Tempted by a Wicked Marquess – Extended Epilogue

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One Month Later 

Once the honeymoon period was over, Marianne was all too eager to enter back into the public eye. Things were different now that she found herself on the arm of the marquess. Nobody looked at her like a young girl anymore. They all greeted her with the respect afforded a marchioness, and she welcomed it even if she was sure that behind closed doors, they still whispered about whether or not her husband was indeed a changed man. 

It did not matter to her, for she knew the truth. Ever since Penelope’s admission that she had lied, Marianne had come to realise that she could indeed trust Austin. She felt it right down to her very soul. 

Standing in the ballroom where she had very first met the marquess, Marianne couldn’t help but feel as though things had finally come a full circle. And glancing around the room, she realised just how much everything had changed. 

Though the ballroom itself was just the same save for the fresh garlands and other fine decorations that had been chosen for the evening, though she could smell the same scents of lavender and juniper and the lilies that were dotted about the place, the crowd around them appeared entirely changed. 

New alliances and connections appeared to have been made all over. Theirs was not the only marriage the Season had seen that year, and though some were still set to be wed, Marianne couldn’t help but smirk at the air of love about the place. 

She remembered well the anxiety and apprehension she had felt in that ballroom as she awaited a man to come and ask her to dance, knowing it had been only a matter of time before one of them did. Also, she remembered how she had wanted so desperately to avoid Mr Ashfield and every other gentleman that she had been so quick to turn and walk away from the dance. She had stumbled right into Lord Prescott’s arms. 

And now here she was, utterly relaxed and entirely at ease upon his arm, knowing that she would never again have to face the worry of who she would wed or what the ton might think of the man she had chosen to be her husband. 

It was much too late for any of that now, and she had become determined to love every moment of her marriage and the rest of her life, happy beyond belief at the way it had all turned out, finally able to see that these balls were not all about eligible bachelors finding their perfect match within the young women of the ton. They were also for those already married to let their hair down and just enjoy the evenings they had to share with their beloved. At least, that was what it meant for Marianne now. 

With Austin’s hand on the small of her back, she greeted Georgina and Christopher as they arrived together, both looking mightily pleased to be once again in each other’s company. And not for the first time, Marianne wondered whether they would ever stop beating around the bush. 

“Shall there be wedding bells soon?” Austin asked, glancing between Georgina and Christopher, who Marianne had to admit did still look quite enamoured with each other. 

“That all depends on whether Lady Georgina shall have me,” Christopher announced, placing his hand upon the small of her back, and Marianne felt a wave of excitement for her dearest friend. 

Georgina blushed, glancing down at her feet before she responded, “I rather think it is a little too early for that. Though perhaps one day.” 

Though it was clear to Marianne that her friend was simply attempting to remain cool, calm and collected, she did not miss the loving look that passed between her and Christopher. It was clear that this was not the first time either of them had mentioned the possibility. 

“I think perhaps there may be another couple to make it down the aisle before we do,” Georgina stated then, glancing past Marianne. 

Following her friend’s gaze, Marianne was not entirely shocked to find Mr Ashfield and Miss Grey walking into the ballroom, arm-in-arm. A wave of relief washed over her as she saw the two of them and how easy-going they appeared in each other’s company. 

“I have heard that the two of them have been spending an awful lot of time in each other’s company,” Christopher commented. Marianne took a sip of the drink she had been holding in her hand before turning back to Georgina and Christopher. 

“It is about time,” Austin stated for her, and it was clear from the relief in his own tone that he felt just the same way that Marianne did. Now that Mr Ashfield had finally seen what had been right in front of him, they could both relax. 

“I rather think they make a very handsome couple,” Marianne stated, having been able to admire Martha’s perseverance over the last several months, finding her always close to Mr Ashfield and always smiling at him sweetly, laughing at all of his jokes. Whether or not she could say he truly loved her, Marianne did not know, though she wished them both all of the happiness in the world. 

Turning back to look at them both, Marianne raised her glass to them in a gesture that showed she felt no ill will towards either of them. To her surprise, it was not only Martha who smiled at her in return. Mr Ashfield even dipped his head respectfully in her direction before continuing on with the conversation he was having with Lord Vickers. 

“Lady Georgina!” someone called suddenly from close by, making Marianne and the others all look around. Seeing that it was nobody she was really acquainted with, Marianne watched her friend go, pleased to see that she was as much a social butterfly as she had always been. 

