Duke of Thorns (Heiress Games 1) (36 page)

It wouldn’t have mattered. No matter where she’d met him, or how, she would have fallen in love with him.

If things had been different, though, perhaps she would have known how to survive the fall.

Something cracked in the undergrowth. She smiled — the same sudden, unbidden smile that his note had drawn from her. The stone was just a stone again. The Briarley motto was a legend, not her fate.

And her heart knew what it wanted.

She turned. Thorington leaned against a tree, watching her.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” he said.

They were the same words he’d spoken to her when they’d first met in the clearing. Her smile widened. “You startled me, sirrah.”

He unfolded himself from his position. This time, he didn’t stay on the edge of the clearing. He walked directly into the sunlight. She enjoyed watching him — took pleasure from the curve of his lips, the angle of his jaw, the perfect control of his stride.

He reached her before she’d looked her fill. Her breath caught in her throat as he kissed her hand. The sunlight turned his green eyes into something almost eerie.

“I have better manners than to converse with a stranger in the woods,” she whispered, giving him the line she had used before.

But this time, he deviated from their original path. He smiled tentatively. “You may call me Gavin, if you like.”

“Gavin,” she said. Her smile widened. “My name is Callie.”

“Callie,” he repeated. He kissed her knuckles again. “An infinite pleasure to meet you.”

Her Briarley heart burst.

“You aren’t a fortune-hunter, are you?” she teased. “I’ve heard Maidenstone Abbey is rotten with them.”

He laughed. “No. Although I should be. I must warn you, Callie — I am not as rich as I once was.”

“I am richer than I’ve ever been,” she said. “You may find a way to reclaim your lost fortune in these woods.”

She meant it — she meant all of it. But his grip tightened and a bit of shadow returned to his eyes. “I am not marrying you to get my ships back from you. You know that, don’t you?”

Callie sighed. “Please don’t talk about ships. Can you be Gavin for another moment?”

The shadows deepened. He took a breath.

“Callie,” he said. “You must know — I don’t accept anymore.”

There was a roaring in her ears as her smile fell away. “What?”

“I don’t accept what you offered. I don’t accept a marriage of convenience.”

He took another breath, one that cut into her stomach and twisted against her spine.

Then he dropped to his knees.

She stared down at him, uncomprehending. “Do you…do you not want me?” she whispered.

“You know better,” he said. “Surely you know.” His voice was strong, resolute — there was no hesitation in him, but no shadows either. “I love you, Callie. I don’t think I knew what that word meant until I met you. And, selfish bastard that I am, I want more. I want everything. I want all of you. I want to grow old with you —
you
, Callie, not the vessel who bears my children or the woman who feels she must live without me. I want to give you everything you deserve. I want your soul and mine to be so bound to each other that we’ll stay together through any eternity after.”

He still held her hand, but his touch turned reverential. “Release me from my vow. Please. I cannot accept what you offered when you — and I — deserve all of this.”

His face blurred in front of her before she realized her eyes were filling with tears. She dashed them away with her free hand, but they kept coming. She laughed, suddenly — a fey, wild laugh, as though the devil had caught her in the clearing and proven he was an angel instead.

“I release you,” she said.

Gavin smiled. “You don’t have to release me for long. Will you do me the incredible honor of marrying me?”

She dashed the tears aside again. “I accept,” she said. “Gavin, I accept.”

He pulled her down into his arms. She laughed as she fell — laughed again as she realized she would survive the fall, and anything else, as long as he was with her.

He kissed her, slow and sweet. Kissing led to more — scandalously more, but she thought the Maidenstone might enjoy witnessing love instead of bloodshed. He was slow, and patient, and completely ruthless in his attempt to wring every last bit of pleasure from her.

After, when she had recovered her breath, she tilted her head to smile at him. He lay beside her, so close that his face was only inches from hers. Under the sun, nourished by their love, her heart took root in his.

“I love you,” she whispered. “More than I ever dreamed.”

“I love you,” he said. “Beyond any wish I ever had.”

There would be days when he was a duke. There would be days when she was a privateer. There would be days when they argued, when the household went sideways, when the children misbehaved and supper was burned and her nerves were frayed and his temper was lost.

But beneath it all, they were Callie and Gavin. And they were better together than they would ever be apart.

*     *     *

The messenger returned with the marriage license just as they reached Maidenstone Abbey. He also returned with something entirely unexpected.

“Your grace,” he said. “Your business manager in London sent an urgent message.”

Thorington took the license and shoved the other letter back into the messenger’s hands. “Leave it in my room. I don’t want another tale of woe today.”

The messenger shoved it back. He flushed as Thorington raised an eyebrow, but he held his ground. “Your grace. Read it, if you please.”

Thorington opened the note. Callie watched as his eyebrows rose again — this time involuntarily. “It can’t be,” he said.

His servant nodded, too excited to observe propriety. “The news is all over London, your grace.”

“What is it?” Callie asked.

“My Asian fleet,” Thorington said. “It arrived safely in London with full cargoes.”

He sounded dazed. Callie, emboldened, touched his back. “Your luck isn’t so bad after all.”

He laughed, still sounding disbelieving. “It is bad. But I’ll take this as a good sign.”

Then he grabbed her and kissed her again.

He repeated that kiss two hours later, when they said their vows in Maidenstone’s chapel. She had thought that saying vows would make her feel trapped. But these vows, and the light in Gavin’s eyes, made her feel safe — a foundation upon which they could build anything together.

