Rogue's Honor (40 page)

Emerging from the chapel along a path strewn
with rose petals, Pearl smiled up at Luke as he held her hand,
encased in a white lace glove, close to his heart. A carriage,
bedecked with flowers and greenery, waited to convey them back to
the enormous manor house for a lavish wedding breakfast, but they
paused before entering it to exchange a few words, first with Lord
Marcus, and then with the Duke and Duchess of Oakshire.

"Thank you, Father, for everything," said
Pearl, kissing the Duke on the cheek. Then she turned to the
Duchess, to kiss her as well. "And thank you too . . . Mother."

The Duchess' eyes widened for a moment, but
then she smiled. "I have always tried to do my best by you, Pearl,
though I know we have had our differences. Perhaps we shall have a
chance to become friends, now that we will not be under the same
roof."

"I do hope so." Pearl spoke with complete
sincerity, whether she believed such an outcome likely or not.

Luke now bent down to lift up the little boy
standing next to the Duchess. "So, young Edward, have you given any
thought to the succession as yet? You'll be choosing a wife for
yourself before you know it."

The child grinned at him and giggled, then
glanced at his mother and sobered slightly. "Mother says people are
supposed to call me Lord Morehaven —but you can call me Edward.
We're brothers now, aren't we?"

Luke tousled his hair before setting him back
on his feet, ignoring the way the Duchess' mouth primmed at the
exchange. "We are indeed, and I must say, I've always wanted a
brother. I hope we'll have some capital times together."

Finally, Luke handed Pearl into their
carriage. Once the door was closed and the gravel crunching beneath
their wheels as they made their way up the path, he turned to
her.

"Now that I have you secure, there is
something you need to know," he told her ominously.

Her eyes widened, though the love shining out
of them never wavered. "More secrets? I thought we had done with
those."

"This will be the last, I promise you."

Reaching inside his coat, he pulled out the
document giving her complete control over Fairbourne. In it, he
relinquished a husband's usual claim over a wife's property, ceding
to her the management and ultimate disposition of the estate.

She read through the paper, her mouth a small
O
of surprise, then gazed up at him, her eyes shining. "What
a perfect wedding gift!" she exclaimed.

He grinned down at her. "I thought if you had
an estate to manage, you'd be less tempted to manage me."

"That reminds me," Pearl said then, with a
rather mischievous grin. "I have a gift for you, as well." From her
reticule, she drew out a small stack of calling cards inked with a
curious design: a number seven, capped by an oval halo. Luke
recognized it at once.

"I made them myself," she explained. "Should
you choose to continue as the Saint of Seven Dials, I knew you
would wish to leave these behind to, ah, tweak the conscience of
Society."

Luke chuckled. "And continue to set the
ton
on its collective ear!" Sobering, he met her eyes and
saw the vague anxiety there, though she was clearly striving to
hide it. She was making a great sacrifice under the guise of a
jest— one he was glad would be unnecessary.

"No, my sweet, you need not worry. My
thieving days are over. We'll find other ways to help the poor
unfortunates of Seven Dials. Thank you for the gift, however —and
even more for the thought behind it." He tucked the cards in his
pocket. Perhaps he would slip some of them to Marcus later, to see
what use he might make of them.

Pearl's anxiety vanished, though her smile
held a trace of wistfulness. "I believe I may miss my roguish
thief. He brought such excitement to my staid life."

"I never promised to leave
all
wickedness behind," he said, stripping off one of her lace mittens,
then one of his own kidskin gloves, to clasp her hand, flesh to
flesh. "I intend to prove quite the opposite tonight."

Her violet-blue eyes grew smoky with desire.
"I can scarcely wait."

To the delight of the onlookers running
alongside the carriage, he took her in his arms. She responded
eagerly to his kiss—so eagerly that they were both flushed with
passion when the carriage finally rolled to a stop before the great
house.

"I will accept that as a down payment of your
pledge," Pearl murmured as a footman opened the carriage door. "But
I expect payment in full tonight."

"And you shall have it," Luke promised,
drinking in the sight and scent of her, this woman he loved with
every fiber of his being. "I swear it, on my honor as a rogue."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Rogue's Honor
is the first of my "Saints of Seven Dials" series
of Regency-set historical romances. It is set in the same "world"
as my traditional Regencies and
Scandalous
Virtue
, with a few of the same (fictional)
peripheral characters. Though each of my books stands alone,
complete in itself, some readers prefer to read them in order. My
Regency historicals, in order (both chronologically in the period
and in order of publication) are:
Scandalous Virtue, Rogue's Honor, Noble Deceptions
(originally published as
A Rebellious Bride
),
Innocent Passions
and
Saintly Sins
(originally published as
Wickedly
Yours
). These last four comprise my
"Saints of Seven Dials" series. Linked to those, but not quite a
part of the series, are also
Taming
Tessa
(title subject to change!)
and
The Runaway Heiress
. With all of my Regency historicals, I thoroughly enjoyed
the opportunity to stretch my wings beyond the rather strict
boundaries of the traditional Regency, while still preserving the
feel and accuracy of the time period. For these reissues, I have
taken the opportunity to clean up a few small errors of fact and
proofing, and am delighted to again share my stories with you in
this new format. Enjoy!

* * *

For information on my other books, please
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