He had wantedher.
Yes, he had wanted her and would always want her because she, he had finally come to realize, was his moonlight.
Epilogue
Lynton Grange
North Devon, England
September, 1817
Barely two weekshad passed since his wedding to Eden and an aura of happiness had settled over his home, Connor thought as he and his wife entered the children’s quarters to speak to them. His boys were quietly playing marbles, trying to knock each other’s aggies and cat’s eyes across the room with gleeful ruthlessness. Priscilla was seated at a small writing table with paper and pencil, drawing birds. Well, it looked something like birds. Bless her little heart, she was never going to be an accomplished artist, he thought with some amusement.
Eden winked at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
Unaware of their exchange, Priscilla glanced up and cast him a beaming smile. “Look, Papa! I drew a picture of you.”
Dear heaven.That was meant to be him? The figure more resembled an ostrich.
Eden must have thought the same, for she coughed and turned away. “Oh, dear. Excuse me. Tickle in my throat.”
He chuckled. “It is beautiful, my little sweetheart. I shall treasure it always. But hold on to it for now. We’d like to speak to all of you. Boys, gather round. I have something important to discuss with you.”
“Is Eden with child?” young Connor asked, sounding remarkably grown-up and sophisticated about such matters.
“What?” Connor was aghast. His eldest was on the cusp of understanding how a man could feel about a woman, but to ask such a question? Fortunately, the lad still had a few years before raging lust took over and he turned into a complete idiot.
The boy regarded him earnestly. “Papa, did you compromise Eden and this is why you married her?”
Connor struggled to retain his composure. “Where are you hearing this nonsense?”
“No,” Eden said calmly, trying not to choke on a burst of laughter. “Your father did not compromise me. Do you actually know what that means?”
They all nodded.
Connor was even more aghast. “You all do? Even you, Priscilla?”
“Yes, Papa. It means that you took Eden to bed before you were married,” his daughter replied, shocking both of them.
“Oh, dear,” Eden whispered.
Connor was mad enough to spit fire. “Priscilla! Who taught you this?”
“We overheard Sir Nero talking to Grandmama Evelyn,” Alex replied. “You needn’t growl at us.”
“That wretched man,” Eden muttered. “And did your grandmother box his ears for his impertinence? Honestly, the gall of that man. Your father never did any such thing. He has always treated me with the utmost respect. In any event, it is too soon to tell whether I am with child or not now that we arelawfullymarried. But we digress. Our talk has to do with your father’s upcoming trip to London.”
Connor was hoping to broach the matter of taking Eden with him, but he had no sooner mentioned the possibility of their being without their new mother for an entire month while hetook care of certain pressing Lynton estate matters in London—yes, he had not even fully gotten out the words “London” and “Eden”—when they all began to protest.
“We love Eden,” young Connor said. “Why would you take her away from us?”
“Did she accept to go?” Alex wanted to know. “Or did you browbeat her into agreeing?”
Eden laughed. “Alex, your father did not browbeat me. You have an excellent vocabulary for a ten-year-old.”
“Dear heaven,” Connor muttered. “Do the three of you think I am an ogre?”
“No, Papa,” Priscilla said, looking up from her ostrich portrait that she was trying to pass off as him. “We love you. Can you not see it in my drawing of you?”
