One More Kiss

Epilogue


THE WEATHER WAS atrocious. Wind-driven rain made travel so hideous it was just as well that all the guests for Jess and Beatrice’s wedding had arrived at Pennford Castle earlier in the week.

But while the weather might be miserable, it was the only thing that was. The duke’s salon overflowed with the Pennistan family—men, women, and children—as well as the bride’s family and some close friends.

Lynford Pennistan, the fifth Duke of Meryon, grinned at his wife. “Having Jess here makes us a family again. Having everyone here for his wedding to Beatrice completes us.”

“Yes, Lyn, dearest, and your happiness has given us all permission to relax and enjoy every moment.” Elena took his arm. “You will notice that all of us, including your son and heir, are decidedly not on our best behavior.”

Rexton, the next Duke of Meryon, was teasing one of his girl cousins. At his young age that consisted of racing around her and trying to make her dizzy. The girl, one of Gabriel’s brood, would have no part of it. She plopped herself on the floor and buried her face in the neck of the cat that she always had with her.

“Do you think it wise of Lynette to allow Marie to have that cat with her all the time?” Elena asked her husband.

“My dear duchess, that is not our problem. We have our three to worry about and that is quite enough.” He gazed at the rest of Gabriel and Lynette’s brood.

“Who would have thought that the two of them would take to parenting so happily?”

Or marriage, Lyn thought. He knew how brutal Lynette’s first marriage had been, and it was a testament to the power of love that she and Gabriel were as one in almost all things from their work to raising their children.

Gabriel came up to them, a cherubic boy tucked under his arm like a sack of grain and a girl of six or so at his side. “Do you need another boy to work in the garden, Your Grace? Owen can crawl with amazing agility and find all the lowest-hanging fruits and vegetables.”

“No, Papa, Owen is too small. The other boys will trample him.”

“Do you think so, Angela?” He raised the boy over his head and Owen laughed with delight.

“Papa, that will make him spit up on you,” the little girl said with alarm.

At which point Lynette joined them and took Owen from his father’s grasp. “He is excited enough already, Gabriel. I am going to take him to the nursery now.”

“Before you go, Lynette,” the duke intervened. “Have you had time for a thorough discussion of art with Beatrice?”

“There is not enough time in the world to do that, Duke, but they will be coming south on their wedding trip and I plan to let Gabriel and Jess go fishing with the boys. Then Beatrice and I can discuss art all day long. I gave them a cut-paper transparency of Havenhall as a wedding gift. They seemed delighted with it.”

The three watched her walk away with the children. “Do you think she will ever relax enough to call me by name?” the duke asked diffidently.

“You are Lynford and she is Lynette. She says two Lyns in the family are one too many. I think she considers ‘Duke’ your given name. At least she has abandoned the curtsy and ‘Your Grace.’ Besides,” Gabriel finished with a smile, “she has many names for you whenever you tell us that you are not going to support her latest charity.”

The duke raised his eyebrows but did not ask for more.

“Look at Olivia,” Elena said. “She would so much rather be in the kitchen.”

It was as though Olivia had heard them. She came back from whatever interior thought had held her and walked over to them. “Do you think the apples at breakfast were sufficiently sweet or did they need more sugar?”

“Apples? Those were apples?” Gabriel said, trying for a straight face.

Olivia punched her brother in the arm and went on. “I am determined to come up with a way to prepare salmon that Beatrice will like.”

“An admirable goal, my dear,” the duke said, just as Annie Blackwood came over.

“Lollie,” she began, “I am going to take the boys upstairs to the nursery. The night is awful and the wedding is first thing in the morning. They can stay here tonight. All right?”

“What a good idea. I’ll help you. Where is Michael? He promised to show Gabriel’s children some magic tricks if they behaved.”

“And you call that behaving?” Annie asked, just as two boys nearly toppled a bust on a stand.

“I do indeed,” Olivia said without pause. “The statue did not fall and no one was injured.”

Olivia and Annie went to collect the children, leaving the duke and his duchess alone again.

Elena leaned close to her husband and whispered, “Look at Mia. She is saying something for David alone. You know he is going to give her one of those chastening looks and she is going to do nothing but laugh at him, which will make him laugh in turn. I have never known a couple who could make bickering seem romantic.”

“When will she tell everyone she is increasing?” the duke asked, wishing his wife would whisper something shocking to him.

“She does not want to take away from Jess and Beatrice’s day but I do believe most have guessed. Fashion is not so forgiving these days. The more natural waist makes any weight gain obvious.”

Indeed, the duke noticed a delicate little bump at Mia’s waist when she turned to respond to something the Marquis Destry said.

“You know, Lynford, you and I could—” The duchess stopped and whispered her suggestion, which convinced the duke that the gods did sometimes listen.

“Did you mean now or later, Elena?”


BEATRICE WATCHED THE duchess laugh at something her husband said and smiled along with them. Her father and the countess were standing next to her, talking with the Earl of Belmont and Nora Kendrick, leaving her free to observe the others.

Jess had left to collect a glass of sherry for her, but William had stopped him and the two of them were now in an animated conversation with David Pennistan and his wife, Mia. Jess found her with his eyes and held up the glass, so she began to move across the room toward him.

