Page 10 of The Moonstone Marquess
Or how much he ached to take her in his embrace. Lord, he had to stop thinking he was still whole—one arm, that was all he had. One arm to wrap around her and hold her close.
“Very well. Join us for breakfast, and if the weather holds, we shall join you for a daily outing. It doesn’t have to be much. These girls are happy just to be around you.”
“I know.” He flexed his shoulders and rose.
“Is your arm bothering you?” She rose along with him and walked beside him toward the cliff stairs that led down to the beach. They could see Chloe and his nieces, their shoes off and toes curling in the golden sand as they walked along the shoreline in search of seashells.
“Do you mean the one I am missing?”
She surprised him by placing a soft hand on that shoulder and caressing what remained of his arm. “Do you feel it still?”
He nodded. “The missing part? Yes, phantom sensations. At times I have to remind myself it isn’t there.”
“Then you get angry and refuse to come to terms with it?”
“I am not a starfish. I know that limb will never grow back.” He hated speaking about his arm. “Change the subject.”
“All right. Why do you think your brother sent the girls to you?”
“Is it not obvious? Because I am a complete and utter arse except when I am around them. I’m sure he hoped some of their sweetness would rub off on me.”
She laughed. “Oh, dear me. No. I cannot imagine you as someone sweet. But I hope for your sake you stop being angry at the world. More important, I hope you forgive yourself and stop hating yourself for getting shot.”
He gave a mock bow. “Ah, Lady Phoebe has ordered me to be happy, so I must be.”
“I would never order you to do anything you do not wish to do, my lord. Well, I did toss a few orders at you regarding your nieces, but that was to protect them. You are a grown man, and no one is going to tell you what to do about making things right for yourself.”
He laughed. “You would. You want to give me an earful right now but are holding back because I have been surprisingly on my best behavior, and you do not want to argue with me now that I am behaving.”
She pursed her lips again, reminding him that he ached to kiss her once more. “I don’t ever want to argue with you. But neither will I let you be a dolt around me or your nieces. Who is the real you? The man I saw this morning or the one in front of me now?”
“Both.”
“Too bad. I did not like that drunken sot.”
He laughed. “I do not like him much either. But he is me as much as the doting uncle. I’m not sure yet what I’ll be as a husband.”
She squirmed as he kept his gaze on her.
Finally, she sighed and looked up at him. “Are you referring to me? That ridiculous proposal you uttered this morning? But that was you just being stupid, was it not?”
“Ah, I do so love the way you describe me.”
She managed a chuckle. “I warned you. I do not hold back my opinions.”
“Nor do I ever want you to. I wasn’t jesting. I want to marry you, Phoebe.”
He saw the bubbling pool of passion heat up inside her… Well, perhaps it was more of a bubbling pool of irritation. “Do not bring that up again. The only reason you would want to marry me is to torture me with your misbehavior. Move your attentions to someone else who won’t care what you do once you are her husband. As for me, I cannot think of anything more crushing to my heart than to be burdened with a faithless spouse.”
“But it would be a relief if you did not love him.”
Her eyes were now blazing. “That is the most pathetic, irresponsible, and vulgar thing I have ever heard in my entire life. I would never marry a man I did not love.”
“Even if he were a wealthy marquess?”
“Are you referring to yourself again? I do not need your wealth. Some would consider me an heiress in my own right now that the Duke of Malvern has helped save our inheritance. Even if I did not have funds enough to support me, I would have to be desperate and on the verge of starvation before I considered you.”
He glanced at his arm.