After, they accepted congratulations from the other houseguests. Thorington’s siblings were united in their pleasure. “We are delighted, Callie,” Portia effused. “
Delighted
.”

“Thorington needed someone to bring him to his knees,” Serena said cheerfully.

Anthony embraced her, then Thorington, as though they’d captained a winning scull at Eton rather than making wedding vows. “If Thorington needs training in how to whisper sweet nothings to you, send him to me.”

Thorington scowled, but Callie laughed. “I shall take my chances with him as he is.”

That earned her another quick kiss. “I do not know that I will survive through dinner without forcing you to come away with me,” Thorington murmured.

“I promise not to scream if you steal me — until you make me, that is.”

“My saucy colonial,” he said, trailing his fingers lower over her back, then grazing inappropriately over her derriere.

She suddenly, desperately, wanted him to take her away.

But there were more well-wishers to accept greetings from. Rafe, more circumspect than his siblings, merely kissed her hand and clapped Thorington on the back. He left, abruptly, as Octavia joined them.

“Felicitations again, cousin,” Ava said as she kissed Callie’s cheeks. “You may not have won Maidenstone Abbey, but Lucretia will be dismayed when she sees you’ve made a love match.”

It wasn’t charitable of Ava to say that. And Callie remembered it when Lucretia came to congratulate her after Octavia melted into the crowd.

“I wish you very happy,” Lucretia said stiffly, encompassing both Callie and Thorington in her statement. “And I hope you shall forgive me for inviting Captain Hallett to the ball.”

Thorington nodded. “I thank you for telling Ferguson of his whereabouts.”

Thorington had told Callie of the deal he’d made with Hallett as they were riding back to the abbey. Callie smiled at her cousin. She still felt tentative, but her heart was so open and eager with Thorington’s love that she, like an addict, wanted to seek the same goodwill from others. “All is forgiven. I would have lost Maidenstone even if you hadn’t brought Hallett here, thanks to Thorington.”

Lucy’s smile was equally tentative, but it seemed real enough. “Thank you for that. If you must know, I think you made the better bargain.”

Callie thought again of princesses and villains as Lucretia walked away. “Which of them do you think will win Maidenstone?”

Thorington shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. Do you regret that Ferguson won’t give it to you? I know how much winning Maidenstone meant to you.”

She heard that tentative note in his voice again, the one she thought had died forever in the Maidenstone clearing. She turned to him, meeting his gaze. “I believed I wanted the house. But what I really wanted was a place to call my own.”

“I have any number of houses you can call your own,” he said. “You might even like my country estate better than Maidenstone. And my house in London will be far more convenient for you to conduct business from.”

Callie shrugged. “The houses don’t matter, as long as you come with them.”

Thorington looked down at her. She was as beautiful as ever, with her hair caught up in an intricate knot and woven through with orange blossoms. But it was the mischievous spark in her eyes that made his heart beat faster.

“When I steal you, I don’t intend to let you out of my bed for at least a fortnight,” he murmured in her ear.

“Perhaps I shall steal you instead,” she mused. “It’s possible to smuggle a man anywhere for a price.”

God, she was magnificent. He laughed, and the happy thrum in his voice didn’t feel so foreign anymore. “Do your worst, my love. I vow it will be the best.”

She leaned up and kissed him, soft and full of promise. “I vow it, too. Now, your grace, will you play the blackguard and kidnap me before anyone else interrupts us?”

With an invitation like that, he couldn’t resist.

THE END

Thank you!

Thank you so much for reading Callie and Thorington’s story! If you enjoyed it, you'll be happy to hear that there’s more to come in the Heiress Games series. Octavia’s story is up next — she finds unexpected love and redemption with Rafe in
Lord of Deceit
, which will come out in the summer of 2015. Please
sign up for my newsletter
and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s available.

If you missed my previous series, Ferguson, Madeleine, Prudence, and Alex were all introduced in earlier books. You can catch up with them in the Muses of Mayfair series:

• It all starts with
  Heiress Without a Cause
  , in which Madeleine and Ferguson engage in a madcap courtship.
  
• Amelia and Malcolm steal sheep and hearts in
  Scotsmen Prefer Blondes
  .
  
• Ellie and Nick find love instead of revenge in
  The Marquess Who Loved Me
  .
  
• Prudence and Alex go from friends to lovers in
  The Earl Who Played With Fire
  .
  

You can buy all four books by clicking the links above.

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Books by Sara Ramsey

Muses of Mayfair

Heiress Without a Cause

Scotsmen Prefer Blondes

The Marquess Who Loved Me

The Earl Who Played With Fire

The Heiress Games

Duke of Thorns

Lord of Deceit
- Rafe and Octavia, coming Summer 2015

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About the author

Sara Ramsey writes fun, feisty Regency historical romances. She won the prestigious 2009 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® award with her second book,
Scotsmen Prefer Blondes
. Her first book,
Heiress Without A Cause
, was a 2011 Golden Heart finalist.

Hopelessly uncool as a child, Sara Ramsey has overcompensated by becoming obsessed with fashion, shoes, and #regencyworldproblems. She has great taste in Champagne, bad taste in movies, and a penchant for tiaras. She also believes in taking naps, wearing sunglasses at night, and using Oxford commas. Sara currently lives in San Francisco, California, where she can be found drinking overly-artistic lattes and working on her next Regency historical romance. Read all about her Regency obsessions and upcoming works at
www.sararamsey.com
.