Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,314

their love.

Attending Lord Archibald’s house party had been a wise choice indeed.

Epilogue

Barrington House, England, Spring 1802 (or a variation thereof)

Anne’s hand felt warm and soft within his own as Tobias tugged her through the door and then pushed it closed with a kick of his boot.

“We will be miss−” she objected before he pulled her into his arms, sealing her lips with a deep kiss. His hands slid over her gown, feeling her tempting curves beneath, wishing the day had already come and gone. “You’re making it very hard for me to keep my wits about me,” she sighed when he trailed kisses down her throat.

Tobias chuckled, nipping gently at her skin, “I’ve waited long enough for this day.”

“As have I,” Anne replied as she pushed him back, her deep blue eyes finding his. “But this is our wedding day. What will our families think when we simply disappear from our wedding breakfast?”

A wicked grin came to his face.

Laughing, Anne slapped his shoulder. “I never knew you possessed such roguish tendencies, Mr. Hawke,” she chided him. “I must say I’m discovering all new sides to you now that I’m your wife.”

“Are you disappointed?”

A slow smile spread over her lovely face. “I didn’t say that, now did I?”

Impatience burnt in Tobias’s veins as he pulled her into another deep kiss, overwhelmed by how life had changed in the past few months. While Anne was still his friend and they continued to tease and laugh as they always had, she was now so much more than that as well. There was a deeper understanding, a bond that went beyond what they’d previously shared. Every day, they discovered something new about one another and, every night, he fell asleep with a deliriously happy smile upon his lips.

“Ah! There you are!”

Cursing Anne’s meddlesome cousin, Tobias reluctantly released his vice-like hold upon his wife and took a step back. He hadn’t even heard Louisa approach, let alone enter the room; however, judging from the disapproving look on Anne’s face, his wife had been equally oblivious.

“What are you doing here?” Anne asked her cousin, her hands quickly moving to right the wrinkles Tobias’s hands had left upon her gown.

“Looking for you,” Louisa replied with a self-evident look in her eyes. “After all, it is your wedding day, and you cannot simply disappear without it being noted.”

Anne cast him a meaningful look.

“Very well,” Tobias relented, offering his wife his arm. “We’ll return to share in the festivities.”

“I think that is advisable,” Louisa remarked as she stepped closer and tucked a loose strand behind Anne’s left ear, a knowing grin upon her face. “I do love to see you two so happy,” she told them then, her blue eyes moving from Anne to him before returning to his wife. “You must admit you’re quite fortunate to have me as your family. After all, without my assistance, I doubt we’d be here today celebrating your union.” Her brows rose meaningfully.

Tobias laughed, “Are you fishing for a compliment, dear cousin?”

Louisa smiled at him. “A thank-you will do, dearest Tobias.”

Sighing, Tobias offered her a formal bow. “I’m offering you my deepest gratitude for your wisdom in urging us to recognize the bond between us.” He smiled at Anne as she squeezed his arm, her eyes warm and glowing. “Your determination and selfless sacrifice shall never be forgotten.”

Rolling her eyes at him, Louisa sighed, “I must say that is a very unbecoming quality,” she miffed, her nose slightly wrinkled. “You sound just like your awful brother.”

“That reminds me,” Anne said as a slow, somewhat wicked smile came to her lips. “You have yet to fulfill your end of our bargain.”

For a second, Tobias frowned before he remembered what Anne had told him about everything Louisa had done during their visit to Windmere Park to make the two of them see what was truly between them. Not only had she tackled Anne to the ground and given Tobias a good talking-to, but she’d also promised to kiss Phineas if Anne and Tobias ever were to tie the knot.

Now, they had.

“Will you forfeit?” Anne dared her.

Louisa’s gaze hardened, and her jaw set in determination. “Never.”

As though on cue, footsteps echoed to their ears from down the hall, and a moment later, Phineas poked his head into the room. “What are you all doing in here?” he asked, looking from one to the other.

Louisa groaned and turned back to glare at Anne. “You did this on purpose!” she hissed.

Anne merely shrugged, an innocent smile upon