it....’
‘You did that extremely well. You always kept me at arm’s length. You wouldn’t even call me by my given name.’
‘I didn’t know I was allowed to,’ she put in, a touch indignantly, he thought. ‘You never said.’
‘It never occurred to me I had to. But I want you to. It would make me feel so much closer to you.’
‘Gregory,’ she said shyly. ‘I am so sorry.’ She got to her feet and closed the distance between them. ‘Sorry that I never showed you any sign of my growing affection for you.’ She took hold of his hands.
‘But then, I had told you not to expect, or request, affection from me,’ he groaned.
‘But if you do want it to be part of our...our fresh start,’ she said hesitantly, ‘then...’
He was about to crush her to his chest and shower her face with kisses. But before he could do anything of the sort, she’d stretched up on tiptoe, put her arms round his neck and kissed him.
Kissed him.
For the first time, she’d been the one to initiate an embrace.
‘My God, Mary, Mary,’ he gasped. ‘This feels like a miracle. Can it really be true? Can you love me?’
‘How could I not love you?’ There were tears in her eyes. ‘I am only sorry I was so miserly with my heart before. If I’d been as generous as you said, I would have shown you how I felt, rather than hiding it all, to try to save face. And speaking of hiding things...’
* * *
She’d known it was wrong to keep the news of her pregnancy from him. Even when she’d feared it would mean the end of any chance of a reconciliation. But now, after he’d professed his love and his hope they could have a fresh start, it would be tantamount to saying she didn’t trust him.
And how could she say she loved him, if she didn’t trust him, completely?
She did trust him. He’d never lied to her, not even when the truth had hurt. So if he said he loved her and wanted a different sort of marriage from the one they’d agreed on at first, then he meant it.
‘I’m...’
The words stuck in her throat. It felt as though she was about to fling herself off a cliff into his arms, hoping he really would be there to catch her.
‘What is it, Mary? Whatever it is, I swear I won’t be angry with you.’
It had never been his anger she’d feared. And wasn’t now.
Taking a deep breath, she flung herself over the edge.
‘I’m increasing.’
His eyes widened. He glanced down at her stomach.
Then laughed with what looked like absolute joy. And hugged her. ‘You clever, clever girl,’ he said, sweeping her into his arms and over to one of the strategically placed armchairs, where he settled her on his lap.
Where he kissed her a bit more.
‘It doesn’t matter how we started, does it?’ she said, after a while. ‘We both made mistakes and both hid what we really felt, but we can do better from now on, can’t we?’
‘Well, I’m certainly determined to do better,’ he said. ‘From now on, I mean to show you how much you mean to me, every second of every day. I’m going to treat you like a queen.’
‘I’m not sure,’ she said thoughtfully, ‘I want to be treated like a queen.’
‘Very well. What would you like, then? Bearing in mind you want me to take your opinions into account whenever I have to make a decision.’
* * *
She pulled away from him a bit, her lips pursing. For a moment, he wondered whether he’d ruined the moment by referring to her list of complaints. But then she darted him a distinctly saucy look.
‘All I want,’ she said, with a glint in her eye, ‘is for you to want me so much you can’t keep your hands off me. Day or night. I know I’m not pretty. But you made me feel as if I was, to you, when you were so on fire for me you chased me round sofas, scandalising everyone from the butler to the scullery maid.’
His heart seemed to turn over in his chest. And when it settled, it was pounding like a galloping horse. ‘Is that so?’ He pushed her off his lap. ‘Go on, then,’ he said.
‘Go on, what?’
‘I shall give you a head start.’ He leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. ‘I shall count to twenty. No,’ he said, ‘actually I can’t wait till I’ve counted to twenty. Make it ten.’
‘Ten?’ She edged away from him, a confused frown on her face.
‘One,’ he said, or rather growled, leaning forward and eyeing her hotly from head to toe.
‘Two...’
She shivered where she stood. An answering heat flared to life in her eyes.
‘Three...’
She glanced round the room. At the hearthrug at his feet. At the table. Back at him, a smile playing about her lips.
‘Four...’
She turned, and made her way slowly towards the door.
‘Five...’
She hesitated, her hand on the latch, and glanced back over her shoulder.
‘Six...’
He got to his feet.
‘Seven...’ He stalked away from the chair.
Her face lit up. With a little shriek of laughter, she fumbled open the door, hitched up her skirts and ran from the room.
‘Eight-nine-ten,’ he yelled and set out in hot pursuit.
* * * * *
Annie Burrows
HE HAS TAKEN HER TO HEAVEN, HELL AND BACK AGAIN…
Her heart and hope long since shattered, Amethyst Dalby is content with her life as an independent woman. With wealth of her own, and no one to answer to, she is free to live as she pleases.
Until a trip to Paris throws her into contact with the one man who still has a hold over her—the bitter but still devastatingly sensual Nathan Harcourt! Living as an artist, this highborn gentleman has been brought low by scandal—and he is determined to show Amethyst that life is much more fun if you walk on the dark side….
