Wonderful (34 page)

“Go ahead, Aaron,” she murmured.

“Will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?”

She delayed to study her surroundings. She wanted to imprint all of it in her memory so she would never forget a single detail.

Aaron grew impatient and shook her. “Evangeline! Will you?”

She laughed. “Yes, I will.”

Bryce muttered, “About damn time.”

Aaron ignored Bryce and inquired, “Will you have me right away? You won’t make me wait, will you?”

“No, I won’t make you wait.”

“Because—in case I convinced you
—
I brought a Special License.”

“You brought a Special License? You were awfully confident you could wear me down.”

“I wasn’t taking any chances. I couldn’t let you ponder the situation or you might have changed your mind.”

“I won’t ever change my mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure.”

“We could hold the ceremony here at the school,” he advised her. “Tomorrow. I already found a preacher.”

She grinned at Rose and Amelia, at her brother. “What is your opinion? Does tomorrow sound like a good day for a wedding?”

“It sounds like a grand day,” her brother said.

“Then
yes,
Aaron Drake, Lord Run. I would be delighted to marry you tomorrow.”

“Wonderful, Evangeline. Absolutely wonderful.”

EPILOGUE

“Does it seem as if everything has gone horribly wrong?”

Aaron glared at his brother, Lucas. “We’re about to walk out to the altar so I can speak my vows. Why would you ask that?”

“We were bachelors. All of us.” Lucas gestured to himself, to Aaron, then to his friend, James Talbot. “What happened?”

Aaron had assumed they’d hold the ceremony at the school but, ultimately, Evangeline had settled on the local church in the village. James and Lucas had ridden in to join their wives, Rose and Amelia. They were in a small room behind the altar. The two men would stand up with Aaron, and the two women would march down the aisle with Evangeline.

James scowled. “Yes, it’s extremely peculiar that we’re all suddenly married, isn’t it? Maybe we were bewitched. Maybe that old harridan, Miss Peabody, cast a spell on us.”

Lucas gave a mock shudder. “From the moment I met Amelia, I felt as if Fate had reached out and grabbed me by the throat. I couldn’t escape.”

“I felt the same,” James agreed. He peered over at Aaron. “What about you?”

“If I was bewitched,” Aaron said, “I can’t complain because if I hadn’t been, I’d currently be wed to Priscilla Cummings.”

“Perish the thought,” Lucas said. “Did I ever tell you I kissed Priscilla once?”

“No. Were you ever planning to?”

“No, and I have to admit, it was like kissing a block of ice. You were wise to scoot out of that mess.”

“Yes, I’ve been celebrating ever since I broke it off.”

“Any news from Father?” Lucas inquired. “Will he marry Priscilla himself?”

“I haven’t a clue,” Aaron replied. “I sent him an invitation to the wedding, but other than that, I’ve had no communication.”

“Can you actually suppose he’d drag his sorry behind here? Should we expect him to stagger in at the last minute?”

“No, I don’t expect him. My decision about Evangeline may have pitched him into an apoplexy. He’s likely too stunned to travel.”

Lucas grinned. “It’s nice to know it was you vexing him for a change instead of me.”

“Glad to be of service.”

James held up his hand, displaying his wedding ring. “Have you any idea how odd it is to have this gold band on my finger?”

Lucas raised his too. “It’s like a permanent, weighty reminder that I’m good and thoroughly caught. I can’t forget for a single instant.”

“Speaking of rings,” Aaron said to Lucas, “tell me you have mine.”

Lucas patted his pockets, pretending to search for it. “Where did I put the damned thing?”

“Very funny,” Aaron chided.

Lucas snatched it out and offered it to Aaron. “Are you sure you want to use it? If you’re having second thoughts, we could just toss it out in the grass and climb out the window. You don’t have to go through with it.”

James added, “We could sneak to the tavern and drink ourselves silly rather than watch you have that leg-shackle pounded onto your ankle.”

“It might be a more productive way to spend the afternoon,” Lucas concurred.

They stared at Aaron as if he might realize he was making a huge mistake and should run like hell. As if he could ever regret picking Evangeline!

With how he’d betrayed and deceived her, he was lucky she’d have him. He’d be lucky everyday for the rest of his life.

There were some men—his father, for example—who would think he was mad, but Lord Sidwell’s opinion no longer mattered to Aaron.

