by Eva Shepherd
‘And I admire you, too, Theo,’ she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. ‘For your courage and your strength.’ She gave a small laugh. ‘And you are still rather handsome, you know,’ she continued, causing him to laugh as well. ‘Not that I care about such superficial things,’ she added, still laughing.
Theo had almost said everything he wanted to say to her before she departed, but there was one more thing that he wanted to get off his chest. Standing up, he crossed the short space that divided them and knelt down in front of her.
‘Lady Iris. My feelings for you are more than just admiration.’ He drew in a deep, steadying breath. ‘I have also come to realise that I have fallen in love with you.’
He waited. She made no answer, and when she did it came as a gasp. ‘You have?’
‘Yes, Iris. I love you.’ It felt so good to say what he had been feeling for so long but had refused to acknowledge. ‘I know you are leaving for London this evening, and I expect nothing from you, but I could not let you go without telling you how I feel. Meeting you has changed me so much. You have made me a better man. You have brought light and warmth into my dark life. Meeting you was like the sun coming out on a cold winter’s day. I know I am not worthy of you. I know I have no right to ask for your love in return, but because of you I will continue to strive to be a better man.’
‘You are...you do...you can,’ she said. ‘Oh, what I’m trying to say is you are worthy of me, you do have a right to ask for my love and you have it. I think you have always had it.’
‘You do? You have? I have?’ he replied in the same manner, causing her to laugh again.
‘Yes. I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you, sitting beside your drawing-room fire all gloomy and grumpy. I knew that under that grim countenance was a noble, wonderful man. As soon as we met something deep down inside of me was telling me that this is the man you are going to m...this is the man you are going to fall in love with.’
‘Marry? Were you going to say marry?’
‘No,’ she stated emphatically. ‘That is, unless that was what you were going to say.’
‘It was what I hoped for, but never thought would be possible.’ He took her soft hands in his. ‘Is there a possibility that you would consider marrying a man like me? Would you consent to my courting you?’
‘Oh, stop being so coy. You know that I will,’ she said, and bent down and kissed him on the cheek.
A surge of happiness washed through Theo, the like of which he had never experienced before. He wanted to sing, wanted to dance, wanted the world to feel as good as he felt right now. But he did none of those things. Instead he forced himself to retain his dignity. He needed to maintain propriety.
‘In that case, I should do this properly.’ He lifted up her hand and lightly kissed it. ‘Lady Iris Springfeld, would you do me the honour of consenting to be my wife? If you do, I promise I will do everything in my power to make you happy, to make you feel loved every day of your life, the way you deserve to be loved.’
No answer came.
‘Iris?’ he asked again, less assured. ‘Will you marry me?’
‘Oh, sorry,’ she said. ‘I was smiling and nodding, when what I should have been doing was saying yes, I will marry you, Theo. Yes, yes, yes.’
Theo had believed it would not be possible to feel happier when she had said she loved him, but he was wrong. Her acceptance of his proposal had caused his happiness to soar, to make him feel giddy, almost mad with joy.
‘Then I shall ask your parents if they will agree to my courting you. Do you think your parents will give their consent?’
‘I can say with complete confidence that my mother will agree and if she agrees then it automatically follows that my father will also agree.’ She paused and he was sure she was smiling. ‘But if you want to make sure, you could always kiss me again. If my mother finds out, she’ll have no choice but to blackmail you into marriage.’
He laughed. It was an admirable idea, so he rose to his feet, took her in his arms and lightly kissed her, savouring her feminine taste, loving the feel of her silky skin against his.
He had meant to merely kiss her lightly, to seal their commitment, but with her now in his arms, with her lips on his, her hands around his head, he could not hold back. He pulled her tighter, kissed her harder, wanting to consume her, to make her his own. And she kissed him back with an equal ferocity. Her fingers wove through his hair, holding his head to hers, as if she feared he would escape. She had nothing to fear. Standing here kissing her was exactly where he wanted to be, exactly where he wanted to stay for the rest of his life. His hands ran down the length of her body, loving the curve of her waist, the feel of her buttocks under her skirt. How he looked forward to their wedding night when he could strip her of her clothing, could explore her body, feel, caress and kiss every inch of it.
The temptation to do so now was all but overwhelming. They planned to marry—would it be so wrong?
Behind him, as if from a long way away, he heard a door open.
‘Iris, we need to get ready—’ The mother’s voice came to a sudden halt as she registered what she was seeing.
‘Oh, Mother, you caught us...what a shame,’ Iris said with a laugh in her voice, her arms still wrapped around his shoulders, her lips still close to his. ‘I do believe you’re going to have to blackmail the Earl into marrying me after all.’
‘So I see.’
The mother rushed forward. Theo stepped backwards, expecting the worst.
‘Oh, I’m so happy for both of you,’ Lady Springfeld said instead, grasping both their hands. ‘I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a couple more in love and more right for each other.’
