Page 105 of A Night of Forever
He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Hurry and get well, and I’ll take a great deal of pleasure in sinning with you.” He paused. “Until I can make you my wife. If you’ll still have me.”
“Silly.” She loved that hint of vulnerability in his voice. “Of course I’ll have you.”
“So.” He became almost businesslike. “I can apply for a special license. Your return to London, injured from a fall from a horse—the story we shall share—will cause fewer raised eyebrows if you are already my wife.”
She wanted to marry Arend so badly. But she also wanted her dream—a wedding with all her friends and family present, in her family chapel where her parents had been married.
She hesitated. “Would you mind if we waited until I am healed?”
A flash of something like fear crossed Arend’s face. “Of course we can wait.”
Did he think she was putting him off? “I do want to marry you. So much. But I want a proper wedding, with my friends and Father, at home. He would be disappointed at a special license.”
Now it was his turn to hesitate. “Then would you mind if I asked my brother to officiate?”
Bringing more than one family back together. She blinked back tears. “What a wonderful idea. That would be perfect.”
“I’m not a patient man, as you know. I wish it could be tomorrow.”
“Me too.” She cupped his cheek in her hand and gave him a wicked smile. “But I want to be completely healed for our wedding night. The thought of making love with you, to you, gives me something to look forward to while I’m recovering.”
A look of feigned horror crossed his face. “Do you expect me to wait until our wedding night to make love to you again?”
She giggled and snuggled closer to the man who owned her heart. “I’m hoping my collarbone mends quickly. The idea of making love with you is a very strong motivator to heal.”
His lips sought hers, and he kissed her with gentle passion. “You will be worth the wait.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I could do with some of that laudanum now. I need to get my rest so I can get well as fast as possible.”
Arend quickly did her bidding and lay with her as sleep took her once more.
She would cherish this moment forever. The feeling of falling asleep with the man she loved holding her tenderly, whispering how much he loved her, filled her with such joy her heart wanted to burst with happiness.
Perhaps she’d ask him to do this every night for the rest of their lives.
What a wonderful idea.
Epilogue
“Oh, Isobel,” Marisa said, doing a complete turn in the middle of the room. “Portia will love this when she gets to see it.”
Isobel, now Lady Labourd, stood near the roaring fire in the drawing room of her new home and basked in the praise of her decorating skills.
It was Christmas Eve, and although it had not snowed yet, the London air had a definite snap to it. All the Libertine Scholars and their families had stayed in London for the festive season because Portia and her new baby, a beautiful son named Jackson, who had been born safely two weeks previously—much to the relief of all—after Portia had spent the last three months of her pregnancy in bed, could not travel in the cold. Portia was the only one of her friends who had yet to see any of the redecoration.
Tonight Portia and Grayson would join them for a short time. They would all be together again for the first time since they had stopped Victoria.
“My wife”—Arend emphasized the word—“has an excellent eye. She had the good taste to marry me, did she not?”
Arend’s words sent everyone into a fit of laughter. But Isobel didn’t care. His praise meant the world to her.
Since returning to London after their marriage almost a month ago, she had spent every waking moment turning Arend’s dilapidated ruin of a townhouse into a beautiful home. She’d worked hard to make him proud of his home, and of her.
Tonight was the grand unveiling. She had invited all of their friends and their families to share in their joy, and to get them all in the Christmas spirit.
What a year it had been.
Over the past few weeks, she’d gone from room to room, knowing exactly what she wanted to do to turn this wrecked and broken house into a home. A home they would fill with love and children. She’d given an inordinate amount of attention to the decoration of the nursery, hoping she could already be with child.
