Page 117 of The Gentlewoman Companion

She shook her head and stopped brushing Nimbus. James followed behind as she returned the donkey to his stall.

“Reconciled to being without me?” That sounded hopeful.

“Of course. I miss your mother and you every day.”

She spoke of him as a friend. So she didn’t long for him as he did her. She’d called their kiss “a mistake,” said it had “meant nothing,” that they “would never suit.” But he had to say what he’d lacked the courage to tell her months ago. There remained the chance she might allow him to court her. He had to try.

“I have something else for you,” he said.

“Really, James—my lord—I don’t need anything. I have a place here, and while the residents are not so refined as those in London, I think I like them better. I belong among them.”

He pulled a box from his pocket and presented it to her.

She gasped. “I wondered how you knew I’d sold it.”

“My mother sent me on a coincidental errand.”

“Thank you.” She leaned toward him, and he opened his arms, anticipating the sweetness of her body next to his, but she patted his shoulder. “This means a great deal, but I cannot pay you for it.” She fingered the diamond, then returned it to its box.

“I don’t want payment, Louisa.”

“I won’t be indebted.”

“I am trying to…I regret not trying to persuade you to stay.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Though I see it was good for you. You have this new life, but I feel your absence. When I ride, I want you beside me. When Samuel says something humorous, I almost hear your laughter blend with mine.” More quietly, he said, “I love you, and I have since the moment I watched you jump Daisy.”

She stepped back and began twisting her sleeve.

“I’ve thought about all these men who asked something of you. Your father, your brother, the man who took you from Bath. They each wanted to take something from you. What they didn’t realize is that you are the treasure. If you will forgive my impertinence, I am asking for more than anyone else ever has, because I want that prize, the treasure that is you.”

His heart thudded as he waited for a response, but she was looking away, her profile barely visible. As gently as he could, he reached out and turned her face toward him. Tears dripped down her cheeks. He smoothed them away, tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and cradled her jaw.

“We are a pair,” he said. “Do you feel it as I do? I’m asking your permission to court you, to marry you. I cannot speak for you, nor do I wish for your acceptance for any other reason than that you want to share a life with me. If you do not want that, I will walk away and leave you to the wondrous life you have created for yourself.”