It was an absolutely perfect day to be married. The skies were clear, and the ground was covered with freshly fallen snow. It was a day that Charles never thought he would see. He stood at the front of the church, wearing his best blue waistcoat and finest trousers. Beside him, Graham stood quiet and alert. The bruises on his face had turned a sickly yellow as they started to heal. The rest of his friends had initially taken their places beside him. This was a momentous occasion for them all, and it didn't feel right for them not to stand with Charles. But before the ceremony had started, due to the general crowding and already anxious clergyman, they'd taken their places in the front pews with their wives. Beside them were his mother and sister.Charles scanned the crowd seated in St. George's, astonished at the number of guests who could arrive on such short notice. His mother caught his eye and smiled encouragingly. He answered her with a wink, and then his gaze drifted to the fron

There was a brief tearing sound, and Lily's undergarments were conveniently out of the way. She eased back from him, allowing him to unfasten his trousers. She lifted herself up against him and moaned softly as he entered her. The now familiar sensation of fullness was all that she asked for.Charles panted against her neck as they began to move as one. She set the pace, riding him slowly, relishing the feel of their bodies rubbing together and the way he clutched her tight to his chest as though she were precious to him. They were a single being, composed of hunger, need, and love. Without words they spoke of what they meant to each other. She wet her lips with her tongue and dug her fingers into his shoulders, the ache between her thighs sharp with her need.Lily would always be a slave to this desire for him, would do anything to have more of it. Heat pooled within her as he began to thrust deeper, harder, with almost savage lust. Yet she was the one in control. She was with Charl

The night was still and cold, no breeze to stir the mane of Cedric Sheridan's horse as he reached his home. Tucked safely in his coat was a carefully wrapped package containing a set of ruby earrings for Anne. An early Christmas present he couldn't help but get when he'd seen them earlier that day in a little shop on Bond Street. He grinned rakishly as he thought of how she would thank him, hopefully with ecstatic kisses, and he could then sweep her into his arms and carry her off to bed.He dismounted just as the darkness deepened and clouds swept over the stars above. No lights could be seen from the windows, which meant Anne had gone to bed early. Given her condition, it was for the best. She needed more sleep. Cedric looked around, expecting his groom, Joel, to see to his horse, but the lad was nowhere in sight.With a sigh, Cedric led the horse around the side of the house himself to the small stable he kept for his and Anne's horses. He saw to the gelding's needs, ensuring that

Charles brushed his fingertips over Lily's cheeks, picturing himself as an old man, still holding her in his arms and marveling that he had been granted a long and happy life with her. She watched him, her eyes the purest blue he'd ever seen.He pulled her body beneath his, covering her with slow, soft kisses. She tilted her head back, exposing her throat, and he ran his fingertips down the delicate column until he reached her collarbone. She sighed dreamily and stroked her hands up and down his arms as he nibbled on her throat. Each time he gave her little love bites, she giggled and then moaned. He slid one hand down to her breasts, exploring the peaks. The pale-pink nipples were perfect tips, and he shifted down her body so he could take them into his mouth, sucking on them until they were hard and Lily's breath came out faster.Charles wanted to linger over every inch of her skin, learning her secret spots that made her moan and call out his name. The ticklish spots on her lower

Charles never wanted to see another bloody doctor ever again. He lay back in his bed, his torso heavily bandaged. It was just as Daniel had told himthe knife wound wasn't fatal. It had stopped at his hip bone. Painful, but shallow. He'd known exactly where to strike to make a convincing, bleeding wound without killing Charles. The man had spared him and then saved him."You're frowning again," Lily whispered.She lay in bed beside him, her own body bandaged to support her broken ribs. What a pair they were. Broken and bruised and bedridden on their honeymoon. But alive and together. He turned his face toward her, still overcome with love and relief. She leaned into him and pressed her forehead against his, closing her eyes."By all rights we should be dead, and yet we are not." He reached up to hold her face in one hand. "I'm so grateful."She curled her fingers around his wrist. "As am I.""But it doesn't make our good fortune any less remarkableor puzzling.""Puzzling?""We li