The Marriage List (25 page)

May tore her gaze from her parents and slowly turned toward Radford. He was dressed in his finest black suit. His beaver hat gleamed as it sat at an angle on the top of his head. His cane was tucked underneath his arm so he could hold the largest bouquet of wildflowers May had ever seen.

“Would you care to introduce me?” he asked with a nod toward her parents.

“Viscount Evers, I am pleased to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord Sheffers . . . my parents.”

Oh God, her parents were finally home, and she felt absolutely unloved and miserable. This was not at all how she imagined their homecoming.

Hands and arms were smothering her as her mother and then her father embraced her, crying as earnestly as she wished she could. Her eyes remained curiously dry throughout the emotional ordeal.

“I suppose we should explain,” her father said after the duke had ushered them all into the upstairs drawing room where tea had been served.

Radford had directed May to sit on a small sofa. He set the flowers on a sideboard and sat beside her with his hand protectively holding hers. She let him feed her strength while she steeled herself for whatever her parents had to say.

“We wrote,” her father said. “We wrote letter after letter explaining our delayed absence. I’d send the letters to a small fishing village in Brazil along with the specimens I’d collected. Only recently did I learn that neither the letters nor the specimens ever found their way to the trading ships in the Caribbean. A man we trusted took payment for this service and threw away our packages. When I confronted him, he tried to kill us and steal what little money we had left. We escaped only to lose our way in the jungle. Years passed before we happened upon a captain of a ship willing to carry us home.”

May heard the very logical explanation and accepted it as true. Still, she felt miserable. If not for Radford’s steadying presence, she was convinced she’d have stormed from the room like a spoiled child.

“When I heard how Sires had treated you . . . ” her mother said. “I cannot tell you how his behavior angers me. I am so sorry we weren’t here to protect you. To give you a better life.”

“I am content,” May said softly.

Her father’s gaze narrowed. He looked at Radford as if seeing him for the first time. “Viscount Evers,” he said, a lilt of raw emotion alive in his tone. “What interest do you have in my daughter? I am not sure it is at all appropriate for you to sit there and cradle her hand like that.”

Radford’s protective hold remained firm. “I disagree.”

May’s father, a tall man who appeared as fit as a man many years his junior, peeled off his gloves. “I don’t give a fig if you disagree or not. She is my daughter and I will protect her.”

The dam broke. May charged across the room and tossed herself into her father’s arms just as she had when she was four years old and begging him not to leave.

“All these years I feared you didn’t love me,” she cried. “I feared I wasn’t good enough and that’s why you didn’t take me with you.”

“Oh dear God, May.” Her father held her tightly in his arms. “We have always loved you. Leaving you was the hardest thing we ever did. I fought against it, but Sires and Winnie convinced us that it would be wrong to endanger you by bringing you along. You deserved a better life than the one a wandering scientist such as I could give. You deserved to be raised as a lady.” He set her down and looked her square in the eye. “Never has my love for you wavered. You are my dearest, sweetest little Mayflower.”

Those were the words May had somehow forgotten but desperately needed to hear. The day her parents set sail, her father had made her promise to always remember that she was his dearest, sweetest little Mayflower . . . to remember that she would always be loved.

“I remember now, Papa,” she said as she wiped away a sheen of tears. “I remember you telling me that no matter what happens, this forever kind of love is always worth the risk.” She kissed his cheek and stepped back. Her gaze met Radford’s. “Please excuse me a moment. I need to speak with the viscount in private. It is truly something that shouldn’t wait.”

Radford stammered and blushed as she led him out the room, down the stairs, and out into the Newbury’s meticulously groomed flower garden. A heavy perfume traveled on the gentle autumn breeze and tickled her nose. May was about to comment on the scent when Radford pressed a finger against her lips.

“I need to explain something to you. And no, it cannot wait for you to go first,” he said. “I was a fool. I was so wrapped up in pride and fear I made unreasonable demands on what I wanted and ended up pushing you away. I would have chased after you immediately, but the duke asked me to wait and give you time.”

He ducked his head and stole a quick kiss. That brief brush of their lips sent May’s beautifully practiced speech flying.

“May, you are very important to me. I would like to court you properly. I will go to your father and beg his permission, if need be. I don’t want this to be a burden to you, what with your parents’ sudden return, but I have to speak my mind.”

He took a step back and sucked in a deep breath. “Miss Margaret Sheffers, I am utterly, completely, and hopelessly in love with you. You are the only woman I would even consider asking to be my wife.”

“Oh, Radford,” May said with a sigh, “I brought you out here to tell you the very same thing. I shouldn’t have let fear and pride keep me from telling you the truth about my feelings. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I love you, too.” A great warmth filled her as she spoke the words she’d held hidden for far too long. “How quickly can we get married? We’ve wasted enough time already; I certainly don’t have the patience to wait any longer.”

“Nor do I, sweeting,” he said with a shout of joy. “If we could manage it, I’d say let’s get married today.”

Epilogue

The wedding didn’t happen right away. Both Radford’s mother and May’s parents demanded the wedding be a grand affair. Six agonizing months passed before they finally were able to say their vows. Radford penned long, romantic letters to May and sent enough flowers to fill several rooms. May wrote him equally romantic letters and embroidered all sorts of handkerchiefs, nightshirts, and linens with his initials and figures of dancing horses.

The extra time gave her a chance to reacquaint herself with her parents and to grow to love her nearly wild brother, Perseus. But still, she lived for the day her life with Radford could finally begin.

