The Rogue's Surrender (The Nelson's Tea Series Book 3) (39 page)

“You know where we are,” Simon said, putting his hand on Gillian’s shoulder. “Don’t stay away too long. I depend on you to stand with me when my son is born.”

“It would be my honor, Simon.”

“And to you, Lady Seaton. I extend my heartfelt praise and adoration. Without you, none of this would be possible.”

“Odd’s fish. I daresay you’re right, Danbury.” Percy raised his quizzing glass and pursed his lips. “A marriage of one is utterly ineffectual if you ask me.”

Laughter erupted in the crowd.

“As always, you are the studs in our sails, Your Grace.” Garrick bowed then spotted his brothers.

Max and Rigby clung to one another’s shoulders, laughing hysterically. James and Keane smacked William on the back, trying to get the man to lighten up. Ever vigilant for everything their father had built, William scoured the crowd to ensure the revelry wouldn’t be interrupted by someone attempting to start trouble.

Next to William, Garrick’s parents, Lord and Lady Pendrim stood, arms linked, smiles crinkling their adoring faces. His father gave Garrick a humble bow that warmed Garrick’s heart more than words could say. He swelled with pride, knowing that his father was at last content to see his son well and happily married.

Garrick held up a tapestry bag. He dipped his hand inside it and withdrew pieces of eight, throwing the silver coins into the crowd. In riotous glee, his guests — including Reverend Pickering, moving faster than his wide girth should have allowed — bent to retrieve the money littering the ground.

The mayhem his parting gift created brought Garrick satisfaction as he sat down beside Mercy and placed his arm around her.

“I do believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen you so happy.” Mercy’s smile transformed her beautiful face as she turned the tapestry bag upside down to make sure it was empty.

He stared aghast.

“Well, you are a pirate,” she said to his wonderment.

“It won’t be the last time, I wager.”

“The last time for what, pray tell?” she asked.

“That you see me happy,” he said.

“Is that a promise, my lord?”

He drew her toward him as the horses kicked into motion and the carriage
clip-clopped
away from the chapel, igniting the overexcited horde behind them into applause. “A lifelong vow. I plan to wake up happy every morning with you at my side.”

“Is that so?” She leaned close and ran her finger across his double-breasted coat. “Can I let you in on a secret?”

He was looking forward to discovering every one of Mercy’s secrets. “Just one?”

“Do you suspect I’ve withheld more?”

“I want to learn all of your secrets… everything there is to know about you, my little Spanish hoyden.”

“I warn you, I expect that will take several years, a lifetime perhaps.”

“I will make it my life’s work to seek your surrender.”

“Remember.” She smiled, her gaze sensually penetrating his. “Everything is fair in love and war.”

“I concede. I love you. There, you have it. The plain and simple truth.” He kissed her, not caring who witnessed such a public display, far from regretting how vulnerable and incredibly treasured she made him feel. The emotions were a heady mix. “God knows I will love you until my dying day.”

Mercy caressed his face with her bare hand, her fingers tracing the scar trailing below his eye patch. “We are man and wife. I can hardly believe my eyes,” she said drawn to the glint of her wedding ring.

He took hold of her hand and kissed her there. “Everything has changed.”

“And yet nothing has. I will never tire of looking at you, Garrick.”

He would never tire of her touch.

Her simple declaration set off a spark deep in his soul loosening the bindings that chained him to his past. She saw past his scars, into the beast, and still she loved him. That was mercy!

“I do not deserve you. When you look at me, I don’t feel like a rogue but a man of infinite worth.”

“You are a rogue worthy of love. Oh, Garrick,
you
are the man that I love. You are my life.”

“Then show me, Mercy. Love me like tomorrow will never come.”

Author’s Note

Dear reader, I request your pardon in advance for liberties I’ve taken with history. Research enables authors to step into the past and share a glimpse of life lived long ago, perfect for use as inspiration for characters and stories in historical romance.

In the course of ten years, I’ve spent countless hours researching my Nelson’s Tea Series. Key factors in the development of the books: the fact that Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson never went without his tea, Nelson’s love affair with Lady Emma Hamilton, Nelson’s death at Trafalgar, piracy on England’s shores until Benito de Soto’s death in 1830, Henry Dundas, 1
st
Viscount Melville’s trial for misappropriation of funds between April 29
th
and May 17
th
, 1806, and the smuggling of gold out of England to fund Napoleon’s conquest of Europe.

Samuel Whitbread’s sixteen day court proceedings ended in Lord Melville’s acquittal on May 17
th
, 1806. The trial was heavily attended and held before the High Court of Parliament, Melville’s peers, in Westminster.

Samuel Whitbread was a Napoleon sympathizer who committed suicide in 1815, ironically when Napoleon’s reign of terror had come to an end. In my series, he’s motivated by Nelson’s Tea to do the things he’s done.

St. Dionis Backchurch in Langbourne Ward was a small rich parish encompassing two ward precincts north of London Bridge; Fenchurch St. and Lombard St. bisected by Grace Church St. and south of Bishopsgate St. In 1801, census records detail an 868 population with a large legacy fund stipulated to be distributed to the poor.

I beg your indulgence and generosity for any errors you’ve noted, dear reader, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed this action/adventure romance series the way I’ve presented it to you.

About the Author

Katherine Bone
has been passionate about all things historical since she was an Army brat traveling all over the world. Initially, she dreamed of being an artist, but when she met and fell in love with Prince Charming, her own dashing Lieutenant vowing duty, honor, and country, she found herself saying, “I do.” Whisked away to Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals, where tales of swashbuckling adventure filled the lonely gaps when the Army called Charming away, Katherine’s imagination took flight. No longer nomadic, she calls the south home and spends most of her time daydreaming about Charming and heroes of yesteryear.

Katherine would love to hear from you!

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