Lord Sidwell was a cold, hard man, and very likely he’d never forgive Aaron for marrying Evangeline. Aaron hated that he’d caused such a rift in the family, and he hoped that, eventually, they would be able to move beyond it. He suspected—once Evangeline provided Lord Sidwell with a grandson or two—he might come around.

Aaron would pray it ended like that, but if it didn’t?

Lucas had always been Aaron’s favorite person in the world, and their relationship was quickly being repaired. His
family
was and always had been Lucas. Now it included James and his wife, Rose, who was Aaron’s cousin. She’d been pushed away by Lord Sidwell too, and it was another loss for Aaron’s father.

Lord Sidwell didn’t want to know Rose, his niece, didn’t want to meet the children she would have with James. It was infuriating and ridiculous, and if Lord Sidwell wasn’t careful, he’d get the lonely old age he deserved.

Suddenly, Lucas wrapped an arm over Aaron’s shoulder and gripped him in a headlock.

“Last chance to back out,” Lucas said.

“I would never back out.”

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Lucas laughed and released Aaron, and it occurred to Aaron that he’d never observed Lucas so relaxed, so content. He gave all the credit to Amelia. Aaron had predicted from the start that Amelia would be good for his brother, and he was delighted to have been proved right.

For a fleeting moment, he suffered a maudlin wave of melancholy, wishing his mother could have been with them, wishing she was present to see how grand Lucas was looking, to see Aaron wed Evangeline.

By all accounts, Lucas was just like their mother: exasperating, remarkable, gifted, overly imprudent and reckless. She would have liked Evangeline, would have been ecstatic to learn who Aaron and Lucas had been fortunate enough to find.

The door opened, and the vicar peeked in. “Are you ready, Lord Run?”

“Yes, I’m ready,” Aaron responded.

“Are you sure?” Lucas asked. “There’s the window. We can be at the tavern in three or four minutes.”

“I’m very sure.” He glared at Lucas and James. “How about you two? Are you regretting your marriages? Is this your way of subtly hinting that you shouldn’t have proceeded?”

James and Lucas gaped at each other, then vehemently shook their heads.

“I’m the happiest man alive,” James declared.

“I’m happier than that,” Lucas insisted.

“With Evangeline as my wife,” Aaron said, “I shall be happier than both of you put together.”

Lucas smiled a warm, supportive smile. “I’m betting you will be too, brother.”

Lucas gestured for Aaron to lead them out, and as Aaron stepped toward the vicar, James teased, “What’s that sound I hear? I believe it’s the old ball-and-chain banging along behind him.”

Aaron rolled his eyes at the vicar. “Please wed me to my bride as fast as you can so I can get away from these idiots.”

“Idiots!” Lucas huffed. “I was smart enough to marry Amelia, wasn’t I?”

“And I was smart enough to marry Rose,” James pointed out.

“But I,” Aaron said, “was smart enough to marry the most incredible woman of them all. Eat your hearts out, boys.”

*    *    *    *

“If Miss Peabody was here, what do you suppose she would think?”

Evangeline peered over at Rose and Amelia.

Rose clucked her tongue like a mother hen. “She’d scold you for reaching too high in your choice of husband.”

They all chuckled, knowing it was absolutely true.

Evangeline had always had big dreams, had envisioned a splendid future, but Miss Peabody had fought to quash Evangeline’s optimism. Yet she hadn’t been able to stamp it out completely. Evangeline had never stopped hoping for more.

Ha, Miss Peabody!
she yearned to gloat.
It happened just as I planned, and I have everything I ever wanted
.

They were in the church’s vestibule, the organ music playing quietly, and Evangeline could barely keep from dancing in merry circles.

“I doubt she’d have been overly thrilled with any of us,” Evangeline told her two friends.

“Especially not with me,” Rose said. “She betrothed me to James’s grandfather. What sane person would have engineered such a dire fate? I nearly didn’t escape it.”

Amelia added, “I scarcely managed to wrangle mine into place. It was touch and go with Lucas. I couldn’t figure out how it would end. I’m still surprised.”

“If I recall correctly,” Rose said, “you would rather have clobbered him with a stout log than have him as your husband.”

“Look at me now.” Amelia grinned and held up her wedding ring. “I snagged the worst rake in the world, and I’m so glad about it. Who would have ever guessed?”

“Life is so strange sometimes,” Rose mused.

