The Duke's Accidental Wife (Dukes of War Book 7) (25 page)
Read The Duke's Accidental Wife (Dukes of War Book 7) Online
Authors: Erica Ridley
Tags: #Romance, #Historical, #Victorian, #Regency, #Historical Romance
It was empty.
Frustrated, she tried the library, the dining rooms, then finally found him in her aunt’s sickroom, reading aloud to Aunt Havens from an Ann Radcliffe gothic novel. Her heart swelled.
He rose to his feet the moment he saw her.
She flew across the room and into his arms. “I’ll make you the best possible duchess Ravenwood House has ever seen.”
“I
have
the perfect duchess,” he said in his low voice as he held her tight. “I saw the family room. I have no idea how you did it, but…thank you. You’re amazing.”
Warmth spread through her. “I wanted you to have more than memories. I wanted you to have a piece of your family.”
“
You
are my family,” he told her. “You, Aunt Havens, Jasper… We are a family. Together. That parlor is more than a miracle. It’s meant to be enjoyed. By all of us. We’ll fill it with new memories.”
She smiled into his cravat and snuggled close. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He lifted up her chin with his knuckle. “And I’d like you to rethink your resignation from the Society of the Creative and Performing Arts.”
She rose on her toes to kiss him. “I can’t go anywhere. Perhaps, once Ravenwood House once again runs smooth as clockwork…”
He arched his brows. “And perhaps you don’t have to go anywhere at all.”
She frowned up at him in confusion.
His grin was slow and wicked.
“Your grace?” The butler appeared in the doorway. “Guests are beginning to arrive.”
“Guests?” she asked, baffled. He’d invited people over while she slept?
“Send them to the ballroom,” Ravenwood ordered. “I believe they’ll all fit.”
“Ballroom?” she repeated. “At ten o’clock in the morning?”
The last time the Ravenwood ballroom had been used was seven months ago, when Lady Amelia had requisitioned it as a replacement venue for the seventy-fifth annual Sheffield Christmastide ball. Kate was certain her husband had only attended because it was his sister and his house.
“What on earth is happening?” she demanded.
He lifted a shoulder. “Your gala was cut short when you didn’t return after intermission. The performers and the patrons never received their promised opportunity to meet as equals, nor to discuss the arts or potential sponsorship.”
“You invited them here?” Giddiness made her lightheaded. “To the Ravenwood ballroom?”
“Our ballroom,” he corrected. “It should be large enough to serve as a monthly gathering point until you are ready to organize a supplementary gala for the second half of the performance. If the post is any indication, it will be an even worse crush than the opening night.”
“You’re helping with the gala?” She stared at him in befuddlement.
He shook his head. “Not just the gala. I am offering my services in any capacity you might need. There’s no reason to give up your dream. We can work on it together. You’ll just have to show me how.” He narrowed his eyes. “But please don’t make me memorize any journals.”
“Done.” Laughing, she pressed her lips to his.
The Society for Creative and Performing Arts wouldn’t just be a success for others—it would ensure she and her husband had even more reasons to spend time together. A mutual passion. They would be a team.
She laced her arms about his neck. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“How fortuitous.” He swung her into his arms. “After the meeting, you can show me.”
She laughed and smacked his shoulder. “I intend to show you how much I love you every single day.”
He kissed her back. “As do I, my love. As do I.”
Epilogue
Ravenwood set his pen back in the standish and looked up from his poetry. The family parlor looked much the same as it had during his childhood—with a few notable exceptions.
The vase at the window no longer held traditional English roses, but rather a single exotic dahlia, plucked fresh from his garden.
Ravenwood’s new writing desk near the fireplace was a gift from his wife, and had been hand-carved in the same style as his father’s favorite chair.
A chair which, at this moment, was occupied by Katherine’s Aunt Havens, whose attempts at embroidering a blanket for the new baby kept being interrupted by the much larger but equally rambunctious Jasper knocking over the embroidery basket.
“Dreadful beast,” Aunt Havens scolded with an indulgent smile.
Jasper was too busy gnawing on balls of thread to notice.
Katherine reclined on the chaise longue with their son snuggled up against the protruding bulge of her belly, as they leafed through a sketchbook of flowers, commenting on which ones they’d seen in the parks or on one of their many family picnics in Papa’s special garden.
In a few weeks, Parliament would come back into session and the London Season would once again be well underway.
Ravenwood would not be joining any committees this year. Not only did he and his wife have the fourth annual Society of Creative and Performing Arts opening gala to plan, he’d much rather be home with his family than cooped up in the Palace of Westminster.
Contentment coursing through him, he scooped Jasper out of Aunt Havens’ embroidery basket and nestled on the chaise next to his wife and child. The old parlor was finally a family room again. For the first time in decades, he no longer needed to yearn for what the future might hold.
He had everything he could ever want right here.
THE END
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Thank You For Reading
Did you know there are more books in the series?
Join the Dukes of War facebook group for giveaways and exclusive content:
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And check out the official website:
www.EricaRidley.com/books
In order, the Dukes of War books are:
The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation
The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower
The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress
The Major’s Faux Fiancée
The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride
The Pirate’s Tempting Stowaway
The Duke’s Accidental Wife
Other Romance Novels by Erica Ridley:
Let It Snow
Dark Surrender
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About the Author
Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be an author when she grew up.
Now, she's a
USA Today
best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series,
The Dukes of War
, features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Central America, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.
For more information, please visit
ericaridley.com
.
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Acknowledgments
Enormous thanks go to Emma Locke and Morgan Edens, without whom this book would never have come to life.
I also want to thank my incredible street team (the Light-Skirts Brigade rocks!!) and all the readers in the Dukes of War facebook group. Your enthusiasm makes the romance happen.
Thank you so much!
