His Unexpected Bride (29 page)

“No!” Tess shouted again. She handed Philip to the coachman, who was staring at Cameron in disbelief. She ran to Cameron and seized his arm. “Don't! You will kill him.”

“And save the hangman his prize,” he snarled.

“No,” she cried. “If you kill him, you will hang, too.”

“I don't care.”

She put her hands on either side of his face and turned it toward her. His eyes were wild with unfettered fury. She quailed before it, for she had never seen its like.
This
was the wild anger Cameron had fought to hide.

But it was part of the man she loved, and she would not be frightened by anything about him again. She took his face in her hands again as she whispered, “Cam, I love you. I want you with me, not at the end of a hempen noose.”

He shook her off, but she refused to be pushed aside. Again she turned his face toward her.

“I love you, Cam. Let the hate go, and tell me you love me, too.”

He released her father and pulled her into his arms. His kiss was as untamed as the fire in his eyes. She reveled in the passions she had known were deep within him—awesome, overmastering passions she wanted to share.

Shouts came from every direction, and Cameron stepped back. He kept his arm around her waist as a trio of men she did not know surrounded her father. When Cameron whispered they were Bow Street Runners, she hid her face on his shoulder, not wanting to see the end to this debacle.

“Tess!” shouted her father.

She knew she could not let her own delusions keep her from confronting the truth. Looking up, she said, “Papa, I thought you loved me, but you used me.”

“I did this for you. You are now a duchess.”

“No, Papa, you did this for yourself. You left me living frugally and all alone in the country, watching my beloved home fall into ruins, while you enjoyed your ill-gotten money here in Town. You did not do any of this for me.” She walked to where the boys were watching, wide-eyed, as people paused to gawk at the broken carriage.

A chair appeared, and the coachman put Philip and Donald into it. Cameron waved for them to leave for Grosvenor Square. “I will bring Her Grace.”

The coachee, leading the horses, followed the chair.

Ignoring the crowd, Cameron steered Tess to where his own horse waited. He stopped and sighed, the incredible fury gone from his voice. “Tess, I am sorry it had to end like this.”

“Sorry? You saved me from my own father's treachery.” She shivered, then whispered, “I hated your father for persuading you, you should never let anyone get under your skin and anger you or let someone's kindness touch you. I thought he had destroyed your life. 'Twas my own father who was out to destroy not just my life, but yours, too.”

“Tess, forget that.”

“Forget it?”

He gripped her shoulders. “Tess, I am so sorry I lost my temper.”

“You had every cause.” She smiled. “Now that you have unleashed your feelings, Cam, do not put them away again. They are fearsome, but they are
you
. And I want to love every part of you, not just the man who controls all his emotions with such ease.”

“As you can see, it is not with such ease.” He stroked her shoulders. “The first day we were wed, you said something to your father I wished you would say to me now.”

“What?”

“That one forgives those one loves. I could not forget that.”

“Why would that remain in your mind when you hated me?”

He shook his head as he framed her face with gentle hands. “Sweetheart, I have never hated
you
, even though I must own I hated the idea of being married to you.”

“Honest as always.” She smiled, sure her heart would burst with joy.

“Honest as always.”

“I will be glad to forgive you anything.” She chuckled.

“Anything?”

“Almost anything.” She curved her hand along his cheek. “And will you be as honest with me about one other thing?”

“Yes.”

“Do you hate being married to me?”

He drew her closer. “No, I have not hated being married to you for a long time.”

“But you kept the papers that Mr. Paige gave you.”

“Papers?”

“I saw them in the account book in your room the day you told me about your brother's death.”

He thought for a moment, then laughed. “I was using that folded letter from Paige for a marker as I went through Russell's accounts, trying to figure them out. The rest of his papers were thrown away the day after he had them delivered to me in hopes I would change my mind about divorcing you.”

“So you don't want to divorce me?”

With a growl, he tugged her up against him. “Why would I want to divorce you? I love you, and I will never give you cause to divorce me.” He chuckled. “Nor shall I let you give me cause to seek a divorce from you.”

“And just how do you intend to do that?”

He answered her with his lips over hers. The gentleness vanished into the desire that had waited so long and now would be so sweet.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2001 by Jo Ann Ferguson

Cover design by Neil Alexander Heacox

ISBN: 978-1-5040-0917-1

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