“It looks as though I have lost her to gossip for a few hours,” Christopher chuckled, and Marianne laid a reassuring hand upon his forearm. 

“I am certain she will be back before too long,” she insisted with a smile, and he offered her a look of gratitude in response. 

“In the meantime, Christopher, I am sure you would not mind my stealing my wife away to somewhere a little more private.” 

The way her husband came up behind her, his hands squeezing her hips in a gesture that was fuelled with desire, made her blush, and she was most relieved that it was Christopher standing before them and not some other member of the ton.

Smirking with understanding and amusement, Christopher tipped their glass to him and winked. Just seconds before turning away, he encouraged, “Enjoy.” 

“Here, Austin, really?” she exclaimed under her breath even as Austin gripped hold of her hand and began to urge her through the ballroom. 

“Come with me,” Austin insisted, taking her wine glass from her hand to place it upon the empty tray of a passing servant. There was little she could do to protest, already able to feel the heat pooling between her thighs. Just feeling the wanton desire that came off her husband in waves, her own body started to react.  

He guided her from the ballroom out onto the terrace beyond, where the cool evening air caused her to realise just how flushed her cheeks had become. 

“Austin, where are you taking me?” she demanded even as he gripped hold of her hand and urged her down the steps of the terrace, further into the gardens where the lantern light did not reach. 

“There is something I have been wanting to do ever since the very first night we met in that ballroom,” Austin admitted, “And now I finally get the chance.” 

“Austin, we are married now,” Marianne pointed out, chuckling slightly as he led her deeper still, finding their way to the very centre of the hedge maze at the far end of the garden. There, a beautiful fountain lay, bathed in moonlight, secluded from the rest of the party by the high hedgerows. “We need not sneak off like this.” 

“We do if I wish to ravish my wife without fear of being seen,” Austin announced, and with that, he took her face in his hands, kissing her in a way that reminded her of their very first time. 

In the month since their wedding, he and Marianne had made love more times than she could count, and yet each time had been more wonderful than the last. 

At first, she had been fearful that she would not be able to keep up with her husband’s immense desire, but she found that the more she indulged him, the more she wanted it herself. 

And so, in the moonlight, she hurried to hitch up her skirts around her hips, angling her pelvis towards him. Just when she thought he was going to tear open the front of his britches to enter her, he suddenly dropped down before her, crouching to grasp hold of her hips. Grasping her firmly in place, he trailed feverish kisses up the insides of her thighs until her entire body trembled with desire. 

When she could take the teasing no more, she reached down and ran her fingers through his dark hair. Gripping the back of his head, her fingers still gripping the roots of his hair, she pulled his face between her thighs. In response, he lapped at her heated sex, moaning as he tasted the sweet nectar that he found there. 

Steadily he brought her towards her climax. Just as she was about to topple over the edge, throwing her head back to scream at the stars, he suddenly stopped. 

It was so abrupt that it took her breath away even as he hurried to his feet before her and slipped himself deep inside her.  

On the fountain, she perched with her bare buttocks on the cool marble, only his hands on her hips preventing her from falling right over into the pool. And as he thrust his rockhard manhood deep inside her, over and over again, Marianne felt a fresh whirlwind of pleasure erupting within her. 

Though they were far from the manor house, and she was quite certain that there was nobody else around, she buried her face in the shoulder of Austin’s jacket, biting back a scream as they both worked their bodies hungrily towards a climax. 

The thrill of possibly getting caught only urged Marianne on faster, and soon she felt her insides squeeze tightly around him. Their lovemaking was passionate and fast, and it caused her head to spin even as she felt him spilling his essence deep inside her. 

Not for the first time during their lovemaking, she found herself hoping, let his seed quicken inside me! 

Though she was in no rush to be a mother, the thought that a new life might be created in the garden of the manor where they had very first met changed Marianne’s entire world all over again. 

And as she rested in Austin’s arms afterwards, still propped up on the fountain’s wall, she whispered in his ear, “I am pleased you decided to let your roguish side out tonight, my lord.” 

Pulling back just enough to look her in the eye, Austin smirked at her devilishly. Taking hold of her face in his hand, he stroked her cheek affectionately and stated, “Only for you, Lady Prescott, only ever for you.”

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OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 5 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Lust and Love in High Society", and get 5 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

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