Still…
“He hasn’t even sent a note though, which makes me wonder if—”
“What? He might have reconsidered?” Margaret shook her head. “The man is clearly enamored with you.”
“Do you truly think so?”
“I know so, Eve. The archbishop is getting on in years. I’ve been told he likes to take his time with things. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he is dawdling over the marriage license.”
Unsatisfied with the answer, Eve puffed out a breath and completed the final stitches. “There. All done.” She rose and laid the gown across the back of a nearby chair so she could enjoy her tea. “I’m also eager to tell him what Mr. Havisham has discovered.”
“It’s possible Ravenworth already knows. Gossip travels faster than forest fires, Eve.”
A knock at the door brought Margaret’s butler into the room. “The Earl of Ravenworth is here to see you. May I show him in?”
Eve’s breath caught, suspended until her friend answered in the affirmative. It then whooshed from her lungs, matching the speed of her racing heart while she hurried back to her seat, claiming it seconds before the door opened again to admit the most dashing man in the world– the only man Eve cared about–Ravenworth – Bryce.
His gaze swept across the room, honing in on Eve with a predatory gleam. It pulled at her belly, and a surge of awareness swept through her. Dressed in a dark blue jacket with breeches to match, he cut an impressive figure--broad-shouldered and tall, his dark hair windblown and with his jaw bearing signs of day-old stubble. Bowing, he greeted Eve and Margaret in turn, his voice sounding gruff and perhaps a little fatigued as well.
“Eve has been awaiting your arrival with great anxiety,” Margaret said. She stood and went toward him.
Blushing, Eve began to look away, but Bryce caught her gaze and held it, the darkness therein conveying intense degrees of longing. “Procuring the license took time. Longer than I had anticipated.” He glanced at Margaret. “Will you grant Miss Potter and me a moment of privacy? Please.”
Margaret dipped her head in an elegant nod. “Of course.” She went to the door, paused to gaze across the distance at Eve, and gave her a secretive smile. “Take your time.” And then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.
Eve’s skin pricked with awareness. She was alone with Bryce for the first time in three days, and he was coming toward her now at a slow prowl. Her lungs tightened and so did her stomach. Calming her heart had long since become impossible. It was racing away, producing a tremble that spread from the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes.
“You look…” His voice was softer than before, his throat working as if struggling with the ability to speak. “As lovely as I remember–lovelier even, if such a thing is possible.”
The heat of his gaze made her cheeks warm. She knew she was blushing. “Thank you, my lord.” His increasing nearness afforded her speech with a breathless tone. There was more to be said, however. “Mr. Havisham says Miss Edwina Jenkins’s husband has left her. He overhead a group of people talking about it in the village yesterday.”
Bryce stilled. “Really?”
“Word is she’s been unfaithful on countless occasions, that the child she carries belongs to another.” She held out her hand, encouraging Bryce to come closer. “The incident has cast doubt on what really happened between you two. So chances are your reputation will be restored.”
Reaching her, he lowered himself to the vacant spot on the sofa and quietly murmured her name. “Eve.” There was anguish and hope and passionate need all rolled up in one simple utterance.
“Yes.” One word to encompass so much.Yes, I want you; yes, I need you; yes, I will be yours forever; yes and yes and yes, a thousand times yes.
His hand found hers, cradling it gently against his own. A pause followed, and he cleared his throat before proceeding in a firmer voice than he’d used before. “I hope that will be the case. For your sake more than for mine.” When she started protesting, he hastened to say, “Everything happened so quickly before, I never managed to make a proper proposal. So please allow me to do so now, to offer you what you truly deserve.”
Reaching inside his jacket pocket, he produced a small box and flipped open the lid to reveal the prettiest ring Eve had ever seen: a simple gold band adorned with a gilded forget me not. He’d made it himself, and this alone made it the most precious gift she would ever receive.
“My life was an empty void before you arrived to give it meaning,” Bryce said. He picked the ring up and held it between his fingers. “I cannot think of living without you, of us not sharing every lasting moment together. My heart is yours, my love for you as infinite as the stars in the sky. Please accept this ring with the promise that I will make you the happiest woman in the world. Marry me, Eve.”
“Yes.” Her hand reached around his neck to draw him close for a kiss. “Yes.” His lips met hers while the ring slid into place on her finger. “I was yours the moment we met.” She kissed him again. “And I will be yours until death do us part.”
* * *
The ceremony tookplace the following day with the Havishams in attendance. It was swift, completed much faster than Eve had expected, but every bit as romantic as she could have hoped. Snow drifted over them like white winter blossoms when they exited the church as husband and wife. A joyous gathering followed at the nearest inn, before Bryce and Eve set their course for home.
Home.
Snuggling into Bryce’s embrace during their carriage-ride back to Ravenworth Manor, Eve couldn’t help but marvel at the idea. She’d already dispatched letters to Josephine and Louise and now wondered how they would respond to her hasty decision to marry. She hoped they were going to be happy for her and not too displeased with her reluctance to wait.
“What are you thinking about?” Bryce asked against the top of her head.
She turned in his arms and gazed up into his stunning dark eyes. “That I am so incredibly lucky and that I cannot wait to introduce you to my sisters.”
