But that night, after the reception at Strathmere, he held her in his arms and loved her with all of the passion in his soul. No frowning Lisette between them now, not the bitter regret of all they wouldn’t share as when they had last lain together, no obligations tearing him apart—just the two of them for the first time.
When they quieted, he held her for a long time.
“Ah, I do love you, Chloe,” he whispered into the darkness.
She smiled and ran her cheek over the angular line of his jaw. “And I you, Jareth. Even if you are a duke.”
His arms tightened, pulling her closer. “Come, love me again.”
“Yes, your grace,” she said softly, moving closer to comply. “I am, after all, your obedient wife. It shall be as you wish.”
It was the first and last time he heard those words, but throughout the years, he could not say he missed them.
* * * * *
eISBN 978-14592-5094-9
STRATHMERE’S BRIDE
Copyright © 1999 by Jacqueline Lepore Navin
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