Page 125 of To Pleasure a Prince
That he had not dismissed the suggestion out of hand was a step forward.
Relief spread over the prince’s face. “And in time, do you think you might also consider one day joining me at dinner with your wife?”
A long silence ensued, and when Regina looked at Marcus, it was to see his eyes misting. “Perhaps,” he choked out at last. “Perhaps in time.”
They left then, taking Louisa with them.
Some hours later, after Louisa had retired and they were in their bedchamber at the town house, Marcus said, “Do you think he’s right?”
“Who?” she asked as she took down her hair.
He came up behind her at the mirror. “Prinny. Do you think Louisa would benefit from being at court?”
That he could even ask such a question was astonishing. That he valued her opinion on the subject was positively thrilling.
She chose her words carefully. “She might. It would certainly teach her enough of the world to appreciate what a good match actually is.”
“Oh?” he said in a husky voice as he bent to press a kiss into her hair. “And how would you define a good match, my love?”
“One with a man who trusts you.” She rose to face him. “Respects you.” She flung her arms about his neck. “And loves you.”
“Is that all?” he said dryly.
“Not quite.” She shot him a teasing smile. “He should also have a very sturdy dungeon.”
Epilogue
If your charge marries well, then you have achieved your purpose, but if she marries happily, you may congratulate yourself on a job well-done.
—Miss Cicely Tremaine,The Ideal Chaperone
Hestillcouldn’t see a damned thing from here. Marcus rose, cradling his infant son in the crook of one arm as he crossed the terrace outside Iversley’s ballroom to approach the closed glass doors.
When Jasper drooled on his coat sleeve, Marcus chuckled. “Don’t let Uncle Byrne see you do that, my boy, or he’ll never hold you again.”
Marcus stared through the glass, then angled the two-month-old forward so he could see, too. “Look at Uncle Alec and Auntie Katherine dancing the reel. Don’t they look fine? And somewhere in there, Mama is dancing with Uncle Byrne. Poor devil. She’s on a mission to get him married these days, and he’s having none of it.”
Shifting little Jasper, he peered closer at the throng, then chuckled. “It even appears that Miss Tremaine has acquired a beau, judging from how that colonel has been dogging the old girl all evening. Seems that having her little book of advice published has raised her credit in society.”
Then he spotted his sister. “There’s Auntie Louisa, being led from the floor by some handsome fellow. No great surprise there. She has lots of handsome fellows about her, now that she’s at court.” Hard to believe it had been little more than a year since he’d stood here watching her dance with Foxmoor. “Auntie Louisa left her lofty post just to attend your christening party. What do you think of that?”
Marcus glanced smugly down at his son’s intelligent brown eyes, wispy dark hair, and blessedly average size. Not a hint of Prinny inthislad, to be sure.
“No one shall ever callyoua dragon, my boy. If they do, your papa shall breathe fire at them till they run off.” He smiled. “If your mama doesn’t get to the poor unfortunate first and slice him to ribbons with her sharp tongue.”
“Who are you accusing of having a sharp tongue?” demanded a female voice close by.
“Uh-oh,” Marcus said to his son, “here’s the lady now. Mum’s the word, my boy.”
“Very funny,” Regina grumbled. “And what are you doing out here skulking about with him in the dark, anyway?”
Marcus smiled. “The point of having this affair at Iversley’s was to keep it from being a strain on you so soon after Jasper was born. Yet you were fussing over the poor boy so much, I knew you wouldn’t take even a moment to enjoy yourself unless I whisked him out of your arms.” He cast her a chastening glance. “Not that it did any good. I’m sure once I was gone, you started lecturing poor Byrne over his marital state. When you were supposed to be dancing.”
“Iwasdancing.” Her eyes lit with mischief. “And if I happened to let slip a few words about the advantages of matrimony, I was merely making polite conversation. I’m sure he didn’t even realize what I was doing.”
Marcus snorted, then bent his head to his son’s. “Don’t worry, my boy. When the time comes for you to look for a wife, I’ll keep your mother well occupied elsewhere.”
Regina glided up to stand beside him and stare adoringly at their son. “Don’t you trust me to choose a proper wife for our darling Jasper?”
