The Valet Who Loved Me - Valerie Bowman Page 0,86
in his throat. “Please.”
Marianne nodded and he helped her to alight.
The moment she’d stepped onto the ground, Beau dropped to one knee. “I know you’re the sister of an earl—I couldn’t care any less. I love you, Marianne. I should have asked you to marry me the night you left me in France, but I was a bloody fool. Please, say you’ll be my wife.”
“Excellent decision,” Lady Courtney snorted from inside the coach.
Marianne’s face filled with worry. “You’re truly not just asking me because of the change in my status?”
“I promise you, darling. I’d ask you if you were a washer woman in the street. I don’t care about the scandal.” He glanced back at the line of stopped carriages. “Does it look like I care about scandal?”
Marianne had to laugh at that. “David told me you came looking for me. And so did Julianna and Frances.”
“Yes, and if you ask Kendall and Worth, they’ll tell you I said I wanted to marry you even before Kendall informed me that your brother was an earl.”
“I believe him, Marianne,” Lady Courtney announced from inside the coach.
“Please, Marianne,” he whispered, squeezing her hands. “Say you’ll marry me. I’ve loved you since the moment you found me peering about Lord Copperpot’s bedchamber and told me to stop.”
“What about your position with the Home Office? Will you give that up?” Marianne had lowered her voice to a whisper.
“We can spy together if you like,” he offered, equally quiet, before raising his voice again to say, “Or, I’ll settle down and we’ll have half a score of children.”
“That sounds like an awful lot of children, Marianne,” came Lady Courtney’s muffled interjection.
Marianne laughed. “I quite agree, Lady Courtney,” she replied, raising her voice.
“Fine then. Half a score. Two. Three. However many you want. I’ll give you the world, Marianne, just say you’ll marry me,” Beau pleaded, still on his knee.
“I don’t know how to be a proper marchioness, Beau. What if I embarrass you and your family?”
“We’ll teach you. We’ll all teach you, and you can be any type of marchioness you like. Nothing you do would ever embarrass me. Don’t you see, Marianne? I adore you.”
“This is quite new to me, Lady Courtney,” Marianne called. “Is there anything else I should ask for before I agree?”
“Hmm,” came Lady Courtney’s reply. “Ask for an extended honeymoon and invite your friends.”
“Not a problem whatsoever,” Beau replied without skipping a beat. “With the money I won from a certain bet a while back, I’m prepared to take the whole lot of us on the best honeymoon money can buy.”
“It sounds promising, Lady Courtney,” Marianne replied, smiling at Beau with tears in her eyes.
“I agree, dear,” Lady Courtney replied. “I quite agree. He may be a madman, but he’s an eligible madman.”
“Ask for some jewels!” another lady shouted from a nearby coach.
“I can’t help that I’m a marquess,” Beau continued, smothering his laugh about the random lady’s comment, “and I cannot blame you for not relishing the role of a marchioness, but I love you madly. Please, please say yes. I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I’ll even pretend I’m a valet if it will help.”
“That seems unnecessary.” Lady Courtney added.
“Yes, Beau,” Marianne replied. “A thousand times, yes. I’ll marry you.”
“Tell him you love him, girl,” Lady Courtney advised.
“Oh, and yes, of course, I love you, too,” Marianne added with a laugh.
Beau leaped to his feet, picked her up, and spun her in a circle as the entire line of carriages gave them a deafening round of applause.
“I love you, Marianne,” he whispered as he set her back down and gave her a robust kiss that earned a huzzah from the crowd.
“I love you, Beau. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the valet who loved me.”
Thank you for reading The Valet Who Loved Me. Would you like to receive a free copy of the special Footmen’s Club epilogue? All you have to do is sign-up for my newsletter at https://BookHip.com/PAWKVS.
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Please page forward to see related books, my biography, and how to contact me!
Valerie
Also by Valerie Bowman
The Footmen’s Club
The Footman and I (Book 1)
Duke Looks Like a Groomsman (Book 2)
The Valet Who Loved Me (Book 3)
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Playful Brides
The Unexpected Duchess (Book 1)
The Accidental Countess (Book 2)
The Unlikely Lady (Book 3)
The Irresistible Rogue (Book 4)
The Unforgettable Hero (Book 4.5)
The Untamed Earl (Book 5)
The Legendary Lord (Book 6)
Never Trust a Pirate (Book 7)
The Right Kind of Rogue (Book 8)
A Duke Like No Other (Book 9)
Kiss Me At Christmas (Book 10)
Mr. Hunt, I Presume (Book 10.5)
No Other Duke But You (Book 11)
* * *
Secret Brides
Secrets of a Wedding Night (Book 1)
A Secret Proposal (Book 1.5)
Secrets of a Runaway Bride (Book 2)
A Secret Affair (Book 2.5)
Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage (Book 3)
It Happened Under the Mistletoe (Book 3.5)
Thank you for reading The Valet Who Loved Me. I so hope you enjoyed Beau and Marianne’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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I’d love to keep in touch.
Visit my website for information about upcoming books, excerpts, and to sign up for my email newsletter: www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com or at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com/subscribe.
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Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all reviews whether positive or negative. Thank you so much for considering it!
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Want to read the other Footmen’s Club books?
The Footman and I
Duke Looks Like a Groomsman
About the Author
Valerie Bowman grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a huge supply of historical romance novels.
After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got.
Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her two rascally dogs. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS.
Valerie loves to hear from readers. Find her on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com.