A Heart in Flight (19 page)

Her heart began those wild palpitations again. “You do?”

“Oh, yes.” He pulled her closer against him. “It’s because I love you, Aurelia Amesley.”

For a moment she thought the breath had left her lungs forever. And then she could speak again, but she could not believe. “What did you say?”

He looked down at her, his expression tender. “I said I love you.”

“You ... love ... me,” she repeated woodenly. She had never swooned in her life, but she felt dangerously close to it.

His face darkened. “Phoebe was right, wasn’t she? If that chit misled me ...”

“Phoebe?” Her voice was sharper than she intended. “What has Phoebe to do with this?”

His eyes clouded. “She said ... She assured me ...” He withdrew his arm and sat stiffly apart. “I seem to have made a mistake, Miss Amesley.  My cousin misread your feelings for me. She mistook gratitude for affection and ...”

He looked so miserable, she could not bear it. “Phoebe,” she began, but he was so firmly launched into abject apology that he could not hear her. And so, with complete disregard for propriety and The Plan, she threw herself into his arms. Never having done such a thing before, she threw herself rather more emphatically than necessary with the result that he ended flat on his back and she on top of him. But she did not let that deter her. Promptly she pressed her lips to his.

It was a most satisfying kiss, far better than the one he had given her in the balloon. For one thing, now she knew what to expect. And for another, he had said he loved her.

When she raised her mouth, he was staring at her in the most bewildered fashion. “Ranfield,” she said. “I love you, too.”

His smile began then and grew to such proportions that she almost burst into laughter again. But there were too many questions still unanswered.

She pushed herself to a sitting position. Once she was off him, he got immediately to his feet.

-What ...?”

And then he dropped to one knee in front of her. A giggle threatened to choke her. He pretended a thunderous glare. “If you insist on laughing at me, how shall I do this thing properly?” He took her hand. “Miss Amesley, Aurelia. My love. Will you marry me?”

The lump in her throat was so big she had to struggle to get the words over it. “Yes, yes I will.”

“Did I do it property? Shall I add anything?”

“Oh, no, my love. It was perfect. The most perfect proposal a woman ever received.”

He dropped to the grass beside her and wiped his brow. “I’m glad that’s over. My darling, I’m sorry it didn’t work out as you wished.”

“As I wished?”

“Yes, Phoebe told ...”

“Phoebe told ...”

“Come, love.” He put his arm around her. “It was not her fault. You know she cannot stand up under my glare.”

“She told you about The Plan.” Aurelia did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Oh, it is so mortifying.”

“Nonsense.” He kissed her hand. “Actually, it was very enterprising. Though completely unnecessary.”

“Unnecessary?”

“Yes, sweet. You see I loved you the first moment I saw you.”

She remembered that moment—the meeting of their eyes in Hyde Park. “Ranfield ...”

“I did not know it then, of course. Until you crashed into my stables. And my dearest, now that you are to be my wife, will you not call me Philip?”

“Yes, Philip. But why ...?” She found to her surprise that she could now ask him anything. “Why did you take so long?”

“Because of The Plan, my dear.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “The Plan almost persuaded me that you were too scatterbrained to be my wife. First you crash into my stables. I know, that was really an accident.” He laughed. “But my love, the way you ride a horse ... I wonder that that accident wasn’t fatal.”

“I know. You will have to teach me properly. But really, Philip, I did not intend to knock you breathless that day in the meadow.”

He kissed her chin. “And Phoebe’s escapade in the caves was
her
idea.” He frowned. “Though I understand you had something to do with the elopement.”

“A little. I just thought that Phoebe’s mama might come round when she thought she’d lost her altogether.”

He pulled her closer. “And you were right. I understand, my love. And I promise I shall continue to supply you with romances of terror.”

“You shall?”

“Oh, yes. But I require one pledge in return.”

She snuggled comfortably against him. “What pledge is that?”

“I insist that you no longer try to live these romances. I would like to enjoy our life together without benefit of added hazards.”

And then it hit her. Her ballooning. “You won’t ...? I can’t ...”

“Of course not, my love.” His smile made her blood sing. “We will continue ballooning. I shall even convert my balloon to hydrogen gas ... if that pleases you. But one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“We must always go up together. I cannot bear it otherwise.”

Feeling greatly daring, she kissed the point of his chin. “Of course, Philip. We’ll do everything together. And I do promise I’ll give up living romances. But you must admit that The Plan was not such a bad thing.”

“How so?”

“Well, it brought Harold and Phoebe together. And, however obliquely, us. So, in the long run it worked admirably.”

He chuckled. “More admirably even than you suppose. This morning your uncle came to me about Prudence. It appears that he’s gotten used to her Scriptures and now that she’s been converted to air flight, he means to ask her the question.”

“Three. Three marriages,” Aurelia said triumphantly. “And all from one Plan.”

From the distance came the sound of breaking branches. “Hal-loo. Ree-ly? Ran-ny? Are you there?”

“Yes, Harold,” the Earl shouted. “We’re both here. And doing very well.” Then he took her in his arms and kissed her yet again.

Copyright © 1990 by Nina Pykare

Originally published by Berkley Jove (ISBN 0515103691)

Electronically published in 2009 by Belgrave House/Regency

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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.