Epilogue

London, April 1816

Isaac walked into the private sitting room he shared with Tamsin in their London house after bidding good evening to the last of his straggling guests. "I'd say your first dinner party was an unqualified success." He unknotted his cravat as he took in his wife. She'd already divested herself of her evening finery and was wrapped in a cozy dressing gown, her feet propped up on a footstool.

Tamsin yawned. "I hope so. I do think it turned out well."

Tossing his cravat onto a chair, Isaac removed his coat before kneeling beside the footstool. He picked up one of Tamsin's feet and began massaging the arch. "Forgive me, but you look exhausted."

She let out a satisfied moan as she wriggled her toes. "That feels lovely. Please don't stop. And yes, I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"I shall let you go directly to sleep, then," he said, moving to her other foot.

"I'm not that tired," she said wryly.

They'd been married six months, and they had not changed their minds about bearing a child. If it happened, they would be happy, but they weren't seeking it. Perhaps someday that would change, but for now, he was content to share his life—and all the love in his heart—with Tamsin.

"Are you ready for Almack's next week?" she asked.

He released her foot and sat in the other chair, loosening his cravat. "No. But I'll go. For you."

"Not for me, for Gwen. She's horribly nervous. She's afraid no one will ask her to dance, that she'll be dubbed a wallflower before the night is through."

"That won't happen. Her father has a prominent position, and she's pretty."

Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Spoken like a rogue, or a man with rogues as friends. She is bookish, and that can be off-putting to some men. Since coming to London, I've learned they don't like when women are too smart." Tamsin made a face.

Isaac scowled. It remained one of his favorite expressions. "Those men are dolts. I pity them. But chances are, they aren't very smart themselves. They are intimidated by a woman who will outwit them."

"Gwen can most definitely do that. I hope no one challenges her to a game of chess. She's absolutely terrifying."

Tamsin rose from her chair and moved to sit on his lap. She smoothed his brow. "No scowling in our bedchamber. Only laughing."

"Just laughing?" he asked as he kissed her neck.

"It was good to see our friends tonight," she said with a sigh. "But I wish Pandora was in London."

Apparently, she was in Bath. But her sister and Wellesbourne had been here. As had Evan Price, his parents, and his sister Gwen, who was embarking on her Season. Somerton and Shefford had not been present.

"We won't see her until we're in Weston in August?" he asked, continuing to kiss her neck and paying special attention to the hollow of her throat.

"Yes, unless she changes her mind and comes to London, though I know she won't. She is venturing out a bit more in Bath, however, so that's something. Speaking of Weston, do you mind staying with my grandmother instead of at the Grove?"

"There is nowhere I would rather be." Isaac pushed the edge of her dressing gown aside so he could kiss her collarbone.

She shivered beneath his mouth. "I just want to be with you, wherever that is."

"I suppose we should go out of our way to thank Mrs. Loose-Lips, though we can also do that if we encounter her in London." He'd learned her new moniker and agreed it suited her perfectly.

"Absolutely not," Tamsin said firmly with a shake of her head. "I don't care that we do owe her everything. If I see her, I plan to give her the cut direct." Grimacing, she put her hand to her lips briefly. "Goodness, that is rather uncharitable of me. Don't tell anyone that I am not always nice."

This provoked Isaac to laugh, which in turn provoked his wife to comb her fingers through his hair. "You know what happens to me when you laugh." Her eyes had darkened with desire, and Isaac's body responded with a flare of heat.

"I do. And I swear I don't do it on purpose." He tipped his head. "Very often."

"I don't care why or how you do it, just never stop." She kissed him, and he felt all the love and joy she possessed, basking him in a light that had forever driven away the darkness.

He was the luckiest man indeed.