Page 46 of Miss Millington's Unexpected Suitor
“That is just what – oh!” One hand flew to her mouth, her eyes rounding. “I was to tell you such a desire is all that is in my own heart also, only to remember that my father is quite determined thathewill find a suitable gentleman for me. He has already placed one fellow in front of me – Lord Warrington – and I–”
Before she could continue, Adam had stepped forward and caught her hand, silencing her. Her fingers were soft, and he laced his through hers, tying them together.
“I have already spoken to your father.” This explanation made her eyes round all the more, and Adam laughed a little ruefully. “I wanted to make certain that such a decision was your own entirely. Thus, I went to speak to your father in the hope that he might agree that, if you were willing to court me, I should already have his permission also. Much to my relief, he consented.” Miss Millington did not seem to know how to respond, for her mouth fell open, only for it to close again as her eyes flooded with tears. She blinked them away, rapidly shaking her head, and Adam suddenly feared that he had done something wrong. Perhaps he ought to have confessed himself to her first before speaking to Lord Hayman, but he had wanted very much to make certain that he had the gentleman’s permission so that Miss Millington had nothing but free choice before her. “I am sorry if I did not do what was right in your eyes.”
“Oh no, Lord Seaton.” Miss Millington’s voice was soft, breaking gently, but her eyes were fixed on his, a gentle smile upon her lips as she finally turned her head back towards him. “It is only that I am astounded, overcome with delight, wonder, hope, and joy. For so long I have desired this and, when my father first gave me his edict, I confess that I lost a great deal of hope. It has all come to fruition, however, and as I stand here with you, our hands together, I realize the beautiful gift which I have been given - something I thought I should never have, something I thought had already been taken from me. Yet look how love has found its way forward.”
“Yes, it has.” Adam took a step closer to her, wanting desperately to kiss her, wanting to prove his love to her through such a gesture, but holding himself back firmly. He would not push her into something she did not desire. “I have said to you that I love you, Miss Millington – Constance - and that is all my heart feels. It is a torrent within my heart, flooding through every part of me, and that fountain will never be stopped. Indeed, I am certain that it will only grow stronger. In the time that we spend together, I shall find you all the more beautiful, all the more wonderful, all the more remarkable.”
“Your compliments are delightful, but your words of love are even sweeter.” Her free hand settled against his heart, and it roared immediately into greater life, pounding furiously against his chest. “It seems as though we have found our way together, our hearts already filled with the love neither of us immediately understood. But now that I see the truth of it, now that I can speak freely of all I desire, I will tell you, Lord Seaton, that my heart will always be yours. I love you desperately, to the point that it has pained me with nothing but tears and sorrow, believing that we should always be separated and that I should never have the chance to love you in the way that I wish.”
“But that is what you have now,” he promised her, softly. “Once we have courted for a time, my sole intention is to propose, and I hope that you will say yes when the time comes.”
Laughing, she smiled at him.
“I shall say yes at this moment!” she retorted with a toss of her head, her eyes bright with love. “I shall be yours and you shall be mine, for I love you with all of my heart.”
“As I love you.”
He lowered his head, and she was waiting for him. Their lips met for the briefest of kisses, but it was enough to satisfy the desperate longing within his soul. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he held her close, her head going to his shoulder. Adam closed his eyes, a soft smile curling around his lips. Love had found him and with it, a happiness which nothing else could ever offer him. Their love would grow with every day that they spent together, their bond forging ever stronger so that they remained forever as one.
He could think of no better future than that.
