She pressed her palm to his chest, feeling his heart beating. “No, for that would be a torment for me too.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Let us forget it all, my love. Let us tear up our contract and begin again. Properly.”
“Nothing would make me happier,” Nathaniel told her. “But… might I seal this promise?”
She frowned. “I have no wax nor ink.”
“I need neither,” he whispered, bending his head. “I mean to seal it… like this.”
His lips touched hers gently, his body trembling from the cold and the nerves, still fearful she might push him away and change her mind—a revenge that he would deserve, but he would not be able to bear. Slowly, he slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer as fragile flakes of snow fell around them.
And just when he thought she was not going to return his affection, she relaxed in his embrace, kissing him back with an urgency that nearly knocked him over.
He smiled against her mouth, holding her tightly, giving her his warmth as their lips moved together in a slow and hopeful dance that society would certainly have frowned upon. But there was no one there to see them, no one there to pass judgment, and even if they had been, he possessed the response to end any unkind remarks at once: he loved this woman, and one day, she would be the wife he had never known he needed but dearly wanted.
All of a sudden, Leah pulled back, her expression aghast. “Oh no.”
“What? Please, do not say you have changed your mind.” His heart hammered with worry.
She shook her head. “I have not, but there is one grave problem we have yet to solve.”
“There is?”
Leah nodded. “My friends.” She grimaced. “How on Earth am I supposed to tell my friends?”
“I do not think it will be as difficult as you think,” Nathaniel said, relaxing. “So, kiss me again, and be at peace. I do believe I won back the favor of your friends before I won yours.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I encountered them. I assumed I was going to take a beating, but they listened to me, and though Matilda shall always have a healthy dislike for me, I think, the others have forgiven me,” he explained. “Oh goodness… they are likely still searching for you. I did not think to tell them.”
He turned to vault the wall, intending to venture back into the gardens to call off the search, but Leah pulled him back by the lapels of his waistcoat, wrapping her arms tight around him as she rose up on tiptoe, pressing her lips to his once more. And in that touch, in that promise, he melted like the snow falling around them, kissing her back like nothing else existed and nothing else mattered.
At the age of eight-and-twenty, he had found something to fight for, and though it had been the scariest fight of his life, holding the woman he loved in his arms had to be the greatest victory of them all. A prize of love that he would cherish for the rest of his days, never taking a single moment for granted.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“As I love you,” she whispered back, tilting up her face as a gasp escaped her lips. “When did it start snowing?”
“I do not remember,” he replied, kissing her again.
For once, the London season was proving to be a fine thing indeed.
EPILOGUE
One Month Later…
“Have you seen this?” Ezra announced, flouncing into Leah’s bedchamber at Druidstone Abbey without so much as a knock on the door.
Sarah, who was in the midst of weaving dried flowers into Leah’s hair, barked at her husband, “Ezra! There are ladies in here doing very important things, and now, I have to begin again!” She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “We have half an hour before we must be downstairs for the party, and I shall never forgive you if you make us late! Indeed, I am surprised you are not pacing the entrance hall, pulling your pocket watch out every two seconds, wondering where we are!”
“There is an article about that awful Viscount,” Ezra continued regardless, ignoring his wife’s irritation.
“Which one?” Leah quipped, admiring her reflection in the mirror.
Though it was still the dead of winter, she resembled spring and with spring came the promise of new life. It was the perfect demeanor with which to celebrate her new beginning as the Duchess of Bergfield, even though the wedding itself was not for a week. Of course, society assumed the hastened marriage had a different reason behind it, but the truth was, Nathaniel and Leah could not wait, gaining a special license to marry as quickly as possible simply because they loved one another and saw no reason to delay.
“That one you were supposed to marry.” Ezra cringed. “Thank goodness you did not!”
Leah and Sarah both turned to stare at him, but he did not seem to notice as he regaled them with the article.
