“She’s in here, Jason,” Kendra shouted.
“Is she decent?” came his voice from the hall.
“Enough,” she answered doubtfully.
Amy pulled the quilt over her bare shoulders as Jason shoved Colin back and followed him into the room, shutting the door with a little more force than was necessary. “Now you’ve done it.”
Colin’s smile was infectious. “I know. I found her. I can scarcely believe it myself.” Kendra averted her eyes as he peeled his surcoat off and grabbed his shirt from the hearth. “A fine bit of sleuthing, wasn’t it?” He dropped the shirt over his head. “Hey—how did you find us, anyway?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Jason growled. “Once again, you—”
Shouldering Jason out of the way, Kendra took his place before her obstinate brother. “What he meant is, you’ll have to marry her now, you—“
“I fully intend to,” Colin said as he tucked in the shirt.
His words were quiet and matter-of-fact—so much so that Kendra failed to register them.
But Amy did. She let out a small gasp of surprise. Marriage! Colin had said he loved her, but he hadn’t mentioned…
No, it would never work. Her stomach felt leaden and her eyes grew misty, but the siblings were too busy with one another to notice.
“Why are you grinning, you idiot?” Kendra railed. “You couldn’t just bring her to the town house, could you? Now we have proof you’ve ruined—”
Jason shoved Kendra over with his hip and stood beside her, the two of them effectively making a solid wall that obscured Colin from Amy’s view. “You’ve really made a mess of things now, Colin.” Usually the calm one, Jason’s voice seethed with uncharacteristic rage. “You couldn’t leave well enough—”
“Jason. Kendra. I said I’m going to marry her. Even though I have not ruined her.”
Though Amy couldn’t see Colin, she could hear the smile in his voice. He was enjoying this little scene. And she hadn’t heard wrong the first time—he really did intend to make her his wife.
A prolonged silence settled as Kendra and Jason were apparently shocked speechless. Then Kendra whirled to face Amy. “Is this true?”
Was it? Amy bit her lip. Marry come up, she couldn’t marry him. Her father would never forgive her.
“I—no. No.” She shook her head slowly, then faster as tears sprang to her eyes. “No.”
“What?” Colin strode to the bed and stood staring down at her. “I told you last night—”
“—that you love me.” It hurt to look at him. She dropped her gaze, yanking the blanket right up under her chin. “I love you too, but I cannot marry you, Colin. I cannot. I have to reestablish the shop—I told you that. I vowed I would see it carried on. And when we were at Greystone, you said a peer’s wife cannot run a business. You said if I married into the aristocracy, I’d never be able to reopen Goldsmith and Sons.” She swallowed hard and looked up. “You said it, Colin—I heard you.”
“Of course I said it!” He opened his mouth as though to say more, but then just stood there, red-faced and tongue-tied.
“You would choose a shop over my brother?” Appearing completely baffled, Kendra shifted on her feet. “Over becoming a countess?”
“It’s not a matter of choice!” Amy brushed angrily at her tears. Why couldn’t these people understand? “I was born to a craft. And I hold in trust a fortune. I cannot just hand the Goldsmith inheritance to a husband—it belongs to future generations of Goldsmith and Sons.”
“I won’t take it, Amy. You have my word on that.”
“What?” It was Jason’s turn to look astonished. His lips thinned beneath his slim black mustache. “You spoke truth when you said they belong together, Kendra. They’re both totally, utterly insane.”
Colin took a deep breath. The red faded from his features. “You have to marry me,” he said calmly.
“Is something wrong with your hearing?” How many times could she refuse him without giving in? Every denial cost her a piece of her heart. “I said I cannot marry you. I cannot.”
“You must.”
“I said—”
“Robert is still out there. I knew I should have killed him.” He looked thoroughly disgusted with himself. “He’ll find you, Amy. Even in Paris. He’ll find you, and then he’ll try again to force you to the altar. Maybe he’ll succeed next time, or maybe he’ll just murder you instead. Then he can petition for your wealth on the basis of the betrothal…”
Amy felt the blood drain out of her face. She put her hands to her cheeks.
Dear heavens, Colin was right.
“…if you marry me, it would do him no good to come after you.”
“Because my fortune would belong to you, then.”
“Only legally.”
She found herself caught in his emerald gaze. “It’s meant for the business,” she whispered.
“It’s meant for your descendants. As security, no?”
She nodded.
“They’ll have it.”
“Colin,” Jason interrupted. “How will you restore Greystone?”
“Slowly,” Colin snapped without sparing his brother a glance. “My new bride doesn’t require living in luxury.”
“But—”
“Hold your tongue.” Waving him off, Colin knelt by the bed and took Amy’s hands in his. “Your descendants will have your inheritance,” he repeated. “Now…will you marry me?”
She gazed at him, his beloved features wavering through her tears. To marry Colin Chase—her heart’s most selfish desire—so selfish she hadn’t even dared to let herself consider it. But he was right—she had little choice. She could either wed him or Robert, or forfeit her life.
Forgive me, Papa, she intoned in her head, then nodded at Colin. His hands tightened around hers, almost painfully, and he raised himself to brush a kiss across her lips. An unfamiliar and unexpected warmth surged through her—a feeling of belonging that she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Her senses were already reeling when Kendra let out a whoop of joy and threw herself on the bed, nearly dislodging the carefully
