He had wasted so much of his life without love, Drew reflected. Roslyn had taught him that life wasn’t worth very much without passion, without emotion, without love.
Emotion welled inside him as he captured her hand, his long fingers twining with her slender ones. “So this means we are resuming our betrothal?”
Holding his gaze, Roslyn shook her head slowly. “No, Drew. I won’t hold you to our former betrothal. If you want to wed me, you will have to offer for me again. And this time it cannot be merely to save my reputation but solely because you love me. Because you want to spend the rest of your life with me.”
“Very well, love, will you please,
Her warm smile made him ache with a sweetly intolerable pain. “Yes, my dearest love. I will, and gladly.”
Drew slipped his hand behind her head, capturing her nape. “Thank God…”
Bringing her lips down to his, he kissed her fervently, which sent fresh desire coursing through Roslyn’s blood. She knew Drew was feeling the same urgency when, with one deft and powerful twist of his body, he rolled her beneath him.
Cradling her thighs in his own, making her feel his swelling hardness, he stared down at her. Roslyn drank in his expression…his dark, passion-hazed glance, the blazing possession in his eyes. She saw love there. Hot, possessive, protective, arousing.
“Drew, I love you so much,” she whispered in reply, returning his look measure for measure.
“I won’t ever tire of hearing those words…”
He rasped her name, then took her mouth again. With the same passionate fire Roslyn opened to him and breathed him in.
Their ardor built as he worshiped her with hands and tongue. It seemed to Roslyn that she could never want more…Drew’s melting kisses, his hands cherishing her body. But then he fit himself to her, entering her with fierce strong tenderness, thrusting in hard and deep as his lips murmured words of love.
The rapture swelled, mounting, thundering. His wild kisses kept coming, interspersed with fervent declarations of love as he took her body. He wooed her to madness, then healed her again as he poured himself into her, body and heart and soul.
When their passion was finally spent, Drew cradled her in his arms lovingly, his face nestled in her hair, his fingers absently playing with her pale locks.
It was a long while before he spoke, though. “I was terrified that you loved Haviland.”
Deliciously sated and weary, Roslyn found the strength to press a kiss against his bare shoulder. “You had nothing to fear, Drew. I couldn’t fall in love with him because I was already falling in love with you. There was no reason for you to be jealous.”
“Of course there was. You had set your sights on marrying that bastard.”
She laughed softly. “You cannot keep calling a belted earl that disparaging word, Drew.”
“Very well, he isn’t a bastard. But can you blame me if I was insanely jealous? I think you should feel flattered.”
“Perhaps so, but you should never have threatened to kill him. I believe you owe Haviland a sincere apology.”
“I might give him one, now that I know you don’t love him. But if he ever dares look at you again with lust in his eyes…”
Her laughter was exasperated and satisfied at the same time. “He won’t look at me that way. He has too much honor. And hopefully, he will soon be occupied with his own romance. I mean to help Lord Haviland find a bride. In fact, he asked for my help.”
Raising his head, Drew gazed at her a long moment before finally chuckling. “I knew he wasn’t a total imbecile.”
“Drew!”
“All right…I will become his bosom friend, if it will make you happy. But if I might use him to make a point…” Drew gazed deeply into her eyes. “The next time you and I argue-which undoubtedly will happen again-you needn’t run and hide in the library. I’ll never stop loving you, Roslyn, even if I sometimes lose my temper and you want to throttle me for it.”
She winced. “We were not merely arguing. We were shouting at each other, fighting bitterly.”
“Even so, that doesn’t mean I don’t love you with every fiber of my being. And in the future if we fight, we can have the pleasure of making up.”
Her mouth slowly quirked. “That is what Fanny said.”
“Fanny can be very wise sometimes.”
“I know.” Roslyn shook her head in amusement.
“What is it, love?”
“I was just thinking that I am not very wise sometimes. It was terribly naive of me to try and decree my own fate. I thought I could arrange my future to my specifications, to avoid the pain and heartache my parents endured. But I was wrong. You cannot apply scientific methods or rules of logic to matters of the heart. You cannot dictate love, any more than you can control fate.”
“But I am very glad you tried.”
“I, as well,” Roslyn said softly.
Drew brought her fingers to his lips for a tender kiss. “I want to have our wedding right away. I’m not letting you change your mind again.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
“I still plan to obtain a special license.”
Roslyn frowned a little at that. “Drew…Arabella and Marcus are still away on their wedding trip. I want my sisters at our wedding, and Tess and Winifred also. Winifred would be heartbroken if we were to exclude her. And I’m certain my mother will want to return from France to attend. I will write her at once, but it will still take time to arrange her travel. I should think you would want your friends there, too.”
“I do. And I suppose we don’t want our union to look rushed.” Letting his head fall back onto the pillows, Drew sighed. “I generally loathe weddings, but in this instance I suppose it would be best if we call the banns and hold the ceremony at St. George’s. Three weeks should give ample time for all your family to return. Is your younger sister still in Hampshire?”
Roslyn hesitated, not liking to lie. “Lily is…somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else? Do you know where?”
“Honestly? Yes. But she made me promise to keep her location a secret, for fear of Winifred’s hounding her to find a husband.”
It was Drew’s turn to sound amused. “Your sister’s secret is safe with me. I’m not about to get mixed up in Winifred’s matchmaking for any price.”
“I wish Winifred could understand that her efforts are not appreciated. Lily has a severe distaste for matrimony-even stronger than yours. Indeed, I doubt she’ll be overly delighted that I am marrying you. But at least I know Arabella and Tess and Winifred will be thrilled for me.” Roslyn lifted her head from Drew’s shoulder. “Your mother will be disappointed, won’t she?”
“What of it? Pleasing my mother is my very last concern.”
“I wonder if she will refuse to attend the ceremony.”
“Oh, she will attend, I have no doubt. She won’t want to be left out and have it said that her son severed all connection with her. She couldn’t bear to suffer the social consequences.”
Roslyn felt a little sad for the duchess. “I think your mother must be terribly lonely.”
“Somehow I can’t feel any pity for her. She brought her loneliness on herself-” Drew stopped and slipped his hand behind Roslyn’s nape again. “Thank God you saved me from a life like hers.”
Smiling, Roslyn traced a finger over his lips. “Drew…” she said, returning to the subject of their nuptials, “I know you have your consequence to uphold, but I want Fanny to attend our wedding.”
“Of course she should attend. I owe her an enormous debt of gratitude for bringing you to the Cyprians’ ball. Otherwise I would have stayed as far away from you as possible.”
Her look turned arch. “I think I deserve
