Chalmers straightened like an outraged matron. “But of course.”
Grey almost laughed. Georgie stared him down. “And some tea, please, Chalmers.” She waited long enough to see everyone’s reaction before allowing a sly smile. “And a bit of brandy, I think.”
Even Chalmers almost smiled.
As Chalmers strode off in his best majordomo fashion, Grey leaned back against the cushions of a surprisingly comfortable settee and sighed in relief. He’d made it. He’d been thinking of this moment for the last four weeks. Now that he was here, all he wanted to do was look at Georgie. So his next order of business was to see the Archangels out the door.
Again, he had to quell the urge to laugh. Georgie was leveling a very telling look on them even before he could open his mouth. They were obviously well-acquainted with her silent communications. Michael Packham suddenly jumped to his feet.
“Let me alert Chalmers that the tea is only for two. We have…um, other places to be.”
And so it took only five more minutes before he was finally alone with his wife. He wondered how long he would have with her before being descended on by the girls. Oh well. He might as well make the most of what time he had.
“Georgie,” he said, reaching over with his right hand to take hers.
She swung around to him, her eyes still glistening with the remainder of her tears. Then she looked down at his hand to see the bandage peeking out from beneath his uniform, the only attire he’d been able to hold onto.
“Oh,” she said softly, frowning and gently laying her own hand atop his. “Poor hand.”
He almost rebroke his left shoulder to grab her. Instead, he feasted on the sight and feel of her. “I need to tell you something.”
She stiffened. He realized a second too late that he’d sounded like he was prepping her for bad news. “Would you mind,” he said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, wishing so hard he could wrap his arms around her and hug her hard. Even one arm. Feeling absurdly shy, he smiled. “Would you mind if I told you I loved you?”
He imagined it took a lot to surprise his Georgie. This was evidently one of those things.
“You what?” Her voice sounded a bit strangled. Her eyes were huge.
His smile grew. “Please don’t tell me you have fallen in love while I’ve been gone. All I’ve thought about for six long weeks is how much I wanted to get back to you to tell you that I was a fool to leave you without letting you know that I’d begun to develop feelings for you. Feelings that solidified while I was lying on that cot hundreds of miles away. I love you, Georgie. I really want for us to have a true marriage.” Shrugging, he let his smile turn wry. “Although it won’t be soon, I’m afraid. I’m still a bit…”
“Tacked and tied together?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Well put.”
He had hoped she would smile. She didn’t. She looked down at their joined hands. “But I have fallen in love,” she admitted.
He thought his heart would stop beating. But then she looked up and he saw the truth in her eyes.
“I fell in love withyou, you clodpole,” she said. “I have spent the last two months torturing myself because I was idiotic enough to have waited to realize I was in love with you until you were hundreds of miles away.” She allowed another small sob. “And then spent the last month certain I would never be able to tell you.”
There were tears again, this time silent and steady. And not just from Georgie. Grey couldn’t help it. Without another word, he let go of her hand and gathered her to him with his right arm, resting his head over hers. And for the very longest time the two of them shared silent thanks that they hadn’t been stupid after all. That they would have all the time they wanted to nurture that love.
Very gently, Georgie wrapped her arm around him as well. He could feel her tears wetting his shirt and didn’t care.
“There is one thing I should tell you,” she said. “I did promise, after all.”
He straightened and looked down at her suddenly impish smile. “What?”
She shrugged. “I have a job.”
That was probably the last thing he expected from her. “A job.”
“Yes, indeed. Well, shall we say an investment. My friend Anastasia Dunn is beginning a perfumery, and I am helping create her scents, for which I’m awarded a fourth of the company.” Her smile widened. “She calls me The Nose. I thought you would appreciate that.”
He couldn’t help it. He laughed, even though it hurt. “The Friday trips?”
She nodded. “Just so you know. I might love you, but I am not giving this up.”
“Don’t be silly. Just tell me how to invest in it. And let me know if you need help. As you know, I have a rather prodigious nose myself.”
