Page 44 of Stolen By the Rogue
He growled. “But I care about you. And I don’t just mean your health and well-being. Will you promise to do something for me while I am away?”
Demanding male.“What?”
“I need you to give serious consideration to what Gus said about our relationship, to what a life together could be like for the two of us. While I am as keen as you are to find hidden treasure, we have to consider what we will do if we discover that it was all just a myth.” He took her hand in his and linked their fingers. “The lack of a king’s fortune doesn’t have to be the end of things between us, Jane. We could be married.”
She wanted to argue the point about the existence of the jewel hoard, but as he was about to walk out the door and into lord knew what danger, now was not the right time. As to the rest of his request, she really wasn’t sure what she thought.
Perhaps he is right and now is the time to ponder what future we might have, if any.
“I will think about us. But that does not mean I have agreed to anything. Just because we are lovers, doesn’t mean you own me, George.” She withdrew her hand from his grasp but remained in his embrace.
He leaned in and kissed her once more. “I would never seek to own you, Jane Scott. If you are by my side, it is because that is exactly where you want to be.”
* * *
With George gone, Jane had expected the house to feel cold and soulless. Oddly, it didn’t. Over the next day or so, she spent many hours moving from room to room, looking into nooks and crannies, while at the same time, she started cleaning.
By late afternoon on the second day of his absence, Jane had swept and mopped the floors, dusted windowsills, and was giving serious consideration as to what she should do with the calico drapes which hung in the bedrooms.
As she stood pondering the fate of the dusty curtains in the master bedroom, she was struck with a sudden realization. A hand went instinctively to her stomach.
“I am nesting,” she whispered.
She and George had made love a number of times. Before and after each sexual encounter, she had been careful to make use of the acacia and honey cream she had purchased from an apothecary shop in nearby Eagle Street. She had utilized it as a form of contraception while in Malta, and it had worked, but even Jane knew such things were not completely infallible. She swallowed deeply in an effort to calm herself.
“Don’t panic. It is just your heart wanting a home, nothing more.”
And what if it’s not? What if you are . . .
She couldn’t even think the word, let alone say it. But her mind quickly moved to the image of Lady Alice Steele, of how she glowed with happiness every time Lord Harry touched her heavily pregnant belly.
If she and George did make a future together, this place could be their family home. It wasn’t in the best part of London, but it would do for a start. Without the treasure, it would be more than she could ever hope to have, then again, it could be everything.
“Damn.”
Jane wiped away a tear. Just the notion of being a part of a family once more was almost too much for her emotions to bear.
But you would finally have to acknowledge your feelings for him. And willingly place your trust in the hands of a man who has lived a life of secrets, lies, and thievery. A man who has sworn to change, but who is most likely engaged in an operation to smuggle illegal imports into England right this very minute.
“No. I will not think about that today. I have other things to occupy my mind.”
She turned and headed downstairs, but with every step she took, Jane could not ignore the whispers of her heart.
This could be your home, and George your future.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Ilike Jane Scott,” said Gus. George frowned at him from the other side of the carriage.
Where did that sudden thought come from? Or was it sudden?The fact that Gus was even thinking about Jane set George’s temper on edge.
I knew I shouldn’t have introduced the two of them.
“I also happen to like Jane, so stay the hell away from her,” snapped George.
Gus clapped his hands together with great glee. “Ah, my friend. Cupid has stuck a sharp arrow in your arse. If you had bothered to check yourself in a mirror when I came to your home, you would know the look which sat on your face when I met sweet Jane.”
“And what look is that exactly?” replied George, knowing full well he didn’t need to study his own reflection.
