“As a blacksmith?! You are supposed to be in London. You are—you are supposed to be a Duke!”
“Supposed to bea Dukewere five words I never cared for much,” he said flatly. “You told me to leave, and at first, your words made me angry. Got as far as the castle gates before the rage burned off and sense crept in. I saw the road stretching toward Glasgow… and further still. But I couldn’t take another step away from you. Not one.
“But I also knew you would resort to more drastic measures to see me on my way. So I took rooms at the Weaver’s Arms and found gainful employment here. I must think about our future living.”
“Ourfuture living?” she echoed, stunned.
“Aye,” he smirked. “I will not leave, no matter how hard you push. Deny me, scold me, send me packing, and I will simply follow you back to Yorkshire like a loyal hound.”
He pushed off the gate and stepped toward her. She retreated, one step, then another, the dirt road giving way to soft grass. Behind her, she could hear the soft murmur of the burn. In front of her, Seth—sweat-damp and stubborn, breathing like he’d been chasing her through dreams.
“I—I do not want you,” Charlotte tried to stammer.
“Lies,” Seth said softly.
“But… but, you cannot give up all that you have for me!’ she implored, voice rising. “Your title, your future—”
“I already have. It is done. The marriage clause expired days ago. There is nothing left to fight. You gave me a choice—Ducal inheritance or you. I chose you.”
Charlotte’s breath caught. She took a step back, but the ground slipped beneath her heel. She hadn’t noticed how close she’d come to the edge of the bank, and suddenly, the earth gave way. She let out a sharp gasp—but before she could fall, Seth moved. His arm wrapped around her waist, anchoring her, and he pulled her flush against him.
Suddenly, Charlotte was pressed against his hard, sweat-oiled body. Her hands were flat against his chest, drinking in the feel of his taut, overworked muscles. Before she knew what she was doing consciously, she was kissing him.
A weight lifted from her shoulders.
Amelia would live and be cared for by a doting husband. They would have an idyllic life, a long way from the shallow, fashion-obsessed politics of the capital.
And Charlotte had Seth. He had never left her, of course. But it felt as though he had. And for the two weeks that she had believed herself apart from him, Charlotte had felt as though part of herself was missing.
“Was it… was it you who brought a blanket for me earlier?” she breathed when the kiss broke.
“Of course. I did not want you catching another chill,” he chided gently, still holding her firmly against him. “You must take care of yourself.”
“You have been watching me?” She furrowed her brows.
“Every day,” he uttered with true solemnity. “I know that Amelia is recovered, or on the mend anyway. But I have been mostly concerned with you. I could not reside in this small place with you and not see you. I found ways to watch you when you thought yourself unobserved. It… it made the waiting for you to come to your senses just about bearable.”
He kissed her this time, tenderly but with tightly controlled passion just below the surface.
“Do you forgive me for deceiving you and for disobeying you?” he asked eventually.
Charlotte shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “No… it should be I seeking forgiveness. For trying to push you away. For… for lying that—”
“You are forgiven,” he answered automatically.
She looked into Seth’s eyes and wondered how she could have sent him away. He grinned, boyish and carefree, as though nothing had ever happened.
“What brought you to the smithy?” he asked.
“My horse has lost a nail in her shoe.”
“I will attend to it at once, my lady,” he replied.
“How long will it take?”
“It is not long, but I have a lot of work to get through today. That will take me into the evening. You could wait for me in my room at the Weavers if you like,” he offered.
Charlotte glanced across the green to the large, square building that stood at the crossroads leading to one of the two churches in the town. It seemed a clean, respectable place.
