Dark Surrender (40 page)
Authors: Erica Ridley
Tags: #Regency, #Historical Romance, #Victorian, #Gothic, #Historical Fiction
“Over there!” she called, motioning him from the carriage. “Alistair’s propped against a tree, holding Lily.”
Nodding, he crossed through the trees and carefully lifted Lily from Alistair’s arms. After settling the child in the back of the carriage, Mr. Roper came back to help Alistair to his feet before returning to watch over Lily.
When Alistair reached Violet’s horse, he shook his head and grinned up at her. “You won?”
“Of course I won,” she said with mock affront. “I always win.”
“Of course you do. I wasn’t worried for a second.”
She arched a brow. “Not for one little second?”
“Well, if you want to be technical, I was in a state of apoplexy more or less the entire time you were gone.” His mouth smiled, but his eyes were serious as he held out his arms to her. “Never leave us again.”
She swung her far leg back over the side of her mount and slid down into his embrace. “I promise.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her tight. “As Lillian’s parents, we’ll spend the rest of our lives in the pursuit of happiness . . . together.”
“Absolu—” Violet jerked her face up toward him. “As her what?”
“Violet Whitechapel,” he said, leaning down to steal a kiss. “Would you do me the honor of marrying me . . . and my daughter?”
Love clogged her throat. There was nothing on this earth she wished for more. Not just
a
family, but
this
family. Forever and ever.
She rose up on her toes and kissed him soundly. “I would love to.”
“I have a
mother?”
Lily shouted from the open carriage, her voice cracking on the final word. “Truly?”
“You have an entire family,” Violet corrected, still in a state of disbelief. “We all do.”
Smiling so wide it hurt, she slid her hand into Alistair’s and climbed into the carriage to join their daughter.
EPILOGUE
Six months later, Violet stepped from her bedchamber onto a stone balcony overlooking the Waldegraves’ new property. Her new home. A thousand far-off stars glistened overhead. While Bath had been too crowded to call home, she would be hard pressed to find fault with the sweeping Scottish manor overlooking the sea.
Lily’s burns had healed even better than expected, only leaving faint scars behind. The manor boasted plenty of wide, windowless rooms for her to roam during the day. Between the Highlands and the beaches, Lily’s nights were filled with sensory delights.
So were Violet’s.
Her husband approached from behind. Without a word, he slid his arms about his wife’s waist and buried his face in her hair.
“Sorry we left England, love?” Alistair asked quietly.
“Good Lord, no.” Violet leaned into him, allowing the sea-scented breeze to rustle her skirts and tangle her hair. “Are you?”
He shook his head, then pulled her forward into his embrace. His hands cupped her face. He dipped his head to kiss her, his mouth hungry and his gaze full of promise. “The only place I’m sorry we left is our bedchamber. Care to join me for a moment or two?”
“Just a moment or two?” she replied archly, allowing him to take her hand and lead her back inside. “And here I was hoping we might manage to occupy ourselves until sunrise.”
“Just sunrise?” He slid her night rail from her shoulders and pressed a warm kiss to her breast. “And here I was hoping we could do this the rest of our lives.”
“Mmm. Perhaps we could start with this . . . ” She let her mouth and tongue leave a trail of kisses from his bare chest to just below his waist. “Or did you have other plans?”
“I like your plans,” he said quickly, sucking in a breath as she continued the trail with her tongue. “I love everything about you.”
Sinking to her knees, she paused only to flash him a saucy smile. “Allow me to give you one . . . more . . . reason . . . ”
Thank You
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Historical Romance Novels by Erica Ridley:
Too Wicked To Kiss (2010)
Too Sinful To Deny (2011)
Born To Bite (2012)
Let It Snow (2013)
Nether-Netherland series:
Charmed (2012)
Midwinter Magic (2013)
Get your hands on:
Too Wicked To Kiss
ISBN: 978-1420109931
“A skillful blend of Gothic mystery and steamy romance.”
- Karen Rose
New York Times bestselling author
Too Sinful To Deny
ISBN: 978-1420109948
“Sensual and witty… a delicious dark Gothic treat.”
- Eloisa James
New York Times bestselling author
Born to Bite
ISBN: 978-0758273437
“A real gem!”
- Jessie Potts,
USA Today
Charmed
ISBN: 978-0985455880
“An epic adventure that takes you through true love and beyond.”
- Courtney Milan
New York Times bestselling author
About the Author
Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be an author when she grew up.
She is the author of three Gothic romances,
Too Wicked to Kiss,
Too Sinful to Deny
and
Dark Surrender
, the vampire romance "Never Been Bitten" in the paranormal romance anthology
Born To Bite
, and the contemporary paranormal romances
Charmed
,
Midwinter Magic
, and
Let It Snow
.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Central America, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.
For more information, please visit
www.ericaridley.com
.
Other Intrepid Reads Authors
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Her Wicked Ways
His Wicked Heart
To Seduce a Scoundrel
To Love a Thief (a novella)
Never Love a Scoundrel
Scoundrel Ever After
Regency Treasure Hunters
Summer 2014
Contemporary Romance
Ribbon Ridge
Where the Heart Is (a prequel Christmas novella)
Only in My Dreams (2014)
Yours to Hold (2014)
To learn more about Darcy or to sign up for her mailing list, visit http://www.darcyburke.com.
Books by Emma Locke
The Naughty Girls Series
The Courtesans
The Trouble with Being Wicked
The Problem with Seduction
The Art of Ruining a Rake (2014)
The Hoydens
The Danger in Daring a Lady (2015)
The Importance of Being a Scoundrel (2015)
The Hazards of Loving a Rogue (2015)
The Innocents
The Cheer in Charming an Earl (a Christmas novella)
To receive updates on future book releases, sign up for Emma’s mailing list at
http://www.emmalocke.com.
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