I have to leave because my heart is breaking. The sooner I’m away, the sooner...” What was she saying? As soon as she left this house, she was sentenced to a lifetime of dreariness with a heaping dose of emptiness.
“Tell me,” he murmured. He was still holding her, his touch another reminder of all she was walking away from.
“There’s no other way.” She sniffed softly as she pointed in the direction of the nursery. “You and Valentina are everything I’ve ever wanted, but sometimes...sometimes, decisions are made that change the course of your life forever. Some people don’t deserve what they want.”
“You have to trust me this time, Nell. We didn’t trust each other in the past, but now is a new beginning for us.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple, the touch endearingly sweet.
Her heart beat frantically, trying to reach him. “James,” she whispered and tilted her head to his. “I can’t give you—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “I don’t care if I have an heir. I’ll have you and Valentina. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“What about the duke and duchess? They expect you to have an heir,” she argued, desperate to make him see reason.
“My lovely and irresistible Nell. The duke and duchess never had an heir. They just had nephews like me. I have a cousin who would inherit after me, and that’s perfectly fine. The duke and duchess love me and accept me as their own. They’ll feel the same for you. They don’t care.”
“James, I don’t know.” She wanted to say yes, but it wasn’t the way things were done in a ducal family. Family was key to the duchy continuing.
“Nell, they just want us to be happy. They want Valentina to be happy. My daughter wants you to be her mother. I want you to be her mother.” Reverently, he leaned and kissed her tears away before he pressed a kiss to her lips, a testament to all he felt for her. “Valentina said that all I had to say was that she picked you to be her mother. It would be all the enticement I’d need. Is that true?” He looked into her eyes.
She wanted to believe, but there was so much at stake.
“I see that I need to convince you a little more.” He bent down and took her in a kiss, a gentle one that new lovers might share.
Then his arms wrapped around her and brought her close as if they had never been apart. The passion that always ignited between the two of them burned. Nell couldn’t help but moan as his tongue swept inside to tangle with hers. He groaned in response and, suddenly, her knees weakened.
James chuckled gently, then pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “No more until we settle this between the two of us.”
She lifted her gaze to his. The tenderness and the love on his face made her heart swell. The fickle organ demanded she grab this chance at happiness with both hands and not let it go.
“I’m ruined, James. Don’t you see that?”
He hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear. “If you’re ruined, then I am too.”
“How so?” she asked.
“You’ve ruined me for all others,” he said softly. “I only want you.”
“How am I supposed to answer that?” She studied his black embroidered waistcoat and ran a hand down his firm chest. She’d never have enough of this man...ever.
“It was part of my plan,” he chuckled. He gently tilted her chin, then looked deep in her eyes. His gaze caressed every inch of her with a tenderness that stole her breath. “I love you. Marry me.”
“I love you.” She closed her eyes. Another tear fell, and he swiped it away.
“Nell, don’t cry. Every tear is like a hammer against my heart.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “How can someone be ruined if there is love? You’re not ruined. You’re simply perfect.”
“You’re not playing fair,” she whispered and pressed a kiss against his mouth in return. A swell of happiness bloomed inside her. She forced her gaze to his. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
This time, she was the one who took him in a kiss designed to show how much she cared for him and Valentina. It had the added benefit of entwining their lives together.
And of course, the undeniable commitment to one another melded their hearts in love.
Forever.
Epilogue
Two years later
Valentina stood in the morning room with her hands on her hips. “Papa and