Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy #3)(68)

"I've heard her called pretty," said a young lady seated near the door. She was speaking to two gentlemen hovering near her like bees around a honey pot. She was quite the beauty with curling golden hair, rosy cheeks, and the sort of face men wrote poetry about. From the proud lift of her chin and the fluttering of her lashes, I suspected she knew it too. "Do either of you find her pretty?"

"She's tolerably pretty, I suppose," one of the gentleman said with a lazy drawl. "If you like that sort of thing."

"You mean exotic?" the girl replied in her throaty whisper.

"Exotic?" the other gentleman said. "You call that...thing exotic?" The biting sneer cut clear through the room. He wasn't even trying to keep his voice low. "She looks like a savage, fresh off the ship. And she's quite mad, I believe. Thinks she can see ghosts, don't you know." He laughed as if he were sharing a joke with his friends.

But it was no joke. He spoke loudly enough for me to hear every word. I looked down at the table, but it blurred and my fingers fumbled with the cake. But I would not cry. Not here. Not now. I refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Of course, she was caught out as a fraud recently," he went on. "Don't know why Lord Preston allows her into his house. He ought to have his chums at Scotland Yard investigate her. Best place for her is in—"

His tirade ended with a gurgle. I turned and saw Jacob clutching the man's necktie. He'd lifted him a clear inch off the floor.

"You do NOT speak about her like that," Jacob growled. A pulse throbbed in his tightly clamped jaw. "Not in my presence, nor out of it. She's a better person than you will ever be, Littleton, and she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. If you dare speak of her in such a way again, I will throttle you." He gave the man a shake. "Understand?"

Littleton's face turned a bright shade of purple and his eyes bulged dangerously. He nodded quickly, as best he could, and squeaked, "Yes, yes!"

I placed a hand on Jacob's arm. "Come and have some lemonade with me," I said gently.

He lowered Littleton who tugged at his tie and cleared his throat. Jacob turned fierce eyes on me. He was still seething with anger, but it was slowly dampening as I held his gaze, silently willing him to be calm once more.

I was about to steer him away when his mother sailed up to us. From the harried look on her face, I suspect she must have witnessed what had happened or been told about it. She gave Jacob an admonishing frown, which he didn't seem to notice, and smiled sweetly at me.

"I think this might be a good time to tell everyone about your engagement, Jacob," she said in a sing-song voice that reminded me of Celia and how she would pretend everything was all right when it was not.

"Engagement?" the young lady seated by the door said. Her hand fluttered at her chest and for a moment I thought she might burst into tears, so forlorn did she look.

"Yes," Jacob said in a voice that didn't hide the fact he was still angry. He took a deep breath and the tension seemed to leave his body. He clasped me suddenly round the waist and hooked me into his side. It felt so right to be there. Perfect.

His mother gasped. "Jacob," she hissed, "everyone can see you."

"I know," he said, breaking into a grin. "That's the whole point. I want to give them something scandalous to talk about." He tipped me back and kissed me on the mouth. It was a shocking thing to do in public. Gentlemen of Jacob's ilk were not supposed to show affection toward anyone except in private, but he didn't seem to notice the gasps and his mother's protests.

I certainly didn't care. I was consumed by that kiss. Totally, absolutely devoured by the love of my life. The kiss was thorough and possessive, staking his claim, an attempt to show everyone that I was his. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him to me. He felt so solid and tasted delicious, and I let him kiss me until I was boneless.

I expected his father to stride up and attempt to wrench us apart, but instead, something quite different happened.

Somebody clapped. Then another joined it, and another. Before long, the applause became deafening.

Jacob grinned against my mouth. "I love you, Miss Emily Chambers. And now the world knows it."





THE END





A message from the author:

I hope you enjoyed reading EVERMORE as much as I enjoyed writing it. As an independent author, getting the word out about my book is vital to its success, so if you liked this book please consider telling your friends and writing a review at the store where you purchased it. If you would like to be contacted when I release a new book please send an email to [email protected] and I will add you to my New Releases list. You will only be contacted when I have a new book out.





Books for teens by C.J. Archer:

The Medium (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #1)

Possession (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #2)

Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #3)





Books for adults by C.J. Archer:

Her Secret Desire (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #1)

Scandal's Mistress (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #2)

To Tempt The Devil (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #3)

Honor Bound (The Witchblade Chronicles Book #1)