Jaded Moon (Ransomed Jewels Book 2) (26 page)

The tears that filled Josie’s eyes spilled over her lashes and ran down her cheeks. “Oh, Ross. I… We…”

“Don’t tell me we can’t marry because I am a marquess. I can’t help that. I am a marquess by accident of birth. Our firstborn male will suffer the same fate and inherit a title he probably won’t want either. But he’ll have no choice.”

Josie swiped at her wet cheek. “I wasn’t talking about you. It’s me.”

“Surely you aren’t going to bring up the irrelevant fact that your father didn’t marry your mother?”

“Irrelevant? Do you think Society will let either one of us forget it?”

“And do what? Snub the wife of the man the Queen of England just declared a hero? Risk the ire of Her Highness over something as insignificant as a bloodline? Especially when the woman in question is the daughter of the Marquess of Brookfield.”

Josie’s heart skipped a beat. “How did you…?”

“Lady Clythebrook told me.” He closed the gap between them and clasped his hands around her upper arms. “But whether she had or not makes no difference.”

His hold on her made her feel safe. His nearness made her heart race in her breast. The love she saw in his eyes filled her heart with unbounded ecstasy.

“I don’t care what Society thinks of you or of me. I only know I can’t spend the rest of my life without you. Or worse yet, spend it with some weak-brained, spoiled, debutante, whose pedigree is perfect. Hell, I barely survived the weeks I was away from you.”

Josie smiled through her tears.

He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t ask me to spend the rest of my life without you. I couldn’t do it.”

His voice had been low and the words raspy with emotion. A pressure tightened around her heart. “You don’t know what you’re asking. I’m not even sure who I really am. Foley is just the name my mother went by.”

He smiled. “You’re Josephine Foley. Foley was your mother’s maiden name.” He pulled a paper from his pocket. It was a special license. “I didn’t want to chance putting the wrong name on our marriage license so I went to your father. He offered to give you away if you would like. The choice is yours though.”

Josie looked at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

“You don’t have to decide right away,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “You have ten days.”

She jerked away. “Ten days?”

“Sam and Claire are making the arrangements right now. We will be married in London a week from this Saturday. All of Society will be there because I want them to know how proud I am to have you as my wife, and how happy we are together. When we return to St. Stephen’s, we’ll throw a party the magnitude of which the people of Clytheborough have never seen. It’ll be a celebration no one will forget.”

Tears ran freely now and she wiped them away with the handkerchief Ross handed her.

“I love you, Josie. More than I thought it was possible to ever love anyone.”

“And I love you. More than you can imagine.”

He took her in his arms and gently touched his lips to hers. “Do you know when I first knew I’d fallen in love with you?”

She shook her head.

“It wasn’t the first time I kissed you. I only suspected it then.”

She smiled.

“It was the second time I kissed you. That night beneath the stars and that damned jaded moon.”

“Well then, sir, your memory is founded upon a myth.”

“What? Impossible. I remember very clearly you called it a jaded moon.”

“Not true, my love, not true at all. I called it magical. It was
you
who called
me
jaded. And perhaps I was…just a bit. But you saved me. And that magical moon brought my miracle.”

She hugged him fiercely.

The Marquess of Rainforth tipped his head until their noses touched, and let out a long trembling breath. “As long as it’s shining down on you, it will only be magical. And it will be the only place I will ever want to be. Forever.”

He drew her into a kiss, and Josie knew she would have a whole lifetime of full moons and magic—right here in his arms.

Laura Landon enjoyed ten years as a high school teacher and nine years making sundaes and malts in her very own ice cream shop, but once she penned her first novel, she closed up shop to spend every free minute writing. Now she enjoys creating her very own heroes and heroines, and making sure they find their happily ever after.

A vital member of her rural community, Laura directed the town’s Quasquicentennial, organized funding for an exercise center for the town, and serves on the hospital board.

Laura lives in the Midwest, surrounded by her family and friends. She has written nearly two dozen Victorian historicals, thirteen of which have been published by Prairie Muse Publishing and are selling worldwide in English, one in Japanese, and several in German. Two are Scottish historicals.

In October 2012, Laura experienced an amazing day when Amazon’s Montlake Romance published not one but three of her newest novels. Two of these have been optioned for publication in Russia and Turkey. Several are also available in German. To date Montlake has published seven of Laura’s Victorian historicals.

Always beautifully set and with a mysterious twist or bit of suspense, Laura’s books average over a million and a half pages a month read by her loyal readers.

Laura Landon is a Prairie Muse Platinum
Kindle Press and Amazon Montlake author

www.lauralandon.com

Also from Laura Landon
by Prairie Muse Publishing

SHATTERED DREAMS

WHEN LOVE IS ENOUGH

BROKEN PROMISE

A MATTER OF CHOICE

MORE THAN WILLING

NOT MINE TO GIVE

TANGLED: Boxed Set

LOVE UNBIDDEN

THE DARK DUKE

CAST IN SHADOWS

CAST IN RUIN

CAST IN ICE

From Laura Landon
by Montlake Romance

SILENT REVENGE

INTIMATE SURRENDER

INTIMATE DECEPTION

THE MOST TO LOSE

A RISK WORTH TAKING

BETRAYED BY YOUR KISS
RANSOMED JEWELS

From Kindle Press
THE SECRET ROSE

WHERE THE WOMAN BELONGS
novella

See all of Laura’s books at Amazon.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

JADED MOON
Ransomed Jewels Series Book Two

Copyright © 2016 by Laura Landon

First print edition

ISB
N
978-1-937216-69-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used in the context of another work of fiction without written permission of the author or Prairie Muse Publishing.
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