all too soon. He raised his head. ‘But, Rosabella, are you sure? I couldn’t bear it if you changed your mind.’
‘Love doesn’t change its mind. For better or worse, I love you, Garth.’
His eyes glittered with moisture and then he laughed, albeit a little thickly. ‘I love you, too, little nun.’
‘I’m hardly little. And definitely not a nun.’
‘Ah, but you are my kind of nun.’ He covered her mouth with his and swept her up in a tide of desire.
This was right. This was true. She could feel the love when he held her.
This was where she belonged. In his arms.
‘I need to sit down,’ he said with a rueful smile after a while. ‘My knees feel a little weak.’
‘Mine, too. With relief. I wasn’t sure you would take me back.’
‘Oh, Rosabella. How could you doubt it?’
He sat on the sofa and settled her on his lap, cradling her head against his chest as if she was more precious than jewels. They sat quietly for a moment, their hearts beating in unison. It felt so comfortable, as if she’d come home. But before she could settle, she had one more thing to say. ‘Garth, about children.’ She felt his body shift, his mouth open. She touched a finger to his lips. ‘I can understand now why you might not wish for children of your own. As long as we are together, it will be enough.’
He kissed her fingertip and captured her hand in his. ‘Your generosity unmans me. I know how much store you set by a child.’
‘My sisters are sure to have children. I will be a wonderful aunt.’
He huffed out a breath. ‘I have to tell you, I had grave doubts about my suitability for fatherhood, but it is not the only reason for not wanting them.’
‘Tell me.’
‘You know my situation. You know I have a younger brother. Lord Evernden’s true son. I made a promise that my brother or his son would one day inherit the title that should have been his.’
The man had depths of generosity she’d never realised. ‘I should have known your intentions were honourable.’
He gave a short laugh. ‘It is not something I like bruited abroad.’
‘You are a good man, Garth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.’
‘If we had made a child…’ His voice cracked a little and he took a quick breath. ‘If it had come to pass, I’m sure I would have loved it.’
‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘And I love you for that, too.’
A soft sadness filled the room. A bittersweet regret tempered by their love. The mist of tears filled her vision. He kissed her cheek softly.
She sighed and nestled into his neck, content to sit quietly and hold him.
A door crashed open behind them. Garth put her aside and rose to his feet.
A tall fair-haired gentlemen stood grinning on the threshold. ‘Garth, you dog. I might have guessed why your man didn’t want to let me in.’
Garth pulled Rosabella to her feet and held her close in a move that was all about protection. ‘Kit, this is Lady Rosabella, my future wife.’
The young man’s open face looked comically shocked. ‘Not you, too, and after all you said about me and Mark?’
‘Rosabella, this is my younger brother, Christopher Evernden.’ He peered over his brother’s shoulder. ‘And out in the hallway, pretending not to see us, is his wife, Sylvia.’
A lovely blonde with a babe in her arms squeezed past his brother’s wide shoulders.
The Duke’s daughter. Rosabella dipped a deep curtsy. ‘My lady.’
‘Ah, I see you have been fully educated by my mama-in-law,’ the young woman said quietly. ‘I suppose she failed to tell you that my mother was a courtesan.’
Rosa’s jaw dropped. She glanced at Garth, who grinned and nodded. Then his face turned sombre. ‘What brought you home, little brother? Not trouble, I hope?’
‘No trouble,’ the young man said, hugging his wife and tickling the baby’s chin with the other hand. ‘I made a fortune over there. Lots of opportunity for a man who has a mind to work. But Sylvia’s father left her an estate in Hampshire. A nice-sized piece of ground. With this young fellow coming along so well and Sylvia missing her brother, the Duke, you know—’ his hazel eyes twinkled ‘—we thought we’d come home to live.’
Garth clasped his brother’s hand. ‘Welcome home.’
‘It is good to be here. May I greet my future sister-in-law with a brotherly kiss?’
‘On the hand,’ Garth said, half laughing, half serious.
The love between these two brothers was clear and bright