The Mistletoe Marquess: A Risqué Regency Romance Read online

  In addition, it gave her chance to brag about Emmeline having landed herself a Viscount. So all in all, it was an enormous success, even for those who had experienced a variety of unfamiliar emotions.

  As promised, Reid spirited his fiancée away at the conclusion of the evening’s festivities, back to the library where it was warm and secluded.

  “I think I shall burst from happiness, Reid.” She walked to the window and laid her palm against the cold glass. “I ‘m quite beside myself.”

  “I think I’d rather you were beside me.”

  He was behind her and she felt the tapes of her gown loosening. She shivered with excitement and smiled. “Here?”

  “I locked the door.”

  “I said you were brilliant.”

  She turned and for a moment, they stood, forehead to forehead, together and so much in love neither wanted to move. His hand was at the base of her neck and her arms were around him, one pulling his head close, the other tugging him to the rest of her.

  “Happy Christmas, my Pru. I love you,” he murmured, rubbing her nose with his.

  “I love you as well, Reid. Happy Christmas.” She returned the words on a whisper, finally leaning in and finding his lips with hers.

  From that point, it was heat, passion and desire between them, an awareness that now they could love freely and forever lending a touch of magic to their intimacy.

  The Mistletoe Marquess had found his Marchioness, and persevered through rough waters to claim her.

  It could have been Christmas magic or a Mistletoe miracle. But at this particular moment, neither Prudence nor Reid were devoting much thought to that question. They were too busy devoting their thoughts to the other’s pleasure. And promising to do it for the rest of their lives.

  Epilogue

  So Reid and Prudence overcame the circumstances of her birth and made a very successful match. They gladdened Lady Jocelyn’s heart by presenting her with a grandson and granddaughter within three years, and followed that up with the surprise arrival of twin daughters two years after that.

  Sir Rodney happily turned over much of the Chillendale Ale business to his son, announcing that he had a grandson to teach now, and the lad needed to learn about brewing from the best.

  Reid grinned and nodded. Pru blessed him, since running around after four children could be quite wearing, in spite of nannies and servants. Both Reid and Pru believed in a close parent-child relationship, and worked hard to make sure that happened. There would be no lonely moments for this generation of Chillendales.

  Brent and Emmeline married that spring, and surprised the county by becoming the leading lights of local society. They hosted everything from teas to book readings to afternoon tea dances and the occasional ball. And it wasn’t only the high born who were invited. Emmeline had decided that she would help everyone from Little Chillendale who wished to be part of any or all the events she hosted. Their social schedule was interrupted by the birth of their son, but resumed shortly thereafter, when Lady Rowdean dedicated the new schoolhouse, funded by a gift from her parents.

  But, you might be asking, what of Hecate?

  Ah yes, Hecate Ridlington.

  She has gifts beyond the realm of normalcy, of course. But what talents does she possess and are they useful? That remains to be seen. And her adventures, along with those of her five siblings, will be revealed starting in 2017. Watch for the first in the new series The Six Pearls of Baron Ridlington, where you’ll read more about Hecate and her family.

  Until then, everyone at Chillendale Hall and Little Chillendale wishes you the happiest of Holiday Seasons, and should that be in the past already, then they will hope for health, wealth and happiness for you in the years to come.

  (Read on for a little more information on Baron Ridlington and his six pearls, and also the link to your FREE NOVELLA.)

  The Six Pearls of Baron Ridlington

  In Great Britain, a specific type of crown (or coronet) is assigned to each rank within the titled hierarchy. It can also be incorporated into a coat of arms—if one holds the rank of Baron or higher.

  A Baron’s coronet is distinguished by its six points, which are known in heraldic terms as “pearls”. So it was fortuitously convenient that Jack Holbury, Baron of Ridlington, produced six offspring during his lifetime. It took three wives for him to get there, but at the birth of the sixth child, the Ton immediately dubbed to his family as “The Six Pearls of Baron Ridlington”.

  His first wife, Margaret, gave birth to Edmund, Simon and Letitia. They were followed by second wife Mary’s children, the twins Richard and Kitty, and the final addition of Hecate, born to third wife Moira. The Baron outlived his wives by nearly two decades, ruling the Ridlington household with the iron hand of a stern father, while managing to almost completely ignore the unusual brood he had sired.

  Whether his children turned out to be pearls remains to be seen...

  *~~*~~*

  Watch for the new series from Sahara Kelly in 2017 – The Six Pearls of Baron Ridlington.

  _____________________________________________________________________________

  With thanks from Sahara Kelly for your support, enthusiasm, loyalty and encouragement. Here is the link to a FREE NOVELLA, titled “ROGUE’S DIAMOND”.

