“I’m going to call it,” Allen called toward their retreating backs. “Another babe nine months from today!”
Marcus certainly hoped so.
Cecelia walked over to the sign that stood by the riverbank and dragged her fingers along the raised letters.
Unpardonable Errors
1. Never let a human adult see you in faerie form, unless that human is your spouse.
2. Never let your dust fall into the hands of the untrained.
3. Never share the existence of the fae with anyone who might betray the fae world.
4. Never use your magic to cause harm.
5. Never be afraid to fall in love with a human.
The unpardonable errors had changed only subtly, but they had changed, and for the better. Marcus and Cecelia had worked hard in their positions as two of the Trusted Few, and change had overcome the land.
Beneath the sign were written the words:
Love deeply.
Live passionately.
Magic abounds.
Marcus slid his hand into Cecelia’s and she squeezed it gently. They looked back at the group gathered on the hillside. The magic between them was stronger than ever, and it would last well past their lifetimes.
Read on to discover more magical Regency stories by Tammy Falkner:
A Lady and Her Magic
The Magic of “I Do”
Available now from Sourcebooks Casablanca
From A Lady and Her Magic
August 1817
If the Duke of Robinsworth had known it would be so difficult to raise a daughter alone, he never would have killed his wife. He would have coddled her, wrapped her in lace and taffeta, and put her on a shelf so the whole world could view her beauty.
Even though he’d never admitted it, everyone knew he’d killed her. And though he refused to share the details, they were all correct.
His daughter broke him from his reverie when she stomped her foot and demanded that he purchase not one, but two, sweets from the vendor.
Ashley was quite used to the antics of his daughter, and although they were annoying, they never bothered him overmuch. When she became too unruly, he simply left her with a nurse. If it happened at home, he left the manor. He’d even left the country once. But she was always there when he returned, always just as petulant as she had been the day he left. He’d resigned himself to the fact that she would never change.
Anne was a perfect re-creation of his late wife. Her long blond curls danced around her face. Her porcelain skin and blue eyes reminded him of a doll he’d seen once in a shop window. The only difference: the doll didn’t have a temper like Anne. Yes, she had inherited that from her mother, too.
When Anne was younger, she would drop to the ground and kick and scream when she didn’t get her way, flopping about like a fish out of water. Now she simply scrunched up her pert little nose and screeched.
Ashley winced as she shrieked out the words, “I want it!”
He took a step toward the child, fully prepared to throw her over his shoulder and drag her back to her nurse, who waited on a park bench nearby, when a woman stepped forward. His breath caught in his throat as she entered his line of sight. She was the opposite of his late wife, who’d been blond and thin and fragile.
His gaze traveled over the woman’s rounded hips to her ample breasts, nearly hidden among the frills and folds of her light-blue gown. He lingered there, imagining how she would look in a gown that didn’t have quite so many trimmings hiding her curves. When his eyes finally rose to meet hers, her flashing hazel orbs held censure. Ashley coughed into his hand in a horrible attempt to hide the smile that wanted to erupt. It had been years since he’d been so well scolded. And she’d yet to even speak to him.