by Meara Platt
Between shattered breaths and an occasional sob, she continued to relate what had happened. While she spoke, Beast once again ran his hands over her body to make certain she hadn’t been injured. His touch felt warm and soothing. “When he let go of me, I hit him in the stomach.”
Beast groaned. “Goose, I almost lost you. Thank the Graces you were able to fight him off.” He caressed her cheek. “You protected yourself. I’m so proud of you.”
She smiled at him even though she was still scared. “You may be proud, but I’m amazed. Stunned. Astonished. I’ve never had to do anything like this before.”
He shook his head and groaned again. “Hopefully, you never will again. Lord, you were out of our sight for hardly a minute. There was someone, after all.”
She was still seated on the bed, and he was kneeling beside her. Then suddenly, they were both standing and she was in his arms, clinging to him as he gave her a long, lingering kiss that stirred the deepest recesses of her heart.
“Goose, I–”
Whatever he was going to say was lost as Poppy and Penelope ran into the bedchamber and immediately came to a halt when they saw her wrapped in Beast’s arms. She blushed and attempted to step away, but he refused to let her out of his embrace, and by his expression, she did not think he meant to release her any time soon. If he could have tied her to him, she sensed he would have.
“Did Thad and Nathaniel catch the intruder?” he asked Penelope.
“I don’t know. They’re not back yet.” She turned to Olivia. “Are you hurt?”
“No, just shaken.” No doubt Beast was shaken as well, for she could feel his turmoil in the protective way he held her and the muscled tension in his arms. He was obviously frustrated that someone had managed to slip into the house without his notice.
“Penelope,” he said with a quiet calm that none of them felt, “send one of the footmen for the doctor. Poppy, run downstairs and fetch me a bottle of whiskey.”
“I don’t need a doctor,” Olivia insisted, but Penelope was already scampering down the stairs to do Beast’s bidding. Poppy followed on her heels.
Olivia looked down at her still shaking hands. “I don’t need a doctor,” she repeated, this time more insistently. All she’d suffered was a good scare. “Nor do I need whiskey to settle my nerves.”
His laughter sounded pained. “The whiskey is for me. I need it to settle my nerves.”
She sat back down on Penelope’s bed, now having to tip her head upward to gaze at Beast since he’d remained standing. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked like a fierce warrior. She loved that look.
She loved the way his expression softened whenever he regarded her. She sighed. “I don’t think I’ll sleep at all tonight.”
He knelt once more beside her and ran his knuckles gently across her cheek. “Nor will I.”
Smiling with a tenderness he rarely showed to anyone, he uncurled his hand to brush back a few stray locks of her hair. Some of the pins must have fallen out during her struggle, but she’d been too distracted to notice. “Oh, my hair. It’s–”
“Marry me.”
She blinked. And gaped at him. “What?”
He leaned closer and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “Marry me, Goose.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Soames has sent one of the footmen for the doctor,” Penelope said, returning to the bedchamber in a breathless rush.
“And here’s the whiskey,” Poppy said, hurrying in behind her. “I brought up some glasses, too. What’s wrong with Olivia? She looks dazed. Why is she blinking like that?”
Beast rose to take the glasses from Poppy’s hands and set them on the night table beside the bed. “I’ve just asked her to marry me.”
The bottle slipped from Poppy’s grasp and thudded to the carpet.
Penelope froze. “Do you mean The Book of Love actually worked?”
Olivia shook to her senses. “You are the most infuriating man I’ve ever met. Was that a proposal or a command? I don’t want you sacrificing yourself out of pity.” She tried to say more, but her heart was pounding fiercely once again and she felt tears well in her eyes. She didn’t know whether they should be tears of joy or of despair.
She tore out of Penelope’s bedchamber and rushed downstairs, then stopped in the center of the hall, realizing she had nowhere to go. She’d just had the scare of her life and the intruder had not yet been captured. She was overset, but she wasn’t so foolish as to simply run off blindly.
Beast caught up to her, but made no attempt to touch her. “Goose, I thought you loved me.”
