Scoundrel (Lost Lords of Radcliffe Book 4) (37 page)

Briefly she let herself be sad for what she didn’t have. Her mother was deceased, her father too. She had no kin among the assembled company, no brother or cousin to give her to her husband. With it being such a fateful event, she’d have been glad to have anyone in the crowd to whom she was even loosely connected, even Alice and Lambert—if she could have convinced them to come.

Despite their bitter parting, she’d actually invited them. She didn’t want to fight with them, didn’t want to quarrel or cut ties. But they’d sent a snotty reply, and Lambert especially had been horrid. He blamed Faith for his fiscal troubles, though how she’d caused his penury she couldn’t quite grasp.

She’d written again, politely telling them they were welcome to visit in the future, but had received no response. She was concerned about her young half-sisters though, and she’d written a final letter, offering to assume the burden of raising them, to have them live at Oakhurst.

She hadn’t heard back to that suggestion either, but she often gazed down the winding drive, expecting someday a carriage would appear and Alice climb out. She’d drop her daughters in Faith’s lap, then hurry on to London and the thrilling life she could lead there without two little children weighing her down.

Chase had no family or friends in attendance, except for Ralston. Preparations had been put together so rapidly, and acquaintances scattered hither and yon, so no one had been able to make the journey. She’d begged him to reschedule, but he’d refused.

He’d laughed and claimed—if they delayed—she’d have an opportunity to reflect on her decision and might change her mind. He wasn’t willing to risk it.

In a few weeks, they were having an autumn house party. His sister, Amelia, was coming with her husband, Lucas. His friend, Bryce Blair, was traveling from Scotland with his wife, Katarina, and her siblings who—apparently—were a royal prince and princess.

It would be a gathering of people who loved Chase, and she was excited to meet all of them. The house wasn’t in the best shape to host guests, but she didn’t care. She wanted Chase to be surrounded by those closest to him for they understood how richly he deserved the enormous fortune that had suddenly rained down.

Finally she reached him. He stepped to her, clasped her hands, and kissed her cheek. Then he guided her over to the vicar.

“That was the longest walk in history,” he said. “I was starting to doubt you’d ever arrive.”

Rowena leaned in and said, “I warned her not to slip out the door and run off while we weren’t watching.”

“I was worried about it too,” Ralston admitted.

Chase shrugged. “I had my eye on her the whole time. She couldn’t have escaped.”

Faith smiled. “I have no desire to escape.”

“Good. I’m making progress.”

“Who could ever have guessed you’d turn out to be precisely what I need?”

“I told you I was. You should have listened to me.”

“I always listen,” she said. “I have to. You never stop talking.”

“It’s because I have so much to say to you. I’ve been waiting for you my entire life. I have to get a few things off my chest.”

“My beloved scoundrel,” she said.

“Yes, I’m a scoundrel, and now I’m all yours. What do you think of that, Mrs. Hubbard?”

“I think I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“And I’m the luckiest man.”

THE END

CHERYL HOLT
is a
New York Times
,
USA Today
, and Amazon “Top 100” bestselling author who spent the past summer celebrating the release of her fortieth novel.

She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age forty, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance where she was stunned to discover that she has a knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.

Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She is considered to be a master of the romance genre, and for many years, she was hailed as, “The Queen of Erotic Romance.” She is also renowned as, “The International Queen of Villains.” She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year” by the trade magazine
Romantic Times
BOOK Reviews.

She lives and writes in Hollywood, California, and she loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at
www.cherylholt.com
.

Praise for New York Times Bestselling Author

CHERYL HOLT

“Best storyteller of the year…”

Romantic Times Magazine

“A master writer…”

Fallen Angel Reviews

“The Queen of Erotic Romance…”

Book Cover Reviews

“Cheryl Holt is magnificent…”

Reader to Reader Reviews

“From cover to cover, I was spellbound. Truly outstanding…”

Romance Junkies

“A classic love story with hot, fiery passion dripping from every page. There’s nothing better than curling up with a great book and this one totally qualifies.”

Fresh Fiction

“This is a masterpiece of storytelling. A sensual delight scattered with rose petals that are divinely arousing. Oh my, yes indeedy!”

Reader to Reader Reviews

Praise for Cheryl Holt’s “Lord Trent” trilogy

“A true guilty pleasure!”

Novels Alive TV

“LOVE’S PROMISE can’t take the number one spot as my favorite by Ms. Holt—that belongs to her book NICHOLAS—but it’s currently running a close second.”

Manic Readers

“The book was brilliant…can’t wait for Book #2.”

Harlie’s Book Reviews

“I guarantee you won’t want to put this one down. Holt’s fast-paced dialogue, paired with the emotional turmoil, will keep you turning the pages all the way to the end.”

Susana’s Parlour

“…A great love story populated with many flawed characters. Highly recommend it.”

Bookworm 2 Bookworm Reviews

BOOKS BY CHERYL HOLT

SCOUNDREL

HEART’S DEMAND

HEART’S DESIRE

HEART’S DELIGHT

WONDERFUL

WANTON

WICKED

SEDUCING THE GROOM

LOVE’S PERIL

LOVE’S PRICE

LOVE’S PROMISE

SWEET SURRENDER

THE WEDDING

MUD CREEK

MARRY ME

LOVE ME

KISS ME

SEDUCE ME

KNIGHT OF SEDUCTION

NICHOLAS

DREAMS OF DESIRE

TASTE OF TEMPTATION

PROMISE OF PLEASURE

SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL

DOUBLE FANTASY

FORBIDDEN FANTASY

SECRET FANTASY

TOO WICKED TO WED

TOO TEMPTING TO TOUCH

TOO HOT TO HANDLE

FURTHER THAN PASSION

DEEPER THAN DESIRE

MORE THAN SEDUCTION

COMPLETE ABANDON

ABSOLUTE PLEASURE

TOTAL SURRENDER

LOVE LESSONS

MOUNTAIN DREAMS

MY TRUE LOVE

MY ONLY LOVE

MEG’S SECRET ADMIRER

THE WAY OF THE HEART

ISBN: 9781483559858 (E-version)

ISBN: 9781517521912 (Print version)

Copyright 2015 by Cheryl Holt

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Thank you.

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