Lilly extended her hand. “Would you like a chestnut?”
“How kind of you to offer,” Robert told her with an indulgent grin. He selected a chestnut and quickly ate it. “These are excellent. The best I’ve ever had.”
Lilly beamed at him as if he were the sun and the stars. Lucas, who was that bit older than his sister, frowned. “What sort of lord are you?”
“I’m a marquess.”
“Hmm.” Lucas glanced at Athena, then back at Robert. “Do you wish to marry our aunt?”
Athena choked on the air she’d been breathing and instantly coughed. “Lucas!”
The boy, every bit as serious as his papa, merely shrugged. “As your only male relative here, I should know his intentions.”
“Quite right,” Robert chuckled. Amusement danced in his eyes. “And the answer is yes. If she’ll have me.”
Everything came to a standstill. Athena blinked. Had Robert just said what she thought he’d said? Surely not. She tried to breathe, tried to feel the ground beneath her feet. “That’s not a...I mean, you didn’t just...Robert, are you—”
“No.”
“No?”
“That was not a proposal, but rather an assurance to satisfy Master Lucas’s concerns.”
“I see.” Athena stared at him. She felt like she had been hung upside down. The world wasn’t quite as steady as it had been before Robert’s arrival.
Lilly took a massive bite from the mince pie. “I’m cold. Can we keep walking?”
“Of course,” Athena said.
“It’s good to see you again,” Robert said as he fell into step beside her.
Taking courage, Athena reached out and took his arm. “Likewise.”
They proceeded in silence for a while before Robert said, “I hope you know why I’m here.”
“Considering you’ve not been to Town in years, I’m guessing it must involve a matter of great importance.”
“Indeed it does.” His hand covered hers, the warmth there infusing her skin. “I am hoping we will have a chance to discuss it in private when we arrive at Townsbridge House.”
“I am sure that can be arranged,” she said, offering him the assurance she thought he might need. Beneath her hand, she felt his muscles flex, and when she looked up, she saw the strain in his features. This was not a man at ease but rather one strung tight with tension.
Her own stomach tightened in response, her pulse leaping with every step they took, until they reached their destination and stepped inside the house. The children quickly removed their outerwear garments and hurried through to the parlor so they could relate the details of their excursion to their grandparents.
Athena untied her bonnet and handed it to the butler before removing her cloak and gloves. Robert followed suit, dispensing with his greatcoat and hat.
“This way.” Athena grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back of the house. She opened the door to the library, swept the space with her gaze, and stepped inside. “Here we are. The privacy you requested, my lord.”
He followed her into the room and shut the door.
Athena glanced at it, then at him. A fluttery feeling erupted within her breast. Never in her life had she been subjected to such unfeigned yearning. Good heavens, the man was looking at her as if he’d not eaten for years and intended her to be his next meal.
“Robert?” His name whispered across her lips.
He moved toward her. A nerve ticked at the edge of his jaw. Swallowing, he reached for her hand. “You wrecked everything for me six years ago, and yet, although you had no reason to believe I harbored anything else but anger toward you, you still sought me out in an effort to make amends. Athena, you are tempestuous, willful, and more than capable of testing my sanity, but you’re also spirited, strong, and utterly wonderful. And while I must confess I never imagined falling in love with you, I have. My heart is yours and I am hoping, praying, that yours is mine as well, for if it is not, then—”
“It is.” Tears of joy dampened her eyes as she spoke. She raised his hand to her lips and pressed a reverent kiss to his knuckles. “I am yours.”
“Then marry me. Be my wife, my marchioness. Allow me to guide you, to cherish your bright disposition, and to adore you.”
“I have a better idea.” When concern stole into his gaze she hastened to say, “Let us guide, cherish, and adore each other.”
A flare of intensity turning his eyes a bright shade of blue was her only warning before she was swept into his arms. His mouth found hers, and he kissed her with such searing passion she felt herself scorched. It was as if a lifelong attempt at restraint had been undone within a heartbeat. Gone was the gentleman he’d been as long as she’d known him, replaced by a would-be scoundrel intent on branding her with his kiss.
Athena gasped as she wound her arms around his neck and welcomed the deep caress. She’d never been subjected to such intense passion before, had never believed herself capable of instilling such powerful feeling in any man. She realized now that all it took was the right man. Robert. As unexpected and unlikely, he was her perfect match. And he loved her. Fiercely, if the ardor with which he kissed her was any indication.
His mouth stole over her cheek, then down the side of her neck. “My God. I am the luckiest man alive.”
She chuckled slightly in response. “I’m not sure other men would agree. From what I gather, I am an acquired taste.”
He raised his head, the look in his eyes so stormy she scarcely knew what to make of it. His hand cupped her cheek and then he told her sternly, “They’re fools. All of them. As far as I am concerned, I’ve snatched up the only diamond the world has to offer.”
Speechless, she welcomed the next kiss he gave her. It was more languid than the first – a promise made with the slow press of his lips against hers. “I love you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“I won’t.”
He pulled her into a tight embrace and simply held her a moment. When he released her again, he looked calmer than she’d seen him since she’d stormed into his home and demanded he hear her out.
“Are you ready to announce our engagement?” he asked.
She nodded. “The sooner the better, so we can get on with planning the wedding.”
With a grin, he swept her back into his arms and kissed her again.
NEW YEAR’S EVE CAME and went in a blur of wedding preparations. As soon as everyone knew Athena and Robert intended to marry, Athena had no time to herself whatsoever. Every second of every day was filled with visits to various shops: florists, milliners, confectioners, modistes, haberdashers, and even goldsmiths. Never in her life had she imagined how much work went into becoming a wife. According to her mother, her sister, and her three sisters-in-law, she needed monogrammed bed sheets and towels, new day dresses and evening gowns. When Athena protested, they told her the clothes she currently owned wouldn’t do.
“You shall be a married woman,” Sarah said, “and as such, you will be permitted to wear brighter colors.”
Athena could only sigh while the whirlwind continued around her. There were silk chemises and velvet robes, embroidered stockings trimmed with Belgian lace and ribbon, stays crafted from slippery satin, and they’d not even started discussing her wedding gown. It was exhausting.