Page 81 of A Lady's Past
Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “It is a great day. You are alive and will recover.”
The fact that the Duchess of Middleton was coming didn’t bode well. “When can I leave here?”
He frowned and sat back in the chair. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at her. “You have to heal that bone. It will be a few weeks. I am curious, where will you go?”
It was a fair question. She had no family, but she did have a home—or whatever was left of one—in Scotland. “I will go and check on my parents’ house and find out what happened to the servants. Of course, that will have to wait until the snow melts a bit. Traveling to Scotland would be difficult for me with the harsh winter.”
“I see.” His frown deepened.
At least she would have a few more weeks with Jacques while she healed. She picked up her chin, but her voice remained small. “When will you leave Buckrose?”
“You are the most infuriating woman.” He stood and stormed across the room, grabbed a fire iron and poked at the fire.
“I am? What did I do?”
The flames grew, and Jacques put another log on. “First you step in front of a bullet and get yourself injured, nearly killed. Totally unacceptable behavior, you should know better.”
“I saved your life.” She shook her head. “I assume there is a second reason.”
He turned, and while his lips were pulled in a tight line, his eyes had filled with admiration as he approached the bed. “Second, you still assume I will leave you after I have told you I never will.”
Emotion pushed up from her throat. “You also told me you were not the marrying kind of man.”
“I also told you I have changed.” He sat on the edge of her mattress.
“In my experience, people don’t change.” She tried to stay the stream of tears, but they still dripped down her cheeks.
He leaned in with a hand on either side of her head. Very careful not to touch her right side, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Diana, perhaps I have not changed. Perhaps I have always been the marrying kind, but a bad experience sent me down another path. It is not a path I am particularly proud of, but it is the path that brought me to you, so I shall always cherish its memory. I love you, not just for today, or next week, or a year. I love you for all time. I want to marry you and make a life and family with you. You are the smartest, kindest, bravest and most beautiful woman I have ever known. Tell me you will be mine.”
His declaration rolled through her and settled in her heart. “You still want to marry me?”
“More than anything.” He kissed her cheek.
She couldn’t stop her tears. Pure joy was impossible to contain. If she could have jumped up and down, she would have. “I can think of nothing I want more than to be your wife, but what of your business? There are many people who will always think the worst of me.”
“I do not want to marry them. I only care about what you think.” He kissed one eyelid then the other.
A swift knock on the door, and Cecilia brought in a tray. Spices and chicken scented the room.
Jacques stood and moved away from the bed.
Cecilia blushed at having caught them during an intimate moment.
“I will return when you have finished eating.” Jacques’s smile simmered with promise.
Spotting the brown bottle on the nightstand, Diana stopped him. “One thing more, Jacques. And this is for you too, Cecilia. I do not want any more of that.”
“But, miss, the doctor said the laudanum would help you get better.” Cecilia put the tray down on the table and carried the soup bowl over with the spoon and napkin.
“It will not make me better. It just makes it so I don’t care about the pain. I would rather suffer than feel like I’m in a fog. No more.” As if in defiance, her shoulder pain increased. She relaxed and the pain eased.
Jacques took the bottle. “You are a grown woman. If you do not want the laudanum, you shall not be given it. If you change your mind, you need only say so.”
“Thank you.” So many more things needed saying. He treated her like an equal, he loved her, he wanted to marry her. She wanted to jump into his arms and never let go. “I’m relieved you didn’t make me fight you on this.”
With a smile that melted her heart and a brief nod, he left the room.
Cecilia sat with the bowl of soup and gave her a lecture about following the doctor’s orders, but she also told her about how Jacques had been with her the entire time she was unconscious. She went on and on until Diana was convinced the maid was as in love with him as she was.
