It was late in the morning when the carriages finally pulled out of the Blue Boar’s yard and took to the road. Wilhelmina did not look back at the old inn. She kept her gaze forward, on the road to London.
Less than a half mile down the road, the carriage lurched and came to a noisy and jarring halt. She felt Trevitt jump down from the driver’s bench. Wilhelmina rolled down the window and saw him and George, the footman, examining one of the horses.
“What has happened?” she asked, leaning her head out the window.
“One of the team has thrown a shoe, Your Grace,” Trevitt said in an exasperated tone. “Fortunately we have not gone far. I’ll walk him back to Upper Hampden and have him reshod.”
He muttered under his breath as he began to remove the harness from the shoeless horse. Wilhelmina watched the operation with resigned indifference. Despite the sunny skies, it was already a miserable day, and one thrown shoe could hardly make it worse. She had settled back into the velvet squabs when she heard the approach of another vehicle.
A curricle slowed and pulled up right beside her. Sam held the reins and flashed a smile at her through the window.
Wilhelmina tamped down the jolt of pleasure at the sight of him, but was unable to stop herself from opening the carriage door and stepping out to see him. “What are you doing here?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Just passing through. What’s the problem?”
“I believe one of the horses has thrown a shoe.”
“Indeed.” He looked at the horse being removed from the harness. “Sorry, old chap.”
Wilhelmina glared at him, round-eyed. “You? You did this?”
He winked at her. “You are not the only one with a few tricks up a sleeve.” He reached out a hand to her. “Come, Willie. I’ll take you the rest of the way. Your entourage can follow later.”
“But-”
“No buts, Willie.” He was not going to let her talk him out of it this time. He’d made his excuses to the Fullbrooks, and so there was nothing to stand in his way, save Willie’s own mule-headedness. And by God, she was no match for a man who never let ferocious winds or treacherous seas or enemy broadsides keep him down.
“Let me take you up in my carriage, Willie. It’s not as grand as yours, but it has a certain dash that should suit you.”
“But I’m going to London.”
“I know.”
“You would be going in the wrong direction.”
He smiled and shook his head. “No, for once I will be going in the right direction. To you. With you.”
“Sam-”
“You almost convinced me to go, Willie, but none of your idiotic, mulish arguments will hold water. And by God, you won’t get rid of me that easily. Don’t condemn us with another mistake, my girl. The first time, you thought I was dead. This time, you think I can’t love you because I can’t forgive you. But you would be wrong to believe that. I fell in love with you when I was seventeen, and despite all the years and all that’s happened, I’ve always loved you and always will. If you can’t believe that, you’ll be making another life-changing mistake, like I almost did with Miss Fullbrook. Bilged by your own anchor. Don’t do it, Willie. Don’t walk away from me…from us. Come with me to London. Marry me.”
“But-”
“Life is too short, Willie,” he said, determined not to allow her a word of disagreement, “and we’re not getting any younger. Let’s make the best of the years we have left to us, which, God willing, are many. No more excuses. No more regrets. We shall have a lifetime of love and happiness instead. And I won’t be convinced by any more of your flimsy arguments this time, or let you sacrifice yourself to them, either. Come, let’s see what sort of life we can make together.”
“And what about all those scandalous years behind me?”
He grinned, thinking the question was little more than one last salvo, and a weak one at that, before surrender. “Frankly, my girl, I’d rather concentrate on the scandalous years ahead. When all of society is reeling in shock and outrage that a duchess would give up her title for a lowly sea captain on half pay.”
Wilhelmina smiled. “You are making quite a leap, Captain, from a roll in the hay to a lifetime commitment.”
“Take my hand, Willie, and we’ll make that leap together.”
She studied him for a long moment, a moment during which Sam ceased to breathe. Then she reached up to take his hand, and his world changed again, forever.
When she was settled beside him, he kissed her softly on the mouth. “No looking back, Willie.”
“No looking back.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
“Say it again.”
“No looking back.”
He took her in his arms and kissed her more thoroughly. “I’m proud of you, my girl. I knew you could not be so hen-hearted. You always had spunk.” He smiled so broadly, he thought his face might crack. “Dear God, I am surely the happiest man alive! I love you, Wilma Jepp. I always have. And I always will. I’m hoping you love me a little, too.”
“More than a little.”
He grinned like an imbecile at her words. “I don’t care that it took almost twenty-five years to finish what we started in your father’s hayloft. It was worth the wait. But from this moment on, it’s full speed ahead.”
“Then what are you waiting for, Captain? Let’s get this pitiful excuse for a carriage to Town and start that new scandal you were talking about.”
Sam threw back his head and laughed with pure joy, gave the horses their heads, and set sail for London and a new life with the only woman he’d ever truly loved.
About Candice Hern
CANDICE HERN has always enjoyed escaping into the history and literature of Regency England. After years of rereading the novels of Jane Austen and other women of the period, she by chance discovered the great Georgette Heyer-and all her contemporary stepchildren-and was instantly hooked.
Candice lives in San Francisco in a house cluttered with African violets, orchids, Regency-period antiques, and mountains of reference books. She loves to hear from readers. Contact her via email at candiceh@candicehern.com, or the old-fashioned way at PO Box 31499, San Francisco, California 94131. Please visit her website at www.candicehern.com.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. “The Fall of Rogue Gerrard” Copyright © 2008 by Savdek Management Proprietory Ltd. “Spellbound” copyright © 2008 by Mary Balogh. “Only You” copyright © 2008 by Jacquie D’Alessandro. “From This Moment On” copyright © 2008 by Candice Hern. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Mobipocket Reader August 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-170820-6