For the space of a heartbeat, maybe two, none of the villagers budged or uttered a peep. Then, as if it all seemed to sink into a hundred heads at once, they let out a roaring cheer and pelted the bride and groom with flowers.

Gareth and Evie ducked into the waiting carriage, and wrapped themselves around each other again. He almost couldn't wait for the wedding night—he longed to take her right now—and there was only one way to dampen his rising lust. "My darling," he whispered, as he planted little kisses all over her face, "I think I should tell you now what took me so long to come back to you."

She cupped his face in her hands as she gazed up at him with love shining in her dark eyes. "It no longer matters, my love."

"Truth be told, it doesn't, now that we're wedded, but you'll have to find out sooner or later in any event, and now is as good a time as any. I'm not sure you'll want to be surprised when we reach Tyndall Abbey."

"Surprised by what? What's at Tyndall Abbey?"

"We arrived there just as your carriage left for the church," he said. "You didn't see the carriage turning into the front gate?"

"Ross noticed it, and thought it might be someone planning to attend the wedding breakfast but not the ceremony," Evie said with furrowed brow. "That was you?"

"That was me. With your cousin, Gerald Benedict. He's the reason I didn't return to you sooner, Evie. He and his wife were in a terrible carriage accident west of Oxford. She forced the coachman to drive too fast on a dark road, and he missed a sharp curve. Gerald lost his leg. I stayed with him in the nearest village until he was strong enough to travel here."

A long silence followed, save for the rumble of carriage wheels and clipclop of horses' hooves as Evie stared at him, seemingly hesitant to ask the obvious question.

Gareth let out an uneasy sigh. "She and the coachman were both killed."

Evie sat back on the leather squabs, absorbing this. "She was the traitor, wasn't she? She wanted to reach the nearest port as fast as possible and flee England before you caught her."

"That would seem to be the case," Gareth said. "And why I shall dedicate the rest of my life to making it up to you for ever suspecting you."

She smiled. "Marrying me was a good start. I'm sorry about the loss of Gerald's limb, but I can't say I'm...well, I can't even say that."

"I know what you mean, sweetling. Gerald's not grieving for her, either. He said he'd always resented being trapped into marrying her, and all because she somehow mistook him for my brother. She meant to compromise herself with a duke."

"Even I was never that desperate. I'm glad I waited for you." She sat up, sliding her arms over his shoulders, as he wrapped his own around her waist and brought his lips back to hers.

They remained that way until they arrived at Tyndall Abbey.

"The servants should be making your cousin comfortable in one of the guest bedchambers," Gareth said. "Incidentally, your brother already knows. That was the letter I wrote to him and he bade me to bring Gerald here, since it's also his ancestral home."

"He never said a word to me," said Evie. "Or to my mother. I'm sure if he told my mother, I would have heard something about it."

"He didn't want to ruin your mother's new happiness, or yours," Gareth said.

"He wouldn't have ruined mine," Evie remarked. "I wasn't at all happy about the prospect of marrying your brother." She darted a sharp look at Gareth. "Or did Ross know all about that, too?"

Gareth grinned sheepishly as the footman opened the carriage door. "No, he still assumed you were marrying my brother. Only Dane and I knew. He was staying at AshdownPark when Lord Owen and Lord and Lady Ethan returned with word of what happened, but you'd already left for Derbyshire. That's how Dane was able to find me at Vicar Dryden's cottage with your cousin Gerald, and there we hatched today's scheme. My experience in clandestine activities during the war came in very useful."

The butler welcomed them into the house, though he looked a bit startled at the sight of Gareth. "Your Grace...?" he asked tentatively.

"No, he's Your Lordship," Evie said brightly. "I decided to marry the duke's brother instead. Aristocrats, eh?"

"Indeed, Miss Benedict...er...uhh..."

"Lady Gareth," she said, tugging on Gareth's hand as she headed for the staircase.

