He found himself unable to resist her. It was as though her wish was of the highest priority. He frowned but gently fixed her in the saddle and hopped easily up behind her. She said softly, “Hold me tight … I am not quite steady.”
He laughed with abounding joy. “You are a minx … but say you will be my minx … Babs, shall we be married this summer?”
“Oh yes, as quickly as we may before you change your mind,” she said earnestly.
He laughed again and hugged her close. “Ah, my love … I am set in my ways, but I know what I need for the rest of my life … Do you? You are so young … are you sure …?”
“All I want for the rest of my life is your Wildfire kisses … You are the one, Nick,” she said softly.
He laughed and hugged her as he asked, “Then why did you not say him nay?”
“I wrote Passion’s Seed,” she said simply. “He made it his business to find out who penned it, and then he threatened to expose me and ruin my family with the information.”
“You wrote … you …?” His lordship was incredulous, and then he barked a laugh. “I am so very proud of you. Babs, you never cease to amaze me!”
“Then you don’t mind?”
“Mind? Why should I mind … When do you write the next?” He rubbed his chin on her head.
“But … he may still choose to hurt me …”
“He will be laid up for a time, and we are at an impasse. He cannot reveal his part in today’s business, and for fear of having your name bandied about, nor can we, but as to the book, I have a notion that I think will work. I will visit with the Regent and confess that my future bride is the author. He will be thrilled to be the one who discovered the authorship, and he will make certain you are admired for it.”
“It is what I thought I should do, go to the Regent, but I see it would be much better for you to do so.”
“A powerful, wealthy duchess, which is what you will soon be, can be forgiven many idiosyncrasies,” he said, touching the nape of her neck with a kiss.
“I have lost my bonnet …” Babs suddenly realized with a sigh.
He laughed and sighed. “Babs, I think you are going to be forever giving me a neck-or-nothing ride …”
“Otto said that what I need is a man who will smile at my antics … perhaps curb me a bit … but never tame me. You don’t wish to tame me—do you?”
“More’s the pity, I do not.” He kissed the top of her head, but as he brought her face up to his, he took his eyes off the road ahead, leaving it to his horse, and kissed her sweetly on her lips.
He came away with a husky note in his voice. “Have I told you that I love you beyond hope of recovery?”
She laughed. “What a very odd way to put it, but I am glad, for I don’t want you to recover from me …”
And at that moment their attention was called away from each other by the sound of Otto yelling into the wind.
He rode at them, his hat and clothes askew, his manner full with excitement. Glancing at one another, Babs and her Wildfire felt a combined affection for the count as they laughed right out loud!
***
But six weeks later
The wedding went off beautifully with all the ton in attendance. Sir Charles was the duke’s best man. Miss Bretton was the maid of honor, and Babs asked Otto to be a groom in her wedding party, which he did with a great show of pride.
Sir Frederick and Miss Bretton were married only a month afterwards, as Corry wished to wait for the duke and his duchess to return from their honeymoon and stand up for them during the simple ceremony.
Sir Edward Danton decided to spend his summer at his country estate in the north and was not heard from until late in the fall.
Some whispered that he was recovering from a broken heart … but perha
ps that is a story for another day.
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