She nodded, but remained silent.
“In my cowardice, I had sent you back to him, a silent predator. I had failed you. I don’t want to do that again.”
Daniel rose from the sofa to face her. He was a tall man. Standing over her, he blocked the light, and she didn’t mind. She gasped when he dropped to one knee before her. He reached for her hands and took them in his large, calloused ones. Their hands trembled, but eventually, they stilled.
“I understand if you want to say goodbye and start anew. No matter what you tell me today, I will always protect you from near or afar. I love you. I won’t set conditions anymore. But I am also asking you to trust me, even though I have not earned it. I want to spend the rest of my days proving that you are everything to me and that you are free to choose your own path, even if that path does not lead to me.”
He reached into his waistcoat pocket and pulled out the small silver bird charm that he had given her before. He held it out inthe light, making it gleam. Then he pressed it into her hand, and she could not help but press it to her heart.
“I don’t want to be your guardian or your jailer. I want to be your husband. I want to wake up next to you, to know that you are safe. That you are mine, and that I am yours,” he continued, his voice breaking. “When I gave you the silver bird, I knew that I wanted to marry you, but I could not say the words. Not yet. But now, everything is different.”
He let out a shuddering breath, his misty eyes holding hers.
“Lucy Coulson, will you marry me? Will you let me cherish you for the rest of my life? There will be no more secrets and ghosts between us. No more cages will be built around us. Just a bond. A promise. A quiet life with our own children.”
Tension filled the room. It was not unpleasant, but it hummed in the air, making Lucy feel like she was wading through water. Her life hinged on the decision she had to make at that moment.
Daniel’s eyes flickered with uncertainty when she did not respond immediately. The hope that had been there splintered a little, even as she looked at the silver bird in her hand.
Hollow. She had been hollow. With him, there was a promise of a better tomorrow, a life as a wife and a mother. She thought of Victoria with Richard and Melody, and of course, her unborn child. It would be sweet bliss.
Daniel had been as confused as she was, but things had just become clearer. Oh, so much clearer.
“Yes,” she rasped, her throat feeling raw. “Yes, Daniel Brighton. I will marry you.”
Daniel jumped up to his feet, his eyes full of joy and relief. He pulled her up into his arms until her feet lifted off the floor. He squeezed her to him and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent as if memorizing it.
Eventually, he pulled back. Gently and slowly, he lowered her to her feet and let go, only for his hands to cup her face. His thumbs brushed away tears that she did not know had fallen.
Lucy bit her lip as the anxiety on his face turned into a dark heat. It made her skin prickle pleasantly, as if all her nerve endings had come alive.
“Lucy,” he groaned, his gaze dropping to her lips.
She knew what was going to happen, and she wanted it. She was just as desperate.
His mouth claimed hers. They had denied themselves of this because of fear, but now there was no reason to fear anymore.
The kiss was no longer questing. It was sure, bold, and passionate. They had both found their home. As his tongueplunged into her mouth, she moaned softly, her hands tangling in his hair.
He could never be close enough. There was no more fear of scandal either. They were ready for their new beginning.
Daniel gently kissed the bruise on her neck, replacing the pain with pure pleasure.
“I have you now,” he promised softly. “You are mine.”
“And you, Daniel, are mine,” she replied, with a smile.
Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER
St. George’s was celebrating, just like the rest of Mayfair, it seemed. The bells were not only ringing, but also seemed to have taken a life of their own. They pealed away in glee, as if the loud sound could banish the evil that used to overshadow their lives.
No more shadows.
No more secrets.
No more ghosts.
