Malia Martin (36 page)

Authors: Prideand Prudence

BOOK: Malia Martin

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Richard frowned. “Please, I’ve asked you not to call me that. So many people do now.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you become the earl of Wimsley,” James said, taking the sleeping child from his wife’s arms.

Richard glanced over at James and scowled. “Just because I’ve given over to you the best name there ever was doesn’t mean you can be snippy.”

The new Lord Leighton laughed. “I am never snippy. And I already told you that I certainly did not want to become your legal heir.”

“Too bad.”

The two men laughed together and started down the aisle of the church.

The people of Gravesly clamored to address James. They patted Abby’s head lightly and smiled up into James’s face as if he were the king of England. Richard stood back a little to let James be feted.

He glanced over at Pru then and smiled hugely. He adored her completely, and he loved his cousin with a fierceness that he had never felt.

Richard let James get ahead of him and dropped back to put his arm around the beautiful Lady Leighton. “It could not be a more lovely day for a wedding,” he said. “And I did think that the bride’s gown was quite smashing.”

“It had better be since I made it.”

Richard laughed as they finally strolled into the sunshine. The birds were singing, the weather was warm, and his family was well and filled with love. All was right with the world.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Julia Quinn for lending me a character from her wonderful books. I can no longer imagine the Regency era without Lady Whistledown and her
Society Papers
.

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Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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