Lord Satan (29 page)

“Yes, please, Mama.”

When they were alone, Lord Neil took her hands again. “Your
parents have not put any pressure on you to accept or refuse?”

“No—oh no! They would not do that. But I must talk to
you.” She took a deep breath. “Why did you offer for me?”

He gave a chuckle and said, “I am not sure myself. I think
it is because I have decided I cannot live without you.”

She stared at him, trying to read the truth in his eyes.
“Does that mean you love me a little?”

He laughed, and his voice sounded shaky. “Oh, Elizabeth, it
means I love you a great deal.”

Her head felt suddenly light, and she doubted she could
stand. She leaned into him, feeling for the first time the sensation of
nestling in his arms. “I didn’t know,” she said. “You never said anything.”

“I felt that I could not in honor say anything to you
before. Because of your youth, and the shadow over my reputation, I had no
right to speak to you. I told myself you would forget me if I left, but now I
realize I could not bear it if you do not care any more.”

“Well, that was silly. I could never forget you. I fell in
love with you while I still was not sure whether you wanted to kill your
nephew. That should prove the depth of my love.”

He laughed again and enfolded her more tightly, gazing into
her eyes as though he read volumes of love poetry there.

She shivered, tingling from his touch, and pressed against
him. “Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

His smile faded. “Yes, I believe I am.” He touched his
lips gently to hers. She threw her arms around him and clung as he deepened
the kiss.

She could never have imagined this, melting sweetness and
raging fire together. Her heart hammered wildly and her skin felt flushed.

He broke the kiss and looked again at her. “You won’t run
away again, will you?” he teased. “Last summer I always seemed to find you
running away from some heartbroken male.”

“Oh, unfair. I didn’t love those men. This is where I
belong, and I will never run away from you.”

For a few minutes there was no further conversation as he
demonstrated to her how thoroughly he intended to make her his.

They sat again on the settee, knowing their privacy would
soon come to an end. Libbetty gazed at him and said, “You know, when I think
about it, perhaps the fact that I fell in love with you should have shown me
you could not have been a murderer.” Then she considered some more. “I wonder
if I could still love you if you were a murderer,” and gave him a speculative
look.

Neil laughed and took her in his arms. “I love you enough
to do almost anything for you, but I absolutely refuse to kill someone so you
can find out whether you would still love me.”

“Then, could you please kiss me again?”

THE END

Lord Satan

Copyright 2014 Judith Laik

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business
establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Fortune’s Favorite
,
Second in the Peasebotham
Regency Chronicles series

Captain Lord Cauldreigh, dedicated to vanquishing Napoleon’s
ambitions, has survived war wounds and returned to the field. He has no time
for love. But when his colonel falls in battle and the regiment’s officers
stage a lottery to determine which one marries his daughter, Cauldreigh loses.

Antandre Tyrell has followed her father to his every
battlefield her whole life, and now she faces a grim future, until Captain Lord
Cauldreigh, the man she loves, offers her marriage. But when she learns that
Lord Cauldreigh was tricked, she flees from the sham her life has become and
takes refuge in England.

Too late, Cauldreigh realizes he has lost his heart to his
bride. Will his campaign for her forgiveness win the battle?

Judith Laik
grew up in Tacoma, Washington. Back in those days, she couldn’t wait to shake
the pulp mill stench and small-town atmosphere and head for the big city of
Seattle. Fortunately or unfortunately, she was too young to remember World War
II, but she is a dedicated fan of music from that era. Visit Judith at her
website
, Facebook, or Twitter.

Around the Circle Gently

Reading this
unique quote book is like sitting in on a conversation with such a diverse
collection of people as Benjamin Spock, Anna Quindlen, Candice Bergen, Mahatma
Gandhi, Fred (Mr.) Rogers, Bill Cosby, Amelia Earhart, Mother Teresa, Dr.
Seuss, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Topics include pregnancy and birth;
raising children; being a parent; relationships with spouses, families, and
other loved ones; the “golden years” after the children are grown;
and coming to grips with old age and death. Lynn Moen and Judy Laik have
collected more than 1000 quotes — wise, witty or touching that shine a light
on how our relationships enrich, enhance, and complicate our lives. Learn more
about Around the Circle Gently at the
ATCG blog
.

Watch for the Re-Release of these Regencies by Judith Laik

The Lady is Mine

The belle of the ball is hiding
behind the potted palms again - but what else can Harriet Vernon do when two
suitors are vying for her hand? She cannot help it if her charms drive men to
distraction - she would much rather be travelling to Paris. Or Venice. Or
Bombay and beyond - anywhere but London! But the devilishly handsome Lord
Beldon is most insistent. He has refused Harriet’s demure younger sister, who
would make him a much more suitable bride. But if Lord Beldon will not take no
for an answer, he will have to be happy with a maybe. Because for the moment,
Harriet would rather have fun…

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Charlotte Treadwell is resigned to
her father’s desperate gaming - until she becomes the forfeit in a game of
hazard. Suddenly she “belongs” to Hugh Brooks, the Earl of Rayfield,
a rake and a gambler no better than her own papa, and a man who will surely
never understand her work with the poor. She doesn’t know that Hugh is just as
confounded - his task is to pursue a spy through London’s aristocratic salons
and seedy gaming hells, not to shelter the man’s fiery daughter! The trouble
is, Charlotte - and her passionate kisses - stirs Hugh’s blood in ways he
cannot deny, and he longs to prove that treason does not run through hers. How
on earth is he to concentrate on his mission for the crown when the lady in
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