“You are so bloody sweet,” he said raggedly. “If we don’t stop, I’m going to have you on this settee. And your brother will be back soon.”
Through the haze of passion, she said, “There is another reason why I had to come.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I had a vision of Rose last night. She had blood on her hands…belonging to Thomas. It must have been right after his murder, and she knew the villain was after her too. In the dream, I saw her hide a piece of paper inside the hollow of a tree. The yew tree where you and I first kissed. Do you remember it?”
“Of course.” Conrad’s grin was lazy. “I’ve entertained several fantasies involving you and that tree.”
Blushing, she said, “Owen and I went there, and we found the paper.”
He raised his brows. “What is on it?”
“It’s a special license. Rose and Thomas were married in secret, and guessing from the bloodstains on the paper, they gave their vows just before he died.”
“That is incredible,” he murmured.
“I think Thomas had been asking Rose to marry him, but she was afraid because of their differences in station. In my vision, I felt her regret—how she wished she’d said yes earlier. How she yearned to go back and change her decisions. Because she should have trusted in their love, you see.”
“Would that have made a difference?”
“Perhaps,” Gigi said earnestly. “Perhaps if Rose had married Thomas, she could have convinced him to take her away from Chuddums and start anew. But she was afraid of the differences between them, afraid of how others—her family and the villagers—would react. So she waited until it was too late. By then, Thomas had become convinced that the only way to gain her hand was to battle her past for her. He went to deal with the danger alone, when they should have faced it as a pair, and…well, you know the rest.”
“I think I understand, but I want to hear it from you.” Conrad’s gaze blazed with urgency. “Tell me why you’re here, Gigi.”
“I needed to know that you were safe,” she confessed. “I’ve been so worried since you left. I kept thinking, ‘What if something happens, and I never told Conrad…’”
“Tell me now,” he coaxed.
Although his words were soft, his face was carved with passionate intensity. All his focus was on her, and instead of being afraid, she gloried in it. Because he was everything to her, too.
“I love you.”
They were the easiest three words to say because they were true. Certainty filled her that no matter what the future held, she was meant to face it with this man. Her love, who was holding her hands tightly as if he feared she might flee or change her mind.
“I love you, Gigi,” he said. “So damned much.”
“I didn’t give you an answer before because I was afraid. But now I’m not,” she said. “I know what I want: a future with you. So the answer is yes…yes, I will marry you, Conrad.”
“You have made me the happiest of men.”
Seeing the smolder in his eyes, she tipped her head back for his kiss.
“Hold the thought. I’ll be right back.”
Bemused, she watched as Conrad hurried out of the room. He returned shortly, and before she could ask where he’d gone, he went down on one knee. Her heart fluttered when she saw what he held: a ring. And not just any ring—the most beautiful, extraordinary, extravagant ring she’d ever seen.
The center stone was a cushion-cut sapphire of at least three carats. What made it unique wasn’t just the clarity and size but also the color: deep violet with hints of royal blue. The rare, vibrant stone was complemented by dazzling, pear-shaped diamonds on either side. Only the finest craftsmanship could have produced the ring’s gold filigree setting, which had a delicate floral pattern. Then she saw the inscription inside the band and gurgled with laughter.
“‘For my sweet affliction’?”
“One for which I will never have a cure,” he said tenderly.
“This ring must have cost a fortune.”
“More or less,” he said dryly.
“I adore it!”
