1825

Guernsey

A warm breeze brushed against Callum as white and pink blossoms descended around them. Callum watched their slow flight and urged the horses forward, conscious of the thick floral fragrance in the air.

“When will we be there?” Charles asked, and Charlotte squeezed their son’s hand.

“Soon,” she promised. “Very soon.”

They had been going to Guernsey every year since Charles was two. Perhaps Callum had been born in the Highlands, perhaps Charlotte had been born in Norfolk, but it was here, in the middle of the English Channel that Callum had found home.

Callum was no longer involved in Hades’ Lair. It had been a youthful endeavor, mostly spurred by Wolfe’s involvement in it. Even though plenty of people had asked if he would be fine moving to a more rural location, he’d found only contentment. He was happy to give his son the childhood he’d wished he’d had for longer.

“When are they coming?” Charles asked.

“Soon,” Callum said. “Very soon. See that ship?” Callum pointed.

“Yes,” Charles nodded.

“That is the ship with your Uncle Hamish, Aunt Georgiana and your cousins.”

Charles clapped his hands.

“I believe the cousins are the primary cause of excitement,” Charlotte said.

“That’s fine,” Callum said. “We do only have one child.”

Charlotte’s eyes shimmered.

Why was she smiling at him in that manner?

Naturally, she was prone to smile. He didn’t understand why people had thought her disagreeable. She could be precise in her words, but Callum found her most agreeable. He glanced at the way her long neck curved and the slender form of her hands.

Yes.

Charlotte was most agreeable.

In every sense.

“That’s not entirely true,” she said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Only that Charles is not going to be the only child here.”

“Because his cousins are coming.”

Charlotte shook her head slightly. “I’d wanted to tell you before, but I wasn’t certain.”

“Heavens.”

“Is it a good surprise?” Charlotte asked tentatively.

“It’s the very best sort of surprise.”

“They’re here,” Charles said gleefully and headed toward the dock.

Callum rushed after him happily, conscious the world was becoming fuller and more delightful than anything he could ever have anticipated.

Hamish sprang down the gangway, surrounded by his family and a slew of servants. Callum smiled. There’d been a time when his twin brother had lauded the virtues of privacy, but that was firmly in the past.

“How nice to see you,” Callum said, realizing that he meant it.

Hamish beamed. “Aye.”

They embraced and walked to the town. Warmth brushed over him.

Joyful shouts and bells sounded, and they looked over to the church.

“Someone is getting married,” Charlotte murmured.

Thick brown doors opened, and a wedding couple stepped outside. Callum didn’t know who these people were, but his heart still filled with joy at memories of his own wedding. Children flung petals at the couple, and everyone applauded. The woman’s gown was not elaborate, but she wore a crown of flowers.

He squeezed Charlotte’s hand, and her eyes sparkled.

“I do adore weddings,” she said. “They always remind me of ours.”

“I feel the same.”

“But I adore our marriage more,” she murmured, and he kissed her.

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THANK YOU FOR READING Dukes Prefer Bluestockings. I hope you enjoyed it.

Don’t Tie the Knot is the first book in my Wedding Trouble series and tells Hamish’s and Georgiana’s story. The next book in the series will be about Flora and Wolfe. My Matchmaking for Wallflowers series is set in the same regency world as my Wedding Trouble series.

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Matchmaking for Wallflowers

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Wedding Trouble

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The Sleuthing Starlet

Danger on the Downs – Coming soon!