Rayne grinned slowly, his voice an affectionate tease as he responded, “You are not in the least convenient, love, to my great relief and delight. Fortunately, I relish a challenge.”
Madeline laughed. “As do I. I am quite content being wed to a former spy and mastermind. Any other man would have been far too tame and bland for me.”
“You have fully tamed me, love. But I believe I deserve greater credit for being astute enough to choose you.”
Gazing up at him with amusement, Madeline placed her hand on Rayne’s chest, feeling the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “I am profoundly grateful you chose me, dearest husband. You rescued me from the forlorn life of a spinster.”
“And you, sweet Madeline, saved me from a life of utter boredom and misery. Even more crucially, you saved me from a life without love.”
With a soft smile, she shook her head in amazement. “It is a wonder we survived the machinations and follies of our various relatives and acquaintances—my brother, Ackerby, your grandmother, even Freddie.”
Rayne slid his arms around her, letting her feel the reassuring warmth of him as his fierce protectiveness surrounded her. “I know. And now, regretfully, duty calls me away.”
Lord Sidmouth had requested Rayne’s help with a new case, and Rayne had summoned Will Stokes to assist. The two of them were knee-deep in plotting a new operation now.
“Will is waiting for you,” Madeline reminded him.
Thankfully, Rayne delayed his departure long enough to share a passionate kiss with her. At the taste of his marvelous lips, she sighed with contentment, feeling loved, feeling treasured and cherished.
And when he finally released her, she let him go willingly. Even though she would miss him while they were apart, she knew a profound joy at the certainty that Rayne would always come home to her.
Her heart swelled at her good fortune as she watched her tall, handsome husband stride away.
With a private smile then, Madeline turned back toward the drawing room in order to rejoin his grandmother. She would win over the imperious Lady Haviland in the end. She’d had ample experience dealing with crotchety old noblewomen, and Rayne’s grandmother would be no exception. Particularly if she gave him the heir her ladyship wanted so badly.
Madeline only wished that her own beloved mother could be here to hold her first grandchild in her arms.
Opening the door to the drawing room, Madeline paused, then swallowed the poignant ache in her throat, knowing her mother would be at peace.
“You needn’t worry about your children any longer, Maman,” Madeline murmured. “Gerard and I could not possibly be any happier.”
Read on for an exciting taste
To Desire a Wicked Duke
by Nicole Jordan
Chapter One
I have been off the Marriage Mart for a good while now, but I am quickly learning an indisputable rule of engagement with the opposite sex: When you play with fire, you are likely to be burned ….and Rotham is the hottest sort of fire.
—DIARY ENTRY OF MISS TESS BLANCHARD
Richmond, England; October 1817
The kiss was amazingly insipid.
Disappointment surged through Tess Blanchard as Mr. Hennessy drew her more fully into his embrace. She had expected so much more when she acquiesced to his impulsive gesture.
More excitement, more pleasure, more feeling. In short, she had secretly longed to be swept away by romantic passion.
Instead she found herself logically analyzing the construction of his love-making. The precise pressure of his lips. The exact angle of his head. The unarousing feel of his arms around her.
There was no spark, no fire between them at all, Tess realized sorrowfully. The entire business left her remarkably cold.
Oh, Patrick Hennessy certainly seemed skilled in the art of kissing, she mused as his mouth plied hers with increased ardor. But surely a man who counted himself such an expert lover should have elicited a stronger response from her?
Not that she had much basis for comparison. This was only the second man she had ever romantically embraced in her three-and-twenty years.