Authors: Julianne MacLean
Seduced At Sunset (26 page)
Epilogue
In the autumn of that year, two family weddings took
place at the chapel at Pembroke Palace. First, in September, the dowager
duchess, at the youthful age of sixty-two, walked down the aisle in the
presence of all her children and grandchildren, to marry the man she had known
and loved her entire life—the renowned surgeon, Dr. William Thomas. They
made plans to travel to America together the following summer to visit the
Grand Canyon.
In October, when the leaves were changing and the air was
crisp, the chapel bells rang yet again to celebrate the nuptials of Lady
Charlotte Sinclair, who was also known, to those close to her, as reclusive
bestselling author Victor Edwards.
Charlotte was anything but reclusive, however, for she and
her new husband, Drake Torrington, began a honeymoon and world tour that lasted
two spectacular years. They followed in the footsteps of her older brother Lord
Vincent, who had traveled to Egypt and India with his new bride over a decade
earlier. After visiting the pyramids and climbing Mount Vesuvius in Italy,
Charlotte and Drake boarded a luxurious steamship bound for America and crossed
the Atlantic.
For a full year they resided in the city of Boston, where
Drake won three prestigious rowing trophies and invested heavily in a small,
unknown company that was perfecting the art of refrigeration. By the turn of
the century, he and Lady Charlotte were recognized as the wealthiest couple in
England, outshining even the Duke of Pembroke himself—who had also
invested in the same refrigeration company upon the advice of his
brother-in-law, Mr. Torrington.
By that time, Lady Charlotte had given birth to two
children and had written five more novels, each one more successful and
critically acclaimed than the last. Not long after the death of Queen Victoria,
however, Victor Edwards’s true identity was discovered, and Charlotte became a
notorious literary figure, who, nevertheless continued to write under her
famous pen name.
She also enjoyed the success of her matchmaking talents,
for on her wedding day, she introduced Drake’s mother to a kind-hearted
viscount from Devonshire. One year later they were married.
Back at Pembroke Palace, the next generation of Sinclairs
entered the London marriage mart, and one-by-one, they all married for love,
just like their parents.
The Pembroke Palace curse had been thwarted. In fact, no
one remembered much about it when motor cars and electric lights invaded the
quiet stillness of the Old World. It was rarely spoken of, although the
subterranean passages continued to arouse gossip whenever the young people
ventured below during a house party. Sometimes they emerged with stories of
dead monks who appeared like mist before their eyes and frightened the ladies
into the gentlemen’s arms. The catacombs were the perfect destination for
stolen kisses and new courtships, which resulted in more than a few hasty,
unexpected marriages over the years.
Happily, Adelaide, the dowager duchess, and her husband
Dr. William Thomas, enjoyed a long and loving marriage. The duchess became the
beloved great-great-grandmother to a whole new generation of Sinclairs and
reached the ripe old age of ninety-two before she passed away in 1916. Dr.
Thomas passed away one week later, proving yet again that he would never leave
her side.
Eternal love
. It was a common
theme at Pembroke Palace. All who lived there were loved to the highest degree,
and to everyone’s delight, those blessings never ceased.
THE END
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Charlotte and Drake’s story, which
brings the Pembroke Palace series to a happy conclusion at the end of the
Victorian era.
Please let me know if you enjoyed the series and would
like to see it continue. I was sorry to say good-bye to these characters, with
whom I have spent so much time, and would enjoy venturing into the Edwardian
era to revisit the next generation, if that interests you.
You can contact me through my
website
, and please sign up
for my
mailing list
so I can keep you informed about all my upcoming releases.
In the meantime, I have included information about the
other books in the Pembroke Palace series, as well as an excerpt from my next
full length novel, THE PRINCE’S BRIDE, which hits bookstores on April 30, 2013.
Thank you again for taking the time to read SEDUCED AT SUNSET,
and I hope you enjoy many more hours of pleasurable reading in the romance
genre!
All my best,
Julianne
Pembroke Palace Series Book One
Four years ago, a mesmerizing stranger pulled Lady
Rebecca Newland from her runaway coach, galloping to her rescue in a
fog-shrouded forest. Though she was just seventeen, Rebecca felt an
irresistible desire for the mysterious man and swore that she would someday be
his bride. But now she is betrothed to another man whom she detests - and Devon
Sinclair, the future Duke of Pembroke and her hero, lies tantalizingly beyond
her reach...
Haunted by an unspeakable past, Devon has no intention of
taking a wife, not even the enticing Rebecca. But then his father rules that
Devon must wed by Christmas or forfeit his rightful inheritance. Now, with his
fortune at stake, Devon sets out to lure Rebecca to his bed... where the most unexpected
secrets and lies stand in the way of their scandalous, explosive passion.
Pembroke Palace Series Book Two
He told me he would treat my heart
with great care. He was lying of course, for it was all a very clever, skillful
seduction...
The night I met Lord Vincent Sinclair, son of the Duke of
Pembroke, was the night I lost control. I never imagined that I, Cassandra
Montrose, could engage in such wicked, wanton behavior with a man I hardly
knew. But in that fateful moment, alone in his coach, the passion I felt for
him was undeniable, even though I knew that after my surrender I was unlikely
to ever see my lover again. Until a fateful secret brought me to his door...
I always believed my pride would prevent me from becoming
any man’s mistress - especially a rogue like Vincent, who cares for nothing but
his inheritance. Yet I have very good reason to remain in his life. If only he
did not tempt me so...
Pembroke Palace Series Book Three
I saved his life, and I had much to
demand in return...
When he washed up on shore, I knew my prayers had been
answered, and that I, Lady Chelsea Campion, need no longer fear poverty and
heartbreak. To secure my family’s estate, all I needed was a child. Handsome,
clearly noble-born, and with no memory of his previous life, the mysterious man
was perfect. All I had to do was visit his bedchamber and seduce him.
