Beatrice (31 page)

“I love
you so much,” Beatrice croaked. With each minute that passed it
grew increasingly difficult to talk but she was determined to tell
him what she wanted to say while she had the opportunity. “There is
one thing I have learned from all of this mess with the plant and
it is that we can never really take anything for granted. Time is
precious. Life passes by so quickly, and matters can turn against
you and ruin any change of happiness so suddenly, that it is
foolish to take anything for granted. My world crumbled when
Browning told me that Murray was waiting for you at your house, and
you were his next victim.” She made no attempt to stop the tears
from welling over and trickling down her cheeks.

Her
words were choked but, now that she had started, nothing was going
to stop her from saying what she needed to say. “My world came to
an end. I didn’t even want to fight him. That is how important you
have become to me in such a short space of time. I have sat
opposite you in church every Sunday for months, and have gazed at
you with a heart full of such hope that one day you might notice
me. I didn’t think that having someone like you in my life was
possible for a person like me, but you are here. You are real. What
we have is so very real, so very right, that I want more of it. I
need you in my life. Not because you have helped me, and supported
me through one of the most horrible ordeals of my entire life, but
because I adore everything about you.”

For a
moment, Ben couldn’t speak. His throat closed and could do nothing
more than draw her head toward him for a very thorough
kiss.

“You are
my reason or being Beatrice, and I love you with all of my heart.”
He tipped her head up gently and eyed the horrible bruises on her
throat darkly for a moment before he dipped his head and placed a
very gentle kiss over the worst of the bruising.

“I don’t
care what anybody thinks. I am not waiting for a normal period of
courtship. While we will step out together, and will of course have
a period of courtship, I am not going to be a patient man. I want
you to marry me. Will you, Beatrice? Will you marry me?”

“I would
love to,” she whispered fervently.

“There
is a God, and he was listening when I asked him to smile down on me
and find a way to reach you,” he murmured softly.

“Although I don’t like that plant, I am glad that it
arrived,” she whispered after several long moments of loving
silence.

Ben leaned back to look at her and frowned in consternation.
“
Really
?”

Beatrice
smiled beautifully at him. “Of course,” she replied gently.
“Because you came with it.”

The
End.

COMING SOON
…..

SHATTERED DREAMS

By

Rebecca King

Released
14th April 2015

Cover by Melody Simmons of ebookindiecovers.com

When
Tilly arrives in Tooting Malden, she is looking forward to taking
up her new job as a housekeeper to one of the county’s most
influential businessmen, and wastes no time hurrying over to the
home of Mr Harrington Tingay’s house to begin her
duties.

Unfortunately, her dreams are shattered when it becomes
evident that the letter she received offering her the position
appears to be a forgery, and there is no job waiting for her.
Alone, destitute, and with no chance of being able to return home,
Tilly is forced to go to the poor house.

Harry
simply can't forget the impoverished waif who turns up on his
doorstep one evening. Not only is she younger than the average
housekeeper, but there is something about her quiet elegance and
innocent beauty that stirs his soul. Unfortunately, she disappears
before he can get to the bottom of the lies and deceit that have
turned her world upside down and he is forced to enlist the help of
his friends within the Star Elite to try to find her
again.

When
Fate does bring them together again, her dire situation forces him
to offer her the help he should have given her the first time
round. However, before he can find a way to turn their arrangement
into a more permanent one, the truth about her job offer is
revealed and she is taken away from him for a second time; this
time though with far more dangerous consequences.

OTHER BOOKS BY REBECCA KING

Further details on all of Rebecca’s books can be found on her
website:

Rebeccaking-author.co.uk

TIPTON HOLLOW SERIES

Harriett (Tipton Hollow Book 1)

Beatrice (Tipton Hollow Book 2)

Tuppence (Tipton Hollow Book 3) (Coming soon)

Constance (Tipton Hollow Book 4) (Coming soon)

STAR ELITE SERIES

Capturing Sir Dunniciffe (Book 1)

Smuggler’s Glory (Book 2)

His Lady Spy (Book 3)

Lord Melvedere’s Ghost (Book 4)

The Lady Is Innocent (Book 5)

My Lord Deceived (Book 6)

Captive Surrender (Book 7)

Ghost of Christmas Past (Book 8)

THE CAVENDISH MYSTERIES

If You Were Mine (Book 1)

Cinders and Ashes (Book 2)

Chasing Eliza (Book 3)

The Gallows Bride (Book 4)

Lord Cavendish Returns (Book 5)

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Archie and the Battleflat Adventures: The Harriman
Mystery