A Lady at Last (38 page)

Authors: Brenda Joyce

BOOK: A Lady at Last

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“Ready, sir?” Mac asked.

“Yes, I am,” Cliff said, clearing his throat. “But I would like to say something first. I must make my own vows.”

He took both of her hands in his. “Amanda. I hardly know where to begin.” His eyes became moist. “You became the center of my life, of my existence, the day I rescued you at King's House. Shortly after, I vowed to protect you and secure your future. Today, I am making those vows come true.”

She started to cry.

He smiled, his nose red. “I give you more vows now, my darling. I vow to honor, cherish, respect and admire you. I vow to forsake all others, and most importantly, I vow to love you, with all of my heart and my entire soul, now and forever. Life is uncertain, but I vow now that I will move heaven and earth to give you a life filled with comfort, luxury, joy and peaceâa life you so sorely deserve. And Amanda? I will do my utmost to keep the bad at bay and to bring good fortune to our home. I want you to be utterly happy.”

Amanda was crying and she could not stop. Cliff de Warenne was a man of his word, and her future had been secured. She took his face in her hands, trembling. “I love you so. You have been my protector and my friend, my guardian and my champion, my lover and my hero, too. You have been everything to me and you are everything to meâyou will always be my life. Cliff, you are my heart!” She paused to wipe her eyes.

He bent to kiss her, his expression serious and intent.

“I am hardly done!” she cried.

He smiled. “Please, then.”

She inhaled. “I already love Alexi and Ariella, Cliff. I vow to be a loving, kind, compassionate mother to your children. Andâ” she became shy “âI would like to bear you more children, if you will let me.”

His gaze finally swam with tears.

His eyes blazed. “I should like that, too.” He was hoarse.

“I gave you my heart on this ship, many months ago, shortly after we made sail,” She smiled tremulously at him. “You are my Prince Charming, and I will never stop loving you, Cliff.”

His gaze held hers, searching and moist, and she gazed back, overcome. Then he began to smile and he leaned forward to kiss her.

Mac coughed. “No kissing yet, Captain!”

Cliff straightened in surprise as above them chuckles sounded. “I had forgotten,” he murmured. “Please, Mac, do proceed.”

“Do you, Captain de Warenne, swear to honor, love and cherish this woman, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Cliff said, now grasping her hands.

“Do you, Amanda Carre, also swear to honor, love and cherish this man, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Amanda said tremulously.

Mac said firmly, “By the power invested in me as captain of this vessel, I now pronounce you man and wife.”

Cliff slid her beautiful ring back on her finger. Amanda went into his arms, and above them in the rigging, around them on the deck, all hands hurrahed.

And then, suddenly, Amanda stiffened, and glanced over her shoulder.

Papa stood there, smiling at her, and then he gave her a small salute.
I've been waiting for this day, Amanda girl. I'll be going now.

And he vanished.

“Papa,” Amanda breathed.

“Amanda?” Cliff asked with concern.

Still in his arms, she raised her face to his, smiling. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

He smiled back. “Pray tell me again.” He started kissing her. And again.” He continued kissing her. “But I believe in
show
and tell.”

Amanda closed her eyes as he kissed her, showing her his love. He hadn't just secured her future, he had secured her dreams. He was so wrongâhe was most definitely a princeâhe was
her
prince and nothing was ever going to change that.

EPILOGUE

Windhaven, Ireland

T
HE BALL WAS IN
full swing. As it was the first ball held by the once very notoriousâand still rather notoriousâCaptain de Warenne in the home he had built for his bride, everyone in the three southern counties had come. Just two hours from Adare, the mansion sat on the cliffs overlooking the sea. From outside, it resembled a French palace more than it did an Irishman's country home. Within, it was almost shocking, as the decor was an eclectic mixture of oriental, Middle Eastern and European influences, the furnishings from every corner of the world. Gossip abounded. After all, no one had ever dreamed the greatest rogue of his era would ever marry, much less for love. The whispers held that he had not only built such a grand estate as a testament of his undying love, but that he had put the entire property in his wife's name.

“They are a magnificent couple,” The ancient dowager Baroness O'Connell cackled. “He is the most handsome man in Ireland, and she is so delicate, so graceful and so beautiful!”

“A perfect match!” Her good friend the dowager Countess Marion shook her head in agreement, using her quizzing glass to follow the movements of the waltzing couple. The captain and his wife were alone on the dance floor, as this was the first dance of the evening. “He is a very strong dancer,” she pronounced. “But she is a bit more advanced, I think. They do not waltz, my dear Katherine, they float!”

