A Kiss Before the Wedding - A Pembroke Palace Short Story (5 page)

“I suspected as much.”

She felt her forehead wrinkle in confusion. “But
how did you get in here? Did you come through the window?”

He shook his head. “I have not yet learned to
fly, darling. When you did not come, I ran as fast as I could to
the palace, to the servants’ entrance, and tried to sneak in.”

“What happened?”

“The housekeeper took me for a thief and tossed
me out on my backside. I had almost given up and was about to
return to the village when a footman approached me. He told me
about the secret passages and offered to take me to your
chamber—for a price.”

“That was very unscrupulous of him,” she
said.

“I agree, but I paid him nonetheless. He had
just been let go, so I suppose he had an axe to grind.” William
glanced toward the large tapestry beside the bed. “Did you know
there was a door in the wall?”

“No. If I had, I would have used it to sneak out
of here hours ago.”

Overcome by curiosity, Adelaide slid off the bed
and went to examine it. Indeed, there was a secret door behind the
tapestry. It opened soundlessly this time to reveal a dark
passageway that led somewhere mysterious.

“We can sneak out together,” William whispered,
“if you are sure this is what you want. My horse is waiting at the
stables. If we ride all night, we can make it to London by late
tomorrow and board a ship. I will take you to Italy, my love, and I
promise you will be very happy there. I have so much to tell you
about the discoveries I have made and what I have learned there,
what we can do there together––but not now, Adelaide. If we are
going to leave before your wedding, we must go.”

She nodded, but hesitated and looked around.
“Should I bring anything?”

She glanced at the locked door and felt a sudden
pang of remorse. Would she ever see her sisters again?

“Your cloak,” he replied, “for it has become
cool outside, and whatever else you can fit in a small bag.”

She hurried across the room, fetched a few
things from the wardrobe, and stuffed them into a valise. Then she
wrapped her cloak around her shoulders.

William approached and fastened the clasp at her
neck.

Their eyes met, and she felt a thrilling wave of
excitement for the future, but it was mixed with fear and
uncertainty.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, his
expression serious.

“Of course I am. You are everything to me,
William. You always were, for as long as I can remember. And
knowing you feel as I do, I cannot imagine my life without
you.”

“Nor can I imagine my life without
you
. I
love you, Adelaide. Nothing will ever change that.”

Stirred by the power of his love for her, she
lifted her face to meet his kiss, which held a promise that would
never be broken. She felt it in her heart and in her
body—especially when his silken tongue met hers with raw, heated
passion. Happiness settled into her, and she knew that William
Thomas was the great love of her life.

He kissed her devotedly, then drew back and
smiled down at her. “Now it begins,” he whispered, as he took her
hand and led her across the room to the door behind the
tapestry.

“What begins?” she asked.

“Our future together.”

Quietly they slipped into the secret, narrow
corridor that would see them out of the palace.

Adelaide clasped William’s hand tightly as he
led her down the dark passageway. Her heart pounded with a
combination of fear and daring exhilaration. She felt as if they
were prisoners making a brave escape from a dungeon.

They were not out of the woods yet, however.
Anything could happen before they reached the stables.

Nevertheless, as they made their way toward
freedom, Adelaide knew that nothing would keep them apart. Even if
her father caught them, even if he beat her and locked her up
again, she and William would find a way to be together somehow, for
it was their destiny. He was the other half of her soul.

She had known it the moment he kissed her.

THE END

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed A KISS BEFORE THE WEDDING,
the fifth story in my Pembroke Palace Series. I confess I was
unsure about calling it the fifth instalment, as it takes place
almost thirty years before the series begins. At the end of the
day, I felt it would work best as a bridge to the series
conclusion, SEDUCED AT SUNSET, which is coming in 2013.

That story will feature Lady Charlotte, the last
unmarried daughter at Pembroke Palace, who has been ‘on the shelf’
for a number of years, while her brothers have all been finding
love. It will also resolve the enduring love story between Lady
Charlotte’s mother, Adelaide, and Dr. William Thomas.

