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Adam took a few steps down the aisle, and she moved to meet him halfway. “What are you doing here?”

They rushed toward each other, their steps moving faster and faster the closer they came. Finally, they were only a foot apart.

Adam saw Beatrice’s beautiful brown eyes glittering behind her spectacles. It was obvious she was holding back her smile, deeming it inappropriate in a situation like this.

Adam took her hands in his, his own smile escaping the serious facade. She was here. He was holding her. “I was an idiot,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I overreacted. I made a mistake. But I’ll be damned if I’ll let our mistakes define our future. I can’t let you marry the old man. I can’t. You’re mine. My heart. My soul. The reason I smile. You’re my light and without your shining face, I am left in the darkness. Cold and alone. Don’t let me spend my entire life in darkness.” He squeezed her fingers, his eyes begging her to believe him. “Even if I deserve it. You can’t marry Lord Lansdowne. You just can’t. I won’t let you. Even if I have to kidnap you from the church.”

Gasps and awes came from the rows of people, but Adam didn’t even look around. The only person he needed to see was the woman in front of him. And he was not letting her out of his sight again.

“Adam—” Her voice was apologetic, and he instantly shook his head.

“No! I don’t care that people are looking at us. I don’t care that your groom is at the end of the aisle, because he shouldn’t be your groom at all. It should be me.”

“Adam—” she tried again, but he interrupted her once more.

“I need to tell you this. Please, let me tell you this. I know I acted like a complete idiot when I discovered that item on your list, but it doesn’t matter. I love you. I do. And I know it’s not an adequate statement after everything we’ve been through together. But I hope that for you it is enough.” He cleared his throat. “And to prove to you that I mean what I say, during cold and lonely nights while on the road coming to get to you, I wrote a list of things I want to do before I die. It has ten items.”

Beatrice smiled, giving up her protests and curious to hear his list.

Adam read, “Make you smile every day. Go on horseback rides with you before dawn. Kiss you every morning when you wake up. Kiss you every night before we go to bed. Dance with you at every ball. Feed you ices as much as you want. Buy you all the books you want. Open a bookshop with you. Fall in love with you more every day, because I do. I love you.”

A smile widened on Beatrice’s face and tears glinted in her eyes. “That’s nine,” she said.

Of course, she’d counted. Adam nodded. “For the last item on my list, I have to get on my knees. But I assure you, this won’t be the last time—neither will it be the first time I’ve kneeled before you.”

Her cheeks exploded with heat and, with a grin on his face, Adam lowered himself to his knees.

“I want to marry you if you let me. And if you do, I shall spend the rest of my life making you happy. That’s item number ten. To get you to marry me.” He squeezed her fingers. “Just walk out with me now and marry me instead of Lansdowne.”

Beatrice pursed her lips to hold in a chuckle and even covered her mouth with her palm for good measure. “Please, get up.”

“Not until I hear your answer.”

Beatrice tugged on his hand. “Adam, I am not getting married today.”

“You are not?” Adam looked around and aside from the entire church staring at them with different expressions ranging from awe to utter disgust, this was the first time Adam noticed that there was indeed no groom at the end of the aisle. Or anywhere, for that matter.

Beatrice bit her lip and shook her head. “I am not going to marry Lord Lansdowne. He passed away this morning.”

Adam let out a breath and rose to his feet. “Oh, thank god.”

Outraged gasps sounded from the pews, and Adam looked at the rows where the relatives of Lansdowne now sat, baffled, and the only thing he could do was grimace. He cleared his throat and schooled his features. “My condolences. I didn’t mean thank god he’s dead, I meant thank god she is not marrying him. Because you see—Oh, forget it.”

Beatrice let out a chuckle. “It was supposed to be our first banns reading today. Not the wedding.”

“Oh, it’s Sunday.” Adam let out a hoarse laugh. “I… I am an idiot. I wasn’t thinking.”

She nodded her agreement. “Should we speak outside?”

There was a loud throat clearing behind Beatrice, and they both looked back. “Despite this shameful interruption of the Sunday service, or perhaps because of it,” the priest said. “I will certainly grant a common license for you to wed right here to avoid further embarrassment. You’ll still have to wait seven days as is the custom, of course.”

“Scotland is just around the corner,” an old woman said as she was leaving the church in an unhurried wobble, obviously tired of their theatrics. “You can be wed tonight.”

“I don’t believe we heard your answer, young lady!” one of the old women shouted from the pews.

“This is a disgrace!” another one chimed in.

“We’ve heard the proposal, we might as well hear the answer,” somebody else said.