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could not have imagined, and when he wasn t doing that she
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would simply nestle close, content to bask in the warm
security of his embrace.
Three weeks passed in this heavenly peace. Amanda
began to smile secretly. A suspicion had come into her
mind, one she hardly dared believe. And now it had become
a certainty.
She was going to have a child.
When she told Kit he was overwhelmed with joy and held
her to him, deeply moved.
This is most dear to my heart, he whispered against her
hair. But you must take care.
Bending back her head and meeting the warmth of his
gaze, she laughed lightly. Nonsense. I m as strong as an ox.
And if it s a boy, he ll be just like you, Kit tall and fine
when he grows.
Boy or girl, my love, our child will be well loved.
Smiling tenderly, Amanda brushed a light kiss on his
lips. I know.
The blessing of their marriage was performed in the small
chapel at Woodthorpe by the local rector. It was a solemn
though happy occasion. Seated in front of Lord and Lady Cov-
ington and their enthralled daughter, Jane who along with
Nan had taken charge of an awe-struck Sky dressed in a pretty
white dress and bonnet to match with Caroline by his side,
resplendent in a coat of pale lavender trimmed with fur, and a
hat adorned with lavender flowers, Henry beamed throughout
the service. His eyes were suspiciously moist and bursting
with pride, the same as any father of a beautiful bride even
though Amanda, attired in a simple gown of cream silk and
Belgian lace and the deep red mane of her hair hanging like a
gleaming sheath down her back, was anything but.
Standing beside Amanda, there was a quiet reverence in
286 Rogue s Widow, Gentleman s Wife
Kit, a sense of quiet joy, as he looked down at his bride for
that was what she was to him that day and always would be.
The setting was so very different from the one inside Charles-
ton Gaol, but never had he felt the rightness of what they had
done that day as he did now. Her face was aglow, and in her
eyes he saw the promise of a lifetime filled with love.
It was warm and sunny when they stepped out on to the
terrace, where, against a backdrop of trailing roses, they posed
for photographs in later years their offspring would
comment on how unnecessarily prim they looked as they
gazed at them with wonder and awe. As the photographer
folded his tripods and packed away the last of his wetplates,
Kit took hold of Amanda s hand and drew her to one side.
Happy?
A thrill shot through Amanda as she gazed up at her su-
premely handsome husband elegant, sophisticated,
powerful and boldly masculine. She had borne his name for
so long, but only now did she come to realise it. She nodded
in answer to his question. Blissfully.
The celebrations held at Woodthorpe to welcome home the
Earl of Rossington and his Countess would be talked about
for many years to come. It was a time for a new beginning,
when ghosts, old sins, old hatreds, of the dead and the living,
were laid to rest. Gaiety and festivities were the order of the
day, when everyone in the surrounding neighbourhood came
to assure themselves that all was well with the Claybourne
family and to join in the merrymaking.
Everyone agreed that Lord Claybourne, unlike his father
and brother before him, was a good man, deserving of their
loyalty and respect. Speculation as to where he had been for
the past six years and how he had come to sire a beautiful
Indian daughter was rife, though many forgave him his
Helen Dickson 287
absence had he not considered their welfare by leaving
stewards in charge to see that they were dealt with fairly?
And to be sure, the new mistress of Woodthorpe was as
gracious and lovely a lady as any had known. Not one of them
found her wanting.
Friends and relations had come to Woodthorpe for the ball
to honour the occasion. The house was a buzz of voices and
music, and guests came forward, bestowing good wishes and
clasping Amanda s hand in ready friendship. Throughout it
all Kit, looking incredibly handsome in formal black,
remained beside her, his arm about her waist, claiming her as
his possession, all the while aware that somewhere up above,
Sky and Victoria s children were looking down on the fes-
tivities through the banisters.
When Kit paused to renew old acquaintances, taking
Amanda s hand Victoria drew her aside, smiling gently. This
is indeed a happy day, Amanda. Woodthorpe is such a lovely
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