She was right. It was dark. Nothing could be mailed until dawn. Theo pushed the papers aside. There was plenty of time to think about the right words while he enjoyed a quiet dinner with Virginia. He turned to smile at her.
Her face had gone ashen.
His stomach tumbled in alarm. “What is it?”
“You’re not the only one in the paper.” Her voice shook.
“They wrote about you?” he asked in surprise.
She shook her head. “My sister.”
He yanked the paper in front of him and scanned until he found the wordUnderwood.
It seemed Miss Vera Underwood, youngest daughter and the last of her siblings to marry, was now betrothed to a baron. Theo frowned in confusion.
Last of three unwed daughters.
“How many sisters do you have?” he asked.
“Three.” Her brittle smile did not reach her eyes. “There are four of us. I guess I’ve been dead far longer than you.”
Theo pulled her into his arms. It was time to come back alive.
Chapter 11
Virginia had come to think of the Duke of Azureford’s cottage as a second nest.
For days, Theodore had been taking extra care of her. After a whirlwind fortnight of sleigh rides, lazy afternoons, and romantic dinners, the sting of Virginia’s parents writing her off as dead had begun to fade. No matter what her family wished, she was very much alive. And happier than she’d ever been back then.
Theodore was incredibly sweet and considerate. What had begun as afternoon constitutionals had turned into all day affairs lasting well past sundown. Her only complaint was that her time with him could not last forever.
His knee was about as healed as it would ever get. Once Theodore realized he would never be rid of the brace, he would also realize there was nothing else Virginia could do for him. No reason to stay in Christmas. Back home, he had people who loved him, missed him, worried about him.
He belonged elsewhere. And so did she.
She rose from the chaise longue they’d been sharing in his private parlor. “It’s late. I should go.”
“Wait.” His fingertips brushed her arm. “I’ve been working up to something all week. I wanted to wait until I could do this.”
He unhooked his leg brace and placed it on the floor.
Virginia watched as he rose to his feet, favoring his good leg.
She forced a smile and gestured at the discarded brace. “If you don’t need that, you no longer need me. Is that what you wanted me to see?”
“The opposite.” His dark gaze focused on her. “I’m trying to do this right.”
He dropped to bended knee. Although Theodore could not hide a wince of pain, he did not budge from the uncomfortable position. Instead, he reached for her hand.
“Miss Virginia Underwood,” he began, his voice low and warm.
“W-wait,” she stammered, her words faint. “What is happening?”
“I’m proposing,” he whispered. “Be quiet until I finish. This bit is nerve-wracking.”
Her lungs caught. Hecouldn’tbe proposing. Not to her. No one wanted to keep her. Yet her pounding heart wanted so much to believe.
“Miss Virginia Underwood,” he said again. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hands then placed her fingers to his chest. “Please say that you will make me the happiest of men and become my wife, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, now and forevermore.”
