A Clandestine Courtship (30 page)
“Mary, you will always be safe with me. I love you.”
“Is that enough?” she murmured uncertainly.
“More than enough. Listen to your instincts. They won’t lie. They know that I will never harm you.”
She frowned.
“Think, love. How else were you able to tell us apart, even when John was hiding behind my identity?”
“You were safe – always.” She relaxed.
“Always,” he repeated. “And listen to your heart. Doesn’t it recognize that we belong together?”
She smiled, then closed the small gap that separated their mouths. And he was home. Keeping it light was impossible. But she didn’t protest.
Mary sank into the kiss, drowning in sensation. Their lips brushed, then pressed firmly together as his tongue slipped inside. It rasped gently against hers, curling, twisting, enticing hers into a dance that grew more frenzied by the second. Her breasts tightened painfully, but it was a welcome pain, an urgent pain that demanded further contact. When his hand closed around one, she thought she would die of ecstasy.
“Dear God, Mary,” he groaned. “I want you; I need you; marry me.”
He was more than ready to carry this further, she realized as he pulled her closer, bumping her hip into his groin. But even the thought of what that entailed no longer frightened her. She would always be safe with him. Loved. Honored. Cherished. Yet she still hesitated.
“Are you thinking clearly?” she asked, pulling back to look into his eyes. “You know I will never fit into your world.”
He was panting, so it took him a moment to find his voice. “That is the first truly foolish thing I’ve ever heard you say. You have never failed to meet any challenge you faced. After stopping a team of panicked horses and rescuing me from a killer, holding your own in London drawing rooms will be child’s play.”
“Maybe.”
“Definitely. I wasn’t going to pressure you,” he admitted. “But after today, I can no longer be patient. I love you. I want to spend my life with you – and only you. Will you accept my hand in marriage?”
“I love you, James. I would be honored.”
“I will never hurt you,” he promised again. “If you need time, you can have it, but I would like to wed as soon as possible.”
“So would I.” She reached up to brush the hair from his forehead. “I realized today that my other fears paled against the fear of losing you. I trust you – for everything. I always have.”
“Thank God.” He pulled her close for another kiss.
This time it was a tap on the door that pulled them apart. Justin entered, followed by Trimble carrying a tray holding wine and three glasses. Mary scrambled to her feet.
“I take it congratulations are in order,” said Justin, focusing on Mary while James straightened his cravat and smoothed his jacket. “Will we be holding three weddings this autumn?”
Mary met James’s eyes. “We will post banns immediately and be wed in three weeks.”
“By Mary’s brother,” added James. “It will be his first official act as Ridgefield’s new vicar.”
Her eyes misted.
“The girls will be delighted,” declared Justin, handing each a glass of wine. He raised his own in a toast. “May your love bring you happiness and good fortune for the rest of your days. And may those days prove long and fruitful.”
“Amen,” murmured Mary.
“To us,” added James.
They drank. And when James again lost himself in Mary’s eyes, Justin slipped away, leaving them to celebrate in private.
Copyright © 1999 by Susan Ann Pace
Originally published by Signet Regency (0451197445)
Electronically published in 2006 by Belgrave House/Regency Reads
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, E-mail, copying electronically or by any other means without permission of the publisher. For more information, contact Belgrave House, 190 Belgrave Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94117-4228
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This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.
