He motioned for towards the bottle. “I never told her.”
The barkeep shook his head. “If you’re in love with her, why aren’t you in the church now, taking her for yourself?”
Why wasn’t he? “Because she deserves better than being married to a village blacksmith.”
He harrumphed. “Shouldn’t she be the one to decide what she deserves?”
A series of shouts rose from the street, followed by rapid footfalls. The barkeeper scowled, then rushed to the door and threw it open. “Oy, Barney! What’s happened?”
“The bride took off running,” a boy, presumably Barney, called back. “She’s lookin’ all over for the man she loves.”
Will spun on the stool and nearly tumbled to the ground before scrambling to his feet. He crossed the room in three strides and threw himself, blinking, into the street. “The bride!” he shouted, gasping for breath. “Who did she say she’s looking for?”
The boy—the same one who’d been dodging kisses earlier, if he wasn’t mistaken—stared at him. “Some bloke with a donkey named…” He screwed up his face for an interminable moment, then broke into a smile as he remembered. “A bloke named Phil!” He gasped then pointed. “AreyouPhil?”
Will choked back a sob. “Yes—I mean, no, but yes—”
Barney grabbed Will’s hand and tugged, pulling him up the street and shouting, “Look! I’ve found Phil!”
Before he could correct the lad, Will was being dragged up the high street, stumbling to avoid stepping on the heels of the child half his size who possessed a remarkably forceful grip. Soon a motley parade of onlookers, mostly children, joined them, chanting, “Phil! Phil! Phil!” as they climbed.
He froze when he saw her, her fiery golden hair a gleaming beacon, her ethereal white gown surrounding her in a gossamer cloud as she pressed her hand to her brow and peered into a shop through the darkened window.
Before Will could even find words, Barney took matters into his own hands and lifted Will’s hand like a hunting trophy. “Oy, miss! We found your Phil!”
At the moment their eyes met, a bolt of electricity shot through him, stronger than any lightning strike. Her mouth worked before settling in a tentative smile, then she raised her hand and waved.
He didn’t remember starting to run, only the instant they collided, when he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. He felt her laughter, her tears, her kisses on his cheek, his neck.
When he reluctantly set her down—after she protested that she couldn’t breathe—he cupped her cheeks. “You didn’t marry your earl.”
She gave him a watery grin. “I didn’t.”
“For me?”
Her brow furrowed for a moment, and he nearly panicked. “Yes and no,” she said. “I did it for me. I couldn’t marry John when I didn’t know if… if you might love me.”
Her words struck him square in the chest and pushed the air from his lungs. “Adelaide, I’m sorry. I should have told you how I felt earlier. I love you, but I don’t know how to be enough for you.”
“No, Will.” She shook her head. “I always thought I was too much. Perhaps together we’re…”
“Perfect.” He kissed her then, and once more.
But her small hands pressed against his chest, putting space between them. “I’m angry with you. You let me go.”
“I didn’t think—” He broke off and gestured towards the chapel, where people were milling about and others coming their way, no doubt to gather gossip on the runaway bride. “I can’t offer you what you wanted, the name recognition and protection you need to write.”
She shook her head, clapped her hands on his shoulders, and held his gaze. “I don’t need anyone else to give those things to me. I am enough as I am. And everything I am wants you.”
His legs trembled, and he feared he might collapse to his knees at her feet. Perhaps that was where he should have been all along. “Marry me, please. Adelaide, will you be my bride?”
She stepped away, her brows furrowed. “Marryyou? Will, we’ve known each other for less than a week. I need more time.”
He laughed, feeling so light he wondered if he might float away. “How long will it take?”
She made a show of thinking, pressing a finger to her chin. “A year? Perhaps two?”
Will grinned as his future materialized in his mind. Years of laughter and her warmth. A family. The jagged edges of his heart snapped into place, their missing piece found at last. “I can’t wait that long.”
