Page 85 of An Earl to Remember
“Yes. I…I felt as if we said our farewell. I…I am thinking of going to America.”
He grew still. “America?”
A nervous laugh bubbled from her, and she nodded. “This is perhaps the second time I am leaving Crandell.”
“I know.”
“Mr. Gervase offered me a job. I think…I think this is an opportunity I cannot give up. I might stay there for a year or two, then perhaps I’ll visit Rome and…”
The earl’s gaze lowered to her fingers, and he reached out, tenderly took her hands, and pried them apart. He then gently massaged her abused flesh. A sweet feeling flipped several times low in her belly. “Daniel?”
“I’ll come with you.”
The jumble of emotions hammering at her heart—shock, gladness, bewilderment—had Georgianna closing her eyes for a few seconds. “What do you mean?”
“Wherever you go, I’ll be there. If you wish to return to Crandell and live at the manor, I’ll be there.”
“You would live in Crandell?”
“Yes.”
“And you would come with me to New York?”
“Yes. Then Rome…Shanghai…wherever you wish. My estates are well managed, and my brother is brilliant. Communication has changed, and for a couple of years we can explore the world together, my sweet. If you want to explore forever, I am there.”
“I do not understand what you are saying.” Georgianna braced herself for an answer that might shatter her heart in its entirety, for if he said words in the vein oftraveling alone would better hide their affair, she would smack him and pray for forgiveness afterward.
He leaned forward and brushed his fingertips along the curve of her throat. The strong feel of his fingers sliding over her skin sent her pulse racing. “My lord, I—”
“Marry me, Georgianna.”
His offer was so terrifying that she froze, afraid his words were not real and a figment of her fevered imagination. “Marry you?” she choked. “I…”
“I should have never asked you to only be my lover when you are my beloved one. I wish for you to be my friend, my wife, my countess, the woman I laugh and dream with. Only with your hands clasped in mine, Georgianna, enjoying this life, will living be worthwhile,” he said gruffly. “I am damn sorry that for even a moment I caused you doubt and pain. Forgive me, please.”
Shock stole the air from her lungs, then she launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I love you,” she said with a sob.
“I love you, too,” he said, burying his face in her hair. “Marry me again, wife.”
Laughter shook her shoulders, and she leaned back to see his expression. His eyes gleamed with a tender, sensuous light, and he cupped her cheeks with a reverence that brought a lump to her throat.
“Are you not to douse my fear with an answer?”
She dropped her forehead to his. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Thank Christ. I could not have withstood a rejection after running down the street like a madman to catch your carriage.”
“You could have found me in Crandell,” she murmured. “I should warn you…society will think me a most unusual countess. ”
“I’ll have it no other way. I think I’ve already created the scandal of the season chasing after you with a dog on my heels.” He brushed his lips over hers, as light as a breath. “As for waiting, that was impossible, my love. I did not want you to even linger with the thought for an hour that you are not cherished…that you are not my beloved. For so long I’ve eschewed the idea of marrying, for to my mind, it has always been only a duty, one to fulfill so I might carry on my name and property, nothing more. You make me burn to live life, wife.”
Her throat worked on a swallow, and a terrible ache formed behind her eyes. Daniel caught her against his chest and took her mouth with a deep kiss, and she sank into their embrace, wordless wonder, and unmatched happiness bursting inside her heart.
Epilogue
One year later…
Dearest Lady Stannis,