She nodded. “I do, but I’m not the problem. Do you love me? If so, then why can’t you simply say it to me? I don’t want you to lie to me. Merely tell me how you feel. But how can you offer for me if you don’t love me? I’d never force you into a marriage you don’t really want. Do you want to marry me?”
The questions went unanswered, for the front door suddenly burst open as Thad and Nathaniel returned with the now subdued culprit in their grasp. The stranger had obviously been on the losing end of their struggle. His lip was swollen and one eye was badly bruised. The damage appeared to be more from a fist than from her merely poking him in the eye.
Nathaniel cast her a nod of assurance that all was once more under control. “I’ll send one of the footmen to fetch the magistrate.”
The man’s eyes widened in obvious terror. “It’s all been a misunderstanding, m’lord. My Betsy will clear this up. I came to see ’er. She’s lady’s maid to one of yer guests, Lady Olivia Gosling. Please, ye must believe me. I never meant anyone no harm.”
Matilda and Lavinia, who had been seated in the drawing room tensely awaiting Nathaniel and Thad’s return, entered the hall. Penelope and Poppy had also hurried down the stairs and were staring at the culprit from the steps, obviously afraid to edge closer.
Olivia reached for Beast’s hand, relieved he was standing beside her. He cast her a questioning glance and then tucked his arm lightly around her waist in a typically protective gesture. Her tension seemed to melt away, for Beast always made her feel safe. His tension eased as well, knowing she was not angry with him for proposing when he did not mean it.
The culprit fell to his knees, pleading and protesting his innocence. “It was dark. I thought she was my Betsy. Then she tried to scream and I knew I was in trouble. Where’s my Betsy? She’ll tell ye. I’d never harm no one.”
Nathaniel had Olivia’s maid summoned.
The girl hurried in, took one look at the man before her and paled. “Oh, sweet Lord! William Jennings, what have ye done? What are ye doing here? Were ye the one his lordship was chasing?”
William nodded. “I’m so sorry, Betsy. I know I shouldn’t have come ’ere, but I was afraid they’d take ye back to London and I couldn’t let ye leave without ye knowing how I feel.”
Betsy stared at him. “What are you sayin’?”
“That I love ye. With all my heart. I came ’ere to ask ye to marry me.”
Olivia gasped.
William turned to her and motioned to his pocket. “It’s the truth, m’lady. I bought Betsy a locket. It’s in the shape of a heart because she has my heart and always will.” The little apple bobbing in his throat moved up and down as he swallowed hard and turned teary-eyed toward Betsy. “If his lordship don’t hang me, will ye marry me?”
“Bollocks,” Thad muttered, his grip still on the man as he stared at his own hand that looked swollen and bruised. “To think, I broke my hand over a damn marriage proposal.”
Nathaniel sighed. “Seems we don’t have a murderer in our midst after all.”
“Murder!” William’s eyes rounded in horror and the blood drained from his face. “Who said I’d ever kill anyone? M’lord, ye cannot believe I’d do such a thing. Betsy, tell ’im. I’ll be hanged for sure.”
Nathaniel turned to Olivia’s maid. “Well? Is this true?”
Betsy nodded and turned in pleading to Olivia. “I kn
ow he did a very foolish thing, m’lady. But he’s my sweetheart. I’ve known him all my life. He comes to see me sometimes. I know he meant no harm. Did ye mean it, William? Ye wish to marry me?”
He nodded. “I have the locket for ye right here in my breast pocket. I swear it.”
Thad reached into the man’s pocket and withdrew it. “Here it is.”
“I love ye, Betsy. No matter what happens. Ye’re the only girl I’ve ever loved and the only girl I’ll take as m’wife. I want ye to know that before I’m hanged.”
Nathaniel groaned and turned to Beast. “What do you think?”
Beast sighed. “William, if you live in town, then what were you doing at Gosling Hall last night?”
