Susanna’s constant chatter was the only thing keeping Nicole from launching herself into the Channel. She was exceedingly grateful for the girl’s cheerful company. They began the slow ascent up the gangplank. Nicole felt as if lead weighed down the bottoms of her shoes. Each step she took was more difficult than the last.
“We sure were surprised when ye arrived,” Susanna said. “Louise didn’t think ye’d stay. But the rest of us, we thought ye would. The general’s been a sight happier to live with since ye’ve been there, I’ll tell ye. I’ll be sorry ta come back and see him sad.”
“Pardon?” Nicole stopped and stared at the girl. Had Susanna just said Mark had seemedhappiersince she’d been in London? Was that possible?
The maid opened her mouth to reply when a commotion behind them in the throng of coaches and people swarming the dock caught their attention.
A young man jumped up on some barrels and waved his cap frantically in the air. “Make way! Make way! The Duke o’ Colchester’s coach is comin’ through and it’s urgent!”
“Colchester?” Nicole murmured as her pulse took flight. “Surely there’s been a mistake. He couldn’t have meant the Duke of Colchester.” Using her gloved hand, she shielded her eyes from the morning sunlight to squint through the crowd.
“Well, I’ll be,” Susanna said, shielding her eyes alongside Nicole. “He was right. That is the Duke of Colchester’s coach if ever I saw it.”
The large black coach with the emerald-green crest made its way through a throng of vehicles that all movedto the side for it. Nicole watched in wide-eyed surprise as the vehicle progressed slowly but unerringly toward the dock and the packet she was boarding. She stood arrested, halfway up the gangplank when the coach pulled to a stop in front of it.
The moment the carriage stopped, the door flew open and Mark jumped out. His gaze met Nicole’s.
“Are ye the Duke o’ Colchester, sir?” a boy at the bottom of the gangplank shouted.
Mark was already racing toward the gangplank, dodging people and trunks. “I will be one day,” he shouted back to the child.
Nicole’s breath stopped. She clutched a gloved hand to her hammering heart. Was this truly happening?
“Gor, me lady,” Susanna said, pulling on the strings to her bonnet. “I can’t believe that man’s running up this plank after ye. Ye’d best ready yerself. It looks as if he’s about ta cause a right big scene.”
Nicole’s eyes filled with tears while her knees wobbled with relief. “He already has, Susanna. He already has.”
“Nicole!” Mark yelled, never breaking the contact of their gaze as he dodged more people, ropes, and crates to push up the gangplank toward her.
The moment he reached her, he grabbed her and swept her off her feet into his arms. He was out of breath, his hat had fallen off, his dark hair was mussed, and he’d never looked better.
“I’m damned glad I caught you in time,” he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers.
“I’ll just wait on the dock, me lady.” Susanna bobbed a curtsy before rushing down the gangplank and through the other travelers staring up at the couple.
“What are you doing here?” Nicole was breathless too. She pressed a hand to Mark’s cheek, unable to stop herself from touching him to see if he was real.
“I don’t want you to go, sweetheart.” He pulled her closer. “Stay, please.” His voice was hoarse with emotion.
“What? Why?” Her heart hammered in her chest so hard it hurt.
“Don’t you know, Nicole? You’re perfect for me. You always have been. You don’t back down to me. You don’t let me off the hook and you would never evenconsiderkowtowing to me.”
“You’re right about all those things,” she agreed, laughing even as tears clung to her lashes.
He pressed his lips to her cheek. “You see me for who I am. I’ve never asked for a thing from anyone and never taken a handout or used my family’s name or wealth to further my ambitions. And you understood why.”
Tears dripped down her cheeks. “Because you’re proud and strong and self-made and self-reliant.”
“Yes, but I was an idiot. I was so hell-bent on pushing away my family that I let it cost me my happiness. I let it cost me you. All for the sake of my damned pride.” He pressed his forehead to hers again, and his voice dropped and grew shaky. “You told me once that sometimes life calls upon us to be the things we never thought we were meant to be. You were right. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize that until now. I’m sorry for everything, Nicole. I can’t live without you. I don’t want to, at least.”
Tears still clinging to her lashes, she clasped his hands and squeezed them, then brought them to her lips and kissed them reverently. “Oh, Mark, you’re perfect for me too. You don’t let me run roughshod over you.You see me for who I am, not awkward and different and sticking out like a sore thumb. You understand why I like to do what I do. You’re my match both mentally and physically.”
“You’re a diamond in a sea of rocks,” he breathed, his mouth so close the accolade touched her lips like a kiss.
She swallowed and studied his face. “Remember when we traveled to London? I had one more question I never asked you.”
“Yes, and the fact is that I was never with any other women. In ten years. I only ever wanted you,” he declared fiercely.
