Page 91 of Last Night with the Duke
She was breathless. “You don’t mean that.”
“I would have never made love to you just now if I hadn’t already made up my mind that I wanted you for my wife.”
Esmeralda felt as if her heart were going to spin out of her chest. “I don’t know what to say.”
He looked deeply into her eyes and then kissed her so tenderly she felt all her bones turn liquid beneath him. “You must say yes. Didn’t I just tell you that I love you? You are mine and I’m not going to let anyone else have you, so get used to being told what to do.”
“I will never stand for that.”
“Good.” His hand molded over the fullness of her breast. “I will have a pleasurable time trying to bend you to my will. You and Josephine belong with me in my house as my wife and sister. Not as a member of my staff but as my equal. All you have to do is say yes.”
“Don’t you want to know if I love you?” she asked breathlessly as she slid her hands down his sides.
He smiled. “I already know that you do, but it would be nice to hear you say it.”
Esmeralda swallowed past the lump in her throat and whispered, “Griffin, I love you, and yes, I’ll marry you.”
Epilogue
Do remember that all is well when all ends well.
MISSMAMIEFORTESCUE’SDO’SANDDON’TSFORCHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS,ANDNURSES
Griffin strode into his Mayfair house whipping off his hat. He laid the copy of a book of poetry,The Quarterly Review,andBlackwood’s Magazineon the table, then removed his cloak and gloves.
“Esmeralda,” he called. “Josephine?”
“Her Grace and Miss Josephine are in the garden,” Sparks said, coming to Griffin with his cloak.
“Thank you, Sparks. So, she’s going into the garden again?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
That was a good sign. When Esmeralda and Josephine first moved back to Mayfair, Josephine wouldn’t go anywhere near the garden. He knew it reminded her of Napoleon.
He looked out the window and saw Esmeralda sitting on a bench. She wore a soft shade of pink and the single strand of pearls he’d given her for a wedding present. A contentedness he didn’t know was possible filled him. Josephine was looking at the flowers. The May Day Flower Fair was tomorrow. Fenton would be displaying his Persian irises, looking to win again. The gardener had asked them to go with him.
Esmeralda turned to look when she heard the back door open. She smiled and so did he. Josephine paid him no mind. He figured she was staring at the flowers, but it might have been another frog.
Holding the book and the magazines behind his back, he strode through the damp grass to Esmeralda and bent down to kiss her.
“That was a pleasant way to be greeted,” she said.
“Then I’ll make a habit of it.”
“I don’t think that would make Lady Evelyn happy. She is a stickler for doing everything the proper way.”
“I’m glad to see Josephine is out in the garden.”
Esmeralda glanced over at her sister and nodded. “She’ll let us know when she’s ready for another dog.”
“In the meantime,” Griffin said, “I have something to show you that I want to give her today. From behind his back he pulled his offerings. “This a book of Myles Graham’s poetry—it has every poem of his I could find.”
Surprise glinted in her eyes as she took it and looked it over. “Where did you get this? He never had anything published in a book.”
“I had it published for him. I’ve heard that books published posthumously usually sell very well.”
“This is for sale?”