“I live on a farm just outside of Wellesford. I’m one of Magistrate Baldridge’s tenant farmers.” William frowned. “I wasn’t at Gosling Hall, Yer Grace. But I might have seen the man that was.”
“You did?” Olivia clasped Beast’s hand. “Then who was he?”
“A stranger, m’lady. I know everyone around these parts and he wasn’t from around ’ere. An unpleasant lookin’ fellow.”
“Describe him,” Beast said.
“Big man, Yer Grace. Ugly fellow, as one might come across in a dockside tavern. The sort who wouldn’t think nothin’ of stickin’ a knife in ye to steal yer purse.”
“What do you think, Beast? Do we search for him?” Thad asked.
“The commotion probably scared him off. I doubt he’ll make an attempt this evening. If he’s Gosling’s man, he must know we leave for London in the morning. Very likely he’s on his way back to town to report on his failed mission.” He turned to Thad. “Let William go.”
“Thank ye, Yer Grace,” both he and Betsy said at the same time.
“But William is to wait for the magistrate and lead him and his men to the spot where he last saw this ruffian,” Beast continued. “Nathaniel, we should also have the magistrate search Gosling Hall and the surrounding area on the chance he’s still lurking.”
“Yes, I agree we must,” Nathaniel said.
Beast frowned and rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck. “Although I’m almost certain it will be a wasted effort. Still, we can’t take anything for granted. But my bet is on London. Whatever he means to do, he’ll now attempt it once we’re back in town.”
“Is that why you proposed to Olivia?” Penelope asked from her perch on the steps. “Two proposals in one evening. That’s cause for celebration.”
Nathaniel turned to his sister. “Don’t jest at a time like this.”
Poppy rose to her defense. “She isn’t. I heard it, too.”
“What?” His mouth opened as he turned to Beast in disbelief. “You proposed to Olivia?”
Penelope gave a huff. “Yes, he proposed. Why do you find the notion so shocking? Beast wants to marry her. Isn’t that what I just told you?”
“Olivia, my dear,” Lavinia said, coming to her side and giving her a heartfelt hug. “Is this true? How wonderful. Matilda and I have been watching you together. We hoped something would come of it.”
Olivia squeezed her eyes shut as Lavinia gave her an exquisitely affectionate and motherly hug. This is what she’d missed so much since her parents had died. She wanted a family to turn to and to love. She wanted a husband who loved her. “He doesn’t really want to marry me. He thinks it is the only way to protect me.”
“Ah, I see.” Lavinia took her hand. “Come sit beside me, child. Let me have a closer look at you. Are you hurt? Is this why Penelope sent for the doctor?”
“I’m all right. Just a little overset.”
Matilda came forward and patted her arm. “With good reason.” She turned to scowl at William. “Imagine finding a stranger in one’s private quarters. You’re fortunate Lady Olivia is so forgiving.”
William looked stricken as he turned to Olivia. “I am forever in yer debt, m’lady.”
Matilda then turned her scowl on Beast. “What’s this about you not really wanting to marry the girl? Is this what you’ve led Olivia to believe? I’ve never heard such utter rubbish in all my years. Nephew, you must swallow your pride and tell the girl the truth. How can a brilliant tactician such as yourself botch this proposal so badly?”
“Men are that way,” Lavinia intoned. “They’d rather face death than surrender their hearts.” She frowned at Beast. “Love is not a battle. The woman you love is not an enemy to be conquered. Even this farmer has more sense than you.”
Beast seemed to be struggling to contain his mounting irritation, obviously not used to having his actions questioned or dissected in front of everyone. “Are you both quite through insulting me?”
“We aren’t insulting you. We are supporting Olivia. She deserves better,” Matilda insisted, and then apparently not done berating the men, she turned to Thad. “Why are you still holding Betsy’s young man? Release him.”
Thad did not look too happy. “He broke my hand.”
“By getting his face in the way of your fist?” Penelope retorted, rolling her eyes at him. “Come here, you big Scottish oaf. Let me have a look at your hand.”
He did so warily.
