Catherine’s hands clenchedin her lap. The woman was just as insufferable as she recalled from her first and only meeting, the one with her mother present. This time, however, Catherine actually had someone who was willing to fight on her behalf: her husband.
Sitting up a bit straighter, she pierced the lady with a glare and waited for the moment she might intercede.
“We were curious”—Benjamin glanced at Catherine—“why you chose to partner us with one another and not other people?”
The lady seemed annoyed, her eyes narrowed slightly. “It is my job to decipher who might be compatible. I fear there is nothing else to it. No magic wand or crystal ball that shows me the outcomes. I rely solely on the keen observation ofothers. Is that all?”
“No,” he said. Catherine was proud of the firm tone in Benjamin’s voice. “I understand that matchmaking is a service you provide, and it appears to have worked quite well for you. My question is: what, specifically, caused you to place Catherine in my path?”
Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s head shifted from one to the other, and Catherine could have sworn she could almost see the intelligence in the wizened eyes she imagined lay behind the veil. Without replying directly, the lady opened one of her desk drawers and began to withdraw several small miniatures. As she began to lay them all out in a neat row, she said, “These are all of the people who have come to me for assistance. To others, like your stepsister, Beatrice, I chose offer my services to because I had a great respect for Laird Garrison and I believed they would be a good match.” She shrugged. “Again, if you are looking for some sort of spell that I cast to bring people together, I fear it’s just as simple as that.” She tilted her head to the side and continued to display the small framed miniatures. “When it came to you and Catherine, I could see her fiery spirit of rebellion, and combined with your resilience with overcoming much adversity and strife, I assumed that you would be a good fit.” She laid down the last portrait and they completely covered her massive desk. “Or was I wrong?”
Catherine opened her mouth, but nothing emerged. She wasn’t quite sure what to say that would paint the lady’s actions in a bad light. In all honesty, Catherine finally realized that the Black Widow had chosen well. Quite remarkably, in fact.
Catherine wanted to laugh at how absurd they must sound and all because she’d been too afraid to take a risk on her love for Benjamin. For someone who had a fiery spirit, she hadn’t been keen on fighting for what she wanted. Instead, she’d wanted to focus on the negative aspects of her union with Benjamin, rather than being grateful that he’d rescued her when she hadn’t known she’d needed his helping hand.
Rising to her feet, she said, “We thank you for your time, Mrs. Dove-Lyon, but we wouldn’t want to take up any more of it. Good day.” She turned to Benjamin and although he wore a puzzled look on his face, he stood and followed her out into the street.
“Catherine? What the devil has gotten into you to—”
She kissed him soundly on the mouth, in full view of the passing occupants of London. She didn’t care who witnessed them, nor did she care about anything but getting him alone. “Take me to bed,” she whispered.
His brows rose, but he didn’t argue as he helped her into the carriage and gave the driver the address to Mivart’s Hotel.
Clothes were quickly removed and as the couple came together, Catherine’s heart overflowed with bliss. “If I weren’t already increasing,” she said, breathing heavily, “we would make a baby tonight.”
Benjamin’s brows lifted. “I like the way you think, my dear.”
She kissed him soundly and although she wanted to continue their current play, she forced herself to pull back and look into his face. Smiling down at him, wrapped in each other’s arms without a stitch on, she whispered the words she was no longer afraid to utter. “I love you.”
He blinked, the surprise evident in his adoring dark eyes. “Are you… sure?”
She laughed, feeling free and unburdened for the first time in months. Perhaps for her entire life. “Yes, you foolish man.”
He still looked conflicted. “But why?”
“‘Why’?”
“Yes.” His focus turned distant. “You know my past, about how I imprisoned Beatrice to get her out of the way and how I seduced her best friend as a way to strike back at her.” He shook his head. “I have not been a good person, nor do I deserve anyone’s love. Yours, least of all.”
She grasped his face with both of her hands to ensure she had hisfull attention. “You listen to me, Benjamin Alexander Fontaine, Baron Fontaine. My love does not come easily, nor do I offer it to you lightly. I understand that you had some shortcomings in the past, but you have changed. I can see that. Iknowyou want to be a better person and I believe that people deserve a second chance. It may be difficult to believe that there are less than perfect people who survive each day in the world, but it’s true. You are not the only one who has made mistakes and lives with regret for the choices they have made.” She put a hand to her slightly rounded abdomen and added, “I have regrets for this child just because I was too rebellious not to see that the man I would love with all of my heart would soon be in my life. But then, I am not sure we would have ever been introduced otherwise. For that reason alone, I am grateful for the life that we will soon build together. As afamily.”
He swallowed hard and then lifted a shaky hand to thread his fingers through her hair. “I am terrified to allow myself to enjoy our time together too much. If it gets ripped away—”
Catherine was humbled by the sheen of moisture in his gaze. “It won’t. I will deliver a perfectly healthy baby and we will expand the nursery for many years to come.”
He exhaled and pulled her down to capture her lips with his. “I hope that you’re right,” he whispered. “Because I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. I would be irrevocably broken. Because I love you. So much that it hurts.”
Her heart thrilled at his words as she slid a hand down between them. Grasping his member, she began to stroke him back to life. “Then let me ease your pain.”
His eyes glittered as they lit on her. “I approve. Wholeheartedly.”
Epilogue
Four months later…
Another scream rentthe air as Benjamin lifted a hand to down the brandy in his grasp in one scorching gulp. However, it was slowly starting to dull his senses enough that he could throw a decent amount back without too much difficulty.
“Everything is going to be fine,” said his brother-in-law. Benjamin looked over at Rowan Scott, Laird Garrison, and gave a light snort. The man was imposing with his stern glare. “I understand this moment is filled with additional tension, considering your previous…circumstances, but Catherine is a strong woman. Even Beatrice has admitted that Daria was not.”
