Page 78 of His Highland Duchess
“Ye thus leave me nae choice…” She took another step forward, closing the distance between them so that they were so close that if he wished it he could reach out and take her hands. He did not, however.Not yet…“What I want, Lysander, is to stay here, with ye and the girls, to live as your wife from now until… well, until forever.”
“And why would you want such a thing as that?” he asked her with a wicked grin.
She cocked her eyebrow. “Perhaps I cannae stop thinking about that time on the balcony at the Brimstone Ball?” Lysander’spulse quickened at the mention of that most glorious moment. “Perhaps it is your fingers that I covet, for they do splendid work. Or perhaps…” She looked away sheepishly, biting her lip before looking to him again. “Or perhaps, most likely, it is because I love ye. I loved ye last week. I loved ye when I suggested that I return to Scotland. And dammit, Lysander!” She laughed, and it was music to his ears. “I love ye now!”
It wasn’t a surprise to hear it. And where Lysander had expected such words, the effect was as if they had come from nowhere. He felt them in his heart, wrapping it and pulling it back together so it might never break again. He felt them in his soul, a piece that was missing, now found and never to be lost again. He felt it like the sun was coming out from behind the clouds, warm on his face and his body, giving him life.
Why was I so scared? Why was I so willing to give this away? To protect myself and my daughters? To me, it feels now as if nothing can hurt me.Such was the power of love.
“When I came to you the other day…” Lysander reached out and took Margaret’s hands. “You know what I was going to say, don’t you?”
“I would still like to hear it.”
“I was scared before that, Margaret. Terrified to let myself feel…” He shook his head. “Feel anything. But when I read Lady Brimstone’s letter, I realized that it wasn’t fear that I should be feeling. Dammit, when I read what she had written, all I wanted to do was protect you. To prove to you that it didn’t matter whatshe said, because I didn’t care. And I don’t care. That is the truth.”
“Ye still have nae said it…” She laughed softly, squeezing his hands tightly.
He smiled for her, holding her eyes so she could see the smile he wore in his own. “I love you, Margaret. I did not wish to. I tried to fight it. But…” His smile grew. “I love you. Now. Yesterday. Tomorrow, I am sure.” He kissed her right hand. “Do not go to Scotland. Do not leave me.”
“Oh, so ye want me to stay?” She pretended to sound surprised. “I would hate to be a burden. Or…” She winked. “A bad influence.”
“I am the bad influence,” he laughed. “And you…” He kissed her hand again. “You are what keeps me whole.”
Still holding each other’s hands, they gazed into each other's eyes, the love felt for the other building inside of them. Margaret did not answer him, smiling to herself, amusement brimming on her lips.
“Well…” Lysander asked nervously. “Will you… Will you stay?”
“On one condition, I will.”
“Anything. You name it.”
“That ye kiss me already,” she said. “Because if ye dae nae, I am nae sure I will believe –”
Lysander did not hesitate. He pulled Margaret into him, his lips finding hers, planting them and pressing them into her as if he might never stop. His hands moved to her face, holding her, refusing to let go. He had forgotten how sweet she tasted. He had forgotten just how much she undid him. But most of all, he had forgotten how desperate he was for her, unable to fathom that he had almost let her go.
Margaret kissed him back fully and with returned passion. Nothing else needed to be said, and they both knew it. There they stood, in the middle of the garden, kissing with fury and desire, a fire building around them that seemed to explode and announce to all that this marriage was more than one of convenience, and was certainly one not befitting of an end date.
This marriage was a love match, and finally, they both knew it for the truth that it was.How it took me this long to realize… I will never know.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lenora was thrilled to see Margaret walk through the front door. Mr. Jeffries was trying to hold her back, but she pushed him out of the way and charged for Margaret like a bull at a red flag.
“Margaret!” She threw herself at Margaret’s legs, wrapping her arms around her tightly and holding on for dear life. “You’re here! You’re here!”
“You dinnae think I was going to leave ye?” Margaret laughed as Aurelia too came in for a hug. She had refused to let Margaret go for the entire ride back home, and it looked as if things would not change any time soon.
“I brought her back,” Aurelia said as if it were true. “I told you that I would!”
Margaret laughed at their enthusiasm, and she beamed at the love they shared with her. She looked up to find Lysanderwatching on, smiling at the way his daughters admired her, and her smile grew.
If there had been even a hint of doubt about returning with Lysander, this has well and truly dashed that to pieces.
There had been no doubt, however, and that was the truth. When she and Lysander had found themselves alone, she had seen almost immediately what she suspected he wished to say to her. His true feelings, as she had known him to feel for her, well before she’d left. The problem, as she had found out, was getting him to admit them.
Fear was what held him back, but the love he felt for her was what forced them through. She had no doubt now that he did love her, just as she loved him. All they had been through. All the confusion and the lies and the refusal to accept the truth that was staring them right in the face…nae more of that. From here on out, there will be nae more confusion because nothing could be so simple as how we feel for one another.
“Girls…” Lysander sighed as he swept in and pulled Lenora from Margaret’s leg. “You are going to scare her away.”
