The Devil's Match (19 page)

“But what of the title? What of Hew?”

He gave a deprecating laugh. “What
he
said to me does not bear
repeating in genteel company.”

“You mean this? It’s what you want?” she asked,
fear and doubt still clouding her mind.

“There was never a question of what
I
wanted,
my love.” He traced
her trembling lips with his thumb. “Until this moment, I had
thought it a cruel and profound jest that the Deity had placed
everything I most desired within my sight, but still beyond my
grasp. But here you are, Diana, within my grasp. And I have no
intention to let you go.” His arms came around her, and he slanted
his head as if to kiss her but paused only inches from her mouth.
“You have yet to give me your answer.”

She closed the gap, breathing against his lips.
“Yes, Ludovic. God help me, I will have you.”

Epilogue

Medford Abbey, The DeVere Seat in Kent,
1794

“Bloody hell!” Ludovic’s shaking hands sloshed a
puddle of amber liquid onto his new boots as he topped off his
tumbler of brandy.

“Damme, with as much practice as you’ve had, one
would think you’d become accustomed to this by now, Vic,” Ned
said.

“Hang me if it ever gets any easier.” DeVere
raised his glass but suspended the motion in midair. “It’s quiet,”
he remarked. “Too quiet.”

“All of our children are outside with the
nursemaids,” Hew said. “Vesta thought it best to keep them
occupied.”

“No. Something’s gone wrong.” Ludovic felt the
blood leaching from his face. He slammed down his glass and raced
upstairs, taking the steps by two.

“My lord, you mustn’t!” cried Polly.

“The hell you say!” He pushed past the maid
without apology and burst into Diana’s chamber. Her face was drawn
and deathly pale, her russet hair damp and clinging to her face and
pillow. She looked up at him with glazed eyes and a wan smile.

“Diana!” he cried, bile rising into his throat.
His gaze darted to the midwife with rising panic.

“She will be fine, my lord,” the midwife
reassured. “She only needs rest. It’s never easy delivering twins.”
As if on command, a chorus of shrill shrieks filled the air. Vesta
and Phoebe stepped forward, each with a babe in arms.

“Twin sons,” they chimed.

“Twins?” he replied aghast.
“
Another
set of DeVere
twins?”

“I fear we’ll have need of another nursemaid, my
love,” Diana said.

“Dear God, Diana, we’ll need a bigger
house!”

“But are you not pleased?” she asked, a pained
look clouding her eyes.

“Pleased? The words escape me.” He threw
himself to the floor beside her bed, taking her hand in his and
plying kisses to every knuckle before gazing at her with a twitch
of his lips. “If children are truly a blessing from heaven, I
should count myself the most fortunate of men, but then again, I
wonder if
this
number may
also be a penance for my past sins.”

Diana gave a soft chuckle. “Eight children!
Whoever would have thought The Devil DeVere would become father to
such a brood?”

Ludovic looked on with adoration as Phoebe and
Vesta placed an infant in each of Diana’s arms. She offered a milky
white breast to each eager mouth, instantly muffling their cries.
“A devilishly hungry duo.” Diana gazed down at the infants with a
tender smile. “I thought to call them Deverel and Dante.”

DeVere nodded his approval and smiled down at
the suckling infants. “Between Hew and Vesta’s litter and our
brood, we certainly have kept up our end in procreating the line.”
Ludovic chuckled. “Mayhap even of repopulating Kent!”

“You both have, indeed, my love.” Diana flashed
him a wry grin. “You do realize this greedy pair now makes an even
twelve DeVeres? And if they follow in your footsteps at all, I fear
they will come to be known countywide as the devil’s dozen.”

Reviews

REVIEWS FOR
The Virgin
Huntress

5 STARS “I thought a Wild Night’s Bride was
great, but, WOW, The Virgin Huntress was wonderful! There is
nothing I love more than a fantastic romance with a huge dose of
humor and Ms. Vane delivered.”
http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/2012/06/book-spotlightgiveaway-virgin-huntress.html

5STARS “Great and unexpected (I love surprises)
continuation to The Devil DeVere #1. Love the humor, spontaneity,
characters and the sensual touch that’s just Victoria Vane :)”
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/349020885

5 STARS “Victoria Vane has done it again!
Well-written, entertaining, witty, inventive and sexy, I loved
every moment of this novella! VERDICT: WICKEDLY FUN READ”
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/324446614

4.5 STARS “This novella made me laugh, sigh and
spend a couple delicious hours away from reality to end with a
smile on my face! Highly recommended for fans of enjoyable, sexy,
emotional, fell good stories! I can not wait for more in this
series!”
http://underthecovers-lisa.blogspot.com/2012/06/virgin-huntress-by-victoria-vane.html

5 STARS “What an exciting erotic tale. A must
read for anyone who enjoys the Georgian era,erotic romance, war
heroes,gentlemen,England and a sea ride with a few twists and
turns. Ms. Vane is a wonderful storyteller who draws the reader
into her stories and leaves them spellbound.”
http://mybookaddictionreviews.wordpress.com/?p=3627&preview=true

4 STARS “The only time The Virgin Huntress reads
like a novella is when it ends about 50,000 words too soon. But
hats off to Vane again, because there’s an epilogue. The Virgin
Huntress is witty, entertaining and such an original piece of work
that everyone should give it a go.”
http://musingsallie.blogspot.com/2012/06/virgin-huntress-by-victoria-vane.html

5 STARS “What a delightful wickedly witty read.
I immediately fell in love with Vesta and Hew from the very
beginning. The chemistry between them ignites from their first
meeting, especially on Vesta’s part….I thoroughly enjoyed this
story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical
romance. Ms. Vane is a master at building the historical background
and setting.” http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/348267843

4.5 STARS “The Devil DeVere series showcases the
talents of a gifted writer of historical romance who knows the
Georgian era well. The Virgin Huntress combines romance with
tasteful, sensual love scenes, humor, and history in a
sweetly-packaged novella.”
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13572637-the-virgin-huntress

4 STARS “The Virgin Huntress is the second book
in Victoria Vane’s The Devil DeVere series and another fun, sexy
romp through Georgian England! This story begins right on the heels
of the first book, A Wild Night’s Bride, and is written with the
same detail to period dialog, dress and social routines and rituals
which is one of the things I most love about Ms. Vane’s stories… I
always enjoy Victoria Vane’s tales. Her characters are funny, sexy,
and sometimes too full of themselves for their own good! But one
thing we can be sure of, they’re always entertaining!”
http://blithelybookish.blogspot.com/2012/06/virgin-huntress-by-victoria-vane.html

Biography

A lover of history and deeply romantic stories,
Victoria combines these elements to craft erotic and romantic
historical novels and novellas for a mature reading audience. Her
writing influences are Georgette Heyer for fabulously witty
dialogue and over-the-top characters, Robin Schone, Sylvia Day, and
Charlotte Featherstone for beautifully crafted prose with deep
sensuality, and Lila DiPasqua for creative vision in melding
history with eroticism. Ms. Vane also writes romantic historical
fiction as Emery Lee.

Author Links:

http://authorvictoriavane.com

http://authoremerylee.com

http://georgianjunkie.wordpress.com

Her Works:

The Devil DeVere Series:

A Wild Night’s Bride—available from Breathless
Press

The Virgin Huntress—available from Breathless
Press

The Devil You Know—available from Breathless
Press

The Devil’s Match—available from Breathless
Press

Other works:

A Breach of Promise