"The wedding breakfast is ready, just as soon as all the guests arrive," the butler called after her. "Lady Gareth."

"Thank you, we'll wait for them."

Gareth felt himself hardening as they reached the head of the staircase. "Do you think we have time, Evie?"

"I say let them wait," she whispered with a wicked smile. "In the meantime, why should we wait for them?"

Gareth wasn't about to argue. Evie led him to her bedchamber. "It'll be just like the night we met," she said. "We'll still leave our clothes on, only this time, we'll finish what we start."

Gareth closed the door and locked it. Evie leaned against it as he slid her skirt up to her waist.

She wore drawers, just as she did the first time.

Gareth stroked his hand against the already damp silk, as Evie closed her eyes and tilted her head back, gasping little gasps as he rubbed the center seam of the drawers against her secret folds until she cried out in pleasure, repeatedly bumping her derriere against the door.

"Finish," she pleaded in a desperate whisper, fumbling for the buttons on his breeches. His arousal sprang free, and Evie seized it with both hands, guiding it between her thighs as their lips met and their tongues tangled frantically with one another. Cupping her derriere with both hands, Gareth slid into her tight, satin heat, thrusting hard as she wrapped one leg around his waist to anchor him into place. This time she didn't just bump—she banged into the door till Gareth, fearing the noise would draw unwanted attention, carried her over to the bed, where he resumed pounding into her until his hot seed poured into her, leaving both of them wonderfully sated.

He lifted his head to gaze lovingly into her shining brown eyes. "I love you, Evie."

"And I love you," she replied, sliding her hands on either side of his face and kissing him tenderly. "I almost don't want to go downstairs, but I know we must. After all, they're gathering below because of us."

"We have tonight," he reminded her. "And tomorrow, and the day after...we'll have the rest of our lives together."

They put themselves in order and went downstairs as if they hadn't just been doing what they'd been doing. Evie led him to the great hall, where everyone cheered upon their entrance.

Gareth's brother was the first to congratulate them. He kissed Evie on the cheek.

"And that's the first time Your Grace has ever kissed me," she told him.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Gareth.

Lady Milner—no, she was now Lady Frampton—embraced her daughter and new son-in-law. "Lord Gareth, I want you to know that I forgive you for what happened at VauxhallGardens. I meant what I said that evening—I will have no trouble looking upon you come Yuletide. Indeed, I look upon you now with great delight. And Evie, now that you're married, my dearest girl, rest assured I shall never marry again."

"I should hope not," said Lord Frampton, who Gareth noticed could not take his eyes off his new wife, who glanced back at him the same way Evie kept looking at Gareth.

It was obvious that Lord and Lady Frampton were just as much in love as Gareth and Evie.

The same could also have been said about Lord and Lady Tyndall. The latter kissed Gareth on the cheek. "I always wanted a sister, and I finally got one with Evie," said Tabitha. "But what I never told her or anyone else was that I also wanted a brother. And now I have one, too!"

Ross pecked his sister on the cheek. "You know, Evie, you never did explain to me what you were planning to do once you left the church through the south door. You had no clue your real bridegroom was out there waiting for you."

"Ross, I have no idea what I was planning to do or where to go once out that door. Perhaps I might have run back here? Or I might have exhorted the coachman to take me back to London, or even north to Yorkshire, to become Lady Cranston's companion." She shifted her gaze to Dane. "I only know I couldn't bring myself to marry Your Grace, for it seems I was never as desperate to marry as I always thought."

Gareth couldn't suppress a grin as his brother remarked, "I daresay it's never occurred to me that a lady would have to be desperate to marry someone like me."

"No, only me," Gareth replied.

Evie gasped. "Oh, but I didn't mean it like that!"

Gareth kissed her on the brow. "As long as you're not so desperate that you married me."

"No." She kissed him back, and smiled. "Only so deeply in love."

No more awkwardness. Just love and happiness forever after.

THE END