rattling off a mad list of questions. That he was scarcely making sense. His mind and his heart were a jumble of thoughts, exuberance, love. So much love. Excitement. Fear, too. But the excitement was first. It was stronger. A child of their own. Ye gods. The prospect was thrilling.
He was happy. So damned happy.
Decker blinked against a sudden rush of his own tears. “Josie? Say something.”
“I mean it, Decker,” she said softly. “We are going to have a child. I missed my courses, and, well, with the way of things…”
She did not need to continue. They made love like animals. He knew it. They both loved it. He took her every chance he had, everywhere he could. And she did the same. Their love and their passion were healthy and strong, burning brighter and hotter than any flame.
He kissed her swiftly. “How do you feel, darling? I did not hurt you just now, did I?”
“You could never hurt me, my love.” She smiled then. “I am with child, but that does not mean I have suddenly turned to porcelain.”
Their lips met again, this kiss longer and deeper than the last.
“How do you feel?” she asked him when their mouths parted. “Are you…is this what you want?”
There had been a time when a child, a family, a wife, love, had been beyond his comprehension. When he had thought he would sooner perish than welcome any one of them into his life. But he had learned his lesson.
“I feel happy,” he told his wife. “I feel astonishingly, blissfully happy. You and this babe and however many we should be blessed with after—you are all I want. Now and forever.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. “Do you mean it, Decker?”
He kissed that tear away. “Of course I do, my love. Now and forever. My heart has always known yours.”
Their mouths met, one in love and need and hunger. He rolled them so that he was on his back and she was atop him, and they made love again, slowly and deliciously, beneath the warmth of the sun.
The End.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Jo and Decker’s story! I hope you enjoyed this second book in my Notorious Ladies of London series and that you fell in love with Decker and Jo as much as I did along the way.
Please consider leaving an honest review of Lady Wallflower. Reviews are greatly appreciated! If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases and series news, sign up for my newsletter here or follow me on Amazon or BookBub. Join my reader’s group on Facebook for bonus content, early excerpts, giveaways, and more.
If you’d like a preview of Lady Reckless, Book Three in the Notorious Ladies of London series, featuring Lady Helena Davenport and her brother’s proper, already betrothed best friend the Earl of Huntingdon, do read on. I’ve also included a bonus sneak peek at Her Virtuous Viscount, Book Six in my Wicked Husbands series, so don’t miss it.
P.S. If you’re looking for the Duke and Duchess of Westmorland’s love story, you can find it in Fearless Duke. You’ll find Sin and Callie’s happily ever after in Lady Ruthless and Julian and Clara’s in Restless Rake.
Until next time,
Scarlett
Author’s Note on Historical Accuracy
In June of 1885, a petition signed by 208 women—including doctors, countesses, and viscountesses amongst them—was addressed to each member of the House of Lords to support the bill then before the Upper House, which would have extended the right to vote in Parliamentary elections to women. I’ve used that real historical event as the model for the Lady’s Suffrage Society petition drafted by Jo and the other ladies in this book. It would take many more years of petitioning, bills being presented, campaigning, fighting, and raging against the status quo for women to finally win the right to vote in the twentieth century.
The Victorian era tends to have a modern reputation of being a conservative period ruled by prudish mores. However, that simply isn’t the full picture. During the Victorian era, erotic and pornographic art, photography, and literature flourished. In many cases, because of existing decency laws, erotic art and literature were privately produced rather than publicly mass-produced. Specifically in the case of erotic literature, many books or story collections were published in limited runs and distributed only to club or subscription members. I have done my best to accurately portray Decker’s erotic collections based on similar collections of the time period, including the set of naughty alphabet lithographs.