Craving the Rake's Touch (Rakes of the Caribbean) (6 page)

Epilogue

“Where are we going?” Sarah asked for the twelfth time since they’d pulled out of the drive in the gig she kept for trips to the village. She put up a hand to steady the brim of her hat from the light breeze.

“Does it matter?” Benedict teased. But he was right. It didn’t matter. She was happy enough to be out with him on another beautiful day with blue sky and sun overhead.

“No, but we’re going
somewhere
,” Sarah persisted with a laugh, enjoying the freedom. It was early afternoon. The guests had all departed that morning. She and Benedict had seen them off from the front steps. Miss Elmore was beaming and her mother was, too, as Viscount Brisbourne handed her into her carriage. Devonshire had had the good sense to discreetly slip out before dinner the prior evening and take rooms at a nearby inn so as not to spoil anyone else’s good time.

“Do you think Ren will be glad of our news?” Sarah asked. After the guests had gone, they’d both written letters to her brother, excited and yet nervous to tell him.

“Yes, of course. He’ll understand.” Benedict squeezed her hand. “We can still decide to have a long engagement if it means he can be here for the wedding.”

Sarah shook her head. “Waiting four weeks for the banns to be called is long enough. I can’t imagine waiting another year or even six more months.” They’d decided on banns to give the sudden engagement a traditional look, something further to quell any scandal.

Benedict blew out a breath and Sarah laughed. “You didn’t want to wait, either! Why did you offer if you didn’t want to?”

“I want you to be happy and if having your brother here is important, we’ll wait.”

Sarah slipped her arm through his as he drove. “There will be no more waiting. I’ve had enough of it. Speaking of which,
where
are we going? Don’t tell me I’ll just have to wait and see.”

Benedict’s eyes twinkled. “Can’t you guess?” He turned the gig onto a little lane, a building coming into view in the distance. As they drew closer, she could see it was a manse with climbing ivy on the walls and a rose garden on the side. It was well kept and carried a certain charm, a charm that cried out for a family. She expected a little girl to run out the door at any moment, or a little boy to fly by with a kite in his hand and a puppy on his heels.

She looked at Benedict, all smiles and tears. “I know where we are. We’re home.”

He nodded, his throat working silently as they sat quietly, hands interlocked, taking it all in. Sarah was overcome. For Benedict this wasn’t just a house. “This is your dream, isn’t it?” she said softly. “The one you told me about at the holiday party where we first met.”

“My dream is sitting next to me,” Benedict said.

Sarah smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Mine is, too.”

Benedict cleared his throat, his voice low and seductive when he spoke. “I have other dreams, too, you know.”

Sarah lifted her head, sensing a game. She played along. “Like what?”

“Well, for starters, there’s a bed upstairs. I have long dreamed of making love to you in it.”

Sarah gave him a coy glance. “What did I say about no more waiting?”

Within moments, Benedict had her in his arms, carrying her through the door and up the staircase amid laughter and a few stumbles because it was harder than it looked to carry the woman he loved up stairs, skirts and all.

He deposited her on a big bed covered in a cheerful multicolored counterpane and collapsed beside her, catching his breath. “You’re a foolish man, you could have hurt your back, or worse, you could have dropped me!” she teased. Life with Benedict would always be full of surprises. This was merely the beginning of the adventure. Then she sobered and tugged at his cravat. “What’s next?”

Benedict rolled her beneath him, his arms bracketing her as he rose above her, all glorious male, all hers. Forever. She would never tire of looking up into that face. “We’re about to make our dreams come true.”

* * * * *

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ISBN-13: 9781459256552

Craving the Rake’s Touch

Copyright © 2014 by Bronwyn Scott

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