Page 75 of The Gentleman Was Right
Bloody hell, shewascrying.
It was useless to try to stop once she had started.
For so many months, she had carefully held herself together, and all the sadness and despair from that time merged with the joy and happiness she’d experienced since marrying Edward to create an emotional explosion unlike any she’d ever experienced.
Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. Being wrapped in his warmth was soothing, and although continuing to sob into his shoulder made her feel ridiculous, he didn’t seem to find it disconcerting. He didn’t try to halt her tears. Nor did he make her feel foolish about them.
Instead, he murmured quiet words, his breath stirring her hair. It was difficult to understand what he was saying, but she took reassurance from the steady rumble of his voice, and when the sobbing finally dissipated, she continued clinging to him, unwilling to break their connection. He kissed her forehead, and she realized that he had consoled her without fully understanding why she was crying. He probably thought she was lamenting their marriage, and yet he had offered comfort anyway.
How had she gotten so lucky?
“You were right.” Her voice was scratchy and hoarse, but her words were clear.
He froze, his lips against her forehead. “About?”
“Me.” She took a shallow breath. “Us. The life we can build together. I didn’t just marry you to escape Basil. His lies might have been the catalyst, but they quickly became irrelevant. I’ve never met anyone like you, and you intrigued me from the start. I want you even more now that I know you. I want your compliments and your affection. I was wrong when I told you I couldn’t accept those things from you, because I was too scared to acknowledge the truth.”
She started to ramble, words slipping out almost faster than she could process them. “I want your body wrapped around me at night and your hand in mine during the day. I want to let you into my heart, and not just because you’ve found your way into mine.” An errant tear slid down her cheek. “Being your wife has reminded me of who I am and who I want to be. When we met, I was hurt and afraid, and to protect my heart, I told myself that I didn’t want affection. I didn’t want to care for you, so I told you I wouldn’t and…I’m so sorry.”
“Violet.” His fingers pressed against her lips, halting her words. “You don’t owe me an apology.”
“I do,” she whispered into his fingers. “I said horrible things to you.”
“You did not.” He sounded disgruntled.
She pulled away so she could look him in the eye. “Do not make excuses for me. I was cavalier with your feelings. And my own.”
“I have no regrets. I’d marry you again tomorrow.”
“You would?”
He looked directly into her eyes, his expression more earnest than ever before. “My mother once told me that love is a lightning bolt. It strikes where it wants. When it wants. And after it has struck, it cannot be undone. It sounded like nonsense to me at the time, especially coming from her.”
“You never talk about your mother.”
“Our relationship is…fraught. If you ever meet her, you’ll understand.”
“But now you think she’s right?” she asked.
“Maybe. Maybe not. The point is…you were it for me from the moment you stepped into my bedchamber at the cottage. I didn’t see it for what it was. At first, I thought I simply wanted to help. And then after you kissed me, I thought it was only lust. But now I know, it wasmoreall along.”
“I have not been very pleasant to you,” she replied. “At least not out of the bedchamber.”
He chuckled softly. “Your brusqueness doesn’t bother me. If anything, it challenges me. I don’t require you to be incessantly cheerful.” He bit his lip. “Our personalities provide balance between us.”
Her heart felt lighter than it had. “Because you are incessantly cheerful?”
“Because I’m not deterred by your reserve, and I want to give you reasons to smile.”
She couldn’t help smiling now. “You already do.”
“Does that mean you forgive me for not telling you about what Basil did?”
“There is nothing to forgive. You made the right decision. I probably would have overreacted if you’d told me that morning.”
It looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment, he slowly nodded. “What happened yesterday?”
“Oh…well, I overheard you and Isabelle talking.”