“Stop looking so scared. I won’t hurt you.” Penelope inspected it quite gently. In truth, Olivia was surprised. Her friend was often prickly around Thad, but she appeared genuinely concerned and took great care with his injury.
“William Jennings,” Nathaniel said, sounding quite serious and commanding, very much as a powerful earl ought to sound. “I will not press charges this time. Don’t ever break into my home again or I will see you hanged.” He turned to Betsy. “Take five minutes to see him off, then return to your duties. And Betsy…”
“Yes, m’lord?” The girl’s eyes were still wide with fear.
Nathaniel shook his head and sighed. “Congratulations. I wish you every happiness.”
No one said anything until the pair went off. Then suddenly, all eyes were upon Olivia. Nathaniel stepped forward once more. “Are congratulations truly in order for the two of you? You don’t look certain, Olivia.”
She turned in alarm to Beast. Even her maid had gotten an ‘I love you’ from her somewhat dimwitted beau. Was she asking too much of Beast? And what of herself? He was the answer to all her problems.
More important, she loved him with all her heart. “Beast?”
He understood what she was asking. “I meant it, Goose. I’m not taking it back.”
She released the breath she was holding. “Yes, congratulations are in order.”
Poppy and Penelope cheered.
Thad and Nathaniel looked on in bemusement.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Thad muttered.
Nathaniel shook his head. “I need a drink.”
Lavinia rang for champagne.
Matilda gave Olivia a hug. “Welcome to the family, my dear. Well, I’m glad that’s settled. You’ll never have to return to Lord Gosling now.”
Olivia felt more numb than euphoric. Had Beast expressed his love for her, she might have felt gleeful. But he hadn’t, and she was still concerned he’d assured every one of his seriousness merely to placate them. “But I’ll still need my guardian’s consent to marry.”
Beast stepped to her side once more. “He’ll give it if he knows what’s good for him. Goose, don’t worry about him. The man is inconsequential. He won’t dare cross me.”
The next hour was spent taking care of loose ends and toasting their betrothal. The local doctor, Angus Carmichael, took her aside and asked her a series of questions to determine whether she was suffering any ill effects from the evening’s incident. “I can give you something to help you sleep, but otherwise, I see nothing wrong with you. You’re healthy.”
She declined to take any drugs. Her head was already in a fog and she needed clarity when dealing with Beast.
The magistrate congratulated her when he heard the news of their betrothal.
“We’d like to keep it quiet for now,” Olivia said, noting that Beast
looked awfully grim for a supposedly happy bridegroom. While the doctor was not one to spread gossip, the magistrate had no such qualms. Olivia expected the entire town of Wellesford would hear of Beast’s proposal before the first carriage rolled out of Sherbourne Manor in the morning.
It was well after midnight by the time they were all finally ready to retire. The two dowagers went up first. Then Penelope and Poppy returned to Penelope’s bedchamber. Olivia meant to follow them, but Beast held her back a moment.
Thad and Nathaniel bid them goodnight, but they weren’t going to sleep. They had decided to stand guard outside Penelope’s chamber on the chance there was another incident. Beast would join them in patrolling the grounds and house, but first he asked to speak to her.
Was he already regretting his proposal?
“You don’t look happy, Goose.”
“And you look like you just buried your best friend. How can I be happy when I’ve obviously forced you into offering for me?”
He drew her into his arms and kissed her with a surprising hunger. “You didn’t push me into doing anything I did not wish to do.”
“The Book of Love–”
“Forget that damn book. I know what it says.” He sighed and cast her a wry smile. “I promise you I will not spill my seed into you and then leave you and my offspring behind to be eaten by wolves.”
She wanted to be angry with him, but perhaps Matilda was right. The Book of Love had spoken of this as well. It was in a man’s nature to spill his seed far and wide. To make that leap into connecting with one mate and protecting her for a lifetime was no easy feat. Also, Beast was used to being in command. Having to surrender something as precious as his heart would take time.
However, he’d given her the lovely bracelet. It had to mean something.
She reached up and kissed him back. “I love you, Beast.”