Ross held out his hand. “This is a meeting I have anticipated greatly, Lord Wulfric. I must own I had not expected it to be under such comparatively pleasant conditions.”
“I owe you more than I can ever hope to repay.”
“Grant your blessing upon the marriage of your sister to me, and all debts shall be null.” He laughed when Vanessa blushed. “Am I assuming too much, Vanessa, by believing that your avowal of love means you are once again willing to become my wife?”
Vanessa glanced uneasily at the other men. Lord Greybrooke mumbled something and motioned for the captain and her brother to join him in the contemplation of the fire on the hearth. When they were out of earshot, she said, “I would as lief ask if you are willing once more to have me as your wife? With Corey’s return, I have no claim to Wolfe Abbey or to my father’s legacy.”
Bringing her to him, he whispered, “What will it take to persuade you that I love you, not that blasted fortune.”
“You love me?” She was sure her heart would burst with happiness on the very next beat.
“Would I have asked you to be my wife otherwise?” He laughed and put his finger to her lips. “Nay, do not answer. Listen instead. I swear I have loved you since the first. I must have been on the wrong side of the hedge when brains were given away to convince Franklin and Swinton to take part in that blasted wager.”
“No,” she said slowly as she lowered herself to the bench. When he took a piece of meat off the platter before he sat next to her, she smiled and pushed the plate closer to him. “I was determined to let no man turn my head with his gentle words until I could rid myself of the burden of the legacy that was truly Corey’s.”
“As I was determined to let no woman intrude on my life.” He touched her cheek lightly. “I fear you changed my mind for me, sweetheart.”
“My mind was changed by your resolve to win both my heart and your wager.” She laughed. “How much did you win?”
“In addition to your heart?” He snagged another slice and chewed on it before saying, “A pound from each of them.”
“Only a pound?”
He laughed. “Would you have preferred me to put a century on the table?”
“No, because the money is not important to me. I will love you if you are as poor as a Job’s turkey.”
His amusement faded as he ran his finger along her lips, sending swirls of joy through her. “Your sentiments are charming, Vanessa, but rumors of my coming bankruptcy are only prattle. My bank is in bang-up prime.”
“But Lord Greybrooke said you were so seldom at your club that he became distressed.”
He picked up a generous piece of meat and took a large bite. “Perhaps we both have learned a lesson in trusting others.” He downed half the wine in her glass. “Excuse me, Vanessa, but I’ve had nothing to eat since breakfast.” With a grin, he said, “I have a wolf in my stomach as well as in my heart.”
Longing to surrender to that teasing grin, she resisted. “But about your club? Lord Greybrooke said—”
“How would I have had time to enjoy an evening at the table of green cloth when I have been busy for the past month badgering everyone in the government to find me the answer I prayed would bring a glitter of happiness into your eyes?”
“The past month?”
His nonplussed expression belonged to a naughty child. “I peeked into the letter you sent my uncle, for I doubted you would have been doing something as commonplace as inviting that old boor to a party. Although he wished to have nothing to do with your quest, I was block enough to try.” His finger twisted a tendril of her hair as he said softly, “It is true that, at first, I thought only of using the information to best Franklin and Swinton at our game. I had no idea when I first suggested that blasted bet to entertain us, I would end up spending less time at my club, because I became resolved that I would discover the truth for you.”
“You did offer to be my dashing knight.”
He finished the wine and reached for the platter again.
“You are making a pig of yourself,” she said. “Save some for the others.”
“If you do not wish me to assuage that hunger, there is but one way to satisfy me.” He pulled her to him. As his mouth lowered to hers, he whispered, “And I wager this is one feast this pig-widgeon shall never tire of.”
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1995 by Jo Ann Ferguson
Cover design by Neil Alexander Heacox
ISBN: 978-1-5040-0903-4
Distributed in 2015 by Open Road Distribution
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The Wolfe Wager Page 22