Page 57 of Marigold and the Marquess
“As you took care of Beldon? Leo…”
“What, Marigold?” he snapped, sounding harsher than intended. “Are you going to pass your moral judgment on me again? I’ve had all I can take for today.”
She was fretting again as she stared at him. “Should I be afraid that you might hit me?”
“No. How can you think I ever would?” But he groaned and shook his head. “Never, my pet. No matter how enraged I am, I will never hurt you.” Of course she had to be worried. He had gone after Beldon like a raging bull. “I’m sorry if I frightened you into thinking I might.”
“You have always been gentle with me, Leo. But you are so badly beaten and bruised, it overwhelms you. Is it all right if I tell you something else? Or will you bite my head off?”
“You can tell me anything. Just no more about Beldon, all right?” She was probably going to ignore his wishes because Marigold had a streak of stubbornness to match his own. “I will not apologize for what I did to him. If I am sorry for anything, it is that I was stopped before he got what he deserved. At the very least, he deserved a few more punches before I let him up.”
She eyed him warily. “You would have controlled yourself?”
He shrugged. “Possibly. I might have, depending on what I saw reflected in his eyes…innocence or guilt.”
“I’m glad you said that, Leo. Truly, it is very important to me.”
“I’m not trying to kill anyone innocent,” he said in a shaky breath. “Even if Beldon is innocent of what was done to me, he is still a craven bastard and you can never let him anywhere near you. Now, what is it you wish to tell me?”
“Promise me you will not be angry.” She moved back to his side once again and took his hand in hers. “It has nothing to do with Beldon.”
He raised her hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss. “I do not think I can ever be angry with you. How’s that for an admission?”
“Well, it is good to know because I intend to tell you something…”
He lifted her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “Just say it, Marigold. What is so awful that you dread telling me? Especially if it has nothing to do with Beldon.”
She licked her lips and wrapped her arms around his neck as she curled up against him. “I did not want to tell you yet. I meant to wait until we were married a full month before I said anything.”
“Marigold, stop squirming on my lap or I am going to hike up your skirts and do something quite lewd to you.”
“Don’t rush me, Leo. It is not an easy thing to say.” She took a deep breath. “Here’s my admission…I love you. It does not require a response on your part, mostly because I am afraid of what you will say, or not say. But I wanted you to know my feelings. I wanted you to know how much you matter to me and how important it is to me that you stay safe and give us the chance for a happy life.”
She loved him?
This little gem loved him?
He was a wild, unmanageable ape who might have accidentally hurt her while he was out of control during his confrontation with Beldon. “Stop, Marigold.”
“No, I must get this out. I do not want so much as a ha’penny from you. Calling myself a marchioness is quite a mouthful to swallow. I was content being merely a Miss Farthingale. I hope you know that marrying you was never about your wealth or title. I do not want your house or fancy carriage that I damaged with my box of bones and skulls even though you insist I didn’t.” She took another deep breath. “I wantyou.”
Bollocks.
This girl was determined to claim his heart.
It was the last thing he wanted, especially since he was going to wreck their marriage in his quest for vengeance.
Why could she not be greedy and care nothing about him?
She puckered her lips in that priggish way that made him want to kiss her. “Leo, I am going to tell you how much I love you every day from this day forward. I shall make it a point to tell you how important you are to me and how much I value our marriage. I hope we have alongand happy marriage which shall last decades and not merely a month because you are so obsessed with your dark past that you refuse to see the bright future.”
“Are you through boxing my ears?”
“Is that what I am doing?”
“Marigold, we hardly know each other. Our marriage was a rushed affair. The only reason youthinkyou love me is because I am the only man you’ve known intimately or who has gained intimate knowledge of your body, which is a beautiful body, by the way.”
She sat up stiffly. “Are you suggesting I do not know my own mind?”
