Authors: Rebecca Thomas
Tags: #earl, #Wager, #hoyden, #Regency, #Bet, #jockey, #race, #horse, #Romance, #love, #Marriage Mart, #Victorian, #tutor
The Earl's Wager (17 page)
Chapter Eighteen
One week later
Georgia returned to Autumn Ridge in her carriage with Eloise. She’d visited Lord Leighton, and she knew what she must do.
But before she searched for Will, she wanted to pay a visit to the stable to see Perseus. Harland had told her he was going to Black Pine Hall the next day, so she wanted to feed him a carrot. It wasn’t as if she’d never see him again, he just wouldn’t be at Autumn Ridge.
The afternoon sunlight streamed across the hills, and Georgia felt lighter than she had in awhile. She stood on the railing of the fence and watched Perseus run across the pasture with the other horses. As much as it pained her, she knew she’d done the right thing for Will and for herself.
“Hello?” a voice sounded from behind her.
Will
.
She swung around and unhooked her feet from the railing. “Hello, Will.”
“I was waiting for your return.”
“You were?” she asked hopefully.
“Before you go inside to make your official announcement, I wanted to give you a gift. It could be a pre-wedding gift, I suppose. Or an engagement gift—whatever you want to call it.”
“That’s so kind of you.” Completely stunned, she said, “But—”
He handed her an envelope. “You don’t have to look at it right now.”
She took the envelope from him and gripped it between her fingers. “But I don’t know that I can accept.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because whatever it is, I don’t know that I want—”
“Confound it, Georgia.” His eyes widened. “Do you always have to be so stubborn? The truth is, whether you want to accept it or not, it’s ownership papers for Perseus. I want you to have him.”
“I-I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Just listen to me for one moment. The truth is, I couldn’t imagine being married to you because you didn’t fit my idea of a perfect English bride. Marriage to you wouldn’t give me a hand up in society. I really thought that is what I wanted—for them to look at me with respect the way they look at Oliver. But then we made love, and you stole my soul. I thought you’d have my child, and I’d be forced to marry you, but in fact when you said you weren’t pregnant, I was completely crushed. I had it all figured out, but…all I want is you for
you
. If we never have a child, it’s all right with me, because you are all I want. You can do what you want, own what you want, ride as you want, just so long as you’re mine. Please don’t marry Leighton. Marry me. I’m lost without you. You are all I want. I love you.”
“I-I can’t very well marry one man when I’m in love with another.”
“No, you can’t.” He frowned. “You’re in love? With who?”
She blinked several times. “I’ve fought it—just as you have.” She clutched the envelope in her hands, willing the paper to give her strength. “I’ve tried so hard not to love you, but I can’t help it. I do. But I thought it was best if we weren’t together. I would never want you shunned like you were before, and if you were married to me, then—”
“You love me?” He leaned forward, astonishment covering his features. “But I thought you wanted to marry Leighton.”
“I only wanted to marry someone who I thought would give me freedom and access to my funds. So I’d be able to make my own decisions and live as an independent woman. But then, when I fell for you… At first all I wanted was you, but I realized I wouldn’t improve your place in society among your peers.” She shrugged then approached him. She kept herself just inches away, but she wanted to hold him and be embraced by him. “But love had other ideas for me. The love of a family, the love of a home. I love you with every breath in me.”
“Did you hear me?” He gripped her shoulders. “The night Maggie was born, did you hear me talking to Oliver?”
She nodded. Tears threatened to well in her eyes, but she shoved them back. “I tried to let you go. I tried to, but I couldn’t. I thought you only wanted me if I was carrying your child.”
Will wrapped his arms around her and crushed her in a loving kiss. Her heart beat so hard she thought it might burst. She kissed him back with everything she had in her. When she pulled back, she realized the envelope she held had crinkled in her hand. “Do I still get to keep the engagement gift?”
His smile filled his face, and his eyes shone with merriment. “As long as you are engaged to me, you may have anything that’s in my power to give you.”
She nodded. “I’d like that, but…” She tilted her head. “I have some rules to discuss with you about riding.”
“I’m sure we can come up with some kind of agreement.” He paused, then stared across the pasture for a moment before fixing his gaze on her. “Or perhaps a wager?”
She laughed. “So I can keep Perseus?”
“Yes,” he said. “Consider it your wedding gift.”
She opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of parchment. It was a bill of sale with her name at the top. She was listed as the owner of Perseus.
“Thank you, but we’ll need to change my last name on this because it will be Sutton.”
He pulled her into his arms and swung her around in a circle. Georgia had everything she could ever possibly need or want. A family, a horse, and a man she loved who loved her back. She wasn’t alone in a strange land any longer.
Epilogue
Arabella held little Maggie in her arms. She stood in her bedroom, by the window looking out at the front driveway, with her husband standing beside her. They were spying on Georgia and Will, but she didn’t care. “I told you.”
“You were absolutely right, my love. How could I have ever doubted you?”
“My brother matched me with you, but I matched him with Georgia—whether he knows it or not. I’m just so happy you were willing to listen to my counsel.”
“I certainly didn’t know I married into a family with such a brilliant knack for matchmaking,” Oliver replied.
“Being laid up in bed didn’t help my cause, but you handled things splendidly. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Oliver kissed his daughter’s forehead, then he kissed his wife.
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Acknowledgments
A book is never written alone and
The Earl’s Wager
is no different. Without the positive feedback I received from readers after they read
The Earl’s Christmas Colt
, I certainly wouldn’t have been inspired to continue the series and write Will’s story.
My editor, Robin Haseltine, deserves so much credit. Without her enthusiasm, support, and encouragement to
write another historical
, I don’t think
The Earl’s Wager
would have been written. When I submitted the proposal and she responded within hours saying: Sooooo…LOVE THIS! I was thrilled.
While some story ideas pop into your head almost instantaneously, Will’s story took a while to percolate. I had several starts and stops until Georgia became rooted in my brain. A spunky American woman was the perfect match for Will’s practical sensibilities.
Thank you Tina Canon for reading scenes as I wrote them and sending me emails saying,
I can’t wait to read more
! You have no idea how those emails kept me going.
Thank you Melinda Pierce for reading and giving me feedback on the entire first draft in its infancy. I know it’s not easy, but I will always appreciate your candid and loving critiques. I could never write without you
virtually
by my side. Or maybe I could, but it wouldn’t be near as fun.
About the Author
Rebecca Thomas
enjoys a love-hate relationship with Alaska. She lives there with her husband and two sons where she appreciates all the unique things the last frontier has to offer. When she isn’t reading, writing, or playing board games, she is taking her dogs on walks in the woods.
A reluctant reader as a child, she didn’t become interested in books until her teen years when she discovered historical romance. Now she loves all sub-genres of romance and can’t decide which one is her favorite.
Rebecca earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Alaska and was employed in the airline industry for several years before working in her current position as a program manager in higher education.
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