Page 35 of The Duke I Wished For
Blake stared down at her then, quiet for several seconds as she waited for her answer. “I suppose she did.”
That hurt. Knowing that his first wife was everything she wasn’t. Still, she needed to finish what she’d started.
Be brave, she chanted in her head. Be brave. “I would understand if you don’t find me suitable by comparison.”
That made his brow furrow. “I wouldn’t have asked for your hand if I found you lacking.”
She supposed that was some sort of consolation. Still. She drew in another long breath before she continued. “Well, you see, the problem is that I…” She stopped, not able to dance and say her next words. The truth tumbled from her lips as she exposed the very heart of the problem. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
He stopped too, staring down at her with his mouth open. “What?”
“I’ve fallen in love and if you think it inappropriate to marry a woman with that depth of feeling, then I would understand if you?—”
But suddenly he had her hand in his again, and he was pulling her from the floor, their fingers lacing together.
Blood roared in her ears as she tried to decide what he was thinking. She stumbled just a bit, and suddenly, he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm about her waist, pulling her tight to his side to keep her steady. Surely this was a good sign?
Several people stared and heat filled Daffodil’s cheeks, but Blake didn’t seem to notice or care as he tugged her out onto the open patio and into the evening air.
There were several guests milling about, but he quickly found a quiet corner in the shadows, and she found herself wrapped in his arms.
“Daff,” he murmured, and then his lips were covering hers once again.
She sighed into them, her arms threading about his neck as he kissed her over and over.
And then he finally raised his head, he looked down at her, the darkness making it too difficult to read his eyes, but his next words left no doubt. “I love you too.”
“Oh,” she cried, delight making her bounce on her toes the slightest bit. “Well, that does make things easier.”
He laughed, a low chuckle that seemed to move through her, touching all sorts of places inside and melting her heart a bit more.
“It does,” he whispered close to her ear before he kissed the skin just underneath her lobe. A sensitive spot that made her shiver. “And the other bit that makes things easier is that you actually have the wherewithal to share your feelings and not just prattle on about sensible choices and good matches.”
That made her laugh too, even as she tightened her arms about his neck, holding him close. “I was a bit worried. I thought you didn’t feel the same way I did and I’d never measure up by all the other standards.”
He pulled his chin back then, looking down into her eyes before he kissed her again, long and slow, the sort of touch that lingered. By the time he lifted his head, she’d nearly forgotten what they’d been discussing until he held her chin, looking deep into her eyes. “You measure up on every metric, Daff. We’d be so lucky to have you as our family.”
Emotion caught in her throat even as tears welled in her eyes. “I’d be the lucky one.”
“In that case…” His lips grazed her cheek, her nose, her forehead. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Not because I need my pocket squares adorned but because I desperately need my heart to be filled.”
Oh, that was lovely. It took three attempts to answer, her fingers plucking at his neck as the words stuck in her throat, but finally she managed to whisper, “Yes. Yes, please.”
And then his mouth was covering hers again and the entire world melted away. This was exactly where she belonged and she’d somehow, thanks to his love, become the woman who fit into his embrace perfectly.
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER…
Daffodil was overwhelmed.
Turning her head left and right, she gaped at the row of portraits that lined the gallery in Clifton Hall, Blake’s country estate.
Now her country estate.
Blake’s portrait stood out to her, the last in the row. She grinned at the sight of it. My husband. She still couldn’t quite believe her good fortune. The man was irresistibly handsome…even in an oil painting.
“Come, Mama,” Clarissa called, already taking off for the next hallway at an alarming speed.
