A Wedding by Dawn (26 page)
Authors: Alison Delaine
“I’m not giving you that ship.”
And he kissed her. And it was as if he was giving her his very soul, which she wanted so much more than any ship, and she had to tell him how she felt, could not let him send her away without at least letting him know—
“I love you,” he said roughly against her lips, breaking away enough to look at her. “I love your fearlessness and your loyalty and the heart you have for Emilie and even for Miss Ursula, and I don’t want you off sailing the Mediterranean—I want you
here.
With me. Every day for the rest of my life.”
She stared at him—at those deadly serious green eyes that held so much in. They held nothing in now...everything he was feeling for her churned behind them as he waited.
Waited for her to say something.
A hundred thoughts and emotions cluttered her tongue, but what came out was, “I can’t read.”
His hands tightened around her face. “I don’t care, India.”
“I’ve tried—I’ve tried so hard. I was seeing a tutor in London, but I could only see him twice before we came to Taggart—”
“I’ll bring him here.”
“But I’ll be no good—”
“
I’ll
help you. And if you can never do it, I’ll read for you myself. I’ll hire ten servants to follow you everywhere and read every damned word in the world. But I won’t buy you a ship so you can sail away from me. If you want to leave, you’ll have to find another way.”
“I
don’t
want to leave.”
He searched her face. “I forced you to marry me.”
“I don’t care about that. I love you.”
“I took your virginity in a damned
brothel.
”
“I
gave
it to you in a brothel,” she countered, scarcely able to comprehend what was happening. “And I would give it to you again if I could, ten times over, and anywhere you liked—at Taggart, in a cottage...even in a bed of hay. Because I love you. I love you, Nicholas, and I don’t ever want to leave you.”
His mouth came down on hers again—hard, possessive, demanding everything she had.
“La, James,” came Honoria’s soft voice behind her, “I don’t think she’ll be going to the Mediterranean after all.”
EPILOGUE
I
NDIA
SAT
NEXT
to Nicholas in the rowboat, laughing as she worked one oar and he worked the other, while Emilie sat giggling in the bow.
“On fait des circles,”
Emilie said.
“Yes,” Nicholas growled, raising a brow at India, “we
are
going in circles, because
someone
doesn’t know how to row.”
“Of course I know how to row,” India said happily, dipping her oar into the water. “I have a seafaring nature.” Quickly she dipped her hand into the pond and flung a splash of water at him.
“You’ll pay for that.”
“I hope this isn’t another one of your empty threats, Mr. Warre.” India stretched up to kiss him loudly on the cheek, and Emilie smothered a new peal of giggles behind her hand.
“We shall see, shan’t we,” he said under his breath, and she flushed.
In the bow, Emilie reached for the sack of stale bread pieces Miss Ursula had given her and tossed one toward the ducks, who immediately flocked closer, and for the moment there was no need to row. The ducks quacked and splashed, chasing after morsels of bread.
India looked up at Nicholas, and it was as if the entire world lived behind his eyes.
He leaned down and touched his lips briefly to hers. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he murmured.
“What?”
He pulled back, touched her cheek, looked deeply into her eyes while Emilie laughed and threw bread, making the boat rock a little. “Will you marry me?”
India’s breath caught.
“Qu’est-ce qu’il a dit?”
Emilie asked excitedly, her attention suddenly on them, demanding to know what Nicholas had said.
“Qu’est-ce qu’il a dit?”
“He wanted to know if I will marry him,” India said, smiling ridiculously up at him. “And I am saying yes.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460331217
A WEDDING BY DAWN
Copyright © 2014 by Black Canyon Creations, LLC
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