“You love her,” Babette whispered gently. She felt the sting of tears for her own personal loss and quickly blanked out all thought of Andrew.
“I love her,” Mark whispered and placed a gentle kiss on her hair.
“I heard that,” Harriett murmured shakily.
“I hope you did, darling, because I meant every word of it. I know that we haven’t known each other very long, but we are meant to be together. I fell in love with you from the first second I set eyes on you in your sitting room downstairs, and I won’t settle for anything less than a lifetime with you.”
He hoped to God that when they were old and grey he would be the one to die first because he never, ever wanted to see Harriett in a casket again.
Harriett peered up at him, only vaguely aware that Babette had quietly crept out of the room and left them alone. “What happened to me?”
“What can you remember?” Mark frowned down at her. If she couldn’t remember, there was no reason why she had to know the macabre details. He could ensure that gossip would work in her favour for once, and nobody would speak about the true nature of her ordeal.
“I can remember seeing Alan Bentwhistle in the door of the ante room but nothing else.” Harriett frowned. Her head ached fiercely and she lifted a trembling hand to the large lump at the back of her head. “What happened?”
Mark briefly sketched details of what he thought may have happened, but left out the business with the coffin. At some point in their long life together he would undoubtedly have to tell her but, for the time being, she had been through enough trauma.
Now wasn’t the time to look back, it was the time to look forward to a brighter, more positive future. Together.
“I cannot believe that he would be so duplicitous, so callous, toward people he has known for so long.”
“There is nothing a desperate man won’t do,” Mark replied knowingly. He placed a tender kiss on her head. “I know that we have some courting to do.” His voice held a hint of gentle humour to it that made her smile in return “But I am afraid it is going to have to be a very short period of courting.”
“Oh, why is that?” Harriett should have been scandalised that she was not only in her bedroom alone with Mark, but he was seeing her in such a disreputable state. She glanced down at her dirty and soiled clothes unconcernedly. The blatant look of adoration on his face was enough to assure her that he wasn’t bothered in the least about the way she looked right now.
“I am afraid that you came far too close to becoming Tipton Hollow’s third murder victim. Bentwhistle is now languishing in jail, undoubtedly next to Hepplethwaite and Humphries, who are waiting for Scotland Yard to collect them.” He grinned at Harriett’s gasp and was delighted to see the brightness in the beautiful wide eyes she turned toward him. The shock on her face made him feel inordinately pleased with himself.
“You arrested them?”
Mark nodded and briefly detailed what he had uncovered about the fraudsters. “Good Lord, Mark, I am impressed. You certainly haven’t wasted any time.”
“I don’t, my darling. One thing you need to learn about this Detective Inspector is that I don’t let anything stand in my way when I want something that matters to me.”
Harriett stared at him but wasn’t the least bit perturbed by the strength of his words because she was ensnared by the promise in his eyes.
“You don’t?”
“No.” Mark shook his head, and drew her down onto the bed to lie beside him. They weren’t going to take matters any further, and wouldn’t until they were married, but he wanted to be able to hold her close, for a little while at least. “Now, about that wedding.”
“What wedding?” Harriett’s heart flipped at the look he gave her.
“Our wedding, of course. As soon as you are well enough, we are going to see the vicar and book a date for our wedding.”
Harriett nodded and smiled. “I take it that you have a timeframe in mind, given that we have some courting to do first?”
As it was already the middle of September, they would not be married until next spring at the earliest. A small part of her felt strangely deflated at the need to wait so long, but she knew that matters had to take their own course and she couldn’t rush toward a wedding without a reasonable period of courting Mark, without drawing scandalised gossip.”
Mark smiled secretively. “I have it on good authority that the 20th December is a very good day for a wedding.”
THE END
BOOKS BY REBECCA KING
Further details on all of Rebecca’s books can be found on her website:
Rebeccaking-author.co.uk
TIPTON HOLLOW SERIES
Beatrice (Tipton Hollow Book 2) – Released November 2014
Tuppence (Tipton Hollow Book 3) – Released November 2014
Constance (Tipton Hollow Book 4) – Released January 2014
Eloisa (Tipton Hollow Book 5) – Released February 2014
The Curious Jane Thompson (Tipton Hollow Book 6) – Released March 2014
Babette (Tipton Hollow Book 7) – Released Easter 2014
STAR ELITE SERIES
Capturing Sir Dunniciffe (Book 1)
Smuggler’s Glory (Book 2)
His Lady Spy (Book 3)
Lord Melvedere’s Ghost (Book 4)
The Lady Is Innocent (Book 5)
My Lord Deceived (Book 6)
Captive Surrender (Book 7) – Released October 2014
Ghost of Christmas Past (Last in the series) – Released December 2014
THE CAVENDISH MYSTERIES
If You Were Mine (Book 1)
Cinders and Ashes (Book 2)
Chasing Eliza (Book 3)
The Gallows Bride (Book 4)
The Prodigal Lord Cavendish Returns (Last in the Series) – Released December 2014
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Archie and the Battleflat Adventures: The Harriman Mystery
Harriett Page 31