Always the Rival (Never the Bride #7) - Emily E K Murdoch Page 0,77

improving.”

There was a rueful tone in her voice.

“That as maybe,” said Charles. “But she loves me and wants me to be happy. Debt or no debt.”

There was something in her eyes at that moment, a question she wanted to ask, but she was holding it back.

“Come on, ask,” he said softly. “I do not want you to be afraid of asking me anything, now that we are everything to each other. No more secrets, no more plans.”

Priscilla nodded and asked hesitantly, “How much is the total debt to the bank?”

“Almost thirty thousand pounds.”

Charles could barely believe it, but that was what his accountant, Mr. Birch, had said. Thirty thousand pounds – it was an outrage that it had been allowed to accumulate to that amount.

He had expected Priscilla to be shocked, even horrified. It was a prodigious smile. But for some unknown reason, she was smiling.

“What?”

“We never really discussed my dowry, did we?” she said quietly.

Charles blinked. It had never occurred to him, just like it had never passed through his mind that having Priscilla in his arms, pinned against a wall, would put such tempting thoughts into his mind.

Trying to concentrate on the conversation at hand, he said, “Well, no. I heard from someone – I cannot remember who, do not ask me – that it was two thousand pounds. You have mentioned it before, haven’t you?”

She laughed, and there was real joy in her voice. “Oh, Charles. I had thought so, but today I have discovered I was utterly mistaken.”

He stared. “Utterly?”

“Utterly,” Priscilla confirmed. “I have, according to my mother, ten thousand pounds to my name. If only I had known weeks ago. We could have avoided all this pain and confusion.”

Charles could not take in her words. Ten thousand pounds? It was a mere third of the overall debt, but the reduction of interest alone would be a lifesaver, preventing him from even considering the sale of…

“No,” he said firmly.

The smile disappeared from Priscilla’s face. “What do you mean, no?”

Charles sighed. He could not go on promising himself he would be a better man and then, at the first opportunity, act like a bad one.

“That is your dowry,” he said heavily. “Intended for our future daughters, if God is good enough to bless us with girls. I will not take it from you.”

Priscilla blinked. “You – you won’t?”

He shook his head. “I am going to do this right, and teach our sons by example what my father never taught me. When you find yourself in a fix, no matter whose fault it is, you work hard and honestly to escape it. I love you, Priscilla, for you. Dowry or no dowry, the moment Miss Lloyd broke our engagement, my first thought was not about finding another dowry to marry. It was finding you.”

Finally, he was able to allow his passion to overwhelm him. Priscilla gasped as he kissed her deeply, his tongue ravishing hers, teasing her with pleasure – his hands on her waist, caressing her through the gown, wishing desperately that it was gone.

“I love you,” he murmured, kissing down her jaw and neck as she moaned, her head tilted back. “I love you, Priscilla, for you. All of you. I want all of you.”

“Well, you will have to wait for that until you marry me,” she managed to gasp. “I’ve learned my lesson – you’re not mounting me anytime soon.”

Charles grinned as he looked into her eyes. “Do not tempt me to take you right here, right now.”

She kissed him in response, desperate for his touch. It was only after a few more moments that Charles remembered that the most important words of all had not yet been said.

Pulling himself away with a sigh, Charles smiled and slowly dropped to his knees. “Priscilla. My first ever real proposal, made by me, decided on by me. I love you, and the world without you has been gray and lifeless. Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?”

Priscilla laughed, pulling him up and kissing him fiercely before saying, “Oh, Charles. You have never had any rival for my heart. Yes, I will marry you.”

Epilogue

Priscilla glared at her reflection, which was not behaving.

“Charles! I still can hardly believe it. Are you sure?”

She sighed, her breath misting up the looking glass, and turned to look at her mother. “Very sure, Mother. Not only is he a gentleman of great worth, good family, and importantly one you actually like – but I will be marrying him in