To Bed a Beauty (Courtship Wars 2)

It was Drew’s turn to grin as he raised his glass in salute. “To your challenge of finding a bride, then.”

Sharing the camaraderie of longtime friends who were as close as brothers, they lifted their glasses to drink.

It was perhaps three-quarters of an hour later when Simpkin appeared with a message for Drew, saying that Miss Roslyn requested his presence in the library. With alacrity, Drew excused himself from his friends. It had been too long since he’d been alone with Roslyn; too long since he had last kissed her and touched her and basked in her nearness.

He found her curled up in the window seat, perusing a thick sheaf of papers in her lap.

Shutting the door firmly behind him, Drew crossed to her. When Roslyn looked up and smiled, the rest of the world faded from his awareness. All his consciousness centered on this one woman. The warmth that flowed through him at just being with her was a reminder of how cold his life had been before coming to love her, how empty his heart.

His heart beat now as if it had finally come alive after a long, lonely sleep. Settling beside her, Drew took her in his arms for a fervent, deeply satisfying kiss.

His passionate embrace left her breathless and sighing in contentment as she rested her head against his shoulder, her forehead nestled beneath his jaw.

“I have missed that far too much,” he admitted.

Roslyn laughed softly. “So have I…which is absurd, considering that it has barely been two hours since we last kissed.”

“But I know we’ll be deprived of any more kisses for the rest of the evening, since we don’t have the Hall to ourselves anymore. It’s a pity we can’t send everyone away, love. I would ravish you right here.”

“I would like that. But besides being scandalous, we don’t have time. Dinner will be announced in a short while.”

“Then promise we will be together tonight, afterward.”

Lifting her head, she glanced up at Drew coquettishly. “What did you have in mind, darling?”

“A stroll on a moonlit summer evening. We’ve never made love by the river in the moonlight.”

Roslyn laughed again. “I think Arabella and Marcus have. Lily and I once caught them sneaking back into the house, looking flushed and disheveled.”

“Fortunately for them, they don’t need to sneak around now to enjoy their pleasures, since they’re married and they have the master’s apartments all to themselves. We, on the other hand, must steal our private moments when we can. So will you accompany me on a moonlit stroll tonight?”

“Yes, gladly.”

“I will be counting the moments,” Drew murmured. “I think we should set about begetting an heir tonight.”

Roslyn’s eyebrow arched uncertainly. “Just an heir, Drew?”

Understanding her query, he shook his head. “Not just an heir. I don’t want a son merely to carry on the dukedom. I want children because they will be a part of you.”

Her enchanting smile returned. “That is a lovely sentiment. And I feel the same way about you. But I hope our children will have happier lives growing up than we did.”

Drew lifted their clasped hands to kiss her fingers. “I guarantee I will give it my utmost effort.” His eyes smiled down into hers before finally he recalled that she had summoned him to the library. “Why did you wish to speak to me, love?”

Roslyn held up the sheaf of papers. “Besides the chance to kiss you? This just arrived from Fanny. It is her manuscript.”

“Manuscript?” he repeated as she handed the pages to him to read.

“Yes. Fanny has written a book on the art of seduction, and she sent it to us to read and suggest improvements.”

“Seduction, hmm?” Drew’s mouth quirked. “What is it, an instruction manual for courtesans?”

“Not for courtesans. For young ladies who want to marry. She has entitled it, Advice to Young Ladies on Capturing a Husband.”

His amusement faltered. “This is for scheming husband-hunters? Is Fanny serious about asking for my help? She expects me to aid the enemy?”

Roslyn chuckled before her expression turned a little troubled. “It is for a good cause, Drew. Lily told me that some of Fanny’s friends are having financial difficulties. And selling this book could help them solve their problems.”

“That surprises me. I thought Fanny was highly successful in her trade.”