Epilogue
The carriage wheels hummed steadily against the cobbled streets, the rhythm a gentle undercurrent to the warmth that filled the small, enclosed space.
Adam leaned back against the plush squabs, his gaze on Charlene as she adjusted the lace trim of her bonnet, though she hardly needed the fuss.
Her cheeks were flushed, her lips curved in a smile she seemed to be hiding and failing spectacularly to contain.
“So, he just gave his blessing?” Charlene asked, her voice half incredulous, half amused.
Adam allowed himself a modest smile. “He had no choice. What father can do much else after his daughter marries in Gretna Green?”
“You didn’t exactly give him time to ponder the matter too deeply,” she teased, raising a brow.
“No,” Adam agreed, leaning slightly forward. His tone dipped to something softer, more intimate. “What’s a man to do when his marriage is… consummated?”
“For two weeks?” she said with a laugh, and the sound of it wrapped around him like sunlight breaking through shadow.
“For years,” Adam said smoothly, unwilling to be outdone. “I’m not finished.” The seriousness in his tone only barely masked the playfulness underneath.
Charlene tilted her head, studying him with mock suspicion. “Oh, you’re not finished, are you?”
“Not even close,” he murmured, then he leaned forward fully, capturing her mouth with his own.
“The papers said you seduced a duke this autumn, but they don’t know what’s happening next.
” Her breath hitched against his lips in surprise, but she melted into him almost immediately, her fingers curling softly against the lapel of his jacket.
A kiss that started as playful deepened into something unspoken but understood between them, and when they broke apart, her green eyes sparkled with something that stole his breath more effectively than the kiss itself.
“My dear duchess,” Adam whispered, trailing a kiss along the line of her jaw to her neck, where the fragrance of her skin was soft and tantalizing.
“This is only the beginning.” She giggled, that unmistakable sound of her joy sparking against his resolve like flint.
He lifted his head to meet her gaze again.
“You’re relentless, Your Grace,” she said, trying for seriousness, but her smile betrayed her.
“And yet, you seem quite content,” he said, sliding his hand over hers where it rested on the bench. “I’ll have no objections to my determination, I hope.”
“None at all,” she replied, eyes gleaming. “Though I do hope Cavendish wasn’t offended we left the celebration so soon.”
Adam grinned. Not Jack. “Cavendish left town this morning. He was rather mysterious about his sudden departure.”
“Seems just like your friend.”
Her fingers laced with his in quiet acceptance, and she gave the faintest squeeze that felt to him like a vow of its own.
The carriage slowed, and he noticed the shadow of the Rotheworth residence looming outside the window.
The high arched windows that spoke of legacy and history now felt like a promise for something new. Together.
“This is our home for now,” Adam said quietly, his thumb brushing against her knuckles, “but only for now.”
Her brow furrowed slightly, curious. “What do you mean?”
Adam smiled, leaning forward, pressing a kiss to the tips of her fingers. “Because where you are, my duchess, is home. And no matter where the road takes us, I intend to spend every last day reminding you of that.”
He saw the faint glint of tears in her eyes then, though her smile never faltered.
The carriage door opened, the cool air of the London evening rushing in, but its chill couldn’t touch either of them.
Adam stepped out first, turning to help her down with a clarity humming in his chest. This was not merely an ending to their uncertain past but the irrevocable start of a future together.
As they ascended the steps of the Rotheworth residence together, her arm firmly in his, Adam thought that for the first time in his life, he understood what it meant to wholly belong.
To love, and to be loved. And for once, the future seemed not a burden to shoulder but a gift to unwrap, day by day, with Charlene by his side.
Yes, this was only the beginning. And he very much hoped his Charlene would seduce him every day of the year, every season, and for as long as he lived.