The Marquess of Cake (35 page)

She couldn’t hold back her laugh. She remembered that day so clearly. “As for myself, I do not think I shall find the country so bad when we visit. Certainly the air is better, which means it shall be a better place for children.”

“I cannot wait to see what kind of scamps Alys Shield produces.”

She laughed again and hugged him. “An austere firecracker. I cannot wait either. We will have so much joy.”

“I agree.”

“And good times.”

“Absolutely.”

“All the pleasure in the world does not reside in cake,” she mused.

He put a hand on her shoulder. “But you must promise me something.”

Looking into his eyes, she said, “Anything. What?”

“Never lose that scent you have. Of orange flower water and cake?”

“Ah, there is that hungry look again, my love.”

“I retract any desire I may ever have mentioned to marry a biddable girl, as long as she is as sweet as you.”

He tilted her laughing face to his, and Alys surrendered herself to an endless, promising kiss. He still tasted faintly of gingerbread, though she knew it might be only a memory since his hands were steady on the back of her head. His mouth worshipped hers as if she tasted of the finest Scotch trifle. This was their true beginning, and a sweet one at that.

If you liked
The Marquess of Cake
, look for Judah’s story,

coming in December !

photo credit: Syneca Featherstone

Heather Hiestand
was born in Illinois but her family migrated west before she started school. Since then she has claimed Washington State as home, except for a few years in California. She wrote her first story at age seven and went on to major in creative writing at the University of Washington. Her first published fiction was a mystery short story, but since then it has been all about the many flavors of romance. Heather’s first published romance short story was set in the Victorian period and she continues to return, fascinated by the rapid changes of the nineteenth century. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status on Amazon’s Romance Anthologies list and on Amazon UK’s Romance Short Stories list. With her husband and son, she makes her home in a small town and supposedly works out of her tiny office, though she mostly writes in her easy chair in the living room.

For more information, visit Heather’s website at www.heatherhiestand.com. Heather loves to hear from readers! Her e-mail is [email protected].