She shook her head and laughed through a flood of happy tears. “It’s real,” she replied, “and yes, I am yours, Leopold. I was always yours, despite everything, and I am still waiting for you to kiss me.”
In the very next instant, his lips covered hers with exquisite, unrestrained passion, and the world shifted beneath her feet. His mouth was moist and hot and the taste of him pleasured her to the very depths of her soul.
Running her fingers through his hair, Rose sighed with enchantment and clung to his shoulders. Soon he was sweeping her off her feet and into his arms like a groom on a wedding night. He carried her into the woods.
Kissing her along the way, while stepping over ferns and pushing through the underbrush, he finally reached a small, private clearing surrounded by sycamores.
There, with the sun raining down upon them, he dropped to his knees and set her down in the grass. Rose held her arms out to him, inviting him closer, and he covered her body with his own.
“Tell me it won’t end this time,” he whispered huskily in her ear while he stroked her body with roving, desperate hands.
“I promise it won’t,” she replied. “I am yours forever. Nothing will ever come between us again. I won’t let it.”
Not even Napoleon’s army could separate them now, for she had waited too long for this. Leopold Hunt was the man she loved more than life itself, and she would not lose him again.
“Marry me,” he said, “with or without the king’s permission. I don’t care who approves, nor will I ever again make the mistake of placing duty above my love for you. I will steal you away if I have to.”
Overcome with happiness, her body on fire, Rose kissed him deeply. “Oh, Leopold. Freedom was a luxury I rarely ever dreamed of. Perhaps I should have rebelled when I had the chance, but I, too, chose duty over love, and I am so sorry.”
“No,” he said, leaning back. “There shall be no regrets. Though it was painful, I believe everything was meant to be exactly as it was. You have a beautiful daughter now, and I found my dignity again. I reclaimed my honor.”
She laid her open palm on his cheek and smiled. “Yes, you did. I knew it the moment you sent word to me in Brussels, when I learned you saved Joseph’s life, and I vow that I will never doubt you again.”
He brushed his lips over hers. “Let us move forward now, Rose, for it is the only direction I wish to go.”
“It is a fine direction,” she replied with a smile. “And I don’t care who approves, either. Yes, I will marry you. All that matters is that we are together.”
His expression turned serious. “Yes, but I will still seek your brother’s blessing.”
Feeling cheeky all of a sudden, Rose flipped him over to straddle his hips and pin him down. “I am quite sure he will give it to you, Leopold. All you have to do is ask.”
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, his eyes narrowing with curiosity.
“Because I already asked him, and he said yes.”
Leopold regarded her with both admiration and desire. “When?”
“Yesterday,” she explained, “when I returned from the hospital, because I knew I had to have you. Nothing was going to stop me this time.”
“You were that confident?”
“Yes, because you promised me you would wait forever, and you did. Now, there will be no more waiting.”
He sat up and kissed her deeply while hugging her body close.
“I love you, Rose,” he whispered, “more than anything in this world.”
“And I love you, too,” she replied, “until forever and beyond.”
The horses nickered to each other on the path, and a tiny sparrow fluttered out of the sycamores and soared high up to the sky as they held each other tightly.
This time, they would never let go. This time, it would be just as it was meant to be.
Epilogue
Cavanaugh Manor
Summer 1821
“Congratulations, my lord. You have a son.”
Leopold stood quickly from the chair in the corridor and barely managed to thank the doctor as he brushed past him, for it had not been an easy task over the past two hours, listening to his wife’s screams during the delivery. The butler had suggested he wait in the library where he would be spared the discomfort, but he needed to remain close by. If Rose had to endure it, then so would he.
But it was over now, and she was well.
He burst into the room and stopped just inside the door to behold his beautiful wife sitting up against the pillows with her flaxen hair loose and wild about her shoulders. There was a noticeable pallor to her complexion, but a sparkle in her eyes. She flashed him a brilliant smile and a rush of awe flowed through him.
In her arms she held their first child—a tiny person he could barely comprehend as he stared at the small white bundle.
“You can come closer,” she said with a light chuckle. “Come and see your son.”
Slowly, he moved to the side of the bed and let his gaze fall upon the babe’s face. He was quiet and content … so very tiny. His little fingers were flexing.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Rose said.
“He’s a miracle,” Leopold replied. “You are a miracle. This life is a miracle.”
