How could a man sleep after lovemaking? Isabella’s entire body buzzed with excitement. Every nerve ending seemed especially sensitive. Warmth permeated her extremities, making it easy to sew.

  Upon their return from the pub, they had stood in front of the fireplace and merely stared at each other. Their undressing of one another had begun slowly, carefully, as if they both feared tearing the other’s clothes.

  Once Daniel had her gown, petticoats, and corset off of her, his questing hands had explored every inch of her, as if he were a blind man studying a statue.

  She hadn’t remained inert, though, her own hands making quick work of the buttons of his top coat and waistcoat, the fastenings of his pantaloons, and the knot of his cravat. Slowly unwrapping the length of silk from around his neck, she tittered when he attempted to rid himself of his shirt before she had it completely removed. Despite his protestations, she had taken great care to fold the cravat and shirt and drape them over the back of a chair.

  By the time she was back in his hold, wearing only her shift and stockings, he had stripped his pantaloons and stockings from his body. His manhood, fully erect, jutted from its nest of curls and bobbed about in anticipation of what was about to happen.

  Curiosity had her gingerly touching it, first with a forefinger. When he guided her hand to wrap it around the velvety soft skin, she delighted in how it throbbed in her hold, how he inhaled sharply when she used the fingers of her other hand to explore his ball sac, lifting it until he abruptly growled and stepped back.

  Meanwhile, she had been entirely unaware of how he had plucked every pin from her hair, the blonde locks cascading down in waves around her face as she played with his engorged member.

  “Now you’ve done it,” he whispered hoarsely, although his grin belied the sound of warning in his voice.

  For a moment, she wondered what he had done with the hairpins. Then she watched as he reached for the mantel. She heard the metallic clinking sounds as he opened his fist and they fell from his grasp.

  Whatever modesty she might have possessed took its leave when next he stripped her of her shift, revealing a pair of breasts with nipples already pinched and aching to be suckled. Apparently he understood, for once he had his arms wrapped around her shoulders, his mouth was on them, licking and nibbling while he groaned and she gasped at the frissons darting about beneath her skin. When her fingers speared his dark hair, she scraped his scalp with her nails and giggled when his entire body shivered.

  A moment later, and she was on her bed, her knees bent and spread wide as he used his fingers to coax her to a most wondrous sensation. When he replaced his fingers with the tip of his manhood, she heard his moan and watched as his face took on an expression of bliss.

  How could an already handsome man appear even more so?

  Apparently whatever she did next was the right thing to do, for he was suddenly filling her near to bursting, his murmured ‘yes’s’ and ‘oh my god’s’ sounding as if they were said as prayers. A moment or two of repeated retreats and thrusting, and he suddenly stilled, raised his head, and said, “Oh, Isabella.”

  Perhaps he was worshipping her, the bed a sort of altar. If so, she hoped he might do so more often than once a week.

  “You have thoroughly ruined me, you rogue,” she remembered murmuring when he settled his head next to hers, the sound of her subsequent titter at odds with reality.

  “It takes one to know one, you minx,” he had whispered, right before he passed out.

  * * *

  After setting aside the waistcoat, Isabella attempted to shift her body down the bed without disturbing Daniel. He awoke, though, his brows furrowing when he saw where she had been lying.

  “How can you still be awake?” he asked, his voice thick with slumber.

  “I was too excited to sleep,” she whispered. “This is the first time I’ve ever had a rogue in my bed.”

  “You had best get used to it,” he murmured. “I intend to be here every night,” he added, yawning. “That is, until our bedchamber is finished in the house.” His attention went beyond her to the nightstand. “Is that my waistcoat?”

  She nodded. “I repaired it,” she said, showing him where she had stitched the hole in the side seam. There was no sign it had ever been damaged.

  “Thank you,” he whispered, kissing her arm. “Will you sleep with me now?” he asked, using an arm to pull her body down until she was tucked up against his. “We have a big day tomorrow,” he added, cradling her hand in his, its dandelion ring still adorning the fourth finger.

  “You say that as if we’re getting married,” she teased.

  “That’s my intention,” he replied. When she turned her head back to glance at him in surprise, he added, “Remember, I have clients in high places.”

  “As do I,” she replied. She felt him suddenly stiffen and realized he had misunderstood her comment. “The ballgown I am making is for Lady McDonald, the judge’s wife. The Peer’s Ball is next week.”

  Although Daniel felt a good deal of relief at hearing the words, he also felt pride on her behalf. “Something tells me the on-dit about us will be quite different in a day or so,” he murmured happily.

  Isabella sighed contentedly. “I think we both know someone who can see to it that it does,” she whispered. She didn’t have to mention his secretary by name.

  Epilogue

  A year later, on the north side of New Town

  Barely able to contain her excitement, Isabella bounced on the balls of her feet as she held her hands over her eyes. “Can I look now?” she asked, glad Daniel still had his hands on her arms to guide her. She was sure her slippered feet were on a clipped lawn while the unmistakeable sounds of pounding and sawing could be heard in the distance.

