now.”
Vivi patted her leg. “Give him time.”
Johanna took Vivi’s hand in hers. “I don’t deserve your kindness, my lady, but know I am your humble servant from this day forward.”
She squeezed her hand in response. “Allow me to send for water and then we can start on your hair.”
***
Luke couldn’t help but smile when Vivian came out of the inn and tugged up the waistband of the trousers she was about to lose. Even with her hair tucked under a hat and dressed like a bedraggled gentleman after a long night at the tables, she was breathtaking. He couldn’t believe his good fortune in finding a wife who suited him so well.
Brookhaven would not be as lucky, but since the viscount seemed to be in the market for a household manager, he hadn’t made a poor deal. Johanna would manage his household, and Luke had warned Brookhaven he might find himself managed as well. Nevertheless, the viscount was a grown man.
“Shall we go, Lord Vivian?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I suppose we should before everyone begins to stir at the castle. I’m not certain I could explain my attire.”
Luke linked his fingers and offered her a leg up. Once she was settled in the saddle, he squeezed her thigh. “The advantage to being a duchess is you need not explain yourself to anyone. A few days under Mother’s tutelage and you will be well prepared to manage anyone who tries to tell you differently.”
She giggled. “She is outspoken at times. I like that about her.”
He mounted Thor and signaled him to begin the walk back to Irvine Castle. The return trip would take longer with Brookhaven’s mount tied behind his horse, but Luke didn’t mind. He was with Vivian.
“How many children do you want?” she asked as they rode side by side down the dusty lane.
“Not six!”
“But that is how many your mother bore.”
“Yes, but my siblings are all terribly annoying. My parents should have stopped with perfection.” He grinned at her. “You shouldn’t mention that in front of any of them, mind you.”
She laughed. “Your secret is safe.”
Although she spoke in jest, he knew she was being truthful. He would always be able to trust her with his secrets, with his heart, and she could trust him to do the same, although he would love to tell his brothers of her antics at Brighthurst House. Richard and Drew would find the tales amusing, but it was also something special he and Vivian alone shared.
“Do you know what I thought when I first saw you in the spring?” he asked.
A pink flush brightened her cheeks. “I’m afraid to hear.”
“I thought you were a vision, like the ladies I saw at my bedside at Twinspur.”
She raised her brows. “Who came to your bedside?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see faces. I am not even certain they were women. They radiated with a warm light, and I felt everything was going to be all right again when they were there. I had the same sense when I looked at you.”
She walked her horse closer and held out her hand. He linked his fingers with hers. “I thought you looked like Sir Launcelot on your stallion.”
“From Le Morte d’Arthur? Vivian Worth, how would you have any knowledge of that scandalous tale?”
She shrugged. “My brother shouldn’t have left the book sitting out. I am not responsible for my curious nature. You should prepare yourself, Your Grace. I fear I may scandalize you often.”
“I hope so,” he said with a wink. “But seeing as how you haven’t done or said anything scandalous in the last thirty seconds, I’m not sure whether to believe you. There is a lake on our land. Would you care to join me for a morning swim?”
“My, that would be scandalous indeed, if we were discovered.”
“I imagine it would, but where is the fun in playing it safe, dear Vivian?”
“Very well. Lead the way.”
As he guided his horse ahead of hers, she cleared her throat. He looked over his shoulder to find her grinning wickedly. “Nice view, Your Grace.”
He chuckled and turned back toward the lane.
“Luke?”
“Yes, darling?”
“I love you.”
His heart grew to twice its size. Never could he have anticipated the impact of those three little words, but they meant the world to him. “I love you, too, water sprite.”
Epilogue
Vivi was unable to stand still as she waited by her husband’s side to receive their wedding guests. She felt as if she might float off into the night sky without Luke’s