I had expected him to be a skillful, scandalously
wonderful lover, but once in his arms I was overcome by something more than
mere passion. I had fallen hopelessly, desperately in love.
My plan has now gone shockingly awry. But I will not give
up a man who makes me feel such wicked ecstasy. No matter his true identity, no
matter the secrets he struggles to remember, I will do anything in this world
to make this stranger love me...
Pembroke Palace Series Book Four
AN UNATTAINABLE ROGUE...
For seven years, Lord Garrett Sinclair— the ruggedly
handsome illegitimate son of the Duke of Pembroke—has been traveling
abroad with no intention of ever returning home to Pembroke Palace... until his
father commands that he must marry by Christmas in order to thwart a family
curse or lose his inheritance forever. Haunted by a tragic accident that has
hardened his soul, Garrett entrusts his brothers to seek out a bride who will
agree to a marriage in name only. Her reward? A sizable share of his
inheritance—payable immediately after the wedding night....
A BEAUTIFUL TEMPTRESS...
Lady Anne Douglas has been ruined by scandal and disowned
by her father. Facing a life of poverty and spinsterhood, she leaps at the
generous terms of the marriage contract to ensure her independence. But the
charade of a two-week engagement proves more of a challenge than either
anticipated when they cannot resist the intoxicating lure of the marriage bed.
Anne knows they will part ways after the wedding. Will she dare risk her heart
for two weeks of pleasure in the arms of an irresistible rogue? Or will her
surrender become her undoing after a most unexpected turn of events mere hours
before the wedding?
Pembroke Palace Series Book Five (A Short Story Interlude)
Lady Adelaide Robins, the charming and beautiful daughter
of an impoverished earl, was raised on the foggy moors of Yorkshire. Never in
her wildest dreams did she imagine she would travel to London, capture the
heart of a duke, and receive a proposal of marriage. Is she ready for a life of
luxury and privilege as a duchess? Or will her heart forever belong to another?
William Thomas, the second son of a Yorkshire viscount,
is about to be disowned for his unbecoming ambitions to become a medical
doctor. But what does it matter if he can have the woman he loves at his side?
Determined to finally claim the hand of Lady Adelaide, his lifelong beloved,
William is shocked to discover that she has accepted a marriage proposal from a
duke. With the wedding only days away, will he be able to win back her heart?
Pembroke Palace Series Book Six
SEDUCED AT SUNSET
Sometimes the matchmaker finds a love
of her own...
Lady Charlotte Sinclair has long given up her dreams of
happily ever after. Years ago, a tragic accident claimed the life of her
beloved fiancé, but somehow she found the strength to go on—as an independent
woman with a secret double life that has earned her millions. Lately, however,
she has begun to yearn for something more...
While setting out to play matchmaker for her mother, Lady
Charlotte meets a rugged, handsome stranger who saves her from a thief in the
street, but her heroic rescuer soon turns out to be more mysterious—and
dangerously captivating—than any man she has ever known. Swept away by
passion into a sizzling summer affair with a man who leads a double life of his
own, she vows to live only for pleasure with no promises of tomorrow. But soon
she must accept that one final night of ecstasy with an irresistible lover is
never going to be enough...
Read on for an excerpt from THE PRINCE’S BRIDE
Copyright 2013 Julianne MacLean
Book Three in the Royal Trilogy
Available April 30, 2013
From St. Martin’s Press
Part I
The Abduction
Paris, July 19, 1815
This was wrong, so very, very wrong...
She was a villain tonight, there could be no denying it,
but any guilt was somehow eclipsed by the unexpected pleasure of this wicked
and very sinister charade.
The passion is not real, Veronique reminded herself as she
took hold of Prince Nicholas’s gloved hand, met his gaze with a mischievous
look of desire through her half-mask, and allowed him to assist her into the
coach.
Quickly, before he joined her, she glanced around at the
cushions placed just so, the bottle of champagne in the corner, and breathed in
the subtle scent of rosewater, which she had splashed onto the dark green
velvet upholstery a few hours ago, before she’d entered the ball.
The coach lamp flickered wildly as the night breeze wafted
in through the door. With graceful, controlled movements, she sat down and
reclined seductively.
Prince Nicholas, her quarry, followed her inside and closed
the door behind them.
At last, they were completely alone.
As he slid onto the seat beside her, the lamplight
reflected off the brass buttons of his royal regalia and sparkled in his
enticing blue eyes. His mask covered most of his face, but not those luscious
full lips. Not that it made a difference. She already knew what he looked like.
He had been shown to her the day before, pointed out like a partridge in the
wood.
“Look, that’s him down there—in the black coat.
That’s Wellington beside him. Viscount Castlereagh, the British foreign
secretary, is wearing the gray hat.” Pierre Cuvier handed her the spyglass.
“Will you be able to pick him out in the crowd?”
Leaning out over the rail of the stone arch bridge which
spanned across the River Seine, Veronique shut one eye, peered through the
lense, and focused on the three men standing on the bow of the boat as it
passed beneath them.
She had been briefed about Prince Nicholas’s extraordinary
good looks, but had not expected to nearly lose her breath as she caught him in
her sights.
She’d also been warned about his notorious reputation with
women. According to Pierre, he was a flagrant charmer and heartbreaker. A
scoundrel of the highest order.
Now that she had seen him in the flesh, she understood why
he could get away with such wicked behavior. Not only was he a royal prince of
Petersbourg—a small but powerful European nation on the North
Sea—but he had the face of a Greek God with jet black hair and blue eyes,
a teasing smile that could charm all the angels out of heaven, and a strapping
muscular build, unquestionably fit for a throne.