  Another new house was going up somewhere nearby.

  “You can look,” he said, his voice coming from in front of her.

  She opened her eyes, blinking at the sudden brightness. Directly in front of her, Daniel stood watching her as he smiled.

  Isabella giggled in delight. “Oh, Daniel, you’re so handsome when you grin like that,” she said, pretending to ignore the structure behind him.

  Daniel sobered and scoffed. “You’re supposed to be looking at the house,” he said, stepping aside to give her an unimpeded view of their Gothic Revival house, the two-story structure built with blocks of limestone cemented with harling.

  A single turret with windows, its conical roof tiled in slate, stood at one front corner of the house while the rest of the asymmetrical design featured two gables, their roofs also topped in slate. A pair of Palladian windows framed the arched set of double doors on the ground floor, and above those, the second story featured four rectangular windows.

  “It’s gorgeous. It’s just like your drawings,” she said, taking a few steps forward. She paused and glanced down at the lawn. “Is this our grass?”

  Chuckling, he took her hand in his. “It is.”

  “It’s so green,” she said, her gaze going from the lawn to the house. No ornamental bushes adorned the front of the house, but she knew some would be added soon.

  “Let me show you inside. The colorman is seeing to the nursery, so its yet to be painted,” he warned, his gaze darting to where her yellow gown did little to hide her advanced pregnancy.

  “What color will it be?”

  “Jonquil, of course,” he replied. He opened the front door and allowed her to step inside the hall before he joined her.

  She gasped, her gaze immediately going to the ornate plaster ceiling and then to the stone fireplace set in a wall made entirely of stone. The floors, wood planks sanded smooth, had been stained and varnished. A set of spiral stone stairs occupied the turret.

  “We’ll have gas heating in the winters, and there’s a water closet upstairs,” he said proudly. “With a shower.”

  “We could afford that?” she asked in surprise.

  He nodded. “I did some work in trade,” he explained. “A set of plans for the man who did the pipes for both and did all the necessary plumbing.” He pulled her farther into the front hall, the arched doorway directly ahead leading into a dining room.

  “We have a chandelier,” Isabella said in awe. Although there weren’t yet any furnishings in the house, she could imagine how the table they had ordered would fit, how a sideboard could be placed at one end.

  “A bit of a splurge, but I thought it worth it,” he said. “After hearing Lord McDonald sing the praises of the one he had acquired in Venice, I spoke with an importer and discovered he already had several in his warehouse here in Edinburgh.”

  Isabella sighed contentedly. “Is the kitchen close?” she asked, noting a separate door in the back corner.

  “The kitchen is at the back of the house, through that door, as are the servants’ quarters. There are rooms for four,” he said, waggling his brows.

  Although they hadn’t discussed staff, she knew a cook would be their first hire.

  Back in the hall, Daniel said, “The study is over here...” he waved to an arched doorway. “Parlor is in here.” He led her into a brightly lit room adjacent to the front door, its window one of those on the front of the house. “Needs a carpet of some sort,” he murmured.

  “I can sew in here,” she murmured, rushing to the south-facing window. “There’s so much light.”

  Daniel grinned as he watched her stroll the perimeter of the room. “You could, but... would you like to see the upstairs?”

  She paused and directed a suspicious glance at him. “Of course,” she replied, rushing out of the parlor and to the stairs.

  “Careful,” he warned. “I shouldn’t want you tripping in your condition.”

  An iron railing curved up the outer wall of the turret and ended at a landing while the stairs continued to go up.

  “What’s up there?” she asked before she stepped into a corridor that ran the width of the house and ended at a small wall with a window looking south.

  “Oh, that’s merely a place from where we can look out on the city,” he replied.

  “I could sew there, too?” she guessed.

  “Well, you could, but I saw to it you have your own room for your avocation.” He led her to where another corridor went off at a right angle. There were doors to two rooms on the right and two on the left, and straight ahead was a door at the end of the corridor. He opened the first door on the right. “Your study, madame,” he said, opening the door to reveal a room papered in a yellow floral pattern.

  “Oh, it’s perfect,” she said, happy to see a rocking chair and her sewing basket were already in place, as was a drafting table.

  “Am I to share this room with you?” she asked, trailing a hand along the edge of the table. Instead of its top sitting at an angle, the table top was flat.

  “No. That’s my old drafting table, but I think you can use it when cutting out fabrics, can you not?”

  Her eyes lit with excitement. “I can, indeed.” She had her arms around his shoulders to kiss him before he quite knew what was happening.

  He chuckled and took her to the next room, where the door was already open and workmen were inside painting the walls. “The nursery,” he said, before immediately going to the door at the end. “And our bedchamber.”

  Isabella gingerly stepped into the large space, her eyes round. “It’s so large,” she said, slowly turning to admire the moldings.

  “It only seems that way because the furniture hasn’t been moved in yet,” he countered. He noticed she had stopped to stare at a door in one corner.

