He brought his hand up and laced it together with hers. “No,” he managed to say. “You’re not dreaming.”
“You were far away—at Greystone—then suddenly you were there. Exactly when I needed you. Just like during the fire.”
The wonder in her voice, the total trust her words implied, made Colin’s heart skip a beat. If he hadn’t known it before, in that moment he knew for certain they were destined for each other. It seemed the harder he tried to ignore the truth, the more it persisted.
He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I’ll always be here when you need me,” he said simply. “Always.”
He squeezed her hand tight, then drew her closer and rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and settled her small, soft body against him. He felt her respiration slow into an even pattern, her body relax in the solace of long-denied sleep.
The weight of her head on his shoulder, the warmth of her breath on his neck, the silky feel of her nestled against him—she was a dream.
Yet he felt as though he were in a nightmare.
Though he knew it deep in his bones, it seemed impossible to accept that the very essence of Amy—her inherent goodness, her intelligence, her resilience, her passion for life—more than compensated for her incompatible background. She would make a tremendous mother someday; her strength and compassion would create a haven of security no title could provide; he saw that now. The bond he felt between them—as though she existed for him alone—would extend to the children of their bodies as naturally as Amy’s affection had spread to his siblings.
And yet, he remembered another strong bond: that of a little boy for his parents. And he remembered the soul-rending pain of abandonment. The pain he was determined never to face again.
How had this happened to him? He’d been in control. He’d had a plan.
He hadn’t wanted to love anyone.
FIFTY-EIGHT
THERE WAS A King’s Arms not three blocks from the Chases’ town house. The few patrons still there had never heard of Robert Stanley, but the innkeeper directed Kendra and her brothers to another King’s Arms, which directed them to a third.
The place was deserted, but a weary serving maid was still in the back, sweeping up, and she was able to confirm that they had indeed found Robert Stanley’s haunt. Perking up at the sound of his name, she informed them that rumor had it he’d taken off with his love, bound for either St. James or St. Trinity.
“There would be no marriages on Sunday.” Kendra’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Perhaps we’re not too late. We’ll go and warn—”
“Oh, no, we won’t,” Jason interrupted in a tense, clipped voice that forbade any argument. “There’s no sense in chasing out there tonight. The morning will do fine.”
“But—”
“Listen, Kendra,” he said more gently. “We’re as concerned about Amy as you are. But I know that neighborhood—it’s no place to visit late on a foggy night. The clergy will have been long since abed, anyway. We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
Crestfallen, Kendra felt her enthusiasm evaporate. It had felt so good to be in active pursuit. Still, she knew there was nothing to discuss—Jason made perfect sense. “I want to get there early,” she proclaimed. “Before anyone can possibly be married.”
“We will. We’ll be there when the sun rises.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
With a heavy sigh, Kendra resigned herself to a sleepless night of waiting.
COLIN WAS awakened by a warm kiss brushed across his mouth. He opened his eyes lazily, gazing up through half-closed lids. In the hazy light of dawn, he saw Amy’s face just inches from his.
“Colin, kiss me. Make me forget,” she whispered.
He brushed the hair off her forehead. His eyes searched hers for confirmation, but what shone from their amethyst depths was such a deep, abiding love that he was momentarily taken aback. His breath caught in his chest, and he blinked, but when he opened his eyes the look was still there.
Unconditional and unfaltering.
His arms went around her, and she lowered herself, slowly but deliberately, until her lips touched his.
He held back at first, mindful of her bruises both physical and emotional. But soon his prudence melted away, and he kissed her until both of them were breathless.
When he broke away, he could feel her heart beating against his in the still room. In that moment, he knew with a stunning clarity that they’d never be parted again. He would never give her up. He had tried to protect his heart—tried and failed. Now it was bursting with love, and he couldn’t deny it a moment longer.
His lips drifted over her eyelids, her forehead, the smooth skin of her temple. In her ear he whispered, “I love you.”
Amy drew away, still clutching the towel around herself like a shield. “Wh-what?”
He kissed one downy cheek and the tip of her nose. “I love you,” he murmured, the words coming out husky and unsteady.
“No! You cannot. We cannot.”
His head snapped up. Did she not…? “But I saw it in your eyes. Just now. I thought—”
“I love you, too,” she whispered fiercely, her arm snaking around him. “I do. It’s just—”
“Hush.” Colin touched his fingers to her lips. They could work out the complications later. “I’ve never told a girl that, you know,” he admitted with rueful candor. “You’ve disrupted my entire life, Amethyst Goldsmith.”
In contrast to his words, he felt immensely pleased with his new life. He kissed her with all the tenderness he felt in his heart, completely at peace for the first time in months.
“Tell me again.” There was a smile in her voice.
“I love you,” he said simply, and it was easier than he’d ever thought possible.
FIFTY-NINE
IT WAS STILL dark and foggy when Kendra and Ford left Jason and a footman
