Page 81 of Somewhere I'll Find You
“To hell with them.”
So it had finally come to this. He loved her enough to make the greatest concession of all. She had never imagined that Damon, the proudest and most demanding man she had ever met, would put aside his own desires in deference to her own. She knew that she owed him the same unselfish consideration. “I could limit my involvement with the theater,” she said hesitantly. “I'll choose only the roles that interest me most…and I'll stop touring.”
“Will Scott allow that?”
“He'll have to, if he wants me to stay at the Capital.”
“Your career won't ever be the same.”
“That won't matter as long as I have you.”
Carefully he turned her to face him. Although Julia was brimming with hope and happiness, there was no answering smile on Damon's face. “I'll want children, Julia.” His voice was low and scratchy, and she could only guess at the emotions that moved him.
“Yes, so will I.” She shrugged helplessly. “I don't know how we'll manage, but…we'll find a way. It won't be easy.”
“Easier than living apart.”
Julia nodded and kissed him gently.
“What of your feelings for Scott?” Damon asked when their lips had parted.
“There is no love between us. He'll understand why I can't marry him. Besides, I was never meant to be anyone's wife but yours.”
“Good. Because I've been your husband for too long to imagine anything else.”
She smiled and stroked his chest. “How strange that we both wanted to be free of each other for so long…and just when we are, all we want is to be together again.”
“Then you'll take the ring back.”
“The ring, and all that comes with it.”
Damon caught her hand and held it so tightly that she winced from the pressure. Bringing her palm to his mouth, he crushed a kiss within the soft cove. Emotion left him wordless…love and joy that mingled inside him…fear that this was a dream, and that the woman beside him was a fantasy spun from the loneliness and longing he had felt his entire life.
Slipping a hand behind his head, Julia pulled him over her once more, inviting his kiss and returning it without restraint.
As Logan welcomed Julia into his Bath villa early the following morning, there was no expression on his face, save for a slight crease between his auburn brows. His gaze searched her face, taking note of the flush on her cheeks and the gleam of happiness in her eyes.
“Good morning,” she said breathlessly. He nodded, understanding at once that there would be no wedding that day. The plans they had made would never be mentioned again.
Sitting with Julia in the parlor, Logan seemed relaxed as a servant poured coffee into gold china cups and brought it to them. Logan motioned for the servant to leave, and threw Julia a resigned glance. “You're making a mistake,” he said flatly.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Perhaps I am. Marrying Damon could prove to be a disaster. But I would never forgive myself if I didn't try.”
“I wish you luck.”
“Aren't you going to warn me about what I'm doing? Aren't you going to point out all the sensible reasons that the marriage won't work, and tell me—”
“You already know my opinion on the subject of marrying for love. My only concern is how your actions will affect my acting company. It's obvious things will have to change.”
“Yes,” Julia said, trying to match his matter-of-fact tone. “I would like to remain as one of the Capital players. However, I won't be able to tour…and I'll have to limit the number of plays I'll be able to perform in.”
“You can stay with the Capital as long as you like. Only a fool would refuse to have an actress like you in the company, even in a limited capacity.”
“Thank you.”
“I wanted more for you than this,” he said abruptly. “You haven't even begun to reach the limits of your skill. You could have been the most acclaimed actress of the English stage—”
“Instead I'll be happy,” Julia interrupted. “All the acclaim and fortune in the world wouldn't keep me from being lonely. I want to be loved, I want laughter and companionship…I want more than the pretend life I've had in the theater.”