  “That door leads to what’s behind this door,” he said, taking several steps back. He opened the adjacent door in the hallway to reveal a bathing chamber with a water closet, a cast iron bathing tub, and the piping for a shower bath.

  “This is as big as the nursery,” she commented in awe, her gaze darting about until she noticed the checkered tile floor.

  “That’s because I made sure all the walls match up and the windows are the same size,” he explained. “The next door room is a guest bedchamber for now,” he explained. He placed a hand on her rounded belly. “Future bedchamber for when this little one outgrows the nursery.”

  “You’ve thought of everything,” she said, sighing contentedly. “When can we move in?”

  “A few days,” he replied. “I have some laborers hired to bring a dray cart with our furnishings.” He watched as she seemed to study the floor with great interest. “What is it?” he asked.

  “We can play chess naked in here.”

  He barked a laugh. “I’m not sure we could reach the pieces when we’re in the tub.”

  Isabella gave a start. “Who said anything about being in the tub?” she countered, waggling her blonde brows as she grinned in delight.

  Daniel chuckled before he visibly reddened. “You’re serious?” he asked.

  Grinning in delight, she said, “I have the reputation of a rogue to maintain, or have you already forgotten?”

  Wrapping one arm around the back of her shoulders while the other moved to her middle, Daniel said, “Hard to forget when the evidence is so... evident,” he teased, gently rubbing her rounded belly before pulling her into an embrace.

  In response, he received a quick kick in the palm and another into his ribs. His eyes rounded in surprise. “Ow! Was... was that him?”

  “I should hope so,” she replied, grinning in delight. “Because if it’s a her, I fear she’s going be just like me.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “So we’ll simply dress her in jonquil gowns and let her roll around in the dirt,” he teased.

  Another kick hit his palm, and Daniel chuckled. “I think she heard me.”

  Isabella scoffed. “You do realize that every time you’re being kicked, I am, too,” she complained, although a grin teased the corners of her lips.

  “Apologies, my sweet. Mayhap a kiss will help put her—or him—to sleep?”

  “I’m willing to try,” she said. She stood on tiptoes to take his lips with hers.

  Having gained some experience in the matter, Daniel knew exactly how to return the kiss.

  Author Notes

  Scottish Baronial or Scots Baronial architecture

  Developed by the architecture firm Peddie & Kinnear in the 1830s, Scots Baronial was an architectural style based on Gothic Revival. The forms and ornaments are reminiscent of Scottish castles built in the Late Middle Ages, the rooflines embellished with conical roofs, tourelles (small towers), and battlements, often atop an asymmetrical floor plan.

  Also by Linda Rae Sande

  THE DAUGHTERS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Kiss of a Viscount

  The Grace of a Duke

  The Seduction of an Earl

  THE SONS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  Tuesday Nights

  The Widowed Countess

  My Fair Groom

  THE SISTERS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Tale of Two Barons

  The Passion of a Marquess

  The Desire of a Lady

  THE BROTHERS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Love of a Rake

  The Caress of a Commander

  The Epiphany of an Explorer

  THE WIDOWS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Gossip of an Earl

  The Enigma of a Widow

  The Secrets of a Viscount

  THE WIDOWERS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Dream of a Duchess

  The Vision of a Viscountess

  The Conundrum of a Clerk

  The Charity of a Viscount

  THE COUSINS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Promise of a Gentleman

  The Pride of a Gentleman

  THE HOLIDAYS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Christmas of a Countess

  The Knot of a Knight

  The Holiday of a Marquess

  The Winter Kiss of a Rogue

  The Snow Angel of a Duke

  The Ivy of an Earl

  THE HEIRS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Angel of an Astronomer

  The Puzzle of a Bastard

  The Choice of a Cavalier

  The Bargain of a Baroness

  The Jewel of an Earl’s Heir

  The Vixen of a Viscount

  The Honor of an Heir

  The Rose of a Sultan’s Sun

  A Rosa do Filho do Sultão (Portuguese)

  THE LADIES OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Lady of a Grump

  The Lady of a Sultan

  The Pursuit of a Duchess

  The Wager of a Wallflower

  THE LORDS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Abduction of an Earl

  BEYOND THE ARISTOCRACY

  The Pleasure of a Pirate

  El placer de un pirata (Spanish)

  The Making of a Mistress

  The Bride of a Baronet

  The Caton of a Captain

  The Betrothal of a Baron

  Puss and Pots

  Masquerade Meow

  THE GRAND TOURS OF THE ARISTOCRACY

  A Courtship in Catania

  An Affaire in Athens

  A Lover in Luxor

  A Rogue in Rome

  THE LYON’S DEN (DRAGONBLADE PUBLISHING)

  The Courage of a Lyon

  The Lady of a Lyon

  The Loyalty of a Lyon

  The Librarian of a Lyon

  STELLA OF AKROTIRI

  Origins

  Deminon

  Diana

  BOXED SETS

  The Daughters of the Aristocracy

  The Sons of the Aristocracy