Page 94 of How to Tempt an Earl

“For the first time, I have hope. With you by my side, we can be a true family. All of us. Brooks. My mother. Adam. I swear to do my best to help your father. And my sisters already love you.”

“I love them, too. But beware. Your sister Ellie wants to visit the Raven.”

“God help me.” He lifted her off her feet and kissed her fully until she was breathless.

“Oh, yes.” Joy bubbled in her laugh and shone in her eyes. “A true family.”

Epilogue

Six months later

“The Raven Club was busy last night.”

Ian smiled as he glanced at his wife across the drawing room. She sat in a chair with a ledger in her lap.

“What charities will you use the profits for, my love?” Ian asked.

He marveled at how much his life had changed over the past months. After he’d taken Grace on a honeymoon to his estate in Kent, they’d moved his sisters into his London home. Ellie and Oliva had been thrilled to have a new sister, and the three had become fast friends. Once his mother, the dowager duchess, had seen her children settled, she’d happily left London to live with her sister in Bath.

As for the Raven Club, even though they’d turned away reckless gamblers, business was thriving. The baron struggled to stay away from drink and the tables, but he was making an effort. Ian had been helping him.

Ian’s gaze returned to his beautiful wife as she approached carrying a glass of wine. Grace looked lovely in a blue silk gown that heightened her dark curls and blue eyes.

“I’ve decided what to do with our latest profits,” she said.

He tore his gaze away from the swell of her breasts above the tight bodice to look in her eyes. “Oh?”

“Ellie will soon make her debut. She needs gowns and jewels.”

He grinned. He knew her better, but he decided to play along. Her smooth skin glistened beneath the candlelight of the chandeliers. He longed to touch her, to kiss the satiny curve of her neck.

“Jewels and gowns. I shall stop by Rundell and Bridge to pick up a few baubles, and you shall visit the new French dressmaker on Bond Street,” he said.

Her blue eyes lit with fire. “Devil! You know me better than that. The orphanage requires attention. The children need new dresses and shoes.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her. “It’s not just the orphans that needs attention. My wife has many demands.”

She met his kiss and her fingers rose to grasp his shoulders. Her urgent response fueled his desire, and he moaned in encouragement.

Footsteps sounded on the wood floor. “Ian!”

Ian groaned as he pulled away a second before Ellie and Oliva appeared in the drawing room doorway.

“Grace said you’d take us on a tour of the Raven Club,” Ellie said.

Ian stiffened.

Grace touched his arm. “They have a right and have been patient for weeks. Until you satisfy their curiosity, they will not cease.”

Ian rubbed his chin. “Fine. You may both see the casino floor through my office window.”

Both of his sisters squealed in delight and came forward to hug him. Ellie whispered something in Grace’s ear, but Ian couldn’t make it out.

But he did recognize the mischievous gleam in his sisters’ eyes before they departed. “What did Ellie say?”

“She has a fondness for watching pugilists. You should let her see a boxing match,” Grace said.

Ian ran a hand through his hair. “I cannot stop it, can I?”

“I’m afraid Ellie’s curiosity must be satisfied. Your sister is quite adventurous. Unless you keep her under lock and key, which I know you would never do, then it’s best if we allow her to attend.”

“What am I to do?”

“We. We will help her, of course.”

“Yes, we.” It was a novelty. A first in his life and one that he now cherished. With Grace by his side, he would survive his sister’s curiosity.

She came close to stroke his cheek, then brushed her lips against his. Ian pulled her into arms. “Your dress is driving me to distraction. I can’t wait until tonight to remove it.”

She pulled back to give him a saucy look and slid a slender hand down his chest. “Why wait?”

The invitation was irresistible. His heart thudded in his chest as his mouth swooped down to capture hers. She melted against him and they kissed hungrily, giving and taking in return. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. He’d foolishly believed the Raven Club had filled a void in his soul. He didn’t regret the past. Without it, he never would have met Grace and learned the value of true love.