Page 30 of Too Tempting to Resist

Daniel had been summoned to Crowmere Castle to accept an inheritance. Instead, he’d been given the greatest treasure of his heart.

There had never been a luckier man. He’d happily spend the rest of his life proving how much he loved her.

Epilogue

Stonebury Cottage

September 10, 1815

Delmouth, Cornwall, England

“You can’t catch me,” Rebecca called over her shoulder as she ran through the Stonebury family hedge maze.

This labyrinth was much smaller than the one she’d designed for Crowmere Castle, and the young hedgerows demarcating the maze stood significantly shorter, but Rebecca had never loved a labyrinth more in all her life.

“Can, too!” Charlie bellowed as he toddled into view at breakneck speed. “Gonna catch you, Mama!”

“Never—I’m too fast!” she called back just as her husband strode around the corner to block her path.

There was no time to stop. Rebecca barreled straight into Daniel’s white cravat and cerulean waistcoat, knocking him backwards onto the grass with her limbs jumbled with his.

“Got you,” Charlie squealed as he climbed atop them both. “I’m the fastest! I win!”

She turned and tickled him beneath his chubby little arms until he gasped with laughter. “Can’t you let Mama win just one little time?”

“Never,” he hiccupped between high-pitched giggles. “I’m too fast.”

“Today you were very fast indeed,” Rebecca informed her son in a mock serious tone, “but you are not the first man to catch me.”

Charlie’s big gray eyes widened. “Who caught you first, Mama?”

“I did,” Daniel growled and covered them both with loud kisses.

“Next time be faster,” Charlie admonished his mother between shrieks of laughter.

“Or not,” Daniel suggested, with a wiggle of his eyebrows toward Rebecca.

“Mmm,” she murmured as he stole a quick kiss. “Perhaps Iwillallow you to ‘catch’ me later.”

“Lullabies,” Charlie demanded as he pushed them apart. “You promised lullabies after supper.”

“So we did.” Rebecca scooped her wiggling three-year-old into her arms and pushed to her feet. A smile stretched across her face.

Lullaby time was not only Charlie’s favorite moment of the day, but hers as well. She loved singing to him softly while Daniel played the pianoforte. And she loved how Charlie fell asleep in her arms whilst she rocked him, no matter how hard he tried to fight it.

“Have plans after lullaby time?” Daniel murmured into her ear as they strolled back toward the cottage.

“I thought I’d scale a few cliffs… audit a few ledgers…” she teased, and gave him a quick kiss on the edge of his jaw. “Want to join me?”

“Always,” he said without hesitation. “I would happily stay by your side until the ends of the earth and beyond.” He gave her a sharp sideways glance. “Although if we could refrain from goingoverthe ends of the earth, I would find myself deeply indebted.”

“Just how indebted?” She smiled up at him wickedly.

“You might find out after lullaby time.” He gave her a kiss that stole her breath away.

She grinned to herself as she set Charlie back onto the grass so the trio could return to the cottage hand-in-hand. Life was beautiful. They lived part of the year in London, and part of the year in Cornwall, but as long as they were all together…

Everywhere they went was home.

THE END