No Place for an Angel
Page 26
‘Yes, well, I’m afraid Lily isn’t quite as trustworthy as you think, at least not when it comes to your happiness,’ Valbourg admitted, moving closer. ‘Something over which she seems to feel I have some control.’
‘Does she now?’ Catherine said, desperately trying not to laugh. ‘Well, I shall have a word with my dresser the next time I see her. She should have known better than to divulge my plans. And you should have known better than to ask her.’
‘True, but the stakes were too high to play fair,’ Valbourg said. ‘Short of travelling to Italy myself, I realised this was my last opportunity to see you and to ask you to marry me, so I wasn’t about to waste that chance.’
Hope flared, bright and shimmering, only to be doused by the cold waters of reality. ‘Oh, Richard, we’ve been through this before. You know what I said about needing your father’s permission—’
‘You have it.’
Catherine took a quick breath. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Father has given us his blessing. I have a letter in my pocket attesting to it.’
‘But he doesn’t like me—or approve of me. Whatever made him change his mind?’
‘You did.’ Valbourg took her by the hand and led her to the love seat. ‘He told me you had been to see him.’
Catherine flushed. ‘Did he tell you the nature of our conversation, or what I said?’
‘He told me enough that I understood what he accused you of and how you reacted. You stood up to him and he was impressed.’
‘I thought he was going to explode.’
‘My father often gives that impression. He tends to act first and think later. It is the reason I do the exact opposite.’
‘Which to my way of thinking is infinitely preferable,’ Catherine said, chattering nervously, too afraid to put too much stock in what he was saying.
‘He did make one stipulation though,’ Valbourg went on. ‘And I suspect it will have a bearing on your answer.’
‘Oh?’
‘He said he would agree to our marriage, but that he would very much like to see you stop performing in public.’
‘He wants me to give up the stage?’
‘Yes.’
Catherine glanced down at her hands. ‘What did you tell him?’
‘I said I couldn’t guarantee your answer because performing is what you were born to do and that if it was your wish to continue, I wasn’t going to pressure you into stopping. But I said I would ask and I have. The rest is up to you.’
‘I hardly know what to say.’
‘Then let me say something before you give me your answer. I know you have concerns about our being together, Catherine, and, yes, there will be challenges, but I don’t care as long as we’re together. I want you to be my wife. If that means living in Italy, I’ll have my belongings packed and we will both get on that ship tomorrow. If it means staying in England, we can leave London and settle in the country somewhere. However, I should warn you that if you turn me down, I will follow you to Italy, and I will buy a villa down the road or an apartment across the square and I will court you in English and Italian until you say yes.’
‘But if you marry me, you will lose Sebastian,’ Catherine said. ‘Your father’s blessing surely doesn’t extend to that.’
‘I think it does,’ Valbourg said. ‘When I told him I intended to apply to the courts to award custody of Sebastian to Mary and Tyne, he realised how serious I was and made no further mention about my giving Sebastian up. Dorothy will have a fit, of course, but I don’t care. I love you and I intend to do everything I can to be with you. And to keep Sebastian. If you’re willing to have both of us, that is.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of splitting you up.’
‘Good, because I think Italy will be good for the boys. And Thomas will need a playmate until he can make friends with the local boys.’
Catherine stared up at him. Was this really happening? Had Alderbury truly given his permission? ‘May I see your father’s letter?’
He looked wounded. ‘You don’t believe me.’
‘It’s not that. I want to see what he said.’
With a faint smile, Valbourg drew out the letter and handed it to her. Catherine read it over twice before saying in astonishment, ‘He’s given us his blessing...and he has apologised to me for his behaviour.’
‘As I said, Father often regrets his actions once he’s had time to think about them. But he wants me to be happy, Catherine. And if that means being with you, he’s willing to allow it.’
Deciding it was time to stop resisting, Catherine dropped the letter and threw herself into his arms. ‘Darling Richard, you have made me the happiest woman in England. I love you desperately,’ she murmured against his lips. ‘I was so afraid I was going to lose you.’
‘Well, you’re not. You have come to your senses at last and agreed to marry me. And conveniently, our honeymoon is already planned, though it would have been better, I suppose, had we set off as a married couple. No matter, we can either marry when we get to Italy or ask the captain to marry us on the ship. By the way, where exactly in Italy are we going?’
‘Florence. Gwen is friendly with a couple who live in the city, but who own a small villa in the surrounding hills. She wrote and told them Thomas and I were looking for a place to stay and they kindly offered us the use of it until we were able to find a place of our own.’
‘Splendid. Florence is magnificent and the countryside around it spectacular. I suspect we will have no trouble finding a place that suits us,’ Valbourg said. ‘We may even be able to find a theatre for you to perform in.’
Catherine shook her head. ‘That won’t be necessary. As much as I love performing, I love you more. And given that your father has agreed to our marriage, I am more than happy to agree to his request. After all, if I was willing to go to Italy in the first place, I was obviously prepared to surrender the stage. Marrying you doesn’t change that. We shall come back to England, and I shall give private performances for you and the boys. That will be enough for me.’
‘If there wasn’t a little boy asleep in the bedroom next to yours, I would take you upstairs and ask for a private performance right now,’ Valbourg said, his voice deepening as his gaze dropped to the creamy expanse of her throat. ‘But for the sake of propriety, I’ll wait. I have the rest of my life to show you how much I love you.’
‘Yes, you do. But I don’t think there would be anything wrong with getting a little rehearsal in ahead of time,’ she said in a husky voice. ‘Do you?’
Valbourg laughed, a warm, throaty sound that sent shivers along Catherine’s spine. ‘You know what they say, my darling. Practice makes perfect. And I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long time before either of us feel we have no room left for improvement.’
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460333471
NO PLACE FOR AN ANGEL
Copyright © 2014 by Gail Whitiker
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