Page 21 of Only a Lyon Will Do
“My lord—”
“Call me Asher when we are alone,” he replied interrupting her. “I loved hearing my name as it passed your lips when you learned my identity.”
She smiled at him shyly again. “Asher…”
“Patience…” he whispered in reply before he leaned forward until their lips barely touched.
He gave her the opportunity to either step forward to lean into his kiss or step back to refuse the offering. But she still had concerns. She had done her own bit of investigating Asher Tyler, Earl of Rowley once she learned his identity. He was known to have dallied with multiple different women in the past few Seasons and there was at least one woman he had kept as a mistress. Unfortunately, Cassandra wasn’t able to find out if Asher still had one. How was she to know the true nature of this man? He might only be telling her what she wanted to hear. And heaven forbid if she fell in love with him and he later left her rather than going through with their marriage. She wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“I understand you have your reservations. Tell me what is troubling you so I might set your mind at ease,” he said stepping back to give her some space but also so he could watch her intently.
There was no reason to not be completely honest with him and what she was feeling. “How am I to know you are being truthful in what you are saying to me?”
“What do you mean?”
She lifted her chin and spoke her mind. “When I first met you, you were coming from upstairs. I can well imagine what happens on the upper floor. You have told me repeatedly that marriage doesn’t interest you. You say you have changed your mind because of the attraction between us, but what’s to stop your mind from changing again? If the intensity of your feelingsbegins to fade, will you discard me to return to your lifestyle from before?”
He shook his head and stepped closer. “Dearest, I would never dishonor you in such a way. If we are to be together, I will be with you and you alone. You will hold my heart, and I will gladly give it.”
“Perhaps I am too bold in my assumptions, but I have to be wary.”
“I understand but even a rake can change for the right woman.” He gave a grin. “The fleeting attraction I’ve held for women in the past bears no comparison to the depth of my feelings for you. And while you might doubt my morals, please know that my loyalty is beyond question. Those I truly love remain in my heart forever. If you can place your trust in me, I guarantee my affection for you will never diminish.”
“You have given me much to think on, Asher,” she said using his given name. “You may just have to prove the sincerity of your words to me in the coming weeks. Do you think you are up to the challenge?”
“If it takes the rest of my life to convince you of my feelings, then I shall do so but the choice is yours, Patience. I now only wait here for you to take a step toward me to show me that you are willing to continue the journey with me at your side.”
Asher once again leaned forward, but as their breath mingled on a heartbeat, her intuition where this man was concerned took over. She stepped forward into his embrace and wound her arms around his neck bringing him closer. His eyes sparkled in delight as he gently kissed her.
And that kiss… It was everything she had hoped for and held a promise of what was yet to come. Patience took advantage of the moment. Flashes of what their future could hold ran rampant through her mind and she held onto the man as if fordear life as she accepted that he might be the one to claim her heart completely.
A sound on the other side of the door was an unwelcome reminder that their time alone would have to come to an end—and yet they still stood there with heaving chests as they returned together back from the brink of what might be. Two souls captured in an instant of time. Both bound to the other as if Fate had finally found them and would never allow them to be apart again. For Patience, her life would never be the same.
Chapter Fifteen
Patience looked outthe window of her carriage with a fair amount of trepidation rushing through her entire body. She was a nervous wreck and was still unsure this was a good idea. How many years had it been since she had seen her parents and siblings? Or even her cousin? After her father had disowned her after running away with Stuart, she had never returned. They never understood how much she had loved her husband and now… here she was about to see if she could mend the strain that had followed in the years since they were parted.
Cassandra, Moriah, and Josephine had all accompanied her for moral support. She could only hope that bringing two women who were now titled ladies might change her father’s mind. And if that failed, at least she’d have the support of her oldest friend.
Cassandra poked her head back inside the carriage. “Patience, darling, are you coming? You won’t find your answers sitting here, dearest.”
Patience gulped before she at last took the first step toward the unknown. She stared up at her family’s store sign:Barnet Mercantile. A flood of memories rushed across her mind before Moriah took hold of her arm.
“Come along, Patience. For better or worse, let’s get this over with,” Moriah said as she led Patience toward the front door.
“What if they throw me out?” Patience managed to whisper.
Josephine took her other hand. “Then you will have your friends here to offer you comfort at such a happening. Never fear that you are alone. We will always be here to support each other.”
“The Wicked Widows Club ladies unite?” Patience teased looking to each of the ladies surrounding her as if she had just created their new motto.
Cassandra nodded. “Something like that. Now, enough stalling. There’s no sense putting off the inevitable. Let’s meet your family.”
Without any further delay, Cassandra opened the mercantile door. Immediately the familiar aroma of the place hit Patience, transporting her to the past. Everything was exactly as she remembered it. Barrels of flour, sugar, and various spices lined one wall while another held bolts and bolts of fabric. Ribbons and trim were waiting to be picked to adorn a dress or hat and Patience almost staggered into the familiarity of her parents’ store.
“Welcome to the Barnet Mercantile, ladies,” a male voice boomed over the noise of other customers waiting their turn at the counter. “Let me know if you need any assistance.”
Patience would have known that voice anywhere and took in a deep breath, steeling her courage to face her father for the first time in eight years. She excused herself from her friends and walked toward the counter where her father busied himself packaging a bag of flour. When he turned to face her, his expression hardened, though she saw a quick moment of vulnerability before he masked it away. He excused himself from his customers, asking a store hand to take over as he approached her.
