Sweet Rogue of Mine (The Survivors #9) - Shana Galen Page 0,107
gave a short laugh. “No.”
“Or that he’s proud of you?”
“No.” Sometimes he felt quite dizzy speaking to her. She said the most unexpected things. “Did he say that to you?” Nash asked.
“Not exactly, but I thought for sure the peacock would sway him.”
“Why would the peacock—” Oh, why waste the time he had with her trying to parse out what he would not understand anyway? “Pru.” He took her hands. “I apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
“If I recall, I was the one who chose the position.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I don’t want your apologies. I only have a moment before Mrs. Blimkin or the vicar finds me, and then I shall be put to work again. And that means I only have a moment to tell you.”
Nash braced himself. She was leaving him. She’d finally had an invitation to stay with her sister. Or she couldn’t risk being caught with him again. She wanted to end things. The black void opened, and Nash stared into the swirling abyss.
“Tell me then,” he said, his voice flat.
He heard her take a shaky breath and realized it must be worse than he thought. She was never scared to say her mind.
“Go on,” he demanded. He wanted the bandage ripped off. The pain would be so great, he might welcome the nothingness of the void.
“Fine. I wanted to tell you that—”
“Miss Howard!” came a distant voice. It was Mrs. Blimkin.
“Coming! Nash, I wanted to tell you that I—” She swallowed again.
“Say it.” His voice was harsh, and her hand in his flexed.
“I love you,” she said, the words sounding like bells tumbling out of a box. “I love you, Nash Pope. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Miss Howard! There you are. Oh, am I interrupting?”
Nash sat perfectly still. He didn’t move, didn’t react when Pru released his hand and stood.
“Not at all, Mrs. Blimkin. Do you need help?”
“I do.”
Their voices faded as they moved away, and Nash looked down again. But the abyss was gone. The maw had closed. Pru loved him.
It was a fact. It was a truth. She had said it, her voice low and full of emotion. She loved him—despite his blindness, despite his weakness and terror yesterday, despite the very real possibility that he would soon be residing in an asylum.
Pru loved him.
Heavy footsteps sounded and the door creaked. “Are you well?” Rowden asked, his voice coming from the doorway. “You look as though you were just punched in the breadbasket.”
Nash nodded. “I feel like I’ve been punched.” He turned to look at the shape that was Rowden. “Pru loves me.”
Rowden blew out a quick breath. “Did you just realize that? I suppose you can’t see the way she looks at you. She’s been taken with you from the start.”
“What do I—what am I supposed to do about it?”
“Do about it? How the hell do I know? Love her back, I guess.” Rowden walked away, and Nash shook his head.
If only it were so simple.
PRU HAD KEPT BUSY THE rest of Friday, and Saturday morning she’d arrived at Wentmore just as the sun came up. There was much to do and only a few hours before the festival would begin.
“Slow down, dear,” Mrs. Brown said when Pru dropped a basket of folded tablecloths on her way outside. “You needn’t hurry. Sit a while, if you like. With all the servants the earl brought, we’ll be done in no time.”
But Pru needed to be busy. If she paused to think she would remember Nash’s expression when she’d told him she loved him. He’d looked as though he’d been struck by lightning. He clearly hadn’t expected her to say such a thing. He clearly didn’t love her back; else he wouldn’t have looked so shocked.
Pru didn’t regret saying the words. She rarely regretted anything, and why should she regret telling the man she loved how she felt. She might have waited for another chance to be alone with him, one where they might not be interrupted, but she didn’t have the luxury of time. If the earl did send Nash to an asylum, Pru wanted him to know how she felt. She wanted him to know she would never abandon him.
“I’m fine, Mrs. Brown,” Pru said, gathering the tablecloths and making her way outside to begin covering the tables. The sky was cloudy this morning, promising rain later in the day. Pru hoped it held off until late afternoon. The bite in the