Clandestine (41 page)

“Exactly! And speaking of goals for my life . . .” Kit tugged him closer again, pressing her cheek against his.

Marc breathed in the scent of her hair. Citrus and peppermint. Enfolded her in his arms.

Intent on never letting her go.

“I wish I could promise not to screw up again,” he whispered. “But I am sure I will make mistakes—”

“Congratulations on being human. I plan on continuing to make mistakes too. But I promise to never shut you out.”

He hugged her to him. Heart too full to respond.

“It’s what you do when you love someone,” she murmured into his neck.

All the breath whooshed out of Marc at her words.

Pulling back, she captured his head in her hands, holding him tight, pressing her nose into his.

“That’s my final secret.” Her words a soft puff of air against his lips. Her eyes boring into his. “I love you, Marc Wilde. Heart and soul.”

Something stung in the back of Marc’s throat. Probably just the lingering effects of smoke inhalation.

Because Marc Wilde didn’t cry . . . right?

“Ah, Kit. Darling, wonderful Kit. I love you too, beautiful.” He swallowed. Hard. “Am I forgiven then?”

Kit shrugged. “I don’t know. How good is your make-up kiss?”

“Uh-mazing.” He lowered his mouth to hers.

And made sure the kiss lived up to his promise.

Epilogue

A beach house

California coast, north of Laguna Beach

October 16, 2014

R
eview of the Preview:
Croc-valanche

Ego:
With
Croc-nami
becoming a worldwide sleeper hit, I have been shamelessly awaiting Marc Wilde’s return to the big screen in
Croc-valanche
. I have been so excited for this to come out.

Superego:
Me too! What’s not to love? Melting glaciers in the Rockies thaw prehistoric crocodiles trapped in the ice. Who then ravage downtown Seattle only to be stopped by the hunky Marc Wilde in all his
abs
-olutely stunning glory. It’s going to be the must-see movie of the year!

Ego:
And not just because Mr. Wilde lost those horrid blond dread locks for this sequel—

Id:
Stop. Just stop. Both of you.
Abs
-solutely? I think a baby panda died just hearing that. Besides, you are only saying all this because La Pochette got engaged to Marc Wilde last week. You are in
love
with this man, making this entire discussion so hopelessly biased—

Superego:
[Long deliriously happy sigh]
I know, right?! It was the most perfect moment of my life. We were on the beach near La Jolla, and Marc went down on one knee and had this incredibly romantic speech about how I was his beating heart—

Id:
La-la-la-la, I’m not listening to you. Don’t want to hear it. It’s
abs
-solutely irrelevant—

“Mmmmm, I don’t think it’s
entirely
irrelevant.” Marc nuzzled Kit’s neck from behind, causing her hands to jump on the keyboard.

She looked up from her laptop and angled her head back, smiling at her darling boyfriend.

No wait.
Fiancé
.

She grandly admired the large diamond ring sparkling on her finger, making sure Marc saw.

With a happy chuckle, Marc walked around the couch and sat down next to her, running a hand into her hair and kissing her cheek. He was in board shorts and flip flops, smelling of sunscreen and fresh air. Showing off those magnificent abs—

“Is it time for Bronco kickoff already?” Kit set her laptop down and cuddled into his chest.

The back half of the beach house where they were staying was all glass, giving a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. Waves lapped hypnotically.

“Almost.” Marc craned his neck, squinting, trying to see the clock in the kitchen. And then turned to gather her even closer. “I just wanted to sneak back to have a few moments with Lady Whitmoor before everyone else crowded in to watch the game.”

Kit laughed softly and relaxed into him. “I don’t know if I will ever get used to that, by the way.”

“Lady Whitmoor? Or being alone with me?”

“Both.”

Marc kissed her head.

“How’s Emme feeling?” Kit asked.

“Well enough, I suppose. James is waiting on her hand and foot. She managed to sit on the beach for a bit before waddling—”

“Be nice.” Kit smacked his chest.

“I meant
walking
up to the house.” Marc gave his best annoying-big-brother laugh.

Kit mock-glared at him.

“What?” Marc asked in response to her look. “She
is
my little sister. If I can’t razz her when she’s eight months pregnant, when can I?”

“Poor thing. It’s only going to get more uncomfortable from here.”

“Only thirty-five more days of gut-wrenching heartburn to go.”

“I’m sure she appreciated you pointing that out to her.”

Marc shrugged and gave a decidedly wicked grin. Kit actually loved the constant good-natured banter between Marc and Emme. They obviously cared deeply for each other.

“Everyone else is finishing the last couple waves and packing up. They should be here any minute.”