Cecilia caught her before she had taken three steps. She hugged her sister for the fifth time that evening.

Beatrice beamed at her. “I am so excited, Ceci. Twelve hours from now I will be married to the most wonderful man in the world.”

Cecilia scanned the crowd. “I do believe there are women here who would disagree with you and maintain that they are married to the most wonderful man in the world.”

Beatrice laughed. “Then I will amend my declaration to the most perfect man in the world for me.”

“Much more diplomatic.” Cecilia took her sister’s hand and pulled her toward a quiet part of the room. “Wasn’t it thoughtful of the duke to bring the Rembrandt painting to this room so you could enjoy it?”

When they were out of hearing, Cecilia changed the subject immediately. “I wanted to let you know that William and I are going to be married by special license next week.”

“Ceci! You and Destry are marrying? That is the most wonderful news in the world. Really it is.” Beatrice looked over at Jess and raised a hand. “Just a minute more!” she mouthed and he nodded with a knowing grin. Had William already told him?

“It is wonderful, but Bitsy, do not tell anyone yet. I do not want to take anything from your day but I had to let you know.”

“Why special license? You could have a ceremony just like this, small and only family.”

“I’m pregnant and we don’t want to wait.”

“Pregnant!” Beatrice hoped she had not shouted the word. She put her hand to her mouth and stayed quiet while the shock dissipated. Finally she was able to whisper, “For the love of God, Cecilia, what has happened to you?” Beatrice bit her lip and tried again. “I am delighted for you, dearest, but do not tell Papa.”

“Of course not. He will find out in due course, as will William’s family. You and Jess will be our witnesses, won’t you?”

“Of course we will. Where are you going to have the ceremony?”

“At the house in the Lake District that Destry’s family owns. Really it is their favorite and now that I have seen them all I have to agree. The pile in Northumberland may be the duke’s official residence but there is nothing appealing about it. And I thought that Lake District house would work since you and Jess are headed to Sandleton, which is only a day’s travel away.”

She must have still looked dazed by the news because Cecilia gave her another hug.

“You did tell me to have some fun. And oh, Beatrice, we are!” Cecilia kissed her sister and walked over toward Destry just as Jess came to join her.

“Cecilia told you?” he asked as he handed her the glass of sherry.

“Yes.” Beatrice widened her eyes deliberately. “She told me they are marrying and why it will be by special license.”

Jess raised her hand and kissed it. “They will be fine, little Venus.”

“Please tell me that she has calmed William’s impulsiveness, because it sounds to me as though she has caught it from him.”

“Beatrice, I have never seen him so happy or so content. Let that be enough.”

“Oh, it is,” Beatrice said. She watched her sister as Cecilia stood with Destry. They were talking to Michael Garrett and he was nodding as though interested and not at all surprised. Beatrice was fairly certain that everyone important to them would know their “secret” well before their wedding.

“Just think, twelve hours from now we will be husband and wife and everyone will expect us to sleep together.”

“Odd, is it not, that a few words make it acceptable?”

“But just as much fun, don’t you think?” Beatrice asked with the littlest bit of concern.

“More fun, I am sure, Beatrice. You will no longer need to worry that someone will come upon us, which will be a relief to me, too.” He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her lips.

“But you know the best part?” All smiles, Beatrice Brent waited for Jess Pennistan to shake his head. “After tomorrow, and for as long as we live, there will always be time for one more kiss.”




Dedicated to Owen Thomas Blayney



Author’s Note

In One More Kiss, William Bendasbrook—Viscount Bendasbrook and Marquis Destry—finally gets all the attention he and readers have demanded. More than one person wanted to know what happened to William after his engagement to Mia ended off-page between Stranger’s Kiss and Courtesan’s Kiss. I hope his happily ever after meets all your expectations.

Once again I acknowledge Lois McMaster Bujold’s character Miles Vorkosigan as the inspiration for William. Miles is from the far future and William the recent past, but certain personality traits transcend time and place.

One historical detail that may be of interest is the Regency concept of coroner. The coroner was appointed by the court and one of his responsibilities was to represent the Crown in matters having to do with unexplained deaths. His appointment was for life. As such the coroner was expected to be a man not influenced by title and wealth, one who commanded the respect of the entire community.

It was up to the coroner with his jury, rather like a grand jury, to examine the evidence and determine if a murder had been committed. I have no idea what would actually happen if the coroner was unavailable as is the case in One More Kiss, but since Crenshaw’s death was not murder, and was eventually explained by Katherine Wilson, I made up what I thought would probably happen in that situation. Let’s call it artistic license, well researched.

My thanks to Meg Grasselli, assistant curator of prints and drawings at the National Gallery of Art, for her explanation of the genius of Rembrandt’s drawings. It is a conversation we had years ago and I have never forgotten it and was delighted to share the insight in this book.

The discussion of the fake Rembrandts that Beatrice has with Lord Belmont reflects a true historical fact and is not to be confused with twentieth-century discussions of Rembrandt forgeries. Her “clever construct” for stealing a Rembrandt drawing was my own creation.