She released their hands. ‘Oh, but I suppose I’d better tell the servants to unpack the trunks and let Lady Walberton know we’ve changed our plans yet again.’ She headed to the door. ‘And I suppose I’d better start arranging a wedding. In the meantime, you two just carry on as if I was never here.’
When the door clicked shut behind her, they did exactly that.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Almost immediately Iris’s family arrived en masse to visit her soon-to-be husband, and Theo’s house was filled with laughter and chatter.
The loud, warm, wonderful family consisted of Iris’s younger sister, Daisy, who brought her bicycle with her on the train so she could explore the countryside; her older sister, Hazel; Hazel’s husband, Lucas, and their daughter, Lucy—who, although only two years old, had inherited the family habit of talking constantly; her brother, Nathaniel, and her parents. The father was the only member of the family who wasn’t constantly talking and joking, and he instantly became Theo’s ally in this boisterous, female-dominated household.
Sookie, the little pug dog, also made a visit. As Max and Sookie were introduced, everyone held their breath, as if it was essential for these two animals to get along if Theo and Iris were to be assured a happy future together. After a few cursory sniffs, while Max worked out whether this little creature really was a dog, they started to play together and everyone released a sigh of relief. Now they were the best of friends, and despite being hopelessly mismatched spent their days playing together and their nights curled up around each other in front of the fire.
A noble wolfhound befriending a tiny pug dog wasn’t the only surprising change that had happened in Theo’s life since Iris and her family began spending time in his home.
Iris had taken to reading to him from her favourite books, and he discovered he enjoyed gothic novels, or at least he enjoyed listening to her reading gothic novels to him. As she recounted tales of vampires, haunted houses, and dastardly murders he found himself completely mesmerised, although he suspected it was as much that he enjoyed the sound of her lovely voice, and her sharing this simple pleasure with him, as his actual enjoyment of the stories.
But more
surprising than his newfound literary tastes, even more surprising than a wolfhound and pug dog becoming best friends, or Charles’s revelation that he was a secret Morris dancer, was the disappearance of his nightmares. From the moment he let go of his past and started to look forward to the future, his future with Iris, his night-time torment ceased.
And he was looking forward to his future life and never wanted to go back to the way he had been before Lady Iris Springfeld burst into his home. He had gone from living in almost complete silence to being plunged into non-stop noise and activity, and he loved it. He was now part of a welcoming, happy family and surrounded by love. But it was more than that. He was in love for the first time in his life, truly in love.
Sometimes that love was just there, sitting quietly in the background, and merely providing a framework for his life. At other times it would bubble up inside him and he’d have to immediately tell Iris how he felt or he was sure he would explode. If that happened when they were alone, he could let it out in a heartfelt declaration. But if he was caught unawares, such as when the family was present, he would have to be content with whispering his love for her in her ear, or merely squeezing her hand, or lightly touching her arm so she would know how deep his affection was for her.
Theo was sure that with every passing day he spent with Iris, his love continued to grow. While that was a wonderful sensation, it did mean he was also finding it harder and harder to wait for her to become his bride. Fortunately, the parents agreed that there did not need to be a long courtship. Thank goodness for that.
Then, eventually, after what felt like an interminable amount of time, the day finally arrived.
The wedding ceremony was held at the local church near Iris’s family’s Dorset estate, and it was agreed that the couple would stay at the family home for a few days then travel back to Cornwall. That too was something for which Theo was grateful. He did not think his control would last the journey, and he did not want to consummate his marriage in a railway carriage.
Standing at the altar as the vicar conducted the service, Theo was tempted to tell the man to hurry up. Finally, when he declared them man and wife, Theo could hardly believe such happiness was possible. That was, until he was told he could kiss his bride, and he realised he was wrong. An even greater level of happiness swelled up inside him as he leant down and lightly kissed his wife, loving the touch of her now familiar lips on his own, adoring that enchanting scent of orange blossom and rosewater.
‘Oh, that was a bit tame, wasn’t it?’ his cheeky bride whispered, causing Theo to smile.
‘It will have to do for now, Lady Greystone. After all, the vicar is watching,’ he replied equally quietly, his skin softly rubbing against her cheek as he whispered in her ear. ‘You’ll just have to wait till I get you alone.’
‘Mmm, alone and less than formally attired, I hope,’ she whispered in reply, causing Theo to tilt back his head and laugh out loud, even though such behaviour was perhaps a bit raucous for the local village church.
* * *
Iris joined in her husband’s laughter. Her husband. Was there a more wonderful phrase in the English language? If it were actually possible to die from happiness, Iris was sure her days must be numbered. But how could she not be deliriously happy when she was married to the most wonderful man in the world?
She loved Theo Crighton. Every time she reminded herself of that fact a little shiver of pleasure rippled through her, just as it was doing now.
The vicar held up his hands so the congregation would rise.
‘Right, the vicar isn’t watching,’ Iris whispered. ‘You can kiss me again now.’
