“Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, yes, please.”
He gripped her hand tightly, holding it reverently to his face, before rising to his feet and taking her in his arms. Before his lips found hers, she realised they were standing beneath mistletoe, just as it should be. A Christmas kiss, just like the one her parents had shared on this same night, so many years ago.
It was real. A miracle had happened. And both their lives would never be the same.
At that moment, the bells rang out. It had struck midnight. It was Christmas Day. And she had just received the most precious gift of all. The only gift she wouldeverwant ever again.
Epilogue
Evelina walked into her brand new bedroom, gazing out the window at the pastoral scene beyond. She gazed down at her hand, marvelling at the new golden ring shining on her finger. Her wedding ring that had been slipped upon her finger only hours before… making her the happiest woman in the world.
She sighed with contentment. She was officially the Viscountess Asquith, now. The wife of a viscount, who would one day inherit the title of Marquess of Winston.
Her mind drifted over the many joyous events of the day. Her father kissing her softly, tears in his eyes, before he escorted her into the church, telling her she was as beautiful as her mother had been on the day he had married her. Walking down the aisle towards Jude, smiling at the congregation.
Caroline had walked ahead as her bridesmaid, beaming with joy. And the marquess, Jude’s father, sitting in the front pew, almost bursting with pride and joy to witness the marriage of his only son, who he had believed was lost to him forever.
Evelina smiled. She liked the marquess very much. And he had spoiled them. His wedding gift to them was this beautiful house, their very first home, positioned perfectly between Bosworth Manor and Jude’s ancestral home.
Jude, she thought dreamily.Or Louis, as he was christened. But he will always be Jude to me.
As if she had summoned him, the door opened, and he was standing there. Her new husband. He gazed at her intently. She saw the love and longing in his eyes that mirrored her own.
At last. They were married. They were alone. And this was their wedding night.
He didn’t say a thing. He simply walked towards her, kissing her softly upon the cheek, before slowly undressing her. Evelina shivered with delight as he turned her around with his hands, letting her wedding gown slip to a puddle at her feet before easing the straps of her chemise off her shoulders.
His lips descended upon her shoulders, kissing them avidly, as his hands slipped around her, caressing her breasts. Evelina groaned, feeling the nipples harden to stiff peaks beneath the magic of his fingers. She felt a gush of warm wetness, her body blossoming and opening for him. She was in a state of frenzied arousal by the time he picked her up, carrying her to the four poster bed.
And then he was above her, his hands all over her, stroking her. She gasped in wonder at the beauty of him. The perfection of him. When he gently parted her legs, his head bending to the very centre of her, she shuddered violently, wrapping her hands into his hair.
She closed her eyes in dreamy bliss as his tongue flickered over her hot flesh, sending her to unimagined heights. She was climbing towards that ecstatic pinnacle at a rapid pace, arching against him, her hands clawing the sheet. But just before it peaked, he stopped. Delirious with pleasure, she opened her eyes, watching him settle between her legs.
She felt a sudden pain. He was inside her… at long last. She had dreamt of this moment, fearing it as well as desiring it. But now that it was upon her, she realised the perfection of it. It was the union of their flesh and their souls. They were becoming one.
She moaned at the incredible feeling, the fullness of him, filling her in a way she had never dreamt possible. When he started to move, slowly at first, then with increasing speed, she joined him, raising her hips to meet him, urging him on.
“My love,” he whispered, gripping her tightly. “My only love…”
He started to move faster, his expression pained. Those incredible sensations he had roused within her were intensifying again… until suddenly, it exploded within her, like a million stars bursting into fire in the night sky. He cried out as his own pleasure rushed to him. Together, they twisted and turned until they collapsed upon the bed, entirely spent.
“I never thought this would happen,” he said in a soft voice, shaking with emotion. “I thought we would never be together like this, Evelina. I thought we were destined to never be together.” He sighed. “I am the luckiest man in the world, in so many ways. But mostly because I found you.”
Tears sprang into her eyes as she gazed at him. His beloved face.
“Isn’t it strange?” she mused, overcome with emotion. “If you had never come to Bosworth, you would never have found your father. It was as if it was always meant to be. As if it was fated.”
His eyes shone. “Yes. It was fate. I found my family… and I found you. One was not possible without the other. And I love you more than life itself.”
“As I love you,” she whispered. “My darling. My only love.”
They held each other, twining themselves into each other’s arms, burrowing into each other. She pressed her head against his chest, hearing the thud of his heartbeat, overcome with delirious joy.
Itwasfate. She believed it. Just as she believed that the magic of that Christmas had woven its spell over them, leading them to each other, and their inexorable destiny. For who would ever believe that two people from such different walks of life could be meant for each other?
And yet, they were. They were life partners. And now they were one flesh. And she simply couldn’t wait for the year to roll around again, to their very first Christmas together, as man and wife.
THE END