A Spy's Devotion (The Regency Spies of London #1)(93)

He reveled in the feel of her beside him, in his proper Julia being bold enough to hug and kiss him.

Never had he so happily anticipated a long ride in a carriage.





EPILOGUE


For Julia, the next few weeks were a whirlwind of parties and introductions to various members of Nicholas Langdon’s family—and furtive kisses with her future husband when no one was looking.

Nicholas procured a special license so that they could be married at the Glyncove parish instead of Julia’s home parish in Warwickshire. He also sent his steward and a footman to Wilhern Manor, and they were able to retrieve the remainder of Julia’s belongings.

But before they could marry, the Prince Regent summoned Julia and Nicholas to London. The prince made a very pretty speech praising both of them for their courage and tenacity in thwarting the assassination of General Wellington, England’s famous war hero. The House of Commons approved the Prince Regent’s proposal of a reward of thirty thousand pounds for Nicholas Langdon and thirty thousand pounds for Julia Grey.

Julia wrote—and rewrote several times—a letter to Phoebe telling her how pleased she was that Phoebe was married to a good man like Mr. Dinklage, and asking her to forgive her for her role in everything that had happened with her father, explaining that she had felt she had no choice. She did not receive a reply.

Though it pained Julia that her precious friend and cousin with whom she had spent most of her life could be estranged from her, she would hold out hope for better things in the future. One day they might be reconciled and could at least be friends again.

And on the day she became Mrs. Nicholas Langdon, the only thoughts in her heart were joyful ones.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I want to thank my agent, Natasha Kern. She gave me the idea I needed for this story and resurrected my dream of writing and publishing a Regency romance. Natasha suggested I write a story about a hero who had gone to war and been injured, as there must have been many such men in Regency England, and make him a spy for England against their enemy, France. I am very grateful for her insights of every type—business, creative, and even personal. Thank you, Natasha.

I have to thank Nancy Mayer and all the knowledgeable authors and researchers and history lovers at The Beau Monde chapter of Romance Writers of America. Their knowledge of Regency England is astonishing, and I am forever grateful for their willingness to share that knowledge with their fellow authors. That being said, if there are historical inaccuracies, they are entirely my fault.

I want to thank my editor Faith Black Ross, my copy editor Michelle Hope Anderson, and publisher Amy Hosford for all their support and expertise. A novel is such a collaborative effort, and I am grateful for everyone who has helped or made suggestions, including Natasha Kern, Carol Moncado, Linore Burkard, Grace Dickerson, Faith Dickerson, and Debbie Lynne Costello.

I also want to express heartfelt thanks to all my readers who have posted positive reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, other review sites, and their blogs for my books through the years, not to mention the kind e-mails and messages on Facebook and Twitter. They are appreciated more than you know! May God bless you. I love my readers.