Amanda Quick: Scandal

Broderick's mouth opened and then closed again as Simon's cold fury finally registered. This was obviously the first time he had realized his opponent knew everything. Whatever he saw now in Simon's gaze must have convinced him that there was no more hope. Broderick turned to Emily, eyes pleading. She returned his glance without expression.

"Goodbye, Papa."

"Banished to the East Indies. Of all the unjust fates. I wish your mama were here. She would know what to do." Broderick got up, walked slowly to the door, and let himself out into the hall.

A long silence descended on the library. Devlin glanced at his twin. Both straightened away from the mantel, looking suddenly much older and far more mature than they had a few weeks ago.

"Time we were on our way," Charles said crisply. "Plenty to do before we leave tomorrow." He leaned down to give Emily an affectionate peck on the cheek. "You'll come down to the docks to see us off, Em?"

"Of course." She smiled at him.

"We'll write to you, Em." Devlin kissed his sister's cheek and grinned down at her. "And we'll send you all our profits to invest."

"Do take care, both of you." Emily jumped to her feet to embrace the twins.

"We will." Charles gave her the charming Faringdon grin. "And the next time you see us, we'll both be rich nabobs." He turned to Simon. "Goodbye, sir. And thank you for everything."

"Yes," Devlin said, giving Simon a straight look. "Thank you. We know we're leaving our sister in good hands. Take care of her."

"I will," Simon said.

He waited until the door had closed behind the twins and then he got to his feet and went over to the brandy decanter. He poured two glasses and brought one back to Emily. "A toast, madam wife."

She smiled with her eyes as she lifted her glass. "What are we toasting, my lord?"

"An England free of Flighty, Feckless Faringdons." Simon took a satisfying swallow of brandy.

"What about me?"

"You," said Simon as he set down his glass, "are not a Faringdon." He crossed the room and locked the library door. "You have not been one since the day I married you."

"I see." She watched his every move with brilliant eyes. "Simon, I must thank you for all that you have done for my family. You have been extremely generous. I have never seen Charles and Devlin looking so excited about anything as they are about going out to India. And as for my father…"

"What about him?"

"As I said, you were most generous toward him. He did not deserve it."

"No, he did not."

"You are so kind, Simon," she said impulsively. "So generous and noble and—"

He held up a palm to silence her. "What I did, I did to free myself of Faringdons. It was entirely selfish on my part."

"No, what you did, you did for me," she said knowingly. Then she laughed up at him with her eyes. "The whole world knows you indulge me shamelessly."

"And the whole world knows you are helplessly in love with me, totally in my thrall, and completely at my mercy." He untied the knot in his white cravat as he started back across the room.

"It seems a fair enough arrangement to me."

"What the whole world will no doubt determine soon enough," Simon said as he eased the length of silk from around his throat, "is that I am just as much in love with you as you are with me."

"Does that possibility worry you, my lord?"

He came to a halt in front of her, the white silk cravat dangling from his fingers. "Not in the slightest."

"Simon? What are you going to do with that cravat?" Emily asked.

He draped it sensuously around her throat. "The same thing I did with it the last time we made love here in the library."

"Really?" Then her eyes widened. " 'Tis the middle of the day, my lord."

"Never too early to be cast adrift on love's transcendent, golden shore, my sweet." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to one of the huge satin pillows.

He settled her on the gold cushion and came down beside her. She smiled at him, her love blazing in her beautiful eyes.

And when she was wearing nothing at all except the strip of white silk, she went into his arms the way she always did—with a joyous, loving passion that was strong enough to last a lifetime.

Out of the corner of his eye, Simon saw one of the jeweled dragons grinning at him. The earl laughed and the laughter became dragon's music and it filled the house.