Seven Wicked Nights (75 page)

Her gaze jerked to Nick. “What has he promised as punishment? Are you to duel?”

“Er, no,” he replied, momentarily caught off guard. Absurdly, he had to bite back the grin that threatened to emerge. She was just so damn magnificent. Straightening his face, he said, “Merely permanent alienation from this family, and the revocation of the funds for my commission. Nothing I can’t handle,” he added, not wanting her to think it was too great a penalty for him to bear.

“No, nothing you
will
handle,” she said, her eyes fairly glowing with passion. She’d never been so self-assured; it was all he could not to applaud her. Her hands to her hips, she turned back to Malcolm. “Nick attempted to rescue me from the fate you tried to manufacture, but this is my fight, not his.

“So here are your choices, dear uncle. Either I go back to the party and make a scene you will not soon forget, or you go in there and announce that, much to your surprise, your niece and step-son have made a love match, and will be married in one month’s time. Oh, and my entire dowry will be transferred upon our marriage.”

It took a moment for Nick to realize that the echoing gasp was his. “No, Eleanor, I won’t allow you to be trapped—”

She whirled to face him, her eyes flashing and her color high. “You mean married to you?”

Married to Eleanor
. He clenched his teeth together, ruthlessly squelching the surge of hope her words evoked. Everything he had done tonight was to protect her from exactly that fate. “Yes,” he answered, unable to keep the desperation from his voice.

She shook her head, looking up to him with soulful brown eyes. “What choice do I have? You have ruined me.”

Chapter Eight

E
LEANOR WAITED FOR THE SHOCK
of the statement to sink in before stepping forward and taking Nick’s hands in her own. “Yes, you ruined me in the eyes of the
ton
, but that’s not what I mean. Nick, you have ruined me for any other man. You’ve ruined me for living the life I once enjoyed.”

She met his gaze directly, wanting him to see the truth in her eyes, to know that she meant what she said. “You have shown true valor, you have treated me with respect, and you’ve shown that my wishes are as close to your heart as your own.

“I never thought I could bear to be married, but now I know that I can’t bear
not
to be. I can’t fathom being without you. And I must know,” she said, her voice raw with the emotion that consumed her, “after that kiss, have I ruined you as well?”

He looked down at her, his green eyes giving away nothing. “No,” he said, shaking his head decisively.

“
No
?” Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, taking the breath from her lungs. Had she lost her gamble? Had she been wrong about the kiss, and the connection she felt between them?

“You ruined me with the
first
kiss,” he said, squeezing her fingers tightly in his. “Eleanor Josephine Abbington, I have loved you since the day we met. One look at those huge brown eyes and the challenge you presented, and I was lost.”

He couldn’t be serious! He’d loved her all these years? She shook her head, unable to believe what he was saying. “But all the teasing, and insults, and pestering…”

For the first time that evening, a smile came to his lips. “When a fatherless, friendless boy is set before the gorgeous older granddaughter of an earl, what hope does he have? None – other than to keep the girl well enough engaged that she can’t possibly ignore him, even if she wanted to.”

She simply stared at him, unable to process the emotions welling up inside her like a cyclone. Happiness, incredulousness, joy, love, disbelief—it was impossible to untangle one from the other.

The moment was broken when Uncle Robert came suddenly to his feet, knocking his chair back with a clatter. “Enough! If you think I am going to bow to your whims like some sort of coward—”

“
Not
a coward,” Aunt Margaret broke in. “A wise man. One who knows when he’s been beat. One who will salvage the evening exactly as presented, so that his precious bill, and the support of those influential men out there, will not be compromised.”

“I will no—”

“You
will
.” The steel in her voice was unmistakable. “I may not have been here to help my sister, but by God I will help her daughters. And let me just say, the scene Eleanor promises will be nothing compared to the scandal you would see from me if you ever threaten any of my nieces or nephews again.”

Eleanor’s heart nearly burst for the woman beside her. She slipped her hand into her aunt’s and squeezed.

The fury on her uncle’s face would have scared her before, but not anymore. He had no sway over her, and he never again would. And, judging by the way his jaw worked as he ground his teeth, he knew it, too. Finally, he said, “I will make the announcement. I will sign over the dowry. But I will never, ever have the two of you step foot on my property again. In fact, I wish never to see your faces again.”

Victory!
Squeezing both her aunt’s and her betrothed’s hands hard, Eleanor nodded. “Agreed.”

Marching straight past them, Malcolm stormed from the room without another word.

Releasing her death grip on the others’ hands, the three of them joined in a spontaneous hug.

“Have no fear,” Aunt Margaret said. “I hereby exempt my home from his restrictions. Now, I believe I’ll go find your mother, Nicolas.”

Alone at last.

Suddenly shy, Eleanor bit her lip and pivoted to face the man who had turned her whole life upside down in a matter of days.

Smiling, he slipped his hands to her waist. “Now, my prickly sweet Ellie, I have a question for you. Will,” he kissed her forehead, “you,” then her nose, “marry,” he lingered over her lips, “me?”

