‘Oh, Harry was a hero, all right,’ the viscount said swiftly. ‘No doubt about it, old chap.’ He glanced down at the paper in his hand. ‘Apparently, he was cut off from his platoon along with three of his comrades. A group of French soldiers discovered them making their way back to the line and your brother made it possible for his three comrades to slip away, one by one, while he held off their attackers single-handedly. He was eventually shot down himself, of course, but the others managed to get back to base. His name was mentioned in the despatches.’ Clearing his throat, he added uncomfortably. ‘I’m sorry that your father chose not to seek out this information for himself, but I imagine that, at the time, he would have been far too overcome with grief to care about the manner of his son’s death.’
Rupert’s eyes were glistening with tears. ‘Harry was frightfully brave, then, wasn’t he, sir?’ He grimaced. ‘I doubt if I’ll ever manage to be as good as he was.’
‘Nonsense, my boy!’ Templeton admonished him. ‘You can be anything you want to be if you try hard enough—believe me, I know! I was a real dunderhead at school until I was persuaded to knuckle down—after that there was no holding me back, I promise you!’
‘I do mean to try, sir,’ said Rupert earnestly. ‘Uncle Arthur has arranged for a tutor to help me catch up with my studies and, when I get back to Rugby, I swear that there’ll be no more larking about!’
‘Good lad,’ grinned Templeton. ‘But don’t overdo the saintliness, will you—the occasional high jink is very good for the soul, I believe!’
Hesitating for a moment, Rupert then blurted out, ‘You’ve gone to an awful lot of trouble for my family, sir—Mama told us about the books and everything—and then you saved Gina from that awful man and now this! I’d just like to say that I think you’ve been an absolute brick and I really don’t know how to thank you!’
‘No thanks necessary, I assure you,’ said Templeton quickly. ‘Tell you what—perhaps you can show me these stickleback pools some time, if your new tutor allows you an afternoon off!’
Rupert looked surprised. ‘Are you going to stay in the village then, sir? I thought you’d be going back to London with your father?’
‘Oh, I’m staying, all right, my lad,’ said Templeton firmly. ‘I still have a most pressing matter to attend to—which reminds me…’
He walked over to the door and opened it. ‘Keep that report in a safe place, Rupert,’ he called over his shoulder. ‘It’s something to treasure, as I’m sure you realise.’
He looked across at the sitting-room door and a worried frown creased his forehead when he saw that it was still closed. He had hardly made the decision to knock and go into the room to find out what was happening, when the door opened and his father appeared in the doorway.
‘Ah, there you are, my boy,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I was just coming to look for you—I believe this young lady would like a word with you!’
Templeton searched his father’s face for some clue to the result of his interview with Georgina, but the earl simply stood back to allow his son to enter the room, then stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him.
Georgina watched nervously as Templeton approached. Although the earl had assured her of his son’s affection for her, a face-to-face confrontation with him was rather a different matter.
‘Did you manage to find Rupert?’ she blurted out breathlessly, in an effort to break the silence. ‘He told me that you had promised to do something for him.’
‘He wanted to know how your brother met his death—I managed to get hold of some information for him, that’s all.’ He hesitated. ‘Gina?’
She could not look at him. Her heart was beating so fast that it seemed likely to burst. As the minutes ticked by she began, nervously, to pleat the folds of her skirt between her shaking fingers.
He took a step towards her. ‘Please put me out of my misery, Gina,’ he said brokenly. ‘Am I forgiven?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered, her head still bowed.
With a whoop of delight he reached forward, pulled her to her feet and swept her into his arms.
Although she was taken by surprise at his sudden action, Georgina made no attempt to resist. She looked shyly up at his face and saw that he was gazing down at her with such a look of longing that it almost reduced her to tears.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she stammered. ‘I should have heard you out— I behaved appallingly. It is I who should ask for forgiveness!’
‘I promise to forgive you on one condition only,’ said Templeton, with a little tremor in his voice.
Georgina’s eyes grew wide with surprise. ‘W-what condition?’ she asked suspiciously.
He tightened his hold. ‘That you kiss me immediately, of course!’ He grinned and lowered his head, intent upon extracting his forfeit.
Georgina’s eyes lit up and, to Templeton’s utter astonishment and delight, she lifted her hands to the back of his neck and pulled his head swiftly down towards her, her own lips parting as she eagerly searched for his. Ripples of delicious warmth coursed through her as she cleaved herself to him, revelling in the firm strength of his body against her own. Time stood still as, oblivious of the world around them, they clung together until, with a laughing gasp, he reluctantly pulled himself away and held her at arm’s length.
‘I think I’d better observe the usual courtesies before we take this any further,’ he said and shakily lowered himself down on to one knee at her feet. ‘You will marry me, won’t you, Gina?’ he asked anxiously. ‘I believe I’ve loved you since the moment I set eyes on you.’
Georgina gave him a bewitching smile. ‘Are you sure you consider me quite suitable, your lordship?’ she said impishly.
Clapping a hand to his forehead, he groaned and shot to his feet. ‘Don’t remind me, I beg of you! I behaved like a complete ass!’ He gripped her hand and, raising her fingers to his lips, his eyes devoured her face. ‘You haven’t given me your answer,’ he reminded her softly. ‘Tell me you love me, Gina.’
‘With all my heart, Ned,’ she answered and found herself swept up into his arms once more.
‘Now about those paroxysms of delight you mentioned,’ he whispered, as his lips found hers.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-2966-2
THE VISCOUNT’S SECRET
First North American Publication 2006
Copyright © 2005 by Dorothy Elbury
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