She was beautiful, he thought. And happy. All the shadows had gone from inside her and he could see only love for himself and hope for their future in her eyes. It was a future he would live moment by moment, holding each of those moments in his hand as if it were a fragile blossom soon to wither. Not one of those moments was to be wasted. He would make each one precious to her and therefore to himself until he drew his dying breath.
And even then.
“Christina will want you to rebuild her sand castle,” she said.
“Of course.” He rested his forehead against hers. “That is what sand castles are for—to build and to rebuild when they fall down. Like marriages.”
“Yes. Oh, yes.” She turned her head so that their mouths met. And then she drew it back again and looked up to the top of the cliff.
“The whole world might be lined up there to watch us at any moment,” he said.
“Oh dear,” she said, “that would not do at all, would it? What do you suggest?”
They smiled into each other’s eyes again like a pair of conspirators.
“We will get awfully sandy,” he said.
“But there is plenty of water back at the house,” she said.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “How sensible.”
But they risked the world’s eyes and the world’s censure anyway by kissing deeply for several minutes before withdrawing to the sandy privacy of the lovers’ cave.
Historical Note
THE events happening in England from April to June of 1814 as described in this book are accurate with a couple of exceptions. London went almost wild with excitement over news of Wellington’s invasion of France from Spain and the allied entry into Paris from the north, both of which facts forced Napoleon Bonaparte to surrender and to abdicate as Emperor of France. Most of the allied rulers and head statesmen went to England in June, at the invitation of the Prince of Wales, the Regent, in order to celebrate the victory. At the same time the Regent was very unpopular with the British while his estranged wife, the Princess of Wales, was correspondingly popular.
One inaccuracy in the book concerns chronology. In reality the Carlton House dinner, reception, and presentation to the queen took place during the evening of the day following the arrival of the visitors in London. The visit to the opera and the embarrassing arrival of the Princess of Wales before the second act began happened later in the visit. For the sake of my plot I have moved back the Carlton House evening one day and moved up the opera visit.
The other inaccuracy concerns Pulteney’s Hotel in London. I believe, though I am not certain, that the Grand Duchess Catherine rented the whole of the hotel for her stay and that of her brother, the Tsar of Russia. However, my hero is an earl and his sister is the daughter of an earl. They are important enough that I squeezed them into a suite at the hotel, though they do have rather poor service after the unexpected arrival of the Tsar.
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Mary Balogh was born and educated in Wales and now lives with her husband in Saskatchewan, Canada. She has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, more than thirty of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, and the seven-part Survivors’ Club series.
The Westcott Series
Someone to Love
Someone to Hold
Someone to Wed
Someone to Care
Someone to Trust
The Survivors’ Club Septet
The Proposal
The Suitor
The Arrangement
The Escape
Only Enchanting
Only a Promise
Only a Kiss
Only Beloved
The Huxtable Quintet
First Comes Marriage
Then Comes Seduction
At Last Comes Love
Seducing An Angel
A Secret Affair
The Simply Quartet
Simply Unforgettable
Simply Love
Simply Magic
Simply Perfect
The Bedwyn Saga
Slightly Married
Slightly Wicked
Slightly Scandalous
Slightly Tempted
Slightly Sinful
The Bedwyn Prequels
One Night For Love
A Summer to Remember
The Mistress Trilogy
More Than A Mistress
No Man’s Mistress
The Secret Mistress
The Horsemen Trilogy
Indiscreet
Unforgiven
Irresistible
The Web Trilogy
The Gilded Web
Web of Love
The Devil’s Web
Standalone Novels
The Wood Nymph
A Chance Encounter
The Double Wager
A Masked Deception
A Certain Magic
An Unlikely Duchess
Lady with a Black Umbrella
Red Rose
Christmas Miracles
Christmas Gifts
Silent Melody
Heartless
Longing
Beyond the Sunrise
A Matter of Class
A Counterfeit Betrothal
The Notorious Rake
The Temporary Wife
A Promise of Spring
Lord Carew’s Bride
Dark Angel
A Christmas Bride
Christmas Beau
The Famous Heroine
The Plumed Bonnet
A Christmas Promise
A Precious Jewel
The Ideal Wife
The Secret Pearl
A Daring Masquerade