Page 78 of Gambling with the Earl
He shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. Not if I have you to come back to.”
“You do.” She moved imperceptibly nearer to him, and he could no longer resist the compulsion to reach down, cup her face in his hands and kiss her.
But no sooner had their lips met than she pulled away. “But the king is waiting for you. Don’t you have to return to his service?”
His hands travelled to her shoulders and skimmed the sides of her body down to her waist. He had never been less interested in the king.
“King Edward has many knights,” he declared. “I think he can manage without me for a while longer. Although I may have to do some grovelling…”
“Oh, Guy.” This time, she kissed him, standing on tiptoe and wrapping her arms around him until he was buffeted by desire. His fingers skimmed the pearl buttons of her dress. So many of them, he could never hope to undo them all.
The sound of the manservant clearing his throat brought Guy to his senses. However much he wanted Kitty, he couldn’t take her here. Especially not before asking the question which burned on his lips.
“Kitty,” he started, “or should I say, Miss Katherine Alden?” He pulled away from their embrace and she stumbled slightly on the uneven ground.
“Yes?”
He lowered himself onto one knee and grasped her dainty fingers.
“Will you marry me?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Two years later…
The tiny, stone-builtchapel was sweet with the fragrance of spring flowers, which the bride had artfully tied to the end of every wooden pew. Peeping through the heavy arched entrance doors, Guy concluded that he had never seen so many villagers come together to celebrate a wedding. Excited murmurs of anticipation rippled through the congregation, for the families of both bride and groom were well-loved in the village of Rossfarne.
Guy’s gaze travelled to the tall, confident man standing near the altar, who couldn’t resist turning frequently to check if the woman he was waiting for had arrived. Guy flashed him a smile.She will come, his eyes imparted. She had been counting down to this day for many months.
The rumble of an approaching carriage caught his ear, and Guy pulled back from the chapel interior, closing the heavy door behind him. Sunlight danced all around and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust after the cool shadows of the chapel. A well-groomed white horse made stately progress along the narrow country lane, pulling a smart but simple carriage behind him. Inside sat a lovely young woman clad in peach satin. She had roses entwined in her shining blonde hair and a posy clutched in her slender hands.
Guy smiled a greeting as the carriage rumbled to a halt beside him. “I have never seen you looking more beautiful, Rosalind.”
She laughed, like a peal of bells. “Thank you, dear brother. ’Tis love and excitement for the day ahead.”
He held out a hand to help her down and kissed her proffered cheek.
“Are you ready?”
She took his arm, graceful as ever, and more like her older sister than Kitty would ever allow. “Tell me, were you nervous on your wedding day?” she asked.
He paused for a moment to reflect on the happiest day of his life. Kitty and Guy had exchanged vows on a bright autumnal morning, when the glorious red and gold colours in the trees valiantly competed with the gleam of the polished carriage and the glinting highlights of Kitty’s rippling hair. “No,” he answered decisively. “I was filled with joy from sunrise to sunset.” He cleared his throat and smiled down at the young woman in his charge. “I may be more nervous today.”
“Thank you for giving me away in the absence of my father.” She walked lightly around a puddle caused by last night’s rain. A quick, heavy downpour, which had left the countryside looking washed and clean, ready for blue skies and bird song on this long-awaited day.
Guy was momentarily lost for words. It was typical bravery of Rosalind to confront a matter most would ignore. The truth was, Owain had taken up with a young widow who owned an inn near Dun Holme. Rumours had reached Rossfarne not long after his and Kitty’s wedding, and Guy had ridden south himself to see if there was any truth to them. The charmless man he had once faced over a gaming table seemed little changed; still drinking, still gambling, and inexplicably still exerting some mystical hold over a hard-working woman of genuine worth who really should know better.
Guy had bought a drink and observed Owain for a while, one hand clenched around the bag of coin he had brought with him as a bribe. He was tempted to leave without making his presence known, but Kitty and Rosalind’s instructions had been clear. Now Owain received regular payments on condition that he stayed away from his daughters.
Guy swallowed down his revulsion at the memory. Today was not for dwelling upon such times.
“The honour is mine,” he declared, giving Rosalind a short bow, which made her laugh in surprise. Guy couldn’t help his lips curling up into a smile. Kitty had broken through his barriers and as a consequence, he had both the love of a good woman and the wider family he’d never known. A younger sister, loyal retainers and soon the clever and kind young man named Richard Erkine.
He nudged open the chapel door and the congregation rose to their feet as a swell of music rippled through the stone building and out to meet them. Guy glanced down once more to check all was well with Rosalind, smiling again at her bright eyes and obvious happiness. She settled her hand more firmly in the crook of his arm and together they walked down the aisle towards the waiting groom. The eyes of everyone they approached were drawn to the young bride, resplendent in her wedding gown, but Guy was looking for someone else.
There she was, in a pew at the front of the chapel. Her red-gold hair hung in rippling curls down the back of a green taffeta dress. She turned to see them both and Guy knew the now familiar contraction in his heart.
His wife.
