Page 87 of A Torn Allegiance
“Oh, you are. Hayes, you are so much more of what I need to be. I will live with your example forever before me.”
“Then, we are well-matched indeed, each striving to be more for the sake of the other.” He had never dreamed of finding someone so perfectly suited to him, so strong, so intimidating as Elsie.
“I think so too.” Her lip jutted out.
“What is it?”
She sighed. “What if I fail you? What if I cannot possibly live up to the person you think I am?”
He found her more desirable in that moment than ever before, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “That, my dear, is bound to happen some day—in a moment of my weakness, not yours—but as I’m bound to disappoint you, I hope we will forgive and love each other all the more.” He felt a measure of real trepidation, waiting for her response.
She nodded slowly. “I will try to remember your words. I will try to keep them with me in all of my moments of insecurity.”
Their faces were close, the fullness of her mouth just a breath away from his own. When his gaze lifted again to seek permission to kiss her, her lips parted, her eyes drifted to his mouth, and her hands continued up his chest and around his neck. When she stood on tiptoes to reach him, he waited no longer. He pulled her tight against him, his fingers pressing into her back. His lips captured hers, sealing all that had just been spoken between them, seeking to prove his words, to show her his love. He kissed her again and again, their hearts hammering as one, his breath coming faster, until a noise from the house, a bit of laughter, reminded him where they were.
He slowed their kisses and paused, his mouth still covering hers. He mumbled, “Must we remain at the ball?”
She shook her head.
“That’s a relief. Perhaps I could send a servant in to retrieve your mother so we can leave.”
“Yes, please.”
He kissed her again, promising to forever be worthy of this woman, and then took her hand in his.
“I love you, Hayes. I love you so much I can’t imagine being parted.”
“Then, let us never be separated.”
As they made their way back up toward the veranda to find a servant, Marc and Kristoff looked down from the veranda. Marc saluted. “I’ll call for Her Grace and our carriages, then.”
“Thank you.”
Elsie turned to Hayes. “How is it you brothers seem to read each other’s minds?”
He chuckled. “We don’t, so much, as Marc knows everything.”
“How does he know?”
“He is our head of security in Oldenburg. He probably read our body language, kept an eye on us out here... honestly, he likely helped us maintain our privacy.”
Her eyes widened. “Duncan and I are the same. I do read his mind sometimes.” She shook her head. “It is helpful when he comes to these events, for that reason. Prince Kristoff and Prince Marc filled that roll today.” She laughed. “And more so. I cannot think those ladies will ever see me in the same way again.”
“I hope that is a good thing. I hope they will always listen to you. They truly do have much to learn from you.”
“Mother says I should take greater strides of friendship with them.”
Hayes considered her. “Perhaps. I can see that, were you to speak with them individually, you could be a great influence in their lives, but you might not always be in England, and if they haven’t yet found the appreciation they should have for you, they’ve missed a beautiful opportunity.” He was, of course, thinking about how he hoped to take her away to Oldenburg and come back only if she wished it.
She nodded slowly. “Perhaps I will have smaller teas, with a few of them at a time. I suppose they wouldn’t turn down an invitation.”
“No, they couldn’t. But choose those you find of value in your own life; no need to offer all that is beautiful in you to those who cannot appreciate you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I apologize if my advice is too overbearing. I find I wish to defend and protect and smother you with affection for the rest of your life.”
She laughed, seeming delighted with his words and comfortable with him and all his talk of leaving. Perhaps she would now be willing and ready to accept his proposal. He would have to watch and see. Tonight, when she had just cried in his arms, was perhaps not the best evening for it. But it might be time to begin planning such a thing. His heart jumped at the thought as they made their way up to the ballroom. They skirted the edges, ignoring the many eyes watching, and exited through the front door.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The ball was definitely aturning point in Elsie’s relationship with Hayes. He’d come every day this past week, and for the first time, there was nothing odd or awkward or suspicious in their conversations or their expectations. She didn’t feel as though she must spy on him, doubt him, or ask him about his French or Scottish connections. And he seemed perfectly pleased to simply be at her side, wherever they were. They’d seen an opera, gone to the theater, visited Vauxhall Gardens and imagined them in their finer glory, paid a visit to the library, and taken many glorious walks in the park. But her favorite moments were those spent reading together in her library at home. They’d begunThe Lady of the Lakeby Sir Walter Scott, and the rhymes, the imagery, the clever language thrilled them both as they took turns reading stanza after stanza. His voice lulled her into such a state of bliss that by the time they were finished, he could have asked her anything, and she would have jumped at the chance to say yes.
