“Because Miss Dane ordered us to behave!”
“And today, you didn’t say a word about Rydell’s column.”
“What? What did he write?”
“That you’re in love with Lydia.”
He laughed. “And youbelievedthat malicious nincompoop?”
“Peter,” she said, very seriously, “you know how the Vows work. You know there was no guarantee that you would still feel the same way about me afterward.”
He had no counter to that. God, of course she had wondered and worried and finally thought the worst. The inability to talk freely had let this fester for days.
“You couldn’t fall in love of your own free will before, and now you can,” she added. “So yes, I did believe Rydell might be right. Whywouldn’tyou have wanted the most beautiful and accomplished woman in town?”
He pulled her close. “That woman is you.You.” At her soft snort, he said, “No, listen. Besides the fact that I would never fall for someone who looks so much like your mother, there’s no one who compares with you. You brew better than I do, you get angry crowds to see things your way, you deliver babies, you saved everyone in downtown Washington from instantaneous death—you savedme—and if you could still feel my emotions, you would have no doubt.”
She said nothing for a moment, her arms tight around him. Then she replied, “It was justonebaby.”
It seemed a good sign that she was now finding the humor in the situation, but he wasn’t willing to assume anything at this point. “Tell me you believe that I love you.”
“Yes.” She caressed his cheek. “I do. But could you explain why you were so upset when you proposed? Youwere. It was obvious.”
“Yes, I was. Because it had just occurred to me that you didn’t want to get married and you were being forced into it by circumstances.”
She pulled back. “What? When did I tell you I didn’t want to marry you?”
“In Croft’s shop. The very first day I came back.”
“I most certainly didnot?—”
“No, no, I mean—you said you didn’t want to marry anyone. That you preferred having your life and finances under your own control.”
She let out a sound that was almost a laugh. “My God, I did. I’d completely forgotten about that. So when you sat here and offered me a different sort of marriage, you meant a marriage ofequals?—”
“Yes, and you thought I meant … What? A marriage in name only while I cavorted with yoursister?”
“That about covers it.”
He shook his head. “After all we’ve been through together, you really should have given me a bit more credit than that.”
“We’ve been through Plan B.” He could hear the emotion in her voice. “You can’t tell me that doesn’t bother you anymore. I betrayed your trust—youtoldme that.”
He fumbled for the switch and turned on the light. Her face was streaked with tears.
“Yes.” He took her hands. “And I betrayed your trust first. You forgave me, so why can’t I do as much for you?”
She opened her mouth to respond, hesitated, and closed it. Then she stepped into his arms and kissed him. It was a slow kiss, a full-of-meaning kiss. By the time they went back to their dinner, the food was cold.
He didn’t care.
“When will you marry me?” he said. “How about tomorrow?”
“Well,” she said, her lovely crooked smile playing on her lips, “I have so much to do still. Centerpieces to arrange and a dress to buy and?—”
“Tell me with a straight face that you care about any of that,” he said, grinning.
“Not even a little! But a marriage license is rather important, and we’ll have to wait until Monday to get it.”
