He nodded, his words apparently choked off.
She looked at Lucas. “He was trying to kill you, wasn’t he?”
“He was a terrible shot.”
That, more than anything else, had her knees going weak. And all the while, the young man stood there sweating as he tried again to apologize.
“I didn’t know, mum. I didn’t—”
Diana gathered her strength. She could do that because Lucas was alive and well beside her. “Thank you, sir. Thank you for stopping him from hurting anyone else.” She gave the boy a quivering smile. “Thank you.”
The boy nodded, but he still looked horrified. His gaze kept skittering over to the body and back. Until Lucas touched his shoulder.
“The first is always the hardest, but in this, you did right.”
The constable grunted his agreement. “Outside with you, Jeremy. No point in you standing in here.”
Diana watched the young man nod and walk stiffly away. Meanwhile, the constable addressed her.
“No need for you to stay either, my lady. We can take care of the rest.”
She nodded and was about to leave, but her mind was starting to work again. In a halting kind of fashion. “Constable, did you really need me here? Didn’t you know who…” She gestured at Geoffrey’s body without actually looking.
“I did, my lady. But for some people, it’s good to see it once and for all. To know that it’s done now and no questions. I thought you were one of those people.”
Yes, she supposed she was. “Thank you,” she said. And then she finally, absolutely, and completely exhaled the last of her fear of her stepson. Geoffrey was gone. His threats were over. The terror in which she’d lived was done.
She breathed freely for the first time in twelve years.
“Come with me,” Lucas said as he gently guided her out of the flat.
She walked beside him while her head grew steadily clearer. “I thought you’d done it,” she said once they were outside.
“Killed Geoffrey?”
“Yes.”
“I was prepared to,” he said. Then he shrugged. “Turned out, fate had different plans.”
Yes, it had. And for that small kindness, she was grateful, though the burden had been shifted to the young watchman. But then her mind turned to other things, as so often happened. Her thoughts left everything else behind as she centered on Lucas.
“What will you do now?” she asked. The question wasn’t a simple one. They both knew that his life was in the process of drastic change. He was Lord Chellam again, and she was, finally, absolutely free. No need for his protection now.
He touched her face, that same slow caress of her cheek she adored. “Nothing’s changed for me, Diana. I want you as my wife—”
“Yes.”
His brows rose. “What?”
Odd how his startled look made her laugh. She hadn’t thought happiness had a place here, but she couldn’t deny it. Giddiness came on the heels of relief. But under it all was the knowledge of where her thoughts had been taking her for three days now. Maybe even longer. And at his bemused expression, she gathered herself and tried to explain.
“You probably think it’s because of this. You think it’s the middle of the night, and I was terrified for you.” She paused, trying to read his face. He gave nothing away. “But I’ve done nothing but think these last few days. I think and think about how much I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said, but there was confusion in his tone.
“It turns out that I want love more than I want freedom. I don’t want to be alone, Lucas. I don’t want to be without you. I don’t care about the rest. Nothing’s right without you.”
His gaze blazed in the pre-dawn light. “So you’ll marry me? You’ll swear yourself to me—”
