virgin, and not to be taken lightly?' she teased.
He laughed now, for it was exactly what Maguire had said to him earlier when he had arrived, and stabled his horse. 'Let us ride if the rain has stopped, or was that just a way to hold me here longer?'
'Both,' she said honestly.
'There is no future in any of this,' he insisted. 'We're mad to even consider that there is.'
'Is that not our decision to make, Kieran?' She put her hand upon his arm, and looked up into his handsome, but troubled face.
'Is it?' he wondered aloud, drowning in her green-blue gaze. He was in love, he thought to his amazement. It had happened so quickly, so suddenly. He had never expected to be in love, and the whole thing was utterly impossible. They would never let him have her.
'I want us to wed before your family returns from England in the autumn,' Fortune said frankly.
'I haven't asked you to marry me,' he replied.
'Don't you want to?' she demanded.
'Of course I do, but your family will not allow it, sweetheart. Don't you understand? Poor men, even of noble family, do not marry wealthy heiresses. You could have a prince, a duke, or a marquess, Fortune. Your family can certainly seek for a better match than I am.'
'Kieran, the choice is mine. It always has been. I choose you. Do you really love me? Even on such short acquaintance?' she asked.
'Aye,' he replied softly. 'From the first moment we came face to face upon that hill, and you so proud and haughty.'
'I was dreadfully rude,' she admitted, 'but you were as arrogant as I, Kieran Devers. I think my heart knew then even if my mind did not, but I was angry to have you spoil my perfect plans.' He had yet to take his arms from about her, and she snuggled against him.
He dropped a kiss upon her fiery head, feeling her young body soft and yielding against his hardness. He wanted her greatly. He wanted to wake up in the morning and find her next to him. He wanted to give her children. Why had he been such a fool to defy his father? Why had he never considered that there might be a moment like this one? Or a girl like Lady Fortune Mary Lindley?
'I was baptized a Catholic by Father Cullen,' she said to him, seeming to sense his thoughts. 'That means we can be wed in his church. You do not have to give up anything for me, Kieran.'
'It still does not overcome the problem of my poverty,' he told Fortune quietly, gently pushing her away from him.
'Let us ride while we discuss this further,' Fortune suggested.
'I am not a suitable match for you, sweetheart,' he replied implacably.
'Adali!' she suddenly called, and the majordomo appeared from the shadows of the hall. 'Fetch Papa, Adali. Tell him I need to speak with him immediately.'
'At once, my lady,' Adali replied, seeing the startled and nervous look upon Kieran Devers's face. He moved quickly from the hall, chuckling to himself as he went. The young man hadn't a chance of escaping Lady Fortune. She had always been a determined child who wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. Since she was not particularly demanding even as a little one, this attitude always came as a surprise to her family when she exhibited it. He found the duke in Maguire's small office going over the breeding schedule. 'Lady Fortune would like to see you in the hall, my lord,' Adali said.
'Tell her I will be there shortly,' the duke responded.
'I think you had best come now, my lord,' Adali persisted. 'Lady Fortune has told Master Devers that they are to marry, but he demurs, believing he is not good enough for her since he has no wealth.'
'God's boots!' the duke swore.
'Well, I'll be damned,' Maguire said, a grin upon his face.
Kieran Devers paled visibly as the duke of Glenkirk, followed by Adali and Rory Maguire, entered the hall. They were going to throw him out, and set the dogs on him for sure. He had no right aspiring, even secretly in his heart, to a girl like Fortune. 'My lord,' he said, bowing. What the hell was the matter with him? He wasn't some damned cotter. He was a Devers with a Maguire mother, and O'Neil cousins. He had little to his name, but the name was a respectable one. Maguire was grinning from ear to ear. What the hell had taken the man?
'I understand ye want to marry my daughter, Kieran Devers,' the duke said quietly.
'Aye, my lord, I do, but I know you will not allow it for I am a poor man with nothing but my name to offer,' Kieran said.
James Leslie looked to his stepdaughter. 'Well, Fortune, what have ye to say to this?'
'I love him, Papa,' Fortune said.
'Ahh, yes. And ye do hae enough wealth for the both of ye. Are ye willing to share it?' the duke inquired.
'You know I am, Papa!' she cried. 'And Kieran is welcome to whatever I have. There is such a great deal of it.'
'My lord, I cannot wed Fortune for her riches,' the younger man said emphatically. 'I must be my own man, and come to her with something to offer besides my name. I am a man of honor, not some fortune-hunting rogue.'
'Ohh, do not be so bloody proud!' Fortune shouted at him.
'Perhaps Willy could wed you for your inheritance, Fortune, but I will not!' he shouted back at her.
'Ye do not have to wed my daughter for her wealth, Master Devers. Ye will nae hae any control over her riches at all, nor would your younger brother hae. The women in this family keep and prudently manage their own wealth. It is their tradition. The men they wed are given a suitable settlement prior to the marriage. Fortune will continue to be very rich. Ye will nae be in comparison. If you wish, ye may take the settlement given you and invest it to increase it. Surely ye canna hae any objection to wedding Fortune now, can ye? Ye will be doing me a great personal favor in taking the chit off my hands. She hae been extraordinarily fussy about choosing a mate.'
Kieran Devers had never been so surprised in his entire life. 'You are saying that I can marry Fortune, my lord?'
'Aye, provided ye love the lass. Do ye?' the duke of Glenkirk asked, knowing the answer but asking nonetheless for he needed to hear Kieran Devers voice it aloud.
Hearing the words Rory Maguire felt his own heart clutch. He knew exactly how Kieran Devers felt. At least the lad was gaining his heart's desire. He never had.
'Ohh, Papa, thank you!' Fortune threw her arms about the duke's neck, and kissed him.
'What is going on?' Jasmine Leslie came into the hall, looking about her.
'Kieran and I are going to be married, Mama!' Fortune said, beaming, and casting a loving look upon her intended.
'This is sudden, even for you, poppet,' the duchess said slowly. 'Are you sure this is what you want? You didn't want young William, yet you want his brother?'
