Every Scandalous Secret (28 page)
He dropped the pen and came to his feet. She had the invitation in her hand, and she was staring at him in wonder.
“Did you do this . . . for me?” she asked softly.
“Only partly,” he admitted, feeling the first easing of gratitude and relief. “The rest was for me.”
“That’s good. We should always do something for ourselves, and I so hoped you would find a passion.” Her voice broke.
Tenderly, he said, “Besides you?”
She closed the door behind her and walked toward him. He didn’t move, afraid to startle her, to make her change her mind. He found himself nervous, something he’d seldom felt before. But she was his wife, and that made everything different.
She clutched the invitation in her hand and looked at it rather than him. “I always thought I was independent, Leo. Though I told myself I didn’t care what people thought about my bluestocking ways, I
did
care—too much—what men thought of me.” She raised her eyes, and their chocolate depths shone with determination. “I don’t want to be that insecure anymore. I know you’ve changed, that you wouldn’t lie to me, that our marriage isn’t about some foolish wager. I know you love me, even if you can’t say the words. Actions are what matter, and you’ve shown me—”
He pulled her against him. “I love you, Susanna,” he said fervently.
Her eyes filled with tears, and her mouth parted as if in wonder.
“I think we both had doubts that we could ever be loved for who we were, mistakes and all,” he continued in a quiet voice. “You came into my life, with your accomplishments and goals, and the restlessness I’d been feeling made me realize I had nothing to look forward to. But I have that now.”
“Oh, I’m so glad, Leo,” she whispered, then stood on tiptoes to kiss every part of his face she could reach.
He returned her kisses, and it was some time before she broke away, her eyes dazed.
She laughed. “Tell me about the archaeology association. I cannot believe you finally went!”
“I spent this afternoon there, and it was quickly apparent to me that simply studying the remains at Woodhill Manor wouldn’t be enough. I will present my work, but then I’ll need to travel to the Continent. If only I could find an artist willing to accompany me and sketch what I need . . .”
She gasped, and her mouth widened with an excited smile. “Me! Choose me!”
He laughed and hugged her. “After you’ve finished helping your father. That’s been the work of your life so far.”
She flung her arms around him, dropping her head back to laugh as if the world held only wonders from then on. Looking into her beloved face, Leo knew it was true.
T
he weddings were beautiful. Susanna stood beside her husband in the church, watching as Rebecca and Julian, Elizabeth and Peter, were joined in matrimony. Then they all returned to Madingley House for a celebratory breakfast, where Susanna and Leo were feted at the same time since their wedding had been far from traditional. Susanna looked around at the overflowing dining room, at all her cousins and siblings, and never had she imagined feeling so very blessed.
Later that afternoon, Leo, Julian, and Peter escaped the festivities for the library.
Leo poured a brandy for each of them, then raised his glass. “To the wager.”
“That the women won,” Peter amended, shaking his head. “None of us could prove anything.”
“I came out ahead—I bought the painting,” Leo said, grinning.
“When the hell did you have time to do that?” Julian demanded.
“When I began to suspect the truth, I sent word to have it done. It’s a good thing neither of you studied the painting well, or you’d have known. But I can’t discuss such private information,” he added, when they would have demanded answers.
“So you won,” Peter said in amazement.
“And neither of you are seeing my proof. The painting will only be for me and Susanna.” They touched glasses and, wearing a wry smile, he added, “I think we all won.”
After a detour through fitness instructing and computer programming, G
AYLE
C
ALLEN
found the life she’d always dreamed of as a romance writer. This
USA Today
bestselling author has written eighteen historical romances for Avon Books, and her novels have won the Holt Medallion and the Laurel Wreath Award.
Gayle lives in Central New York with her three children; her dog, Apollo; and her husband, Jim, the Romance Hero.
Visit her website at www.gaylecallen.com.
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Every Scandalous Secret
A Most Scandalous Engagement
In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady
Never Marry a Stranger
Never Dare a Duke
Never Trust a Scoundrel
The Viscount in Her Bedroom
The Duke in Disguise
The Lord Next Door
A Woman’s Innocence
The Beauty and the Spy
No Ordinary Groom
His Bride
His Scandal
His Betrothed
My Lady’s Guardian
A Knight’s Vow
The Darkest Knight
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
EVERY SCANDALOUS SECRET
. Copyright © 2011 by Gayle Kloecker Callen. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition OCTOBER 2011 ISBN: 9780062096159
Print Edition ISBN: 9780061783456
FIRST EDITION
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