He pulled her closer, feeling her tense. “You do?”
She nodded her head, so hard that her careful hairstyle started to unravel. “But it can never be,” she whispered, reaching up to touch his rough cheek. “You must leave Dunster today and never return. To remain would only cause us more pain.”
He completely ignored her request, his eyes riveted to her. He held her tightly by the upper arms and his great head dipped low, kissing her gently on the cheek, the nose. He felt her shudder against him before planting his lips on her soft, warm mouth. He kissed her more powerfully than he had ever kissed a woman in his life, tasting everything about her, experiencing her scent in his nostrils and her warmth in his hands, and he knew at that moment that he would never leave her, not ever. He was fused to her somehow and it could not be undone.
“I love you,” he murmured, his mouth against her. “Tell me you love me and I shall live on it the rest of my life.”
The tears streamed down her face. “I love you,” she whispered. “Oh, I do. You are my angel, Gart.”
“And you are mine,” he answered, kissing her chin. “Tell me that you want to be with me, forever.”
Emberley couldn’t stop herself from replying, feeling the bittersweet emotions exploding in her chest. “I want to be everything to you,” she whispered, kissing his mouth when it came close. “But it is not possible.”
“Anything is possible.”
She stopped returning his kisses, struggling to come to her senses and processing what he was saying.
“But I am already married,” she stated the obvious. “You and I cannot be together so long as Julian is my husband. What we feel… it is wrong.”
“It is not wrong.” Gart looked at her seriously. “True love is never wrong.”
“We are violating God’s law of marriage.”
“Julian violated that the moment he took his hands to you.” When she shook her head to dispute him, he continued strongly. “He took your marriage and stomped on it when he fornicated with the queen. Why would you be loyal to man who has only brought you pain and shame?”
She closed her eyes tightly and hung her head. “It is different and you know it,” she said softly. “If… if I shame him, he will kill me.”
Gart cooled. “He will not kill you because you will not return to him.”
Emberley’s expression tightened with confusion. “What do you mean I will not return to him?” she cocked her head, her hands on his face. “Gart, I have no choice. I am his wife and…”
“Nay,” he barked softly, cutting off her words. “You will never say that in my presence again. You are not his wife. You are simply contracted to the man, chattel and nothing more. From this moment on, you belong to me. Do you hear me? You are mine. Someday you will be my wife and that is the only time I will hear that word from your lips. It will be the proudest moment of my life.”
Emberley gazed at him, having no idea how to respond. Gart slanted his lips over hers, hungrily, tasting her deeply before pulling away. It wasn’t that he was afraid someone would see them but more that he was rather conservative with public displays of affection. What he felt for her wassomething treasured and private. Now that they had spoken of their feelings, he could still hardly believe it. He needed time to reconcile himself to the situation because his mind was muddled. He’d never been so confused or so happy in his entire life.
“Come along,” he kissed her gently again. “Let us find the children and eat with them.”
Weak and weary from the emotional whirlwind, Emberley did as she was told. When Gart reached out to grasp her hand, she let him.
“And then what?” she asked softly.
He looked at her. “What do you mean?”
She fixed him in the eye. “What will happen when we return to Dunster?” she wanted to know. “What will become of us?”
Gart didn’t know yet. But he was going to figure it out. Already, he knew it was going to be the fight of his life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
With three littleboys with belly aches as the result of too much roast pork and sweets, the party from Dunster Castle returned home that afternoon.
Emberley rode in the carriage, her sleeping daughter cradled against her, as the cab bumped over the road back to the castle. The boys were around her in various stages of discomfort and she found herself holding Orin as well as her daughter as they headed home. She was quiet, subdued, her mind mulling over the situation with Gart. She was sickened by it, confused, but also thrilled beyond measure. It was too good to be true yet tragic at the same time. Gart rode at the head of the column and she rode in the center. He never said a word to her the entire trip back.
Once at the castle, Gart disbanded the escort and returned to the carriage for Emberley and the children. Romney and Brendt were at the cab door as he approached and he was surprised that they were not clamoring to get out. They just stood there, looking at him, until he opened the door and lowered them to the ground one by one. Tired and nauseous, they simply stood there at his feet. Orin, with the big belly ache, was next and cried softly as Gart set him on his feet. He wasn’t happy in the least. Gerta, the fat old nurse with the thinning hair, was there to take charge of the children as Gart reached into the cab one last time to take the sleeping baby from Emberley.
Their eyes locked as he took the baby from her, bittersweet emotions passing between them even though no words were spoken. The air was heavy between them yet infinitely tender. Gart lowered his gaze as he collected the sleeping little girl against him, holding her carefully before passing her over to the nurse. Gerta took the little girl, kissed her sleeping head, and led the children back towards the keep.
Gart finally returned his attention to Emberley, still sitting in the cab. She had been watching him but when she realized it was just the two of them, she started collecting the booty around her. She was having difficulty meeting his eye, not knowing what to say to the man.