(For those of you who haven’t read the first
four books in the series, you may be surprised to discover that
Adelaide does marry the Duke of Pembroke, but it is a tumultuous
relationship. Dr. Thomas remains a constant devoted presence in her
life, however, and his friendship helps her through many difficult
times. Please continue reading for a complete list of the books in
this series.)

I want to take this opportunity to thank you––my
cherished readers––for all your wonderful letters and emails over
the years. They mean so much to me and often help me to decide what
to write next.

Please sign up for my
Email
Newsletter
so I can let you know when my next book is
out. And visit my website for more information about all my books,
or to contact me directly. I love hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Julianne

Available Now

MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT

Copyright © 2012 Julianne
MacLean

Featuring Adelaide and Dr. Thomas
as secondary characters

AN UNATTAINABLE ROGUE...

For seven years, Lord Garrett Sinclair—the
ruggedly handsome illegitimate son of the Duke of Pembroke—has been
traveling abroad with no intention of ever returning home to
Pembroke Palace... until his father commands that he must marry by
Christmas in order to thwart a family curse or lose his inheritance
forever. Haunted by a tragic accident that has hardened his soul,
Garrett entrusts his brothers to seek out a bride who will agree to
a marriage in name only. Her reward? A sizable share of his
inheritance—payable immediately after the wedding night....

A BEAUTIFUL TEMPTRESS...

Lady Anne Douglas has been ruined by scandal and
disowned by her father. Facing a life of poverty and spinsterhood,
she leaps at the generous terms of the marriage contract to ensure
her independence. But the charade of a two-week engagement proves
more of a challenge than either anticipated when they cannot resist
the intoxicating lure of the marriage bed. Anne knows they will
part ways after the wedding. Will she dare risk her heart for two
weeks of pleasure in the arms of an irresistible rogue? Or will her
surrender become her undoing after a most unexpected turn of events
mere hours before the wedding?

SEDUCED AT SUNSET

Coming Soon in 2013

Sometimes the matchmaker finds
a love of her own...

Pembroke Palace Series
Conclusion

(Charlotte’s Story)

Books by Julianne MacLean

The American Heiress
Series:

To Marry the Duke

An Affair Most Wicked

My Own Private Hero

Love According to Lily

Portrait of a Lover

Surrender to a Scoundrel

The Pembroke Palace Series:

In My Wildest Fantasies

The Mistress Diaries

When a Stranger Loves Me

Married By Midnight

A Kiss Before the Wedding - A
Pembroke Palace Short Story

Seduced at Sunset
(Coming
in 2013)

The Highlander Trilogy:

Captured by the Highlander

Claimed by the Highlander

Seduced by the Highlander

The Rebel – A Highland Short
Story
(available as a FREE e-book)

The Royal Trilogy:

Be My Prince

Princess in Love

The Prince’s Bride

Harlequin Historical
Romances:

Prairie Bride

The Marshal and Mrs.
O’Malley

Adam’s Promise

Time Travel Romance

Taken by the Cowboy

Contemporary Fiction
:

Written as E.V. Mitchell:

The Color of Heaven

About the Author

Julianne MacLean is a
USA
Today
bestselling author of numerous historical romances,
including The Highlander Trilogy with St. Martin’s Press and her
popular American Heiress Series with Avon/Harper Collins. She also
writes contemporary mainstream fiction under the pseudonym E.V.
Mitchell, and her recent release
The Color of Heaven
was an
Amazon bestseller. She is a three-time RITA finalist, and has won
numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Book
Buyer’s Best Award, and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic
Times for Best Regency Historical of 2005. She lives in Nova Scotia
with her husband and daughter, and is a dedicated member of Romance
Writers of Atlantic Canada. Please visit Julianne’s
website
for
more information.

Sign up for Julianne’s
e-newsletter

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Copyright © 2012 Julianne
MacLean

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Cover Design: Kim Killion

Editor: Patricia Thomas

Formatting: Hale Author
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