"Well, if you're sure you really want to--"
"I am."
"I suppose it's for the best." He dredged up a small smile. "I hate to think of the scrapes old Parky will get into without me."
"It won't be right away. There's still time." She rose and moved to the window, and looked out at the beach.
The militia were cleaning up all of the ordnance and bodies, and keeping watch in case the French ships tried to return.
Alexander was conducting a house to house search in the area to pick up any stragglers who might have made it inland, and any incriminating papers from the Fitzsimmons and Lynch houses. He worked with a steely determination to weed out the traitors once and for all, including the Fitzsimmons sisters, who had also been part of the spy network. Whether or not the authorities would be willing to execute women for treason remained to be seen.
"We have until spring, I think," she said softly.
"Then I'm not going to waste a minute of our time together here." He kissed her and brought her over to the bed.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that," she said as she stripped off his dressing gown.
She fingered his gold circlet and saw the dent the musket ball had made. It had flattened the sword symbol.
"He who lives by the sword-"
"I think there's something about swords into ploughshares in the Bible too."
"One day soon, I'm sure."
He groaned. "Not that I'm not grateful for the miracles we've received, but I just want to be happy with you, my love. I don't want to be a hero."
She brushed his hair back from his brow. "It's fate. Your destiny. And mine is to be by your side."
He sighed. "When I think what other better fates you deserve, it makes me sick."
Elizabeth stroked her hand down his face and neck, then moved it even lower. "What on earth could be better than this heavenly bliss? Than the gift of your love, the paradise of you in my arms, the magic of you inside of me, my dearest husband?"
Will rolled with her into the bed and embraced her fiercely, moving between her thighs to unite them as one.
"I love you, Elizabeth. Scarred though I am in my body and heart, I am and always will be the man who loves you more than life itself."
"I know, darling. And I shall always be the woman who never wants to be anywhere but by your side, in your arms."
They melted into each other then. As their lips and souls mingled, they knew that no matter what their life had been like in the past, their future together would be a long and happy one with the light of their love to guide them through to an eternal bliss beyond.
AFTERWORD
This was one novel I obsessed over, and literally could not get out of my head once I started it. For once I decided to create a miniseries leading on from Scars Upon her Heart, (thank you, loyal readers who begged me to do it) I had to try to think about how all my favorite characters had grown and developed since we had seen them in December 1812 at the masquerade ball when they had saved the Duke of Wellington from assassination.
They had been all set to go home to Ireland, but knowing them as well as I did, I was pretty sure Vevina and Stewart, if not Will, would want to stay on in Spain and fight.
Looking back at Will in particular, he had all sorts of untapped potential: a young man who had been through hell, and proven exceptionally brave and talented, just the sort of stuff of which romantic heroes were made. An ordinary, well-brought up young man, whose whole world was torn apart by the accusation of treason against his father.
Then we had the larger than life Rakehells, and the lovely Elizabeth Eltham, just ripe for romance with a dash of intrigue. And quite a few loose ends left from Book Four of the Rakehell Regency Romance series, The Matchless Miss, with the mysterious Alexander Davenport.
I had already jotted down an extensive outline for continuing the Rakehell and the Scars series: after all, at this point, Napoleon still has yet to escape from Elba, and head to Waterloo.
But one novel at a time. Once I got the characters up the tree, so to speak, I had to get them down. I have to admit that they really came into their own and surprised even me at times. I hope I managed to keep the suspense going throughout the book, and kept you guessing with my more shadowy characters.
Finally, since the book had to be set in the south of Ireland for the invasion, and because it was where the Scars characters hailed from, I couldn't resist revisiting the scene of the magical cave featured in The Druid's Woman and The Wizard Woman. It has such a strong sense of place that you could say the cave is character in its own right.