“Perfection,” Charlotte said as she pulled back from Matthew, their gazes still locked. “This moment is absolute perfection.”
Matthew shook his head. “It’s better than perfection, because it is a bit messy and unconventional, which makes it all the more real.”
“Real,” Charlotte grinned. “I like real.”
“So do I,” he whispered against her lips before his mouth captured hers in another scandalous but utterly delightful kiss.
Empty of patrons, the back room of the Black Sheep had a cozy, even intimate appeal despite being long and narrow. Matthew knew that Charlotte had specifically designed the space to feel akin to a warm, comfortable embrace. This place—this creation of hers and the Wick cousins—embodied her more than any glittering ballroom or elegant sitting room. He fit here too, in this plush refuge for intellectual discussion and friendly banter. He’d let his insecurities obscure these connections for far too long.
He and Charlotte were utterly alone. The rest of their friends were celebrating in the front room, which was also currently closed to all other customers. Tavish and Mr. Powys had purchased a few kegs from a nearby tavern, and coffee and libations were flowing freely. No one—not even Pan—had said anything when Matthew and Charlotte had slipped away, even though they hadn’t made any particular effort to be discreet. Although neither of them had barred the door, Matthew knew no one would dare disturb them. The back room was, for the moment, their own private sanctuary.
“I am thoroughly sorry,” Matthew said, his hand firmly wrapped around Charlotte’s.
She glanced at him, her face awash with an openness that encouraged his own vulnerability. Even though he was certain that she already grasped what he meant, more words needed to be spoken.
Drawing a ragged breath, he continued. “I should not have underestimated you,us. It was foolish and shortsighted. I should have listened to you when you said I could bring you happiness.Until you showed me how, I could not escape my own past. I never thought less of you, Charlotte, not once.”
Charlotte leaned her head against Matthew’s shoulder, and the simple gesture of trust infused him with a sense of belonging that he’d never experienced before. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her against him. He was more than ready to accept the strength that she offered and to share his own.
“When I saw you remove your mask at the ball and reject the role Society cast for you, that’s when I realized that I’d been letting my family shape my existence for far too long. I’m not who they molded me to be—the unwanted outsider.”
“No,” Charlotte said thickly, “you are very much wanted, and not just by me. You have been an integral part of the Black Sheep family, even before I arrived. You save people, Matthew, with medicine and with sheer bravery. How many young men owe their lives to you?”
Matthew rubbed his thumb against her knuckles as he finally allowed himself to be proud of his own accomplishments. It was an odd but necessary emotion. It gave him a wholeness that he’d never felt before. “There are many.”
“And think of the medical students whom you have taught. How many of them have gone on to heal the sick and the injured? There are your books that inspire others to care for the natural world and the animals that populate it.”
Matthew almost protested, but he managed to accept the praise. Tears stung the back of his eyes, but with Charlotte in his arms, he could face anything.
“I am glad to inspire them,” Matthew admitted.
Charlotte shifted suddenly, and her arms shot around his middle. Her embrace was as fierce as her indomitable spirit, and his heart rose in his chest.
“You inspire me,” Charlotte whispered against his ear.
A delightful shiver slipped down Matthew’s spine. Wrapping his other arm around her, he held her with equal fervor.
“As you do me, Charlotte. You may have begun this adventure to seek your freedom from Hawley, but you released me too. I love you, Charlotte Lovett.”
She pulled back. Her green eyes glistened like dew-covered grass in the morning sun. “I love you too, Matthew Talbot.”
“It is because of your strength that I can fully accept your affections,” Matthew told her, his voice as raw and full as his heart. He paused for a moment and then, with startling clarity, realized he did not need to gird himself for his next words. Because they were right. For him. For Charlotte. For both their futures. “Will you marry me, Charlotte? Will you do me the honor of being my wife, my partner in whatever may come?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
If Charlotte’s arms hadn’t already been firmly latched around Matthew’s torso, she would have flung herself against him at his proposal. Instead, unable to contain the joy overflowing from her very being, she squeezed tighter. She released him for a second only because it allowed her to give him another hug.
“Yes!” Charlotte practically sang the word.
A brilliant, happy giggle bubbled up from deep within her. Matthew’s chuckle joined hers in an exuberant chorus. Their curved lips met in a crescendo of delight and passion. The kiss started with a sweet innocence that matched their mirth but then transformed into something wilder, yet just as poignantly honeyed. It filled Charlotte with brilliant, unbreakable wonder.
When they finally inched apart, both panting heavily, Charlotte huffed out in excitement, “How soon?”
Looking confused, Matthew tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He took a few deep breaths before asking, “What do you mean?”
“How soon shall we wed?” Charlotte asked, eager to start a new life. After last night, she had no intention of returning to her old one, even if Matthew had not proposed. Now that he had, she wanted them to begin anew together.
Matthew grinned, grasping both her hands in his. “Whenever you desire, Charlotte.”