  It features Colonel Rogue Chambers, a character first introduced in BUCKLER’S HARD, and tells the tale of the sin he committed to get himself transferred to the wilds of Hampshire, and the woman who has haunted him ever since. Even though Rogue has made an appearance before, this is a stand-alone story. I hope you enjoy it!

  https://www.instafreebie.com/free/CSnlG

  (Offer valid until June 30, 2017)

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  About the Author

  Sahara Kelly is always happy to explain to editors that her spelling errors aren’t really errors, since she was born and raised in England, where an extra “u” is quite in order. She likes to think it adds colour to her writing. Sadly, it’s not a widely held belief in the United States, so she’d like you to know she still retains a lot from her English childhood even though you won’t see much of it in her spelling.

  Arriving in America with her almost-complete collection of Leslie Charteris’ Saint novels and a passion for Monty Python, Sahara’s new life eventually expanded to include a husband, offspring, citizenship, and a certain amount of acclimation to her new surroundings. (She still cherishes that extra “u” though.)

  After more than two decades of writing, Sahara is now enjoying the greater freedom offered to authors by the rapidly expanding self-publishing scene and looking forward to many more such experiences. Being freed of restraints has opened doors—for Sahara and many other writers. There are now no impediments; no obstructions barring the path from writer to reader. Which is, in many ways, exactly as originally intended when that first storyteller sat on a rock outside her cave, tugged her bearskin around her shoulders and smiled at her kids across the open fire with the words “Once upon a time...” (or however it sounded several million years ago.)

  To find out more about Sahara Kelly and her writing, please drop by her website and visit her at:

  Sahara Kelly (Website – http://www.saharakelly.com)

  This is where Sahara shares none of the intimate details of her life, but will present you with a list of books she'd like you to buy so that she can go do research on a beach in Aruba and be pampered with massages accompanied by drinks with umbrellas in them. She’ll send you a postcard. Thank you.

  When not dreaming of lazing on tropical beaches, Sahara has a relatively active social presence on the Internet. Take a look:

  Follow Sahara on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SaharaKelly

  Friend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sahara.kelly

  See what she’s blogging about: http://writersaharakelly.blogspot.com

  Follow me on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sahara-kelly

/>   You can stay on top of what’s on the way from Sahara’s fertile imagination by subscribing to her newsletter or picking up her app for your iPhone or iPad. Yes, there’s even an app for Sahara Kelly. Best bet? Subscribe to the newsletter and keep up to date with everything going on by clicking here. (http://eepurl.com/bxpvp) She doesn’t send them out too often, so you won’t be swamped with unwanted mail. Sahara loathes that and refuses to inflict it on anyone else so you can go ahead and subscribe without worrying about it.

  Also by Sahara Kelly: (*- co-written with S.L. Carpenter)

  The Mistletoe Marquess

  >*<

  The Gypsy Gentlemen Series

  Honor and Secrets

  Control and Compassion

  Endings and Beginnings

  >*<

  Oh My Laird!

  Deverell’s Obsession

  The Fifth Wife

  Julia and the Devil

  Discreet Madness

  The Viscount and the Witch

  Miss Foxworth’s Fate

  Feels So Right*

  >*<

  Whole Lotta Love Series

  Love in the Cards*

  Love on the Road*

  Love Under the Lights*

  >*<

  Happy Endings*

  With a Little Help from my Friends (with Ciana Stone)

  Letting Off Steam

  Winding Her Up

  Stripping Her Gears

  My Renaissance Romance

  Hired Help*

  Open House

  So Into You*

  Faerieland needs YOU

  My Wish

  My Prize

  My Hero

  Showing Off*

  And many more…

  *~~*~~*

  Several of the above titles were co-written with friend and writing partner S.L. Carpenter. Together, they have a dozen or so books available, each featuring their trademark touches of humor and heat. Their most recent releases are a contemporary romance - a bundle of their very first three books now available together – Feels So Right, a collection of strange fairy tales – Happy Endings - and the Whole Lotta Love series.

  These, and a whole bunch of Sahara Kelly’s other books, can be found online for your Kindle eReader or your Kindle reader app. Quite a few are also in print. No excuses, people. You can add her stories to your bookshelves physically or digitally. Go get ‘em.

  *~~*~~*

  Sahara would like to mention that and her writing partner, S.L. Carpenter, co-own a small business, and have been up and running for five years. They have blended another of their shared passions — art — and formed an online graphics business focusing on the complicated world of writers. If you’re interested in seeing what they get up to when they’re not writing something twistedly hot and sexy, they’d like to invite you to come visit their company at the link below and check out some of the amazing cover art currently being created by S.L. Carpenter. They’re certainly never bored…

  P and N Graphics, LLC

  Happy Reading…