But his arms tightened round her and his lips came down on hers.
He kissed her and Lolita knew that this was exactly how she believed a kiss would be – only it was a million times more wonderful.
Lord Seabrook kissed her and carried on kissing her until her body melted into his.
Lolita felt she was no longer herself but a part of him.
Their love enveloped both of them like the sunshine.
Lord Seabrook raised his head.
“I love you! God, how I love you! How could you have been so skilful in deceiving us for so long by pretending to be a governess?”
“You know now – why I was so frightened,” Lolita managed to say. “My stepfather would, I know, have forced me to marry – that horrible, beastly man whom he respects so much, because – he is so rich.”
She was speaking once again in a frightened voice and Lord Seabrook kissed her into silence.
Only when her body was quivering against his, not from fear but from the wild emotions he evoked in her did he tell her,
“Forget everything except that we are to be married tonight and then you will be mine.”
“Are you really marrying me?” asked Lolita excitedly. “How could you decide to do so when you did not know who I was?”
“I knew when you tried to run away last night,” he said, “that I could not lose you. If you had committed a dozen murders or your father had done so, I would still want you as my wife.”
Lolita put out her hand to gently touch his cheek.
“That was very brave of you and I thought that although I loved you – you would never love me because I was only a governess.”
“A very unusual and a very beautiful governess!” he exclaimed, looking deeply into her eyes. “But as it is impossible for me to live without you, nothing matters except that you should be mine.”
He held her a little closer.
“Now I can understand what you were feeling yesterday in the Priory.”
Lolita put back her head and looked up at him.
“When I prayed in the Chapel, I felt that both Mama and Papa were telling me that everything would be all right – and that I need no longer be frightened. And now it has all come true.”
“Do you love me?” he asked her tenderly.
“I love you with all my heart and soul,” Lolita whispered. “But I was so afraid that you would find out and send me away in disgust.”
He gave a little laugh.
“I have loved you from the first moment I saw you. I tried to fight against it, but our love, my precious, was too strong for both of us. That is why I am not going to wait a moment longer than I need. I actually wrote to the Bishop and sent the letter early this morning before breakfast. Because he has always been fond of me, I know he will do as I ask.”
He pulled her a little closer.
“Tell me again that you love me and you want to be my wife.”
“I love you with every fibre of my being, and I can imagine nothing more wonderful in the whole world – than being married to you.”
She put her arms round his neck.
“Can I really stay here in this fabulous, adorable castle with you for ever?”
“That is just what I want,” he said, “and of course we must have children, my darling, to play with Simon and they must never be lonely or ill-treated as he has been.”
“I would never have dreamed that I would ever be – the mother of – your sons.”
Because he was moved by her words, Lord Seabrook kissed her again.
Now his kisses were becoming more possessive and passionate.
Lolita felt as if a growing flicker of fire was moving through her body and into her breast.
She knew now this was what she had felt the very first moment she had met Lord Seabrook, but it had not been so exciting or intense as it was now.
“I love you – I adore you,” she repeated over and over again.
Because he could find no words to express his deepest feelings, Lord Seabrook merely kissed her again.
They both felt they were flying up into the sky. It was with an effort that he moved her to one side.
“Now we must be sensible, my darling, because I want to tell you what plans I have made. Also we have to ask Mrs. Shepherd to provide you with the wedding gown and veil which all the Seabrook brides have worn in the past.”
“It is difficult to think of anything – but you,” murmured Lolita.
“If you look at me like that I shall kiss you forever,” he smiled, “and then you will never hear my plans.”
She slipped her hand into his.
“Sit down and tell me what they are.”
There was a sofa just behind them and they sat down as if they were both a little weak at the knees.
“What I had planned,” Lord Seabrook began, “is that the Bishop should marry us here in my own Chapel, which is very ancient, as you know, but not quite as beautiful as the one at the Priory.”
As if she knew what he was going to say next, Lolita looked at him wide-eyed.
“I am now going to arrange that we are married at the Priory and I think we should stay there for the first few nights of our honeymoon.”
“That would be so wonderful and I am so very happy.”
“As I will always be and, my darling, I have already arranged that while we are on our honeymoon, which can be either at the Priory or here, Simon will go for a trip on the yacht with the Captain. Mrs. Shepherd will go with them to look after him and I have learned that the Captain has two sons, one of them the same age as Simon and one a year older.”
He saw the delight come in Lolita’s eyes.
“I think the boy will enjoy himself and not miss us too much. Later you and I will use the yacht to go abroad, where I will buy you the trousseau which you should have before your wedding, but which you will have afterwards and which will make you look even more beautiful than you do already.”
Lolita gave a cry.
“It is the most wonderful perfect plan I have ever heard – and only you could have thought of it.”
“Now,” Lord Seabrook told her, “you will understand that I am going to be very busy making all the wedding arrangements, so you must break it gently to Simon what is happening. As I do not want him to feel he is being left out, I thought he could give you away.”
Lolita gave another cry of delight.
“The only other people who will be present as witnesses when we are married will be Barty and Mrs. Shepherd, who have both looked after me for so many years.”
“It is just the wedding I would really want!” exclaimed Lolita, “without all those silly women sniggering and saying how lucky I am to marry you and being jealous because they are not the bride.”
She was thinking of Lady Cressington and Lord Seabrook felt he could read her thoughts.
“What you say is indeed true and I never wanted to marry anyone until I met you. There has always been something about them which I thought was wrong although I could not put a name to it. But I now know what it is.”
“What is it?” asked Lolita.
“It is because, my darling, you are good, pure and innocent. It is something so special I have always wanted in my wife, but thought I would never find it, however hard I looked.”
“I want to be all those things for you and I know it is what my mother always wanted me to be.”
“It is what you are and you will be the same forever.”
Then he was kissing her again wildly and passionately.
Yet at the same time there was a touch of reverence in his kisses.
She was so perfect and unblemished and exactly what he wanted his wife to be.
Once again they were flying up to the sky.
Lolita knew she had found the Love which is Divine.
The Love for which she had prayed and known in her heart that God would give to her.
It was the Love which would last all through their life together.
The Love which would carry them into Eternity and from which there is no end.
Love by the Lake Page 14