In any other situation, her confession would have upset him, but he understood why she had done it. And it made him appreciate her more for telling him the truth. She trusted him enough to tell him, and now he must be honest with her.
“And you clearly saw what happens when I’m around cats,” he said.
“Yes, and I feel just awful that I did that to you. I hope you will forgive me.”
He slowly wrapped his arms around Priscilla, pulling her against him. “After what I did to you eighteen months ago and you forgave me, I think this indiscretion of yours is very minimal.”
“Thank you, Gavin. You are wonderful.”
“No, you are. You have been able to accomplish something that all the other women I have been with have failed at.”
Her palms rested on his chest. “What is that?” she whispered.
“You have opened up my heart and crawled inside.” He bent his head and brushed his lips across her cheek. “Cilla, you have made me fall in love for the first time in my life.”
She blinked rapidly, and her eyes filled with tears. “You love me?”
He nodded. “More than I thought I could love anyone.”
“So you…” She cleared her throat. “You are not interested in other women?”
Her question caught him off guard, and he laughed. “How could any woman turn my head when you are the one I constantly think about and who will be forever in my heart? I promise you, here and now, that no other woman will be as amazing as you.”
Sighing, she relaxed in his arms and turned her head as her lips met his. He kissed her with all the love that continued growing in his heart.
For many years, he had trampled on women’s hearts, never knowing the glorious feeling of loving anyone. The way his speeding heartbeat took control of his emotions made him breathless, yet it was the best feeling in the world.
*
Priscilla couldn’t believewhat she’d heard, and yet her heart had heard it so clearly that it swelled with happiness. She had felt herself falling in love with him since they were in the dark library that first night, but mistakes and heartaches from her past had kept her from experiencing love to the fullest.
Gasping, she wrapped her arms around his neck and met his mouth with eager kisses. She clung to him, not getting enough… not ever wanting to get enough of this incredible man. No longer was she hesitant about marrying him—instead, she anticipated the moment they would become husband and wife. And by theway she responded to his kisses and his touch, she wondered if they would begin their wedding night right now. After all, they would be married very soon.
“Gavin,” she sighed, tilting her head back, which only made him trail kisses down her neck. Warm shivers cascaded over her, and she smiled.
As he continued to kiss her, she wondered if she should make the hint about taking her to his bed, since it would be much more comfortable there. But somewhere in the room, she heard footsteps, and then the floor creaked. Gavin must have heard it too, because his body tensed.
The floor squeaked again, and he broke the contact between them, whipping around, toward their intruder. As Priscilla’s vision adjusted to the shadows in the room, she noticed a movement coming toward them. The shadow grew, and Priscilla saw a woman’s blue gown, and then the pistol she held in her hand.
Gavin moved in front of her, and she clutched the back of his shirt. His body felt as stiff as hers.
“Mrs. Jones?” he asked in a tight voice. “What are you doing in my room… and pointing a pistol at me?”
“Do you honestly believe I’m going to allow you any kind of happiness now?” The woman’s face scrunched in anger. “Men like you do not deserve to be happy.”
He shook his head. “Mrs. Jones. I fear I don’t know what I have done to you to make you this way.”
“Mrs. Jones?”
The housekeeper released a cackle that made Priscilla’s skin crawl with terror. But then the woman pulled the pins out of her tight bun, and her brown hair fell in waves around her shoulders.
“Look again,Your Grace. I was much thinner three years ago when you took advantage of me. Back then, my name was MissJane Eggert, and you convinced me that we were going to Gretna Green to marry.” Tears filled the woman’s eyes. “I believed you, and so I let you have your way with me.” The housekeeper took a deep breath and blinked away the tears. “Because you ruined my life, I gained weight. I had to move far away and change my name. I let everyone think I was the widow Mrs. Beatrice Jones.”
Priscilla groaned silently and pressed her forehead against Gavin’s arm. How many times had she thought about revenge? Gavin had broken her heart, too. And now… would he be able to walk away from this grave mistake?
Chapter Seventeen
Gavin fisted hishands by his sides and gulped down a hard swallow. Why hadn’t he seen Miss Jane Eggert in the woman who had become his grandmother’s housekeeper? But back then, the woman wasn’t worth remembering. Now he wondered how many other women he had forgotten about. Thankfully, Priscilla had stayed on his mind. Would his dark past always come to haunt him and ruin his future happiness?
