“I do?”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and she saw the fear then. His fear for her.
“You do.” His lips were soft on hers, but the arms that held her were like bands of iron.
“I love you, Zach.”
“Well now, this is about time,” Monty said from behind them.
“More than overdue,” Nathan added.
Turning, she found both men smiling.
“Let’s go home,” Zach said, still holding her.
While Monty sat inside the carriage with Moulin’s body and a trussed-up Francine, Nathan rode beside the carriage and the now subdued driver back to London.
Mary sat before Zach on his horse, happy just to be in his arms until they reached the Blake town house. Dismounting, Zach lifted her down.
“Thank you. I can take it from here, Zach.”
“No, you can’t.” He took her hand in his and led her to the front door. “You’re not alone anymore, my love.” It opened before he could knock.
“Mary! Where have you been. Aggie came home without you. She said you’d gone shopping. It was most odd. Surely, she should have gone with you?” Lady Blake said. “And you, sir, why are you holding my daughter’s hand?”
“If I may come inside, I can explain,” Zach said.
As Mary’s head was sore and her entire body ached, she didn’t have the energy to fight him when he nudged her before him through the door.
“Hello, Zach,” Phillipa said. Her eyes then went to their hands and narrowed.
“Is your father at home, Phillipa?”
“I am,” Lord Blake said, appearing.
“If I may have a word, sir?” Zach asked.
Lord Blake’s eyes went from Mary’s rumpled form to Zach, and he smiled. “Perfect. Come along then, young man. I have been waiting to have another male in my household.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
Since he’d asked Lord Blake for his youngest daughter’s hand in marriage three days ago, Zach had not seen Mary. Because of her bruises, she had not left her home because her mother forbade it. Dimity and the others had seen her, but Zach had been tidying up loose ends for Alexius.
He, his family, and Montgomery had worked tirelessly to track down Caldwell who had gone on the run clearly having realized his identity as the Alexius traitor had been exposed. They had found him near the coast about to board a ship to France. He was now being dealt with by Geraint and the king. It would not go well for the peer, and soon he would likely be hanged as the treasonous bastard he was, alongside the man he’d kept from the hangman’s noose, Falcon.
Just the thought of that man having Mary in his sights enraged Zach. But she was safe and always would be.
Zach climbed the tree to the branch, then sat and edged along it like he’d seen Mary do. He then stepped onto the narrow ledge and pulled himself up to the window.
He’d never loved a woman so deeply it felt as if that love was etched inside him. But it was exactly that with Mary. He missed her with a deep ache that he couldn’t assuage. He needed to see her. Craved her.
It was dark, midnight, and seventy-two hours after he’d watched that carriage take Mary from him. He and Nathan had followed as it left London, and terror was the only word he could give for what he’d experienced in that moment. He’d only just realized the love he had for her, and someone had tried to take her from him.
Zach had told Nathan he would, in that moment, have given his life for hers to see her safe.
Of course, it hadn’t come to that. His brave girl had come flying out of the carriage door with a murderous fiend, causing Zach’s heart to clench in fear as she’d hit the ground.
“Safe,” he reminded himself again. She was now safe and always would be.
