letting go.

When at last he pulled back to meet her gaze, they were both breathless and holding one another tight.

“That wasn’t the only reason I stayed away,” he said quietly. He stroked a hand over her hair, likely mussing it but she found she did not care. His gaze was unnervingly serious, his eyes deliciously dark with emotion.

She steeled herself for whatever he might say, still wary of the happiness that threatened to drown her if she gave into it. “What is it?” she asked.

He dropped down to one knee as he clutched her hands in his.

“Rupert, what are you—”

“I want you by my side, Delilah. Now. Always. Forever.”

Her heart exploded with joy. Tears overflowed and she was unable to keep the tide at bay any longer. That happiness swept over her so fast, so fierce, it left her trembling. “I want the same,” she said. Tugging him to stand, she kissed him with all of the emotion she was feeling.

The kiss turned desperate as her lips clung to his. Her tears mixed with the taste of him and he pulled back abruptly.

“I love you, Delilah. I wish to make you my wife. However…”

She pulled back as well with a sudden frown. “What ‘however’? Why a ‘however?’”

He gave a short laugh as he wrapped his arms tightly about her waist. “Let me finish. I merely realized that you deserve better.”

“Better than you?” Her frown intensified. “Never. No such thing exists. Not for me.”

He tipped his head back with another laugh before he met her gaze with eyes filled with more affection than she’d ever imagined seeing in her entire life. “I do love you, you know that, yes?” he said. “Your strength is incredible and your belief in me is heartening. But what I’m trying to say is—falling in love with you, it has changed me.”

Her eyes widened, because his words so perfectly echoed what she’d been feeling earlier. “Maybe that’s what love does,” she says. “It changes you.”

“It made me want to be the sort of man you deserve,” he continued.

Her eyes flickered over the clean-shaven jaw, the handsome new clothes and the perfectly groomed hair. “I don’t care about all that,” she said softly. “Not really.”

“Maybe not, but I want to make you proud. I’ve talked to my father about reclaiming the honorary title, and about rejoining society with you at my side—”

“Rupert!” Her voice was high with irritation and amusement and giddy happiness. “You do not need to do all of this. Not for me. I may have been raised to believe that a ‘good’ match was all that mattered, but I know better now. I want a love match. I want a real match. I want…you.” Her voice fell to a whisper as emotion choked her and the full force of the love in his eyes struck her. “That is all that matters.”

He studied her for a moment with eyes so warm with affection it made her want to weep. “Perhaps you are right. But meeting you, falling in love with you, I suppose I realized that my dreams for the future have changed as well. Once upon a time, all I wanted was justice and revenge. I thought family and love would never mean as much to me as the call to right the wrongs of the ne’er-do-wells who walk among the elite.”

She arched her brows. “And now?”

He sighed. “Now… Now I want to let go of the anger that drove me to this line of work. I will still take on the occasional investigation but I no longer relish the idea of risking the lives of those close to me, or even my own life…not when I have so much to live for.”

“So…” She reached up and threaded her fingers through the edges of his new haircut. “You have turned a new leaf then.”

He grinned. “It would seem so.” Arching his brows, he lowered his voice. “All that being said, I cannot promise that I will avoid adventure entirely—”

“I should hope not!” she interjected pertly.

He laughed and tugged her closer, so she was enveloped in his arms. “But something tells me that a marriage to you…?” He dropped a sweet kiss to her lips. “That will be the greatest adventure of all.”

Thank you for reading! Be sure to find out what happens to Prudence in her story, The Misgivings about Miss Prudence!

If you missed Addie and Tolston’s story, you can find it in The Misadventures of Miss Adelaide.

Louisa and Tumberland’s tale can be found in The Misunderstanding of Miss Louisa

Plus, snag a FREE sweet regency romance novella now when you sign up for Maggie Dallen’s monthly historical romance newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/dgUNif

About the Author

MAGGIE DALLEN IS a big city girl living in Montana. She writes romantic comedies in a range of genres including young adult, historical, contemporary, and fantasy. An unapologetic addict of all things romance, she loves to connect with fellow avid readers. Subscribe to her historical newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dgUNif or her contemporary newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bFEVsL

LINKS & OTHER WORKS

Facebook: facebook.com/MaggieDallenAuthor

Twitter: twitter.com/Mag_Dallen

Website: maggiedallen.com

Добавить отзыв
ВСЕ ОТЗЫВЫ О КНИГЕ В ИЗБРАННОЕ

0

Вы можете отметить интересные вам фрагменты текста, которые будут доступны по уникальной ссылке в адресной строке браузера.

Отметить Добавить цитату