She looked up and met his dark, welcoming eyes. He released her hand, cupped her face and spoke against her lips, “‘Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love…’”
The quote from one of Shakespeare’s sonnets brought tears to her eyes. He loved her…and that changed everything. Warmth and wonder seeped through her. “Are you certain you will not be ashamed of me?”
“You can only improve my lamentable reputation.”
A sudden thundering shook the parlor door. “Bella! Bella, are you in there? Is Mr. Hunter with you? What are you doing?”
She started to rise, but Andrew pulled her back. “She will keep, Bella. And I will handle her when we are ready. For now, I am waiting for an answer.”
“But—” The latch rattled as Mama tried to open it, then the pounding renewed. Andrew smiled, and suddenly none of it mattered. “Yes,” she said. “I will marry you, and I will know I am the envy of every woman you ever kissed.”
He laughed, standing with her and taking her into his arms. “Then a kiss to seal our bargain before we go, Bella? Just one kiss?”
“Will one kiss satisfy my Lord Libertine?”
“Never,” he promised.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-0701-5
LORD LIBERTINE
Copyright © 2007 by Gail Ranstrom
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