Page 120 of A Devious Secret

She spoke over him. “Henry may be despicable, but he is still my brother-in-law. I do not wish for any harm to come to him.”

Stephen let out a heavy sigh. “I will respect your wishes… for now,” he said. “I cannot promise that he won’t say or do something in the future that will demand satisfaction.”

“Most likely he will, but he isn’t all bad.”

“How can you defend the man?”

A reflective look came to her eyes. “He ordered his servants to place fresh flowers on Baldwin’s grave every morning for a whole year. He didn’t have to do that but he said it would help ease my burden of picking flowers for Baldwin’s grave.”

Stephen grated his teeth as he admitted, “That was thoughtful of him.”

“It was,” Gemma whispered.

He took a step closer to her. “How is it possible that you can see good inside of everyone?” he asked.

“It is easy, if you are looking.”

“I must not be looking very hard then.”

Gemma held his gaze as she said, “Some people neglect the good that is inside of them, but it is still there.”

“Some might call you naive for saying so.”

“What would you call me?”

He stepped closer so she had to tilt her head up to look at him. “I would say you are brilliant.”

A bright smile came to Gemma’s lips. “Careful, your flattery might go to my head.”

His eyes dropped to her lips, and he fought the urge to kiss her. This was not the time or place, despite every fiber of his being wanting to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

With great reluctance, he took a step back and cleared his throat. “I was hoping to speak to you about something important.”

“It sounds serious,” Gemma teased, her smile intact.

“It is.” He paused. “I’m afraid I don’t know your middle name.”

Gemma gave him a curious look. “It is Oleve.”

“Oleve?” he asked. “That is an odd middle name.”

“It was my mother’s surname,” Gemma explained. “It was her way of ensuring I would always remember her family.”

“It is fitting, then.”

Stephen took a deep breath as he found the courage to say his next words. As he opened his mouth, Gemma asked, “What is your middle name?”

“James,” he replied. “I was named after my father. With any hope, I will be half the man that he was.”

“I didn’t know your father, mind you, but I daresay he would be proud of the man that you have become.”

“I hope that is the case.”

Gemma took a step closer to him. “You are a good man, Stephen. I wish you could see how extraordinary you are.”

“I am not extraordinary.”

“In my eyes, you are,” Gemma said as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.