The conversation and the rest of the evening went well, and Thea truly felt that neither the Duke nor his son had anything to do with someone planting a killer in their house to murder Freddie. They warmed to her as well, and she felt that the Willowdale and Bradford feud may have been laid to rest. “We are having a party next week,” she said to them at supper. “Why do you not come? I will see to it you get formal invitations.”
The Duke nodded politely. “While I do not feel comfortable going under your father’s roof, Miss Miller,” he said, “I will not halt Henry from going if he so chooses.”
“I might,” Lord Bradford replied with an easy smile. “My wife is in London currently but will return soon. If she says yes, then I expect we will go.”
“Then I will send a footman with your invitation the instant I return home.”
“And you and your brother are welcome here any time you would care to visit, Miss Miller,” the Duke said. “I would like very much to meet the new Viscount of Willowdale.”
He raised his goblet of wine for a toast. “Here is to new beginnings.”
* * *
Thea managed a quick opportunity to speak privately with Liam at the inn the following night. She had gone out into the courtyard after supper in the inn’s common room and sent Felicity up to their chamber with Mr. Jonesboro standing watch outside. She knew Liam would follow her and she stepped into the shadows near the side of the building. She heard his footsteps approach and turned to him before he spoke.
“What do you think, Liam?” she asked. “The Bradfords are innocent?”
“In my opinion,” he replied, “yes, they are. They were genuinely shocked and appalled, and their manner toward you grew from being somewhat antagonistic to very friendly.”
Though she knew in her heart she was right, Thea felt better to have some confirmation. “I am glad I came. I did not want to spend time wondering if they were behind the attempts to kill Freddie.”
“I told you, you were special, Thea,” Liam said, warmth in his voice. “Even your father’s bitterest enemy all but fell at your feet.”
“Only if his walking stick gave out.”
But his praise made her feel good inside, and she stepped closer to him, gazing up into his green eyes. “I am glad you are with me, Liam. I feel like I can rule the world if I have you beside me.”
“Thea.”
His voice, low and thick, informed her that he had pent up emotion inside him, something he refused to release, to set free. While it confused her, she felt a tingle of anticipation run through her veins, breaking the skin of her arms out into goose flesh. “Liam. Why is it you never got over your infatuation with me?”
When she had asked the question before, he refused to answer. Now, as she gazed up into his shadowed face, she knew what the answer was. Joy and wonder rose in her, filling her with the need for him to hold her in his arms and whisper in her ear. His mouth opened, yet nothing emerged. He tried to turn his face away but her finger on his jaw turned it back toward her.
“Tell me, Liam.”
“Because I love you, Thea,” he said, his voice low. His words tumbled out of his mouth as though the crack in his shield had now split it asunder. “I have always loved you, since the very beginning when we were children. I follow you around so I can be near you, even though I know we can never be together, and it breaks my heart to know you are destined to marry another man. I never wanted to put pressure on you, ever, but nor can I keep it from you either. Not any longer. It does not matter to me if you do not feel the same –”
Her forefinger on his lips silenced him instantly. Thea leaned toward him, now so close their bodies almost touched. Gazing up into his unhappy countenance, his eyes which tried to shift from hers in shame, she murmured a single word. “Good.”
Liam stepped back from her as though she had burned him. “Good?”
Thea laughed low in her throat, thrust her finger into his coat and pulled him toward her. “Yes, my Liam. Good. Because I finally realized how much I love you, too.”
“Thea,” he almost begged, “you must not. We can never be together, you and I. Lord Willowdale will never permit it.”
“Lord Willowdale also promised me a choice in my husband. I want you, Liam. No one but you.”
Chapter 18
“Robert,” Freddie said, growing exasperated with his old friend. “How many times must I remind you that I promised Thea she could have a say in her choice of a husband?”
“That is foolishness, old chap,” Robert said, holding his tumbler of whiskey up to the firelight. “Women do not have the intellect to be making such choices. You and I know what is best for her, and I am that best choice.”
Freddie gazed out the library window at the loathsome drizzle that kidnapped the bright sunlight of the past weeks, wondering if Robert was right. He knew his sister had an incredibly sharp and intuitive mind, yet women as a whole did not have the same intellect as men.What if she is wrong about him? He obviously loves her so very much.“I need time to think about it, Robert. The big party is in a few days. I will not renege on my promise that she could meet other potential candidates.”
“And once she discovers the true boors out there,” Robert replied with a flashing grin, “then she will realize what a catch I am all along. By the way, where is she?”
Freddie shrugged. “She should return any moment. She went to have a chat with the Duke of Bradford.”