“It is as if they have danced together forever. How romantic they are!” She sighed. For one moment, as the members of his family took to the floor, the earl and Countess of Adare ahead of the others, she watched the newlyweds, who seemed entranced by one another. She sighed again. “They are so in love. He cannot keep his gaze from her.”

“Well, that is the fate of the de Warenne menâto find true love, never mind the scandal the finding causes, and to love once and forever.”

And recalling several recent scandals, including that of the earl and countess Adare, both cronies laughed. For to them, it was but yesterday.

The baroness leaned close and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I did hear the most absurd and ridiculous rumor.”

Eagerly, her friend bent to her. “Oh, do tell, Katherine.”

“I heard,” her whisper lowered, “that Mrs. de Warenne is a pirate's daughter!”

For one moment, the countess blinked, and then she started to laugh, shaking her head, the baroness joining her. “Look at her! She is the epitome of eleganceâall young ladies should aspire to such grace and beauty! It is impossible!”

“I agree,” the baroness chuckled. “Simply impossible!”

And the two old women laughed at the sheer absurdity of the notion.

Dear Reader,

I hope you have enjoyed Amanda and Cliff's story. As you probably know,
A Lady at Last
is the sixth book in the de Warenne dynasty series, and the fourth to be published by HQN. Historical romance is the genre I am most passionate about, and it has been an exciting adventure to take my favorite family and bring them to Regency Ireland and England. The de Warenne and O'Neill men are heroes a woman cannot help but loveâthey are privileged, powerful and oh so passionate, and they love once and forever.

I fell in love with Cliff in
The Stolen Bride,
and he remains one of my all-time favorite heroes. But this story has a very special place in my heart, for Amanda Carre came to fruition after my sister's death. Amanda and Cliff's love story, in a way, is resonant of my sister's life, and perhaps that is why I will always cherish it.

In case you haven't already stopped by to learn more about the de Warenne and O'Neill men and the women who dare to love them, please check out www.thedewarennedynasty.com. Visit the Lounge for sneak peeks and excerpts, including posts on the next de Warenne novel,
The Perfect Bride,
on sale August 2007. There, after eight long years, Rex de Warenne finds out that perfection can mask all kinds of secrets. He doesn't care; for in his eyes Blanche Harrington is the perfect brideâbut not for him, of course!

And have you entered my contest yet? A very lucky reader will win an amazing trip for two to a five-star resort in Adare, Ireland, the seat of the de Warenne dynasty. So hurry on over to www.thedewarennedynasty.com for details!

Now, let me introduce you to the most powerful, sexiest heroes in the world (to quote Claire Camden): the Masters of Time.

If you have loved my historical heroes, you will love the Masters of Timeâmedieval Highland warriors sworn to protect Innocence through the ages. These are the most powerful and most arrogant alpha heroes you will ever meet. However, the Masters take their vows very seriously. The world is a dark, dangerous place, and these men exist to defend God and mankind.

The Masters have the ability to time travel. Courageous, smart, witty and sexy contemporary heroines become caught up in the classic and eternal struggle between good and evil in the present dayâonly to find themselves suddenly whisked back to fifteenth-century Scotland by a medieval hero, a hunk who's impossible to resist, no matter how hard she tries. In
Dark Seduction,
on sale May 2007, Claire Camden is in for the adventureâand loveâof her life.

She is a Manhattan bookseller, and one fateful night her entire world is turned upside down. Her store is burglarized by a maniacal female cat burglar, and then a gorgeous oversexed hunk costumed as a medieval Highlander appears. Suddenly Claire is in the midst of a battle, surrounded by giant knights. Her only ally is a medieval macho man who thinks he's the Terminatorâwhen he isn't trying to seduce her. And she isn't in New York City anymore! She's in 1427â¦

Of course, there is an upside to being trapped in the Middle Ages with a hunk of all agesâ¦

I hope you will check out
Dark Seduction
in May 2007, and
Dark Rival
in October 2007. I had the biggest blast ever writing Malcolm and Claire's story and I cannot wait to start Black Royce's next. These books are sexy, romantic and exciting; the Masters are heroes to die for. Please visit www.mastersoftimebooks.com, where you will also find news on and excerpts from
Dark Seduction
and
Dark Rival,
as well as information about the Masters of Time posters, coming soon.

See you at Dunroch in the summer of 1427!

ISBN:978-1-55254-722-9

A LADY AT LAST

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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