
“No one could be matched any better.”
His smile widening, he kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He deepened the kiss, and the rest of the world faded away as she gave into the bliss of being with her husband.
Coming Soon in the Regency Collection
His Reluctant Lady
Agatha Lyons, the Lady of Richfield, was married and widowed in the span of twenty-four hours. And given the freedom she now has as a widow, she has no desire to remarry. But Mr. Christopher Robinson takes one look at Agatha and falls in love with her. Despite her cold indifference to him, he vows he’ll do whatever it takes to marry her, even if it takes a scandal to make it happen.
Already Available in the Regency Collection…
The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife
Caught in a scandalous situation, Lord Roderick marries a lady he believes tricked him into marriage. Miss Claire Lowell hoped her first Season would result in a marriage based on love, but her new husband hates her. Can she convince him she didn't trick him into marriage or will she be confined to the loveless marriage she fears?
***
Her Counterfeit Husband
The Duchess of Watkins’ husband just died, and her unscrupulous brother-in-law is ready to step in as the Duke of Watkins. In desperation, the duchess enlists the help of the butler, and the two agree to quietly bury her husband and pretend he’s still alive. It will be a secret they will take to their graves.
After burying him in a forest, they come across a gentleman who has been beaten and left for dead. And this gentleman happens to look exactly like her husband. Seeing this as the answer to their prayers, they take him home in hopes he’ll agree to be the new Duke of Watkins. There’s only one problem. When he wakes up, he doesn't remember who he is.
Dare they replace her husband with a counterfeit? And if they do, what consequences will come as a result of their lie?