He supposed that she did, but he was not going to be a coward any longer. “Eliza, I love you, and I have likely been in love with you for ten blasted years but pretended that I wasn’t.”
Her smile grew larger.
“I will never, ever forget you, in that you have my promise. All I want is for you to marry me, live here, and be my wife.”
Instead of answering him, Eliza threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Oh, Lucian, I love you too, and likely have for ten years.”
Those were the sweetest words that she could have ever said to him and Lucian wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him.
“I know you lead an adventurous life, and I do not. I hope you can be happy here.”
She pulled back and grinned. “Who says we will not have adventures?”
“I am an earl with responsibilities and an estate.”
“And four brothers and it is time that you stopped being a grumpy recluse.”
Lucian groaned.
“I promise you will have fun,” she whispered.
Likely he would, when he wasn’t worrying about what she might do next.
“Does that mean that you will marry me?”
“Yes!” She grinned and leaned in to kiss him.
“Let us go back to the house,” Lucian said. He couldn’t help but smile. Eliza loved him too. He had hoped to win her heart fully one day, but he already had it.
“Not yet,” Eliza said.
“Why?”
“I have not searched the rest of the cave. Only one side.”
“We will search tomorrow,” he promised. “We are needed back at the manor.”
Eliza looked back then nodded. “Tomorrow.”
Eliza had been shakenby her encounter with Seeton, and afraid because she hadn’t known what had become of the footmen, but she had also been determined to get away. She would have managed to do it too, if Lucian hadn’t come to her rescue.
At least, she hoped she would have managed to escape.
She’d also never been so happy to see Lucian in her life either. He had come to her rescue. It was the first time anyone had, or the first time that she had ever needed anyone to do so.
Not only had he been there, but he loved her.
Lucian loved her and that was the reason he wanted to marry her, not because they had been intimate, or because she was ruined.
Hand in hand they walked back to the manor, but as soon as they entered, Stella was at her side and pulled her into the sitting room and placed a tea service on the table. She also asked question after question, then scolded, even though had it been Garretson with her he could have been injured. Except, he would have been inside the cave with her so Seeton may not have approached, but he would have still waited until she was eventually alone.
Lucian had gone off to question Seeton, a man he had known his entire life. Also, someone he had always thought was odd, or so he had told Eliza when he returned.
The constable had taken him away and would see that he was tried for assaulting the footmen, but there wasn’t much that could be done about the disturbing letters and Eliza had not really been harmed.
They then waited for the doctor to finish examining the footmen, who thankfully would recover.
It was late before they finally dined and then found their beds and Eliza lay there in the darkness thinking about how much had happened that day, from a proposal to near kidnapping.