‘But what about your parents, your family, the guests?’ he said, still laughing. ‘Or do you want the entire congregation to close their eyes, along with everyone from the village?’
‘I’m sure that can be arranged.’
He pulled her close and kissed her again, to the accompaniment of the cheering and clapping guests.
Taking her hand, he led her down the aisle, and out into the glorious sunshine. Then he kissed her again, this time to the accompaniment of ringing church bells and the raining down of rose petals.
‘That, my dear, is going to have to do, until tonight,’ he said, as his lips left hers.
Iris resisted the temptation to pout and stamp her foot. She had no choice but to wait. They had the wedding breakfast to get through, the speeches and the dances. But it would be so tempting to tell everyone to carry on without them, to inform the wedding party that they had more important things to do. But she knew she would not do that. As desperately as she wanted to be alone with Theo, she also wanted to share this wonderful moment with her family and friends.
She looked up at her adorable husband, whose wide smile was the mirror of her own. In fact, he had smiled so much since they had begun courting that it was hard to believe that a few months ago he had never smiled, never laughed and had been constantly serious and mournful. Now he was the man she had always known was hidden behind that gruff exterior. A loving, lovely man with a great capacity for happiness, for giving and receiving love.
Her family surrounded them, all talking at once, as the church bells continued to ring out, declaring their happy union. Her older sister, Hazel, looked beautiful as her maid of honour, and her younger sister, Daisy, for once was not wearing her bicycle-riding costume and had donned a lovely cream silk dress, with an appropriate garland of daisies in her hair.
As much as she believed that Daisy should be allowed to live her life the way she wanted, and dress any way she chose, she was pleased she had put up no objection to the bridesmaid’s gown Iris had chosen for her.
‘I’m so happy,’ her mother said, kissing Iris on the cheek while her father shook Theo’s hand. ‘I’ve managed to get two daughters married. Now there’s only one to go,’ she added, wiping away a tear. She turned and smiled at her youngest daughter. ‘And dressed like that I’m sure I’ll find Daisy a suitable husband, just as I’ve done for you and Hazel.’
All three girls rolled their eyes in unison, then broke out into laughter. Iris did not have the heart to point out to her mother that both she and Hazel had found their own husbands. If it hadn’t been for Iris wandering away from a house party in the middle of a storm she might never have met the love of her life.
Iris also suspected that Hazel was tempted to remind their mother that she had met her husband in less than conventional, and somewhat scandalous circumstances. And as for Daisy, everyone knew that she had no interest in marrying anyone. Ever. What she wanted was to be free, to be an independent woman and to explore the world from the seat of her bicycle. Although Iris knew that Daisy’s claim she wanted to remain single would fall on her mother’s deaf ears. As her mother had already said to Daisy, repeatedly, finding love and riding a bicycle were not mutually exclusive activities.
She turned back to her smiling husband, whose hand was being shaken by a seemingly endless line of well-wishers who wanted to congratulate him. The poor man must be getting quite worn out. And she did not want that to happen. After all, she had plans for those hands tonight.
That small shiver of pleasure rippled through her again at the thought of the night to come. They would be together, alone and married. She had just made a vow to love Theo Crighton until death did them part. Iris had once made a vow, to marry for love, and she had kept it. Now she had made another, and she knew that loving her husband until the day she died was going to be the easiest vow in the world to keep.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to
read the first book in Eva Shepherd’s
Young Victorian Ladies miniseries
Wagering on the Wallflower
And whilst you’re waiting for the next book,
why not check out her other miniseries
Breaking the Marriage Rules
Beguiling the Duke
Awakening the Duchess
Aspirations of a Lady’s Maid
How to Avoid the Marriage Mart
Look out for the next book in the
Young Victorian Ladies miniseries,
coming soon!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Honorable Mercenary by Nicole Locke.
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Her Honorable Mercenary
by Nicole Locke
Chapter One
France, 1297
‘What do you think, my dear?’
Ian of Warstone waved before him. His posture, voice and sweeping gestures all indicating that there was a correct answer, and Margery of Lyon knew for her very life, she’d better know what it was.
Aware there was an audience waiting for her reply, she craned her neck to take in the tilled fields and orchards leading downwards and then up to a sprawling village winding around a dark monstrosity of a structure which blotted out the soft blue sky.
Warstone Fortress was...menacing.
Giving the guards who circled her a smile, Margery adjusted her reins from one hand to the other in the vain hope the horse she rode would somehow understand what she needed.
It didn’t—just as it hadn’t understood all the other hints she’d given it on this journey for the past sennight. For instance, her begging it to gallop away, to dash off in a different direction, to help her escape. No such good fortune for her, however.
The horse wasn’t to blame; it simply followed its master—who wasn’t her. The expansive lands and the forbidding fortress before her weren’t hers either. Nor was the man, Lord Warstone. She wasn’t even Ian’s mistress, but it was a role he meant her to play for however long he wanted.