Then he threw his arms around her, pulling her close so he could kiss her. He was no less comfortable, but the prospect of relief was as near as full daylight.
When they had to stop for breath, he stared at her, amazed. ‘You came for me.’
‘I would have the first time, as well,’ she said. ‘If I had known you as I do now.’
‘I was not worthy of you,’ he said. ‘I still am not…’
She put a finger to his lips. ‘I refuse to hear another word of such nonsense. You are the only man who showed the slightest interest in what might make me happy.’
He reached to take her hand, pulling it away from his mouth only to bring it back for a kiss. ‘You shall have everything you want, if you will only be mine.’
‘Then, I do not want to live in London,’ she said.
‘We must be there for the Season,’ he said. ‘But the rest of the year will be spent at my home in Leicestershire.’
‘I thought you did not like the place,’ she said.
‘If you are there, it will be paradise,’ he replied, kissing her again. ‘You shall have a beehive as a wedding gift.’
‘Tempting,’ she said, smiling. ‘And I will allow no more nonsense from you. No foolish self-destruction, no dueling, no scandal.’
‘I shall be as boring as your brother is now,’ he said, placing her hand on his heart. ‘You will even sleep unmolested until we are properly married.’
‘Do not take your reformation too far,’ she said. ‘We are on our way to Scotland. And I meant every word of what I said earlier,’ she said, settling more comfortably onto his lap. ‘Do as you will with me, you horrible man.’
It was a dream come true. Then, he remembered how he’d expected the day to end and moaned in frustration. ‘My darling. My sweet, sweet love. We cannot simply go to Gretna.’
‘Hmm?’ she said, running a hand down his chest to the buttons on his vest.
‘We have no clothes. I did not bring my purse. I was going to my death, this morning. I am totally unprepared.’
‘Do you have the ring?’ she said, patting his pockets.
‘I have carried it everywhere since the day you left me,’ he said.
‘Then we have everything we need. Thanks to Banks my reticule is full and a hamper had already been packed in the carriage.’ She pointed to a wicker basket on the floor. ‘He would probably claim it was for my trip home, but there are two glasses for the wine.’
‘Good old Banks,’ Sebastian said.
‘Also bread and cheese. And I believe there are strawberries.’
‘I love strawberries,’ he said. ‘And you, of course.’ He sighed and kissed her again. ‘I love you. Have done from the first.’ He looked past her to the hamper on the floor of the carriage, rummaged around a bit and produced a berry, dangling it in front of her mouth.
She pulled her lips back and tipped her head up so she could grab it with her teeth, sucking for a moment before taking a bite.
He growled. ‘For a vicar’s daughter, you are surprisingly skilled at seduction.’
‘You would know,’ she said, narrowing her eyes. ‘You have far too much experience on the subject.’
‘Only because I wished to be ready when the right woman came along,’ he said. ‘I wanted to be worthy of her.’
‘And am I the right woman?’ she said, finishing the berry and licking her lips.
‘The one and only,’ he assured her.
‘Good. Because I might have been infatuated with you a year ago. But now, I have fallen in love. It does not matter that I know you are wicked. I am yours.’
‘All that is over.’ He laid his hand on his heart. ‘Now that I have you, I will live a life of good works, sobriety and fidelity. And I will give up the lease on the Soho apartment, the minute we return to London.’
