“I thought we said what there was to say in the carriage,” she told him, hoping he’d leave.
Instead, he stretched out his legs as if getting more comfortable. “You might have done so, but I did not say nearly enough.”
Turning away from him, she hung up her coat and then clutched her hands together. “Please leave,” she whispered, without daring to look at him further. “If anyone finds you here I’ll lose my position.”
The sound of seat cushions shifting beneath his weight caught her attention. He was standing. A pause followed and then the muted tread of shoes upon the carpet. Next came the touch of his hands upon her shoulders. “Don’t.” The word was wrought from her chest on a sob of despair and she felt herself tremble against his touch. “I cannot bear it. I simply cannot.”
“Then marry me, Louise.” His hands smoothed over her arms, nudging her closer until she felt his solid form against her back. “Tell me you love me as much as I love you and that you will be my wife.” Shocked into silence, she tried to make sense of his words. “Come,” he whispered gently. “Let’s end this state of torment we are in and follow our hearts.”
“But…but…” Was this really happening or was it a dream? “What about Gwendolyn? What about your brother’s threat?”
“You know I meant to avoid marrying Gwendolyn either way. You also know I meant to do so by finding a way in which to increase my income. And so I have.”
“That’s…wonderful.” She blinked as she stared up into his handsome face.
“There’s a new club opening in London,” he explained. “I wasn’t aware of it until Langley mentioned it to me this afternoon.” His throat worked as though he was struggling with what to say. “Turns out all he wanted was for me to be happy.”
Frowning, she tried to wrap her head around that. “I don’t see how forcing you to marry someone you do not want to marry was going to accomplish such a goal.”
“I’ll explain it all later. First, you ought to know, before you commit to anything, that I have asked him to remove my stipend. It’s time for me to stand on my own two feet, which means life might not be as easy as I would like it to be for a while, but eventually, it ought to improve. I’ll still support your sisters. That goes without saying. My affairs aren’t as bad as all that.”
“Speaking of which…” Moving away from him, she went to pick up yesterday’s newspaper. “I found something that might be helpful to you.” She handed it over and watched while he read the text to which she pointed..
“Eastern European wine?”
“It’s just an idea, but the article says they’re much cheaper than the French wines and equally good. The journalist even describes some sweet varieties as tasting like nectar. I just thought it might be worth looking into.”
“And so it is,” he murmured. “I cannot believe you continued to think of this, that you kept on trying to find a business opportunity for me.”
“I just wanted to help.”
He stepped toward her. “Because you care about me?”
“I…”
“The truth is in your eyes, Louise. Please tell me you’ll spend the rest of your life with me.”
“But…” Oh, how she wanted to say yes. “My father was not well respected. Everyone knows he died a drunk. To attach yourself to me would only harm your reputation. You cannot possibly—”
“My brother knows all of this and has given us his blessing. With his support and our love for each other, we can weather whatever storm comes our way. I’m absolutely certain of it.”
Blinking, she tried to gather her thoughts, which was proving to be increasingly difficult now that his hands were smoothing down over her arms. “What about my position? What about—”
“Say yes, Louise. The rest will sort itself out.”
And she knew deep in her heart that he was right and that as long as they had each other and his family’s approval, they stood a chance of true happiness together. So she allowed her eyes to meet his. “Yes.” Joy washed away her pain to leave a smile upon her lips. “I love you, Alistair, and nothing would please me more than being your wife.”
“We’ll have to see about that,” he told her gruffly. And then his mouth descended on hers, unleashing all the pent-up passion he’d been holding back since the moment they’d met in his study.
5
Surrendering heart and soul, Louise wrapped her arms around Alistair’s neck and pressed her chest to his. Lord, it felt wonderful! So did the feel of his hand moving over her back and the press of his lips against hers. If a woman could melt, she believed she would do so at any given moment.
But then his lips parted, and she was no longer in danger of melting but of catching fire.
“Just follow my lead,” he murmured.
So she did, tasting and touching as he did. Her hands slid over his shoulders, testing their shape beneath the wool of his jacket. Then down over his back and around his waist. He did the same, though perhaps with more skill and daring. His palm now rested against her breast, and the way he was kissing and touching her… It made heat curl its way through her until she found herself consumed by an inexplicable need. It was like hunger, but not for food – for something different and unfamiliar.
