Page 77 of An Arranged Marriage with a Cruel Earl
“I recall when I met you,” Andrew said as they reached the pond. “You didn’t know it, but I had been staring at you out of the carriage window.”
“You always said so,” Emmeline said, her own cheeks heating up. He had told her the story several times before, but it still delighted her to think that he had seen her riding and had fallen for her just a little then.
“You rode with such a sense of freedom. I envied you.” He spoke warmly. “I remember wishing I could feel as free as that.”
Emmeline grinned. “You ride even faster than I do,” she reminded him. Andrew was not reckless, but many could be forgiven for thinking so, since anyone with less expertise would be risking their lives riding at the speed he did.
“It’s not the speed,” Andrew told her. “It’s the wildness with which you rode. The untamed beauty of it.”
Emmeline was blushing, she could feel the heat in her cheeks. “Thank you,” she murmured, looking down at the paved path under her feet, feeling shy.
“You are a beautiful woman,” Andrew said feelingly. “But it’s your heart that I admire the most. Your passion and your courage.”
“Thank you,” Emmeline murmured, her voice wobbling. For all her years in London, she had thought she was too wild, too bold. But Andrew had loved that about her before he even met her.
“I love you so much, my dear,” he said gently.
Emmeline beamed up at him. “I love you, too,” she said feelingly.
He bent close to kiss her, and Emmeline held him close, her heart soaring at the feel of his lips on hers.
As they sat in the drowsy silence, she watched the water of the fountain spattering upward, the droplets breaking the surface of the pond and sparkling in the sun. The words of her father came back to her memory like a whisper in the water’s melody.
Always be yourself,he had said.The world needs your light.
She gazed up at Andrew. She had listened to her father, and she had been true to herself always, even when it had seemed hard. That path had led her to all the treasures of her heart.
“I am so glad I found you, Andrew,” she murmured, gazing up at him.
“As I am that I found you,” Andrew answered, and he held her gaze.
He bent close and kissed her and Emmeline shut her eyes, her heart soaring, her soul singing.
Being herself had led her on a mighty journey, she reflected dreamily, and it had led her right into her heart and to all the joys she could imagine.
She nestled close to Andrew and together they sat and listened to the blackbird singing in the bushes by the pond. They were utterly content.
The End
