Page 71 of Lady of Providence
“Elizabeth Moreland, I love you.”
She gasped, shocked at his words, but before she could say anything, he continued.
“You are stubborn, you are proud, and you hold all of your emotion deep within you,” he said, and she narrowed her gaze at him.Thiswas why he loved her? These hardly seemed to be her most redeeming qualities. “You have been raised a lady, one who keeps her composure at all times. I love knowing, however, that there is fiery passion within you, one you keep hidden beneath the surface. I’ve seen it, Elizabeth, and I love the fact that you have shared that part of yourself with me. You have a passion for doing what is right, for seeing to all of your responsibilities. You take everything upon your own shoulders, and I respect that, I do, but I always want to help ease those burdens, and I beg of you to allow me to do so. You have a fire for chasing your dreams, for going beyond what is expected of a lady of your station, and I admire that so greatly about you. You look after those who are important to you, be they your friends, your relatives, or the clients and employees of the bank.”
He looked down for a moment before tilting his head back up toward her. His strong jaw was set in determination, and Elizabeth knew she had to allow him to finish his thoughts before she told him all that was on her mind.
“Five years ago, I was a fool. You know that. I realize now that it wasn’t the time for us. I was too immature, too full of myself, too selfish to love another. Since then, I have come to realize that there is so much more to life than my own interests. For all that this world has to offer, it means nothing without someone to share it with. For me, that person is you, Elizabeth. I need you in my life. Your intelligence, your wit, your heart, your love.”
He reached over to the table, picking up a stack of papers, which she hadn’t even realized he had brought with him, so intent had she been upon simply seeing him.
“This is a marriage contract,” he said, and Elizabeth stared at the papers in shock. He came prepared with such a contract?
“Is this a game?” she asked, her voice a whisper, and he shook his head.
“No more games, Elizabeth, not with you,” he responded intently, his blue eyes blazing. “I cannot promise not to involve myself in situations that may present themselves, where I see that perhaps I could help. But I will always be upfront with you. There will be no secrets, Elizabeth. No lies, no manipulations. This I promise you. You can have anyone you’d like review this contract. It specifically describes the terms of our marriage. You remain in complete possession of your shares, of your finances. I will have no holds or involvement beyond my own interests and my own partnership, and you can have complete access to whatever income you earn. All I want is you — no other woman, no other business. If you would like me to leave the bank, then so be it. As long as I have you with me, then I will be happy, and I will do all I can to ensure that you are as well. And so I ask you, Elizabeth, as part of myamendedproposal, will you fill the hole in my soul? Will you be my wife, my partner?”
CHAPTER34
Gabriel held his breath. He knew he hadn’t given her the opportunity to say anything, and yet it was somewhat working against him as he longed to know what thoughts were running behind those violet eyes, which were now filling with tears. Were they tears of joy? Sadness? Regret?
“Gabriel,” she said, her voice breaking. “I can hardly believe you are asking me once more, after everything I have said to you, all I have put you through. The threat of taking away your partnership, my repeated denials of your offers toward me — I have not been good to you, and I can hardly imagine what you must think of me."
"I told you what I think."
"You have."
She blushed, her high cheekbones turning a pretty, becoming pink. Could the woman be any more beautiful?
"Gabriel," she said, her voice slightly breaking, and she astonished him when tears began to run down her cheeks. He had never seen her cry before. Not when she had found him with another woman, when she had denied his proposal, nor when her grandfather had died. She had kept it all within her, and the fact that she was now allowing her emotion to show in front of him meant more than any words ever could. "I've been a fool. I've held onto the past, held onto my hurts and my fears. I have been scared. Of what being with you could mean for my role at the bank. Of what I would do if you took another woman once more. And, more than anything, what I would feel if you didn't love me as I do you. Of how I could ever handle my heart breaking once more."
She took a breath, and his own chest ached at the thought that this was his own doing, for ever making her feel that this could be a possibility.
“We have both done things, said things, to one another, that we regret," he acknowledged, and she nodded.
"I have many questions about my future. I enjoy knowing what is ahead, to plan out my life, and to be aware of what may be coming," she said with a bit of a rueful smile, and he nodded, acknowledging her words. "The past few months have been complete chaos, something that I believe I have to come to accept, at least more than I ever previously have. I need to embrace my fears, accept the challenges to come and, if nothing else, to take a risk now and then. While taking a chance on our love would be a risk, not doing so would be even worse, for then I would spend the rest of my life knowing that I had thrown away what could be the greatest part of my existence."
Gabriel couldn't help the smile from appearing on his face.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did I hear you say that you love me?"
She laughed at that, some of the tension within her dissipating.
"I do," she said, the tears beginning to fall in earnest, and Gabriel reached into his pockets to find a handkerchief. Instead of passing it to her, he gently wiped away her tears himself.
"And does that mean," he continued, "That you will marry me? Or would you like me to ask again? For I will — for you. I will ask a third time."
"No, no!" she exclaimed, holding a finger up against his lips. "I will not force you to lose all of your pride. I appreciate your amended proposal more than you know. I do love you, Gabriel. I love the fact that while you do enjoy your games, what I have been remiss about in the past is that you always play them with the best interests of those you love at heart. I love the fact that you challenge me, that you possess an intellect above any that I have ever known. And I love that you have never given up on me. That you see beyond what I present to the world, that you are perceptive enough to know there is more underneath and that you have worked hard to bring it out of me. I have a... difficult time trusting others. Perhaps it is because of the way my parents raised me, always looking for more from me. I'm not sure, and it's no excuse, but it's time I put that to rest."
"You will share your burdens then?"
"I will share mine if you will share yours."
Gabriel tilted his head further toward hers, bringing their foreheads together.
"You drive a hard bargain, my lady, but I think that is one to which I can agree."
"Good," she said, her voice a whisper, and then reached into the folds of her dress, pulling out a box that looked awfully familiar. His heart began to beat harder as she opened it, slipping the ring out of the box and onto her finger. "So, yes, Gabriel, I will marry you."
