Louise sucked in a breath. “Goodness, Marcus. This is really happening, isn’t it?”
“It is if you want it to.”
“I do. I want all of it, Marcus. You and the school.” She beamed at him, her smile tugging hard at her cheeks. “Thank you. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
“Even though marrying me will result in scandal?” he asked her wryly, though not without her hearing a hint of regret in his voice.
“None of that matters to me. The only thing I care about is you, and the future you and I are going to build together.”
16
Hands in both trouser pockets, Marcus paced his bedchamber with increased anticipation. His chest rose and fell against the steady beat of his heart. He’d parted ways with Louise only ten minutes prior and would be joining her soon. In her room.
God help him, he was more than ready for them to consummate their relationship in full, but was she? Did she truly comprehend the magnitude of what they were going to do? He drew to a halt and glanced at the wall. On the opposite side of it, no more than a yard or two away, she would be readying herself for his visit.
Marcus raked his fingers through his hair. What the hell was he thinking?
That same sense of responsibility he’d felt toward her before overtook him. She was an innocent, thirteen years his junior, and he’d be a reprehensible scoundrel if he encouraged her to go through with this. No. He shook his head. Louise was not some foolish chit who launched herself into reckless situations without second thoughts. She was smart, and he’d mistakenly treated her as if she didn’t know her own mind once before. He’d not make the same mistake again.
And yet… They were about to take a big leap. Was it right of him to go along with it before they were married? Should he not insist they wait so she would preserve her innocence until they’d tied that knot?
Desire made him want to dismiss these questions, but wisdom forced him to address them. He wanted to marry Louise and she had convinced him she wanted to marry him too, no matter the consequence. But what if something happened before they managed to wed? Should he not then make sure she was free from compromise?
It is your duty to protect her.
Even from yourself.
Christ. He’d have to go in there now and tell her he’d had second thoughts and that they would not be spending the night together. With a heavy sigh, he accepted this and left his room.
Moving slowly, he walked the short distance to her door and paused. Hesitation worked its way through him. He didn’t want to disappoint her or hurt her, and he really did not wish to explain himself to her either. All he wanted right now was to ignore the issue and take a stroll outside in the hope of clearing his head and cooling his ardor.
Coward.
He raised his fist and gave the door a soft knock.
The scuffle of feet sounded from within and then the door opened. One of the inn’s maids appeared. “Yes?”
Marcus frowned at her. “I was hoping for a word with Lady Louise.”
The maid blinked. “You’ll have to wait. She’s not quite ready.”
The door closed before he could utter another word, leaving him standing in the hallway with his mouth open, like a proper idiot. He closed his mouth, glared at the door, and propped one shoulder against the wall, arms crossed.
What felt like forever passed before the door finally opened again. The maid exited the room, bobbed a quick curtsey, and left. Marcus glanced at the door to Louise’s room. The maid had left it slightly ajar.
He pushed himself away from the wall and gave the door an apprehensive scowl, followed by another soft knock.
“Come in.”
Louise’s voice floated toward him, drawing him nearer.
He nudged the door open, took a step forward, and froze the instant he saw her.
She sat on the bed with the covers pulled down and her legs to one side. Her nightgown - some glorious piece of diaphanous seamstress work - offered an alluring hint of the body beneath. Her hair, completely undone, hung loosely over her shoulders.
Without even thinking, Marcus kicked the door shut. “Louise…”
A shy smile curved her lips. “I hope this is all right.”
