She blinked to clear her thoughts and smiled at him. He still made her heart race. “Of course.”
“Let’s go for a walk in the garden,” he suggested, taking her hand as she hurried to him.
She heard the other women swooning and sighing over Simon. She wasn’t jealous. They were old, powdered, married ladies. No one had ever made her jealous. Except Miss Ramsey that day in the hall while they shared laughter over a kitten. Buther brother had vanquished every doubt about to whom Miss Ramsey was losing her heart. She may be poor and she may have come here to take Benjamin’s money, but she looked at him the way Prudence looked at Simon.
He led her to the garden outside and turned to her. She looked up at him knowing and loving every inch of his face, every curve of his lips and how they felt against hers.
He pulled something from his coat and took her hand. “Prudence, marry me today.” He held a small box open before her. In it was a ring–
“I’ll extend my leave,” he vowed, handing her the ring. “We’ll go home to Sudbury and you can make it our home until I come back to you. It’s time, my love.”
It was time. Benjamin must have told him something–that he no longer needed her.
“More than anything I want to be your wife. Let me just get Ben–
He shook his head. “Ben has fallen in love with Miss Ramsey, Prudence. Can’t you see it?”
“Yes, but that will wear off.”
“Has it worn off for you?” he asked.
She stopped arguing lest he believe it had. “No, my love. It never will.”
“Then trust the man with whom you share blood.”
“But, Simon, what if he loses everything?”
“If that happens, be grateful he’s with a woman who knows how to live with nothing. But he’ll never have nothing. Not as long as I live.”
She looked up into his eyes and then threw herself into his arms.
While he held her and then placed the ring on her finger, she thought about what the ladies meant about Miss Ramsey disappearing. Should she tell Simon? Her brother? Or maybethis was the answer to her prayers. Miss Ramsey would no longer be a concern and Prudence would have had nothing to do with it.
#
Ben watched her move toward the kitchen, then hurried forward and grabbed her wrist to stop her just before she entered.
“I thought you were hungry?” she asked.
He smiled and dipped his gaze to her throat like a wolf that hadn’t eaten in a week.
She squeaked with surprise and excitement when he swooped down on her. Narrowly escaping, she took off running. Ben grinned watching her departure. He drew his bottom lip between his teeth and then gave chase.
He couldn’t stop the thought of his thrilling victory with her alone in the vacant east wing–where she was heading. All day, while he was stuck entertaining boring noblemen, his thoughts were with Fable and the night they spent together on the floor in his study and then in his bed. She was bold and playful, innocent and yet purposefully alluring and unashamed. She thrilled him. He couldn’t get enough of her and after talking through the night and making love in between, he wasn’t done.
He almost caught her twice and basked in the sound of her laughter. He could have outrun her, but what fun would that be? They passed a few servants, who stopped what they were doing to watch them in stunned silence.
When Ben saw a large set of wooden double doors, he sped up, took Fable’s hand and led her the rest of the way. He pushed open the doors and pulled her inside and into her arms.
“Where are we?” She giggled into his mouth when he kissed her.
“It’s a guest room that probably hasn’t been occupied since the house was built for my father.” He looked around,trying to see into the shadows the shuttered windows created. “I think it’s used for storage now.”
“Are there candles?” she asked into his chest. “I want to know for certain that no one is watching us.”
He checked around and found some candles and lit two then inspected every corner. When he came to the last wall, he turned to toss her a reassuring smile. They were alone. There were paintings resting against the wall. His candles fell on a painting of a face that still haunted his dreams. He went still. His father. How long had this been here? He would have it brought to his rooms tomorrow. For now, he turned it around to face the wall, and not him…or her.
He turned to smile at her.
