Surely, she had not heard him correctly just now.
“Uhmm . . .” She looked up to meet his blue eyes. “Could ye . . . could ye repeat yourself, Captain? I fear I dinnae—”
“Iammaking a hash of this, dash it all.” He ran what appeared to be an unsteady hand through his hair. “I am not the most eloquent of men. I am a soldier—battle-worn, tired, and aging each day. But as I’ve been struggling to explain, I can offer you steadfastness of character, respectability, and a comfortable house of your own. A home to manage as you wish. Miss Leah Penn-Leith . . . will you marry me?”
Shock rooted Leah in place.
Had he . . .
Marry?!
Her?!
But . . .
But—
Leah could only blink, too stunned to utter a word.
She wanted to scour the room, to see if Ethan had returned from London to play a cruel prank. To find Malcolm and have him assure her that, no, she had not just descended into madness.
Captain Fox Carnegie.
TheFox Carnegie.
Had just askedher, Leah Penn-Leith, to be his wife?
Hiswife?!!
Leah pressed her palm to her stomach.
Not a housekeeper.
Not a matchmaker.
Awife.
Unbidden her eyes darted to him, skimming up and down his body—broad shoulders, lean torso, long legs.
That they would . . .
That he would . . .
Husband?!
A furious blush scorched her skin, tying her tongue.
Longingflooded in behind it.
YES!She wanted to shout her acceptance, committing him to her before he changed his mind.
Oh! How many nights had she lain awake, wondering what it would feel like to be any man’s wife . . . but now, to bethisman’s wife? To know the decadent thrill of his kiss, the press of his fingers on her skin, the weight of his body on hers?
To have a person—thisperson—at her side?
Despite the fumbling manner of his proposal and their lack of any real acquaintance, she yearned for the life he offered.
She closed her eyes, as if that would somehow stem the ache behind her eyelids.
