“Adrian and I remember how to do it,” Marjorie said. “Besides, we need the practice more than you do.”
She and the other siblings looked at Elizabeth, who cleared her throat and glanced out the window.
“Ugh,” she said loudly. “It will be a long drive back to London.”
Stephen pressed his lips together at the unspoken rejection.Ugh, a long drive. Not:Ugh, how it pains me to leave you, Stephen.
“The torture will soon end,” Jacob said dryly. “All the swords you missed so much are at home in your armory waiting for you.”
Elizabeth brightened. “And I may have expropriated a new one to add to my collection.”
“The sword you defeated Reddington with?” Marjorie asked.
Elizabeth smiled. “The sword we all defeated Reddington with.”
Her siblings laughed and cheered.
Stephen wished he felt like laughing and cheering.
All this talk was an extended goodbye. A permanent goodbye. Not only wasn’t Elizabeth tearfully begging for their time not to come to an end, but she also hadn’t even bothered to inquire about Stephen’s direction so that they could exchange the occasional letter.
When the war ends, the soldiers go home.
And the tinker returns to solitude.
“Well,” said Tommy. “Shall we load up our carriages and hand the castle over to our client?”
Now? Already? They wouldn’t even pause for luncheon?
Stephen shot an anguished look over at Elizabeth. Her eyes were already on him. When their gazes met, she dropped hers at once… but not before he glimpsed a matching flash of torment. Or maybe her pain had nothing to do with him at all. Maybe it was the battle, catching up to her. Maybe what she really wanted was to be done with Dorset—and Stephen.
In any case, he couldn’t allow her to walk out of his life without at least trying to be part of hers.
He strode over to her. “Might we speak privately for a moment?”
She nodded and followed him into the castle’s corridor.
This was not the romantic setting of Stephen’s dreams. He wished he’d had time to construct an elaborate set, using every trick at his disposal to tip the odds in his favor. Instead, he was going to have to plead his case with nothing more than himself… and a flood of anxiety more suffocating than any he’d ever experienced before.
She raised her eyebrows at him.
He tried to remember how to speak. His usually deep voice came out in a croak. “Stay with me,” he blurted.
She took a step back. “None of us can stay. The castle belongs to Miss Oak now, remember? Footmen are readying my siblings’ carriages for the long drive home.”
“I know. My residence is in London, too. You could—” Stephen’swords bubbled in his stomach. He was botching this completely. Shite. He had to start anew. “Marry me. Please.”
She blinked. “What?”
He reached for her hands. “I have never known happiness like these weeks spent with you. Please allow me to devote the rest of our lives to making you just as happy. This hasn’t been a traditional courtship—”
“Duels, dungeons, and catacombs are thebestkind of courtship,” she assured him.
Some of his anxiety eased, and he lifted her hands to his mouth to kiss them. “You haven’t seen my home yet, but I hope you’ll love it. If there are any modifications you’d like me to make before you move in, just say the word and I’ll—”
Her smile vanished, replaced by a look of horror. “You want me to abandon my family?”
Stephen’s anxiety ratcheted up higher than before, making his muscles twitch with panic.
