Page 120 of A Fearless Heart
“What’s me?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose, murmuring something under her breath. Then she stood up. “Gabe, I wantyou. I’ll be marryingyou, whenever you get around to actually asking. And I’ll be spending my life withyou.”
“But you can do better. You’re Lady Calder now. You’re the heiress, and you’ll have so many suitors.”
“Boring ones, who are only interested in my title and wealth. At least I know you’re interested in my bed as well.”
“Your bed,” he echoed. Hell yes, that was a fact.
“I suppose I should say our bed…or it will be, after we’re married.”
He nodded slowly, his mind working around the boulders he’d placed in his own path. “Yes. Yes, that’s…yes.”
Cady was still speaking, being very practical in her tone. “And when we’re not acting out all our most deeply held desires, because we’ll need to occasionally do other things, I know that we’ll get along. You’re the right kind of funny, and you’re gentle and kind and always willing to listen to me. Plus you’re good with dogs.”
He laughed, not believing his luck. “Oh, Christ. Cady, will you actually marry me?”
“That depends. Why should I?” She asked that with a raised eyebrow, challenging him even after what she’d just said.
There was only one correct answer, and Gabe finally knew what it was.
“Because I love you.”
“Then, yes,” Cady said, smiling wider. “I’ll marry you.”
She rose up on her toes to kiss him and he made it easier by picking her up and holding her close. The kiss went on and on, with Cady murmuring a waterfall of words that didn’t make much sense but were all very flattering and sweet and made Gabe think he had a future after all. The best part was when she saidI love youover and over.
He put her down only when Trevor strolled in, still holding his morning coffee, and insisted on hearing what had happened, though the outcome must have been quite obvious.
Gabe set Cady on her feet again, whispering, “Are you certain about this, blossom? Once your brother knows, the world knows.”
“I’m not scared to go through with it.” There was a challenge in her eyes. “Are you?”
“Never.” He kissed her once more to seal the bargain.
“This is how it was always supposed to go,” she whispered. “Besides, Ireallyneed a gardener.”
Epilogue
August lay green and sultryon the landscape, the air warm and the blue sky streaked with feathery clouds high, high above.
Dressed in a pale blue confection of a gown, Lady Calder strolled outside onto the terrace of the house, looking over the range of gardens with a thoughtful expression. On either side of her, the two wolfhounds stood at ease, their heads up just in case a rabbit might happen by.
“I believe that the Italian garden will be the best location for afternoon tea after all,” she said at last, petting Remus’s head. “The view is lovely and the staff won’t have to walk too far to bring the dishes out. A few small tables and the furniture from the terrace will do nicely to accommodate all the guests.”
Afternoon teas at Calderwood had become rather large affairs over the past few months. The locals who’d avoided the estate for so long found many reasons to call upon Cady, hungry for news of her life and the many tantalizing hints of excitement and danger that had leaked out, despite the best efforts of Rundle and the rest of the regular staff to keep things quiet.
Indeed, how could one keep quiet about the dramatic shift in inheritance between the Osbourne siblings? Or the fact that the reclusive Lady Calder suddenly acquired a suitor? And not just any suitor, but a mysterious and strikingly handsome gentleman from London? And if that wasn’t enough, there was also the strange news of Mr Addison, who had left his own estate abruptly and hadn’t been seen since. All in all, the rumors and gossip were more than the vicar’s wife could keep up with. The poor lady was run ragged visiting everyone to get the latest scraps of news. Cady was quite sure that Mrs. Bowcott would complain of a headache when she arrived later.
“I’d better see to it that I’ve got a bottle of that tonic for her,” Cady said aloud, mostly to commit the task to memory. Over the last several weeks, she’d discovered that nearly half the county wanted the medicines she produced, coming to her for everything from insomnia to back pain to melancholy. Cady was practically turning Calderwood’s front parlor into an apothecary, and if it kept up, it would soon impinge upon her time for gardening and her laboratory experiments. She’d have to hire even more help…and she’d already hired a score of workers for the estate just in the last two months!
“Why the frown, blossom?” a voice asked beside her.
Cady turned to see Gabe, looking every inch the country gentleman in his green jacket and the startlingly white shirt underneath it, with the buff-colored, close-cut breeches and leather boots completing the look.
“I didn’t hear you come up,” she said. She reached up to fix his cravat, thinking it had been tied a bit too loosely that morning.
He caught her hand and kissed the palm, sending a cascade of shivers up her arm. “I love that you do that.”
