Page 76 of The Damsel
Before stepping into the clearing where the swimming hole lay, he crouched to pluck a perfect primrose from the ground. It’s yellow petals spread to the moon, vibrant and beautiful. With a smile, he proceeded along his path.
He hadn’t expected her to meet him here, but there she stood on the water’s edge. She wore a forest green gown that flowed about her legs in a gossamer curtain. Her hair had been taken down, hanging in amber ringlets down her back. The impact of her eyes as he neared took his breath away. Her bruised face had begun to heal, the swelling gone and the purplish tinge giving way to greenish yellow. But through all that, he saw her.
He’d never be able to look at her again without thinking her the most beautiful creature in the world.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said, coming forward to meet him. “There is something I want to tell you, and I thought it appropriate to do so right here, where you saved me.”
Gazing out over the water, he recalled watching her go under and the fear that had clenched his throat when she didn’t resurface. “But, you weren’t drowning. You didn’t need me to come in after you.”
“Yes, I did,” she whispered, gazing at the pond. “You see … when I would come out here to jump into the water, it was to contemplate death.”
He tensed, his pulse accelerating as he remembered his suspicions from that night.
“I used to sink as far as I could and think about giving myself over to the water,” she continued. “I wondered if the silence and the stillness in the depths was what life after death might be like. I wanted an end to the fear, the pain, the rage. But then … you came in after me and pulled me out. You challenged me and made me question if it might have all been worth it.”
Cupping her face with his free hand, he inched closer until he registered the scent of oranges and clove, until the heat radiating off her body seeped into his skin.
“And was it worth it?”
She nodded, then turned her head to kiss his palm. “It was … it is. I want to live, Robert. I want the fear and the pain, but I want the joy too. I want the happiness. And I want it all with you. That night of your father’s birthday … Do you want to know what he said to me?”
“Very much.”
She smiled at him, plucking his hand from her face and clutching it in both of hers. “He told me he knew he wasn’t long for this world. He said that when he was gone, he wanted to know that you would be taken care of … that you would have something to live for. He told me that he had a feeling I was it. At the time I found the idea preposterous. I was still fighting you … fighting us. But, now I know he was right, because I want to be the thing you live for, the reason you smile ... and I need you to be all those things for me. I want to be with you for all my days.”
His mouth fell open as he found himself momentarily stunned. “Are … are you …”
“Asking you to marry me?” she replied with a little laugh. “It’s a bit unorthodox, I’ll admit—”
“It’s perfect, because I came here tonight to ask you the same thing.”
It was her turn to look stunned, her gaze falling to the primrose in his hand. He raised it between them, twirling the stem and watching the way the moonlight illuminated the petals.
“Last year, I went to London with a ring, thinking I would come back with the love of my life,” he said, turning his gaze to her. “I didn’t return with what I wanted, but along the way I found what Ineeded. You. Every part of you, even the parts you don’t like. I love them all, because they all make up the different facets of the person I adore. I don't have a ring tonight, but ...”
He took hold of her left hand, looping the stalk of the primrose around her third finger. She grinned as he tied the stem into a knot so that the blossom lay the way the jewel in a ring would.
“What I do have is a true and lasting love for you,” he said, taking her hand and placing it over his heart. “I have myself to give to you for the rest of my life … and I have a surety that our life together, no matter how difficult it may be at times, will be one worth living. Marry me, Cass.”
Her smile faded as she stared into his eyes, her hand still pressed against his pounding heart. In her gaze, he saw all the emotion she’d previously shuttered away from him. He saw every painful moment of what was behind her, but also the glimmer of hope for what lay ahead.
“Yes,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’ll marry you.”
He took her into his arms, one hand cupping the back of her head.
Fingers tangled in her hair, he angled her head for a kiss. She returned the intimacy, her mouth moving against his with an urgency that gave fuel to his own insatiable desire. He didn’t think there could ever be a day she stopped affecting him this way.
Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers and met her gaze. For the first time in his life, uncertainty about the future did not seem so daunting. He held forever in his arms, and come what may, he knew that was one thing that would never change. It was the one thing that could never die.
Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER …
Robert paused in the doorway to his mother’s favorite drawing room and peered inside, a soft smile curving his lips at what he discovered. The baroness sat on a loveseat with an embroidery hoop in her hands. Beside her, he found Cassandra holding a similar hoop. Her graceful, dexterous fingers worked a needle through the fabric with an ease born of practice.
The two had become fast friends, and as he’d predicted, his mother had come to like Cassandra.
On the day he’d brought his betrothed to Briarwell to announce their engagement to his parents, he had settled her in this very room to go fetch them. His mother had been apprehensive, still worried over what their impending marriage could mean for the reputation of their family. Robert had done his best to assure her that everything would be all right. Marriage would erase the stain of her ruination, and their shocking match would replace past gossip about her. No one would have predicted such a match, and he supposed they would be the topic of drawing room talk for at least another year.
