Page 82 of The Rake Desires the Diamond

Hell, who was Evan kidding? He’d end up tupping her in every available corner if they did not have a quick engagement.

However, Grandmother Louisa would insist on a proper engagement and a wedding that defied ton expectations, which would take a long time—an exceedingly torturous length of time. If only he could convince everyone of the need for a short engagement. He sighed out his frustration.

The three women exited the nursery.

“Why the serious faces?” Georgiana scowled at her husband. “I hope everyone is getting along.”

“Of course we are, darling,” the duke said. “Let us join our families in the drawing room for the big announcement.”

“What announcement?” Georgiana asked.

No better time than the present. Evan fell to his knee before Katrina and took her hand in his. “Lady Katrina Harrington, will you be my wife?”

Katrina squealed. “Yes! Yes! Oh, yes! May we have the wedding here in the next fortnight while our family is still gathered together?”

His dear, sweet, perfect fiancée. “We shall apply for the banns tomorrow.”

Hell, mayhap they should apply for them before nightfall.

“May my Aunt Justine and Elizabeth come too?” Kat asked. “And perchance my cousin Hugh can come from London? Shall we invite the queen and Cousin George?”

“Of course. We shall also get word to Wellspring." Evan grinned. "I would like him to be a part of our wedding party, and he will most definitely need a valet to attend to him."

“Now that that’s settled, I am starving.” The duke smacked his lips. “Cook has prepared a fabulous feast.”

Even the promise of Mrs. Clayton’s cooking did not persuade Evan to leap to his feet. He was too busy staring into those beautiful blue eyes and planning his future with his wife-to-be.

Epilogue

September 26th, 1818, Two months after the wedding

Kat’s wedding was a dream come true. Somehow, the Eatons and the Harringtons miraculously turned the abandoned chapel into a wedding hall. They’d even constructed a stairway leading to a small suite for the newlyweds.

As a wedding gift, her sisters-in-law had decorated the bed chamber. They’d spared no expense for the luxurious turquoise and cream linens, draperies, and upholstery. Three plush wingbacks and a velvet settee sat beneath a charming, sloped ceiling. The very best part was the massive bed where Evan and Kat spent excessive amounts of time exploring each other’s bodies.

The wedding took place downstairs in the main chamber. Bouquets of white roses tied with peach bows festooned the room, and flickering candles cast a romantic glow in theancient building. Hand-carved wooden benches provided seating for four dozen guests, and the original altar shined from its thorough polishing.

With teary eyes, Evan declared his love for her. She’d boldly kissed him in front of their friends and family. The prince had been unable to attend, but the queen arrived in Trent with an entourage of servants. She sat in the front row, wiping tears of joy from her eyes as she enthusiastically cheered on Evan and Kat’s first kiss as husband and wife.

Following a banquet in Trent Castle’s dining hall, Evan tossed Kat over his shoulder and carried her out the servant’s entrance and across the lawn to the chapel. He’d had to put her down a couple of times, but that just made their tomfoolery more amusing. They’d giggled when he accidentally banged Kat’s shoulder into the wall while carrying her up the stairwell. The moment he’d tossed her onto the bed, their laughter was replaced with desire—a garment-tearing, skin-scratching, screaming-into-the-rafters kind of passion.

Even after the guests departed, life in Trent remained a joyous whirlwind. Two days after the wedding, their brothers planted a sign in the ground in front of the old chapel officially declaring the buildingThe Eaton School of Art. Afterward, they’d removed the flowers and carted away the benches. Easels, canvases, and art supplies were carried in and arranged on the new shelves. Kat and Evan painted murals on the back wall and erected hand-carved sculptures in the entranceway.

Three days after that, their first pupil knocked on the door. Soon, students traveled from all over the East-midlands to study with “the talented couple.” Meanwhile, commissions for Evan’s art poured in.

Two months had passed since their wedding, and they still made love in that big bed every morning and evening—and sometimes even in the middle of the afternoon.

There wasn’t a second that Kat didn’t crave her husband’s touch. Even though she was currently painting him, she wanted to climb onto his lap and ride him until their worlds collided in an earth-shattering explosion. If he had on clothes, she might not have been salivating as she tried to create his likeness.

His crooked grin sensual, Evan stretched out on a settee. He lay on his side, propped on one elbow, the length of his manhood on full display.

After swallowing hard, Kat’s gaze slid over his sinewy form. Stars, he was masculine perfection. Bulging biceps. A chiseled jawline. Those mischievous green eyes. It was no use. His thick cock fascinated her.

Kat licked her lips and ran the back of her hand across her forehead. Instead of swiping sweat from her brow, she smeared sticky paint across her face.

Evan chuckled.

“Stop fidgeting,” Kat told her very naked husband.