Laughter bubbled up within her, completely eradicating all the negative emotions that had brewed inside her for days. “I thought we already agreed.”

His brows snapped together in mock affront. “I will not accept a proposal issued from you through my stepfather. Now, answer the question.”

Her joy was so complete as to be all consuming. “If you are mad enough to marry me, my love, then I am likewise inclined.”

He flashed a huge, genuine grin, all arrogance and mocking forever gone. He wrapped his arms fully around her waist and lifted her from her feet, spinning them both in a quick, dizzying circle before pressing his lips firmly upon hers, despite their laughter.

She encircled his neck with her arms, holding him as closely to her as she possibly could. Her sweet, infuriating, irresistible Nicolas. When the kiss ended, she pulled back slightly and smiled down into his eyes. “You do realize that Uncle Robert is serious about disowning us.”

“Thank God,” he replied, his green eyes sparkling. “My plan may have taken a decade or two, but it finally paid off.”

“Oh, so I’m a means to an end, am I?” she teased.

“Indeed…the means to a
happy
ending.”

Epilogue

J
UST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING
?”

Eleanor froze mid-lunge, her foil extended straight out in front of her. Blast, she was caught. The babbling brook that had so enchanted her when they purchased their small estate had apparently masked the sounds of her husband’s approach. Biting her lip, she straightened and turned to face the music. Nick stood behind her, partially shrouded in the heavy sheet of early morning fog, his arms crossed and his brow raised expectantly.

She offered a bright smile, all innocence. “Morning constitutional?”

He let his hands fall to his hips, giving her a very nice view of his chest through the partially-buttoned, generously-cut white shirt. “Uh huh.” He started forward, closing the distance between them with four easy strides. “You, madam, know full well you are not to be out here like this.”

Even as he pinned her with his sternest expression, his lips still curled with a hint of that delicious smile of his. Her heart gave a little flip. Almost a year of marriage, and he still could take her breath away.

He stopped an arm’s length away and held out his hand. “Your weapon?”

Scrunching her nose, she tucked the foil into the crook of her elbow. “Don’t be silly, Nicolas. There’s nothing wrong with a little exercise. In fact, I think it’s good.”

He flapped his hand open and closed in the universal sign for
hand it over
. “The doctor said no strenuous activities.”

“Oh really,” she said, lifting an imperious brow. “If I recall correctly, you were quite enthusiastic about our
strenuous
activities
last night.”

Nick gave a bark of laughter and shook his head. “Oh, sure—use
that
against me.” Chuckling, he slipped a hand over her shoulder and tugged her in for a kiss, foil and all. She sighed happily, readily leaning into his embrace.

When he pulled back, he placed a tender hand to her middle. The warmth of his bare fingers seeping through the fabric of her fencing shirt was nothing compared to the warmth of his gaze. “I know it’s very early yet, but put a poor soldier’s mind at ease, and do please stick to
walking
for your constitutionals.”

She loved when he looked at her like that, as though she were the most precious treasure in the world. Because of that look, she had taken the biggest risk of her life—throwing years of caution to the wind in order to be with him—and it had paid off beyond her wildest dreams. A husband who loved, respected, and cherished her, a much longed for baby on the way, and all the family members who really mattered—Aunt Margaret, Libby, and William—by their sides, refusing to be intimidated by Uncle Robert’s wrath.

She was happier than she’d ever been in her life, and she had one person to thank for it.

Covering his hand with her own, she sighed and nodded. “Fine, fine. Have it your way. But I warn you—I shall hold you accountable for keeping me entertained for the next seven or so months.”

His smile was slow and devilish and full of promise. “Deal.”

In one smooth move, he divested her of the foil and lifted her into his arms, making her laugh out loud. “Nicholas!” she gasped, clinging to his neck as he started back for the house.

“What?” he said mildly, not the least bit winded as he navigated the rocky uphill path. “I take my promises very seriously. If it is entertainment you want, it is entertainment you shall have.”

Grinning, Eleanor settled into his arms, relishing the familiar smell of his skin and the feel of his muscled arms around her. There was no other place on earth she’d rather be. “Thank you,” she whispered, the simple words filled with a wealth of emotion.

He slowed and tilted his head so he could meet her gaze. “Whatever for?”

“For making me the happiest person in all of England.”

His arms tightened around her as he brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “My dear Ellie,” he said, his voice slightly gruff. “I’m merely returning the favor.”

About Erin

Despite being an avid reader and closet writer her whole life, Erin Knightley decided to pursue a sensible career in science. It was only after earning her BS and working in the field for years that she realized doing the sensible thing wasn’t any fun at all. Following her dreams, Erin left her practical side behind and hasn’t looked back. Now a multi-published award-winning and best-selling author, she is living her own Happily Ever After in North Carolina with her tall, dark, and handsome husband and their three spoiled mutts.

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Other Books by Erin

The Sealed with a Kiss Series