Say Yes to the Marquess: Castles Ever After

“This is magical.” Bruiser dabbed a tear from his eye. “I couldn’t have planned it any better.”

“Actually, I can. I might still be a spinster. I might never be a lady, or even a wife. You might always be my social superior. But I am mistress of my own castle. On this property, I make the rules. And today, I’m feeling a bit medieval.”

“Are you syphilitic?” Bruiser had his ear pressed to the connecting door.

His fingers flexed, digging a stranglehold into the pillow. “For heaven’s sake, that poor cushion.”

“Don’t say that word. I’ll take any other word beginning with W, but not that one. Writhe, wash, wiggle, whip . . .” He looked a bit alarmed at that last option.

Rafe clenched his jaw. “This is bollocks.” Daphne smiled. “This is society.”

In that moment, Clio realized something wonderful. She just didn’t care.

“I rather like the devil in you,” she said.

“I did ask for it. And at the time, I was happy to go. You know how it is. When you’ve been denied something long enough, you start telling yourself you didn’t want it anyway.”