Carefully, trying not to disturb the sense of peace that seemed so very precious at this moment, Leopold climbed onto the bed beside Rose. She snuggled closer to rest her head on his shoulder.
“I am so happy,” she said.
“I’ve been happy since the moment you returned to me,” he replied, “but I had no idea this was before us. I never imagined it could be better than it already was. How is this much joy possible?”
“You’ve earned it, my darling.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “If that is so, I am very grateful, for I cannot help but look back at the despair I suffered at the loss of you.” He paused. “When I left you in Waterloo that day, it was the first time I ever accepted defeat, but now that we are here, I believe that was how it was meant to be, and this was worth waiting for. I was not worthy of you in those early days. I needed to be taught a lesson.”
“What lesson?” she asked, looking up at him with those wise and luminous blue eyes.
He gently touched her cheek. “I needed to learn how to temper my ambition. My selfish greed for you. You—and Joseph—showed me how to live for something other than myself. It was a gift I cannot put a value upon. And now you have given me a son. A son!”
The precious newborn reached out a small hand. Leopold put his finger into that miniature palm and felt a momentous surge of love and happiness envelop him when all five little fingers curled around his one big one.
“What shall we name him?” Rose asked with a smile.
“What about Frederick, after your father?”
The warmth of her smile filled her whole face and echoed in the silky tone of her voice. “That would make me very happy.”
“Then it is decided—because you know I live for your happiness.”
A knock sounded at the open door, and they both looked up.
The housekeeper entered the room. “I beg your pardon, Lord Cavanaugh, but you asked me to send for Marie. She is here now and very anxious to see her new brother. May I bring her in?”
“Of course!” Rose and Leopold both replied in unison.
Seconds later, Marie came dashing into the room. Leopold was quick to hold out an arm and invite her up onto his side of the bed. “Are you ready to see your new brother?” he asked. “But you must be gentle and quiet, for he is very small.”
“I’m always gentle and quiet,” Marie replied as she climbed up beside him. “But I shall be even more so today.” She sat on her knees and inspected her new brother. “You’re right, Papa, he is very small. When will he be able to walk?”
“Not for a while,” Leopold replied. “Perhaps a year. And when that time comes, we will need you to hold his hand, sweetheart. Will you be able to do that?”
“Yes. I will b
e very good, and if he falls, I will pick him up and give him a kiss, just like you did for me yesterday when we were running too fast down to the swimming hole.”
Rose laid her head on Leopold’s shoulder again, and he felt even more love than he ever imagined possible.
“You were very brave,” he said to Marie. “How is your knee today?”
“It’s better, but I don’t want to take the bandage off yet. I think tomorrow will be the right day.”
“Yes,” Leo agreed. “Tomorrow will be a very good day for that.” Peace and wonder flowed through him when Marie snuggled into his arms to watch her little brother fall asleep.
Rose smiled up at him with love, and the whole world seemed to glow in the morning light as Leopold leaned closer and touched his lips to hers.
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“You can always count on Julianne MacLean to deliver ravishing romance that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning.”
—Teresa Medeiros
“Julianne MacLean’s writing is smart, thrilling, and sizzles with sensuality.”
—Elizabeth Hoyt
“Scottish romance at its finest, with characters to cheer for, a lush love story, and rousing adventure. I was captivated from the very first page. When it comes to exciting Highland romance, Julianne MacLean delivers.”
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… and her bestselling romances
“Sparkles with life and emotion … delightful.”
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“Brimming with incredible passion.”
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“It takes a talented author to segue from a lighthearted tale of seduction to an emotionally powerful romance that plays on your heartstrings … a very special, powerful read.”
—Romantic Times Book Reviews
“MacLean’s compelling writing turns this simple, classic love story into a richly emotional romance, and by combining engaging characters with a unique, vividly detailed setting, she has created an exceptional tale for readers who hunger for something a bit different in their historical romances.”
—Booklist
“Five hearts … a special kind of love story … truly compelling.”
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About the Author
JULIANNE MACLEAN is a USA Today bestselling author with degrees in English Literature and Business Administration. She is a three-time RITA finalist, and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Book Buyer’s Best Award, and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times for Best Regency Historical of 2005. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and daughter, and she is a dedicated member of Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada.
Visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
PRINCESS IN LOVE
Copyright © 2012 by Julianne MacLean.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN: 9781466814844
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / November 2012
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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