A Lady of Persuasion (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy #3)

“No,” she choked out through tears. “The part about hate.”


From that very first kiss, he’d made her feel everything—the good and the bad. He brought all her passions to the surface, when she’d worked so long to subdue them. It was infuriating and wonderful and so very frightening. She just didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, he seemed to have an idea.

“I lied,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry, but I lied to you again just now. I’m not going to wait for you to do the embracing.”

His arms went around her, and Bel rested against his strong, solid chest, shedding tears and soot all over his coat.

“Hush, love,” he said, rocking her gently. “It’s all right. Haven’t I told you, time and again?”

He pulled back slightly and tilted her face to his. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry.”

She kissed him. Tightened her arms around his neck, stretched up on tiptoe, and kissed him, in front of everyone. In front of hundreds of gaping spectators, in front of six men with muskets

… good heavens, in front of her brother.

And it was wonderful. Everyone cheered. Even the men with guns.

Well, perhaps not her brother.

“Don’t do this,” she said, between nibbles at his lips. “It’s not too late to withdraw from the race.”

“I have to win,” he murmured.

“No, you don’t. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you serve in Parliament. I won’t force you into this.”

“I’m not being forced.” Putting some distance between them, he took her hands in his. “I know it wasn’t my original intention, but now I want to serve, for several reasons. It’s my duty as a gentleman of privilege, for one. And I want to honor Mr. Yorke’s legacy, for another. In many ways, he was a father to me.”

“I’m so sorry,” Bel said. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when he died.”

“I know. I was sorry you weren’t, too—but I knew it was my own fault.” He kissed her hand.

“But Isabel, the largest reason I want to be elected to Parliament is this: I want to do it for you.”

“Haven’t you been listening? You shouldn’t do this for me.”

“Of course I should. I love you, and there’s no better reason to do anything.”

“But—”

“Shh.” He took her in his arms again. “It’s my turn to have my say, all right?”

She nodded.

He spoke softly, only to her. “Isabel, you were right about me. I’m capable of far more than this frivolous life I’ve been leading, and I knew it long before we met. For years now, I’ve wished for some greater purpose, and you were right to push me to find one. But you don’t get to choose it for me.”

“No, of course not.” She stroked his cheek. “I was wrong to even try. That’s why I want you to withdraw from the race.”

He shook his head. “No. I’m going to be elected to Parliament, where I will represent this borough with honor. And I will continue to manage my estate. I think I’ll prove reasonably competent at both. But my highest goal, my true reason for living, is right here in my arms. It’s you, darling. It’s us. You are everything I’ve been yearning for, for so long—a perfect fit for all my natural talents.” He smiled, and brushed a tear from her cheek. “Loving you gives meaning to my life.”

“Toby.” She bent her head, resting her brow against his chest.

He whispered in her ear, “And by God, I will excel at it. I mean to love you so well, so fiercely. To make certain you never doubt what a remarkable, beautiful woman you are. To make certain the world knows it, too. To create a stable, loving home for you and our family. To give you a place where you will always feel safe.”

She slipped her hands inside his coat, needing to hold him tight.

“Those may not be the sort of accomplishments that end up in the papers,” he continued, “or earn a man society’s applause. But they’re important, just the same. And as I look around at the world, I realize … it’s astonishing, how few men are truly good at them.”

She lifted her face to his. “You will be magnificent at them. A true champion. I have complete

faith in you.”

He was right, of course. Toby was a rare man indeed.

In all her life, Bel had never met a person with such infectious warmth and good humor, or his instinctive talent for making those around him feel confident and secure. That combination had attracted her to him from the very beginning. Well, that and the devastating grin spreading across his face.

Oh, she was the luckiest woman alive.

He said, “Then I advise you to get accustomed to this idea, that you are worth any effort. Learn to live with the burden of being adored. Take all that righteous anger, darling, and go forth to battle the dragons of injustice … but you must always come home to me.” He kissed her nose.

“Because I intend to be, above everything, a devoted husband.” A sly gleam stole into his eye as he added, “And a doting father.”