Page 83 of Bound to the Blind Duke

Laurence looked over at them, his arms still around Joan’s waist. “What are you all gossiping about?”

“Nothing!” they chorused quickly.

Octavia, desperate to change the subject, blurted out, “I was thinking, I’d like to teach at the school. I learned mathematics from my tutors, and I believe I could be useful with the children.”

Joan’s face lit up. “Octavia, that would be wonderful! I plan to resume teaching soon, and having your help would be-”

“You will not be resuming teaching soon,” Laurence interrupted firmly. “We have a honeymoon to attend to first.”

Joan blushed scarlet. “Laurence! Not in front of…”

Hugo burst out laughing. The others quickly made their excuses and drifted away, leaving the newlyweds alone, or as alone as one could be in a ballroom full of guests.

Laurence leaned close to Joan’s ear. “I haven’t had a moment alone with you since this morning. Come with me.”

“Now? But the guests…”

“Can celebrate without us for a little while.” He took her hand and led her purposefully toward the doors.

They slipped out into the corridor and made their way to the waiting carriage. The moment they were both inside with the door closed, Laurence pulled Joan onto his lap and kissed her with the hunger he’d been restraining all day.

Joan melted into him, her arms wrapping around his neck as he pressed her back against the plush seat. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck just below her ear.

“You smell divine,” he murmured against her skin. “Like flowers and happiness.”

He pulled back just enough to kiss the tip of her nose, his expression tender now. “I’m blessed to have married you. Blessed beyond measure.”

Joan cupped his face in her hands and she stroked his scars. “I’ve never been this happy. Sometimes I think this must be a dream, that I’ll wake up and find none of it was real.”

Laurence leaned closer, his forehead resting against hers. “It’s not a dream, Joan. This is real. We are real. And I intend to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”

He captured her lips again, and Joan lost herself in the kiss, in the warmth of his embrace, in the beat of his heart against hers, in the certainty that she had finally, finally found where she belonged.

She had learned not to hope, not to dream, not to want anything for herself. But now, in Laurence’s arms, Joan allowed herself to want everything. And for the first time in her life, she believed she might actually have it.

The End?