Page 67 of A Lady's Key to Passion

She stared at him, her green eyes huge in her face, glistening with tears. The tears had brightened the colour so that they looked like a river beneath bright sunlight. He would never forget her eyes in this moment.

“You do?” Her voice was a whisper. “You truly love me?”

He nodded. “I love you more than life itself,” he said in a quiet voice. “I swear it is true. And I have been a blind fool not to have told you before. It took so long for me to realise, you see. And longer still to find the words to tell you all that is in my heart.”

She looked stunned. “I love you, too,” she said in a faltering voice. “It has come over me like a wave. I did not know what it was until it carried me away in its grip.” She shuddered. “I dared not admit it to myself because then it would make living without you so much harder.”

“You do not have to live without me,” he whispered. “I am here, and I am yours. You only have to come to me, my darling.”

He thought she was going to do it. His heart expanded as he saw the light enter her eyes. But then, she stood up, gazing down at him.

“I must think further,” she said, frowning. “I know you are impatient, but can you wait until tomorrow? I promise that I shall tell you one way or another then what my final decision will be. I shall not make you wait much longer.”

His heart lurched with disappointment. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms, carry her upstairs and make love to her until she was breathless. He wanted to hear that she was willing to become his. Forever.

He forced himself to nod. “So be it,” he said, standing up. “Please, believe in our love, Jane. I will make a vow to you that it will never fail you. I vow to you that it will be the best decision of your life if you choose me.”

He walked slowly towards her, taking her into his arms. She raised her face to his, waiting for his lips. He kissed her like a drowning man clutching a branch in water. He kissed her like it was the last time he would ever kiss her. And for all he knew, it was.

When she left, all he could do was watch her walk away. Jane had her own peace to make with herself, and he couldn’t rush her. He only hoped that she had believed it when he had told her that their love would never fail her. He wanted her to tell him that she had finally surrendered to their love. But that moment hadn’t arrived yet. Would it ever come?

Chapter 38

That evening, Jane took her seat at the dinner table, feeling like she wanted to flee immediately. Marianne had convinced her to come down for dinner tonight after she had returned from seeing Percy, saying it would be good for her. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to her sister privately about anything that had happened at Cliff Lodge yet.

Her father was seated at the head of the table as always. He smiled at her kindly as she sat down, leaning towards her.

“Are you feeling a little better, my dear?” he asked, his eyes full of concern.

Jane nodded. She didn’t want to worry her father. Marianne had assured her he was entirely ignorant of what was going on. Her sister had convinced Lucy not to breathe a word, and it seemed her cousin was willing to comply—for the moment. Papa thought that Jane had simply been feeling a little unwell.

Jane felt her eyes drawn to her cousin against their will. Lucy sat opposite her, dressed in a frilly cream-coloured gown, her golden curls swept high in a chignon. She looked so complacent that it took all of Jane’s willpower not to lean across the table and box her ears soundly.

The soup arrived. They all ate in silence, punctuated only by the sound of the grandfather clock ticking from the hallway. Marianne glanced at Jane from time to time but didn’t say anything. Jane knew her sister was eager to know what had happened, but it wasn’t the time or the place to talk about it yet.

“And how was your day, Lucy?” asked Jane’s father, staring at his niece.

Lucy smiled prettily at him. “It was wonderful, uncle. I am in very good spirits.”

“Indeed,” he said, nodding. “And what is the reason for your high spirits?”

Lucy laughed. “Well, I cannot tell you quite yet, uncle, but I have great news.” A dramatic pause. “I shall give you a little hint. I think there shall be an announcement of good tidings very soon.”

Papa raised his eyebrows. “Indeed. Well, I think there can be only one reason for such high spirits in a young lady. I will be waiting eagerly for when you are ready to share your news, Lucy.”

Lucy laughed again. Then she turned to Jane, smiling at her in a triumphant way. Jane glared at her, gripping her soup spoon so tightly that it was a wonder it didn’t snap in two.

Jane stared down at her bowl of soup, fighting the urge to run out of the room. Lucy was being unbearable, but what else had she expected? This was the biggest triumph of Lucy’s life. She believed that she was going to become a countess. Her life spread ahead of her, filled with endless joy. People would scrape at her feet. She would have riches beyond belief. For a superficial girl like her cousin, it truly was a dream come true.

Jane’s eyes stung with tears. But what of the man behind the title? Lucy cared nothing for him. Percy did not even exist for her except as a means to an end. He would be forced to call her his wife, to live beside her for the term of his natural life. His children would be hers as well.

He would be utterly miserable.

And it wouldn’t just be because he despised Lucy. Percy would be miserable because he didn’t have Jane. He loved her. She knew the truth of it now. She felt it all the way down to the bottom of her soul.

It was real. Itwaslove. The kind of love that could move mountains. The kind of love that took one’s breath away.

And she loved him in exactly the same way. She would always love him. And here she was, contemplating enforcing a lifetime of misery upon both of them—a life spent longing for each other—while all the girl sitting across from her could think about was claiming her prize.

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