“And so amazing,” Amelia said.

Up by the altar, a door opened, and the vicar emerged. Aaron followed him out, then Lucas and James. The organ began to blare, and people turned to glance back. For how swiftly they’d arranged the ceremony, there was a crowd in attendance. But then, Evangeline had boarded at the school, and the neighbors knew her.

Bryce asked, “Are you ready?”

Evangeline stared down the aisle at Aaron. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Rose gave her a hug, then marched off. Amelia did the same. Then Evangeline was standing with her brother.

Evangeline gazed up at him. From the moment she’d agreed to be Aaron’s bride, she’d been weepy and emotional. Apparently, the heightened sentiment was catching. Bryce’s eyes were a tad misty too.

“I wish our mother was here,” she said.

“Oh gad, Evangeline, if you spew maudlin drivel like that, you’ll have me bawling. I’ll never be able to escort you.”

“Sorry”—she was laughing—“but I wish she was.”

“All right, I admit it. I wish she was here too.” He offered his arm and she grabbled it. “Let’s go. The groom is glowering at me. I think he’s tired of waiting.”

“Well, I want to proceed slowly and drag it out so I can remember every single detail.”

“Women!” he huffed, and they started off, but he leaned down and murmured, “By the way, I believe Mother is probably with us. I believe she’s watching.”

“I believe she is too.”

He straightened, struggling to appear very serious. “Now let me get you down to your husband—before you come to your senses and run out the back.”

Aaron was smiling at her, his affection flowing out, luring her to him. She’d always been alone, an orphan who didn’t know her history, who thought she was floating free and not connected to anyone or anything. But she’d been wrong.

She had friends. She had her brother—and two others besides. They were out there somewhere, practically begging to be found.

And she had handsome, dashing, wonderful Aaron Drake who would love her forever.

She peeked up at her brother and grinned. “You don’t need to worry that I’ll run away.” She pointed to Aaron. “My future is there in front of me. Aren’t I lucky?”

THE END

Praise for New York Times Bestselling Author

CHERYL HOLT

“Best storyteller of the year…”

Romantic Times Magazine

“A master writer…”

Fallen Angel Reviews

“The Queen of Erotic Romance…”

Book Cover Reviews

“Cheryl Holt is magnificent…”

Reader to Reader Reviews

“From cover to cover, I was spellbound. Truly outstanding…”

Romance Junkies

“A classic love story with hot, fiery passion dripping from every page. There’s nothing better than curling up with a great book and this one totally qualifies.”

Fresh Fiction

“This is a masterpiece of storytelling. A sensual delight scattered with rose petals that are divinely arousing. Oh my, yes indeedy!”

Reader to Reader Reviews

Praise for Cheryl Holt’s “Lord Trent” trilogy

“A true guilty pleasure!”

Novels Alive TV

“LOVE’S PROMISE can’t take the number one spot as my favorite by Ms. Holt—that belongs to her book NICHOLAS—but it’s currently running a close second.”

Manic Readers

“The book was brilliant…can’t wait for Book #2.”

Harlie’s Book Reviews

“I guarantee you won’t want to put this one down. Holt’s fast-paced dialogue, paired with the emotional turmoil, will keep you turning the pages all the way to the end.”

Susana’s Parlour

“…A great love story populated with many flawed characters. Highly recommend it.”

Bookworm 2 Bookworm Reviews

BOOKS BY CHERYL HOLT

WONDERFUL

WANTON

WICKED

LOVE’S PERIL

LOVE’S PRICE

LOVE’S PROMISE

SWEET SURRENDER

MUD CREEK

MARRY ME

LOVE ME

KISS ME

SEDUCE ME

KNIGHT OF SEDUCTION

NICHOLAS

DREAMS OF DESIRE

TASTE OF TEMPTATION

PROMISE OF PLEASURE

SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL

DOUBLE FANTASY

FORBIDDEN FANTASY

SECRET FANTASY

TOO WICKED TO WED

TOO TEMPTING TO TOUCH

TOO HOT TO HANDLE

THE WEDDING NIGHT

FURTHER THAN PASSION

DEEPER THAN DESIRE

MORE THAN SEDUCTION

COMPLETE ABANDON

ABSOLUTE PLEASURE

TOTAL SURRENDER

LOVE LESSONS

MOUNTAIN DREAMS