But instead of throwing herself into his arms and screaming“Yes! Yes!”as he might have preferred—now, and in later scenarios—his love turned to her father.
Bull felt a moment’s panic, remembering Demon’s claim that he wasn’t good enough for her.
It was Lady Mistree who prompted an end to the silence. “Well, Your Grace? Are you planning on standing in the way of True Love?”
“Solipsistic bunglecunt!” the other man growled.
The old woman chuckled. “Oh, I like you. I can see why my Georgia chose you.”
As Bull watched with a frantically beating heart, Demon heaved a grand sigh and tugged his daughter around to face him. “I love ye, Rosie. My wee lassie,I love yemore than any other man could possibly love ye.” He muttered something inaudible under his breath, then glanced at Bull briefly before returning his focus to his child. “But when I saw how terrified this dobber was when ye were in danger…” He shrugged with a weary sigh. “Well, I suspect maybe ye’ve found the one other man who can come close.”
It took a moment for Bull to work his way through that convoluted sentence; when he did, his smile grew at the same moment Rose sucked in a happy gasp.
“I love you, Da!” she cried, throwing her arms around her father.
Demon buried his head in her hair and wrapped his arms around her. Bull expected him to keep her there for as long as possible, holding onto that last unattached hug until forced to release her, but soon enough the older man grunted and pulled back, placing his hands on his daughter’s arms and staring into her eyes—eyes identical to his.
“Go on, then,” he mumbled with reddening cheeks. “Find yer forever.”
It was a beaming Rose who turned back to Bull, and his chest expanded with the possibilities.
The ring still sat in his palm, an offering to her. “Rose, I love ye. I love the way yesee me, the way ye throw yerself into everything ye do with all yer heart. I love that ye learned to cheat at cards and how to pick pockets and how to play a role and how to wear a costume to become another person and how to kiss.”
“Wait, what?” growled Demon suspiciously.
Bull ignored him, smiling into Rose’s tear-filled eyes. “I love that ye are brave and tenacious, and the smartest person I ken, including Rupert. I dinnae ken if the future will take us back to London to solve more cases, or to start a fashion line, or write a book on art together, or to learnhow to beg if I lose all our clients. But I do ken that I want to share it with ye, nae matter what we do or where we go.”
“Oh, Bull,” Rose breathed, those tears finally spilling down her cheeks as her fingers pressed to her lips. “You mean it? You really love me? You want me to join your detective agency?”
“Like hell,” Demon growled, and Bull’s grin grew.
“How could I no’, my love?” He stepped forward and peeled her shocked hands away from her mouth, cradling them and the ring between them. “I was a fool to think I could do this alone, to think I could ignore ye and my feelings for ye. I love ye, Rose, and I want to spend forever with ye.”
“You are myfavoriteforever,” she breathed just before she threw herself into his arms. “Yes! I would be honored to marry you, Bull!”
Relief, relief such as he had never imagined settled into Bull’s chest as he claimed her lips, and she was smiling as she surged up to meet him.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed as he lost himself in the feel of her, the all-consuming taste of her, but eventually Demon’s quiet cursing broke through his bliss. When Bull finally pulled away, it was to find the older man glaring at him.
“Learn to beg?My Rosie’s a duke’s daughter, ye pugnacious turdgoblin! If ye dinnae plan on providing for her in the manner?—”
“Da,” Rose interrupted, beaming. “I am a very unusual kind of duke’s daughter. You are an unusual duke, and I am about to become a detective!”
“Or a seamstress,” Bull teased her, gathering her close and reveling in her warmth. “Remember what ye said about my talents in fashion.”
“Oh, yes, good point.” Rose pretended to consider the possibilities. “I think, with your charm and ability to make friends, and my eye for art, we should be able to make ends meet?—”
“Dinnae forget yer book.” Bull kept a serious face as he ignored Demon’s low, continuous growl. “Everyone kens that authors instantly become famous fashion icons as soon as they publish a book, and are absolutely able to sustain themselves and their families on those stupendous royalties.”
Rose burst into giggles. “Oh yes, my book on art theory! Will you help me write it? I will need someone to intimidate gallery owners and?—”
“And that’s before we return to my pickpocketing ways and infiltrate Society,” Bull said, struggling to keep the serious expression on his face but putting in the extra effort, just to infuriate Demon. Hell, his future father-in-law. “Diamonds and pearls and pocketwatches?—”
“Insidious shiteweasel! Toad-spotted cuntdouche!” Demon finally burst out, looking as if he wanted to snatch Rose back home and forbid her from ever leaving again. “Ye’re going to support yerself by sewingclothes?” He glared at Bull. “Ye’re going to force my precious bairn towork?—”
Their laughter drowned out his anger, and Lady Mistree stopped them all with a gentle hand wave. When they turned to her, she pushed herself upright, away from the pillows in her chair.
“I might be able to soothe your worries, Demon,” she murmured. “At least, some of them. I still have one last inheritance to bestow.”