Kit sighed and just reveled in the beauty of the moment. Of having Marc here with her. Of being surrounded by love and life and, yes, family.

When she had decided to stay in 2014 and allow Daniel to pursue his life in 1814, she had assumed it meant giving up on being with family.

But Marc changed all that.

Why had she never realized how
amazing
it would be to have a sister?

She and Emme had become incredibly fast friends. Forget brothers. A sister was like having a built-in best girlfriend for life.

In fact, Emme’s pregnancy had inspired them to collaborate together on a new website, www.KitandKaboodle.com. It was like FauxPause, only geared toward parenting and childhood.

James had also welcomed her with open arms. The elder Knight only vaguely resembled his more serious younger brother. Open and full of life, he made Kit feel accepted just as she was.

And then there was Marc and Emme’s mother. Kind and thoughtful, she pulled Kit into the arc of her love. Filling a parent-sized hole in her heart.

Though she still missed her brother and always would, Emme and James and her (almost) mother-in-law and their host of aunts, uncles and cousins made up for a lot. Having lost her family made her appreciate even more how blessed she was.

She and Marc were still cuddling on the couch together when the door opened, letting in Marc’s mom, James, Emme and several cousins. Everyone gathered for a family reunion.

Soon the room was full of people, laughing and eating and just enjoying being together. Football played loudly in the background, Marc and James arguing with the referees. Emme resting on the couch, round but radiant, shifting every few minutes, trying to find a more comfortable position.

As the sun set and the game wound down, Marc slipped an arm around her, snugging her against his chest.

“C’mon, let’s sneak away. I have been dying to slow dance in the surf with my fiancé. And the moon promises to be glorious tonight.”

And indeed it was.

Upcoming Books

T
he House of Oak series will eventually feature four books.

As of this writing, the books in the series are/will be:

Intertwine
(James and Emme)

Divine
(Georgiana and Sebastian)

Clandestine
(Marc and Kit)

Refine
(Linwood and Jasmine—coming late Summer 2015)

If you haven’t yet read
Intertwine
, book one of the House of Oak series,
click here for a preview
.

Author's Note

A
s usual, when writing a story set in the past, I have incorporated select aspects of history and then blatantly made up others.

Some facts that I borrowed from reality and/or history:

The shipwreck in the first chapter truly exists on Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Called the
Maheno
, the steam ship was grounded there in 1935. It’s well worth a visit (and photoshoot) if you’re ever in the area.

Gentleman Jackson’s Boxing Salon was run by a former boxing champion named John Jackson. Though called a salon or a saloon, it was more of a gym where ‘Gentleman’ Jackson taught proper fighting and boxing form. During the Regency era, any sporty gentleman of means would take instruction there, learning how to box.

The ducks with their tarred feet were definitely a feature of the era. Livestock was reared in rural areas and then taken by drovers to larger cities for sale and slaughter. Ducks and geese were prized commodities, but their feet weren’t suited for traveling over long distance. So they would be dipped in tar, providing the animals with some protection.

Mmmmm, what else? I won’t bore you with a lengthy discussion of British laws of primogeniture (succession through firstborn male children), but needless to say, Britain has historically been extremely biased toward male heirs. That said, some baronies and even a duchy or two (the dukedom of Marlboro, for example) are set up in such a way that the female line can inherit should there be no male heirs. There has been strong interest in recent years to include all children in an aristocratic inheritance, male and female (the changes made with the birth of little Prince George a few years ago being just one example).

As usual, I made up a good many things: the town of Marfield and all house names, as well as all websites used/mentioned. For each of my books, I create a Pinterest board of all the visual references I used when writing. So if you would like to see them, don’t hesitate to look me up over there. As usual, I’m NicholeVan.

As with all books, this one couldn’t have been written without help and support from those around me. I know I am going to leave someone out with all these thanks. So to that person, know that I totally love you and am so deeply grateful for your help!

First of all, thank you to all those who read
Intertwine
and
Divine
and sent me excited emails, asking about the next book in the series. Your encouragement and enthusiasm means more than I can say.

To my beta readers—you know who you are—thank you for your helpful ideas and support. And, again, an extra large thank you to Annette Evans, Kelly Crawford and Norma Melzer for their fantastic copy editing skills and insights.

A huge thank you goes to Lois Brown for her always helpful plot suggestions and insights.

And I cannot even begin to thank my brilliant editor, Erin Rodabough. She has the amazing gift of being able to hone in on problems and provide solutions. No to mention just being an all-out awesome friend and travel buddy. Thank you so very much.

Thanks, again, to Andrew, Austenne and Kian for your patience and being willing to play Minecraft for hours on end while I wrote.