every kiss and each touch until her soul melded with his.
Epilogue
THE LAKE DISTRICT, Five years later.
Margaret Townsbridge, Viscountess Roxley, sipped her lemonade while her gaze followed the red wooden ball that rolled neatly across the grass. A smile curved her lips when it struck a blue one and her granddaughter, Lilly, emitted a joyful squeal.
“I see,” Athena shouted, hands on her hips. “You think you can best me, do you?”
“I’m certainly going to try,” Lilly said as she snatched up her mallet and stepped aside so her brother, Lucas, could have his turn.
James and Abigail’s children, Henry, Rupert, and Oliver, were participating too, Oliver with the assistance of his uncle William.
In the distance, behind the game of pall-mall, Margaret glimpsed her daughter, Sarah, and her daughters-in-law, Bethany, Abigail, and Eloise. They walked with Sarah’s husband, the Duke of Brunswick, and two more grandchildren: Sarah’s eldest daughter, Catherine, and Eloise’s eldest children, Dominic and Rose.
The rest of the grandchildren, which included Sarah’s two-year-old daughter, Mary, and Eloise’s three-year-old son, Max, along with Athena’s four-year-old triplets, Penelope, Jenifer, and Hyacinth, plus her two-year-old son, Edward, were being cared for by four nannies.
“This is true wealth,” Margaret told her husband, George, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “A family to love and cherish.”
He chuckled lightly, the soft rumble she’d become so familiar with over the years a comfort to all her senses. “When I proposed, I did promise to make you happy, my dear.”
“And I have never been more so, my love. With all our children settled and fourteen grandchildren to dote on, what more could I possibly want?”
“I cannot imagine,” he murmured in that same low tone that had set her blood on fire the first time they’d danced almost thirty eight years ago. He reached for her hand and threaded their fingers together. “But I’m sure I can think of something.”
Margaret’s cheeks heated as they invariably did when George showered her with attention. “Tonight perhaps?”
A devilish gleam appeared in his eyes right before he leaned in and kissed her. Laughter and squeals of joy filled her ears while the sun warmed the bright afternoon, and as she answered her husband’s caress, Margaret knew they’d been right to encourage their children to choose love above all else.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR taking the time to read the final book in my Townsbridge novella series. If you enjoyed An Unexpected Temptation, you’ll definitely enjoy the first book in the series. Grab your copy of When Love Leads to Scandal to discover how it all began. You can also pick up the series prequel, Once Upon a Townsbridge Story for FREE here: https://books2read.com/u/mdnznZ
If you’ve already read all the Townsbridge stories you should try one of my other series like The Crawfords where three long lost brothers are reunited when their father dies. Each brother ends up romancing one of three female proprietors of an orphanage, only to realize they’ve had dire consequences on these women’s pasts. You can grab the first book HERE or go to: https://books2read.com/u/m0OwyV
There’s also Diamonds in the Rough, a rags to riches series in which one character from each book has to figure out how to navigate high society. Start out with A Most Unlikely Duke where a bare-knuckle boxer raised in the slums takes lessons in etiquette from the lady next door. Grab your copy HERE or go to: https://books2read.com/u/3LGak7
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And please continue reading for an excerpt from When Love Leads to Scandal.
When Love Leads to Scandal
Chapter One
MARCH 1, 1820
Smoky clouds scurried across the London sky as Charles Townsbridge made his way toward the park. He’d gotten into the habit of going for early morning walks years ago when his sister, Sarah, had acquired her first puppy. Their parents, Viscount and Viscountess Roxley, hadn’t known about the stray for quite some time, and since Sarah had feared they’d make her get rid of it if they knew, Charles had offered to help. For the next eight years, he’d taken the dog, who’d been named Mozart, out every morning. Because even when his parents were made aware