Page 121 of The Duke's Mysterious Lover
“But ye forgive me?” Thorne said quietly.
She only hesitated for a heartbeat. “But I forgive you. In the future—”
“Dinnae assume I ken what ye want,” he finished. “I’ll talk it over with ye.”
“What wi—womanwould want anything more than that?”
If her smile hadn’t frozen, he might’ve missed her slip.
She’d been about to saywife, he was certain of it.
But she hadn’t. Why?
Because she still doesnae want to marry ye!
Nay, he’d just finished vowing not to make assumptions likethat. He needed to ask her again, and there was no time like the—
There was a loud throat-clearing nearby.
The world slid back into place and, with a sigh, Thorne lifted Kit off his chest and rolled to his feet, then offered her his hand.
Fawkes was standing there with his hands locked behind his back, pretending great interest in the ceiling. “Made up, have we?” he asked, not looking at them.
Thorne glanced down at Kit, who shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve decided perhaps he’s not as horrible as I might have thought.”
Nodding seriously, Thorne deadpanned, “I’m no’ as horrible as she thought. Clearly it’s true love.”
His cousin snorted, but his shoulders relaxed and when he finally met their eyes, he was smirking slightly.
“Demon and the ladies are handling yer guests, and—”
“Demon?” Thorne blanched. “Dear God, I need these people tolikeme!”
Kit smacked his arm. “Demon won’t scare them away. If nothing else, they’ll keep returning out of sheer horrified fascination.”
Fawkes nodded solemnly. “Like a train wreck.”
As both Thorne and Kit snorted, in that strange post-catastrophe way that makes everything funnier, Rourke hobbled over, his hand wrapped tightly around the head of his cane. “Are ye well, lass?”
Interestingly, Kit flushed and moved closer to Thorne. “Y-Yes. I’m fine.”
“Kit, love, this is my friend Rourke Lindsay,” Thorne said softly. “Bull’s older brother, and the Duke of Exingham. His wife is the pretty blonde, and they’re guardians to his niece and nephew.”
“Whom we left at home,” the stone-faced man explained. “And Sophia is no’ merelypretty, Thorne.”
“I didnae want ye to think I was admiring yer wife,” Thorne explained with a smirk. “Tha’s dangerous talk. But truthfully I’m surprised she’s no’ still here. She was the reason we had the evidence to turn over to Her Highness in the first place.”
Rourke nodded. “And that is whyshewas the one to hand it over two hours ago. The Princess was most gracious.”
As if summoned, Princess Louise waved away her guard and moved toward their little group at the same time Griffin stepped up, his arm still around his son’s shoulders.
“Hello, Rourke,” Bull managed, with none of his usual smirks.
His hands were still, for the first time ever.
Rourke nodded once. “Ye saved the day, Bull,” he said softly. “Thank ye.”
Bull shrugged. “I did what any of ye would have done.”