“Are you sure you’re safe up there?” Aunt Winnie called a year after the blessed wedding day. She was cradling the future viscount in her arms while watching with a twisted grimace as May sat atop a gentle old mare Radford had promised was the kindest of souls.

“She’s as safe as if she were in my arms,” Radford answered and gave May a look that made her blush from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Never had she imagined marriage to be so pleasing.

A year had passed since the wedding night and he could still make her legs turn watery with just one heated glance.

Radford’s mother reached over Aunt Winnie and fussed with the baby blanket. May watched as the two stubborn women argued over the most beautiful baby she’d ever beheld. He was the very image of Radford.

Thankfully, the dowager Lady Evers had welcomed May into the family, telling her how grateful she was that May had made her son happy again.

“Shall we trot toward the hill?” Radford asked. “I promise we won’t stay away from little Henry for long. I can’t bear to leave him yet either. But I want you to resume your practice so you will feel comfortable riding.”

“As long as I’m by your side, I’m comfortable, Radford.”

She watched as he and Princess trotted on ahead of them. Both man and horse moved as gracefully as the wind. May tossed back her head and laughed. She prodded the dappled gray horse into a full run, blasting past Radford. Her bonnet flew off as the wind sailed through her hair.

Within no time, Radford caught up to her. They flew across the field, side-by-side on two wondrous creatures. May had never felt so happy or so wildly free.

Thank you for reading

THE MARRIAGE LIST

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Also available on Kindle:

The Nude
(Regency Romance)

Upon my honor!
If not for that shocking painting... It has ruined everything, simply everything. A handsome marquess promises to repair my tattered reputation. But how can I trust him or his clever kisses when he’s clearly hiding a deep, dark secret of his own?

The Marriage List
(originally published by Signet Regency, May 2005)

Compelled by his family to marry, Viscount Radford Evers makes a list of his requirements for a wife. Humble tenant May Sheffers meets none of these, so why does his heart beat madly at the sight of her?

Lady Iona’s Rebellion
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When obedient Lady Iona is pressured into accepting a husband of her father’s choosing, she seeks out notorious rake, Lord Nathan Wynter, for lessons in rebellion.

Lady Sophie’s Midnight Seduction
(Sensual short Regency Romance)

In this
SHORT STORY
, Lady Sophie, a self-avowed spinster, has been happy with her independence for many years...that is until Lord Benton-Black enters her world. Now she finds her nights haunted by this man who is determined to seduce her and make her his wife.

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Neptune’s Lair
(Contemporary Paranormal Romance) Protectors #2

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Mystical Seduction
(Contemporary Paranormal Romance) Protectors #3

Faith was looking for a one-night stand. What she got was an otherworldly hunk who’s determined to make her his sex slave and a monster determined to kill her.

The Huntress
(Contemporary Romantic Suspense)

Spunky bounty hunter Vega Brookes meets her match when she hunts down a dangerous ex-special forces officer accused of murder.

Birds in Paradise
(Short light-hearted mystery) Writing as: Dorothy St. James

In this novella-length story, young prostitutes are disappearing from the streets of Honolulu. When street-savvy P.I., Kyra Grainger, is hired to find the latest missing girl, she straps on a pair of high heels, pulls on a skirt no wider than a headband, and delves into the back streets and shadowy world hidden behind the glitz of Hawaii. What she finds is a web of lies and deceptions that threatens to destroy the paradise she’s grown to love.

About the Author

For Regency and mystery author,
Dorothy McFalls
happily-ever-after is more than just a fictional ending, having enjoyed every day of marriage to her sexy sculptor husband.  Formerly an environmental urban planner, she now writes full time. For information about Dorothy’s upcoming books, visit her website at
http://www.dorothymcfalls.com/

Dorothy also writes cozy mysteries as
Dorothy St. James
, including the White House Gardener Mystery series, which critics have called “spunky” and “fast-paced.” Learn more about her mystery releases at
http://www.dorothystjames.com/

Catch the White House Gardener Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime written by Dorothy St. James:

Flowerbed of State
: Casey’s passion for organic gardening and eye for detail have carried her into the most important patch of land in America--the President’s Park, on which sits the most important home in America: the White House. But while she’s readying the final touches on an innovative cultivation program for the First Lady to inspect, she’s attacked from behind by an unknown assailant who then disappears. When she comes to, she notices some damaged foliage that leads her and the Secret Service to a dead woman in a trash can. With the biggest opportunity of her life ready to bloom, and all the President’s men plowing up her perfect plans, Casey has to dig in and root out a killer before she ends up planted herself...

“Credible characters, a fast-paced plot, and a light look at political life in Washington, D.C., will delight cozy fans.” ~ Publishers Weekly

“This spunky new romantic suspense series is an obvious pick for readers who enjoy Julie Hyzy’s “White House Chef” series (Buffalo West Wing), but also think of gardening mystery series such as Rosemary Harris’s (Slugfest).”~Library Journal

The Scarlet Pepper
: As the official organic gardener for the White House, Casey Calhoun is usually up to her elbows in something or other. But when someone starts tampering with the Presidential vegetable garden, she soon finds herself in way over her head. As if it wasn’t bad enough that red peppers are growing instead of green ones and cabbage is popping up where the First Lady’s favorite lettuce should be—a hard-nosed investigative reporter is found dead after targeting the unpopular Secretary of State. Raking over the clues and rumors, Casey knows that someone is sabotaging both her garden and the First Lady’s reputation. But when she has one close call too many, Casey realizes that the next thing buried in the dirt might just be
her
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