Chapter43
A Proposal
Afew minutes later
Pacing across the hotel lobby, Thomas listened intently for the sound of footsteps on the stairs.His meeting with the earl had gone better than expected given how the evening had ended the night before.
Apparently the Earl of Everly had been too deep in his cups to remember he had discovered Tom in Lady Helen’s hotel room the night before.
Or maybe he remembered and had decided it was an opportunity to see to it his three-Seasons-out daughter was finally betrothed.
Whatever the reason, the earl had assured him he would draw up a marriage contract and grant Tom the dowry he had arranged for his daughter.
“I’ll set it aside for her and our children,” Tom had assured his future father-in-law.“Should something happen to me.”
The look of appreciation Harold Tennison displayed showed through the obvious discomfort of the hangover he was experiencing.“Good man,” he had said.
The two had shook hands and the earl had taken his leave, promising to send Helen to meet with him.
Tom glanced around.Was a hotel lobby in Luxor, Egypt really the appropriate place in which to make his marriage proposal?He had half a mind to escort her to the nearby ruins of the temple and either stand in front of the statues of Amun and Mut or find a three-thousand-year-old column next to which he could make his promise of eternal love and affection.
Was it though?Eternal love and affection?If for the rest of his life he felt only half of what he had that morning, when he had awoken to the thought he might find Helen snuggled up next to him in his bed, then he was sure she would own his heart for eternity.
If he did propose somewhere in the Temple of Luxor and did so before the afternoon hours, they could be assured of some privacy.
At least privacy from fellow tourists and explorers.As for anyone else—or anything else—there were plenty of standing structures behind which they could hide.
The thought that some linen-wrapped mummy might pay witness to his proposal and haunt them for the rest of their lives had him thinking he might have to amend his plans.
The sound of a soft cough and the words, “Father said you wished to speak with me,” pulled him from his reverie.
Tom whirled to discover Helen regarding him with curiosity.How had he missed her arrival?She managed to look resplendent in a gown he hadn’t yet seen her wearing on this trip, one that would put shame to what any of the wives of the pharaohs might have worn back in the day.Even if their gowns had been as form-fitting as what was depicted in the hieroglyphics on temple walls, accentuating their bosoms and hips, they weren’t nearly as snug as the bodice of Helen’s gown.The thought of cupping her breasts in both his hands had him swallowing and clearing his throat before he could remember what she had said.
“I do,” he replied.“But… not here, I think,” he stammered.
She glanced in the direction of the front doors, where the reflection from the morning sun danced on the smooth waters of the Nile.“Perhaps you would like to take a walk along the waterfront?”she suggested.
He nodded.“I would,” he agreed, not having considered the Nile as a backdrop for his proposal.Offering his arm, he grinned when she glanced up at him with the same expression he remembered from the night before.“Did you sleep well?”
She giggled softly as she placed her arm on his.“I admit to having tossed and turned a few times.”
“Because of me?”he asked, momentarily thrilled that she might have been thinking of him at the same time he was thinking of her.
“Of course, because of you.”She audibly sighed as they reached the well-worn path along the east bank of the river.In the distance to the right, the columns of the temple glowed a golden yellow, the morning sun well above the opposite bank of the river.“I admit to hoping you might return for...”Here she visibly reddened.
He swallowed.“For...?”he prompted.
“Another kiss,” she whispered.
“I wanted to,” he said, his chest puffing out at hearing her admission.
“Mayhap...more?”she pressed.
Nearly stopping mid-step, he made an odd sound in his throat.“More?”he repeated, his voice sounding strangled to his ears.
She seemed to think better of her query.“I knew you wouldn’t, of course.You’re far too honorable to have taken my virtue before settling affairs with Father,” she said, her head falling to one side as she glanced up at him.
“Do you find fault with my honor?”
