She could not quell the sorrow rising within her, taming the wild burst of happiness she had experienced earlier when they had been cycling together. “I do in the eyes of the law and the church.”
“Then we will change that.” He kissed the bridge of her nose. “I will not lose you, Tilly.”
“You will never lose me.” Her arms went around his neck, holding him close. Despite the discomfort of their wet garments, she felt at home here, his heart thudding solidly against hers, his strength calming her. “This I vow to you.”
He buried his face in her hair, then kissed the crown of her head. “And you will never lose me. No matter what becomes of us, no matter what we have to face, we will do it together.”
“Together,” she agreed, liking the sound of that.
The future did not seem so grim, her independence so unattainable, with the man in her arms promising to fight for it with her. Their love was strong enough to unite them. She had to believe there was hope for them.
If there was no hope, what did she have left? What did either of them have?
She thought about all he had revealed to her in the temple—his dead wife and son. He had been through so much pain and loss. She would not be the cause of more for him.
His hands traveled up and down her spine in a soothing caress. “I will do everything in my power to free you from him, Tilly.”
She believed him. She trusted him. Shelovedhim. She tilted her head back, falling into the brilliance of his stare.
Tilly nodded. “I know you will, and I shall do the same. What you told me earlier in the temple…”
His jaw tightened. “I should not have burdened you with my past sorrows.”
“Of course you should have,” she said softly. “I am glad you did. Thank you for trusting me. For telling me. I want to know everything there is to know about you, Robin Carstairs.”
Something in his expression shifted. His lips thinned. He stiffened in her arms. “In time.”
He had secrets, this man who had unexpectedly stolen her heart. There was more pain locked inside him, she felt certain. Old wounds which needed healing. When he was ready to share them with her, she would be ready and waiting. He was such a wonderful, kind, patient man, with a good heart. He had not deserved the pain he had been dealt. Nor had he deserved to find himself in the position in which he found himself now, being forced into a clandestine arrangement with his uncle’s wife.
“You may have as much time as you need,” she told him.
He took her lips in a swift kiss, before withdrawing. His mood had shifted, and she sensed him closing up, the walls of his guard he had let down on their cycle tour going back up once more. She mourned the loss of the closeness, but she also understood that he had shared a big part of himself with her earlier and she must not press him for all his secrets. His truth would reveal itself eventually.
He gave her a charming grin. “Thank you, love. Now what do you say to getting out of these sodden cycling costumes and into a nice, warm bath?”
She smiled back at him, thinking that her love for him grew with each day they were together, every moment, smile, touch. Her heart felt as if it could burst. “I say that sounds wonderful.”
Hastily, she finished composing her message for Longleigh. More time, she thought, repeating Robin’s earlier words. No amount of time with Robin would ever be enough. But she would start with one additional month.
Chapter 9
Please see that the discussed course of action is prepared.
~letter from the Duke of Longleigh to The Honorable Mr. George Shaw
Tilly was naked and soft and lush beneath him, their bodies pressed together in his bed in the emerald chamber. Heaven except for the brutal reminder churning mockingly through Adrian’s mind.
She is still the Duchess of Longleigh.
One month had turned into three. Summer had turned into autumn. And still, Adrian and Tilly had remained wrapped up in each other, spending each day together. Longleigh had been preoccupied with his yacht, sailing it in a series of races. He had been amenable to allowing the affair to continue in his absence, so long as the desired outcome was achieved.
That was how the bastard had phrased it.
The desired outcome.
Adrian had been unable to contain his rage. Thinking of it again now, as he was poised to make love to Tilly, cooled his ardor considerably. So too the word they had received today, that Longleigh had returned from his seafaring jaunts and intended to take up residence at Coddington Hall within the week.
Their time was coming to an end.
