her present felicity, Mama never seemed to understand. That lady’s childhood had been spent traveling between the many grand estates her noble family owned, and in her eyes, Victoria’s pokey flat was not much better than the slums of East End.
Serenity settled into Victoria’s bones, testifying again that this was where she was meant to be. True, it might be a year or two before they could afford even a maid-of-all-work, but Victoria no longer flinched when a bill arrived. For all that she and her husband had to be prudent with their finances, it was a fraction of the worry her parents felt on a constant basis.
But gathering wool was not going to help her decide on table dressings.
Victoria turned her attention back to her notes and threw herself into her work. Sometime later, the front door opened, and footsteps sounded in the hall as Elijah called out to her. She cast a quick glance and smile toward him as he entered and returned her attention to her notes.
“I spent several hours this morning with Mr. Flemming’s housekeeper and cook,” she said, nodding at the pages as Elijah came to stand over her. “We’ve settled on a menu for the dinner, and I believe I have sorted out the seating arrangement. I think it best if we place Mr. Barrymore next to Mrs. Macklemore, for it would be impossible for him to remain unmoved by education reform with her at his side all dinner. But I’m finding it more difficult to place Mrs. Ferris…”
Victoria’s words faded as lips brushed against her neck.
“How am I to concentrate when you are bothering me?” she asked in a pert tone. But Elijah merely huffed, his breath tickling her skin, and placed another kiss beside the first.
“I must get this done today, sir.”
“And I am certain you will, madam,” he whispered, brushing his fingers across her shoulder.
Victoria had thought herself well versed in all things Elijah, but the months following their marriage had only deepened her understanding and adoration of this dear man. And they had taught her that there was no fighting him when he was of a mind to distract her. Not that she wished to.
Rising to her feet, Victoria turned and wrapped her arms around him. “You are a terrible nuisance at times.”
Elijah’s lids lowered with that wicked grin of his. “I hope I always am.”
He leaned in, but Victoria pulled back as she recalled what she’d intended to tell him. “The invitation arrived today.”
Ignoring the distance she’d tried to maintain, Elijah drew close and feathered kisses along her jaw. “From whom?”
Victoria closed her eyes and sighed as his arms wrapped around her. She adored his cologne so much that she’d taken to smelling it when he was away on business, though it never smelled quite as good on its own as it did on him.
But then she recalled that he’d asked her a question, and she sifted through her fuzzy thoughts. “What?”
Elijah straightened, his eyes glowing with mirth as he gazed upon his wife. “You mentioned an invitation.”
Blinking, Victoria cleared her head and nodded. “From Oliver Kingsley. He wrote especially to invite us to stay with his family and attend the wedding next month. Sophie has decided to marry from Avebury Park, which is fortunate, as it shan’t be too difficult to slip away even with Parliament in session…”
But it was impossible for her to continue speaking of such subjects—however happy they may be—when Elijah’s blue eyes sparked and glowed with such happiness. Victoria was awed and humbled at the thought that she would spend the rest of her life gazing into them.
“I love you, dear husband of mine,” she whispered before pressing her lips to his.
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More Books by M.A. Nichols
Want to find out how Mina and Simon Kingsley fell in love?
Flame and Ember
Regency Love Series
A heartbroken man, a frustrated spinster, and a marriage of convenience that proves quite inconvenient.
Simon Kingsley is in desperate need of a wife. After years of searching, he finally found love. Unfortunately, she wed another, and now, it’s time to settle for someone with whom he can share his life. Love is no longer an option for a man whose heart is irrevocably broken.
Mina Ashbrook longs to marry for love but knows she’s too old, too plump, and too plain to catch a gentleman’s eye. And a marriage of convenience is better than being a spinster sister living off her brother’s charity. Simon may not love her now, but Mina knows there’s hope—if she can convince him that love comes in many forms.
Will Mina find a way to heal Simon’s heart? Or will the shadows of the past keep them from finding happiness together?
Though part of the Regency Love series, each book is a standalone sweet romance and can be read in any order.
Buy your copy today!
Or check out Lily Kingsley’s love story...
A Stolen Kiss
Victorian Love Series
A mistaken kiss. A forced engagement. Can it become something more?
Lily Kingsley accepts that she is destined to be a spinster—but not until she gets her first kiss. And she knows the perfect gentleman to enlist. Unfortunately, she kisses the wrong one and ends up in the arms of an overbearing and exceptionally frustrating merchant.
When busybodies catch them in their illicit embrace, an engagement is the only solution, but Lily doesn’t want a fiancé who’s only doing his duty. And she certainly doesn’t want a gentleman far too used to getting his own way. She simply must make him see how ill-suited they are.
But why is the fellow so determined to see their engagement through?
Jack Hatcher hates surprises, but when a beguiling lady mistakes him for someone else and launches herself into his arms, he discovers not all surprises are bad. Marriage was not in Jack’s plans, but Lily stirs something inside him he never expected to feel.
But with his fiancé desperate to break with him and a new enemy working to woo Lily away, Jack discovers force of will won’t keep her by his side. Can he find a way to win her heart before it’s lost forever?
The Victorian Love series is a spin-off series that follows the children of the heroes and heroines of the Regency Love Series. Each book in both series is a standalone sweet historical romance and can be read in any order.
Buy your copy today!
About the Author
Born and raised in Anchorage, M.A. Nichols is a lifelong Alaskan with a love of the outdoors. As a child she despised reading but through the love and persistence of her mother was taught the error of her ways and has had a deep, abiding relationship with it ever since.
She graduated with a bachelor's degree in landscape management from Brigham Young University and a master's in landscape architecture from Utah State University, neither of which has anything to do with why she became a writer but is a fun little tidbit nonetheless. And no, she doesn't have any idea what type of plant you should put in that shady spot out by your deck. She's not that kind of landscape architect. Stop asking.
For more information about M.A. Nichols, her books, and future projects, check out her on:
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