The Marquess Who Loved Me (37 page)

She squeezed his hands, but she didn’t speak. And for once, Nick didn’t need to be drawn into laughter. He smiled at her. If there was awe in his eyes, it wasn’t the worship she hated — it was the same awe that she felt, that they could be together, in this moment, and it could feel so right.

“I never thought I would have to make this speech, you know. It was always you, Ellie. Always, always you. There would never be anyone else for me. And I suppose my stupid revenge was an attempt to convince myself that I could let you go. But I can’t. Everything I am, everything I want to be, is for you.”

“It was always you, too,” she said, in a voice that was suddenly hoarse. “And it always will be. No matter where this leads.”

She could have let it go at that, at least for that night. But Nick didn’t stop. “I know where this leads. It will always lead back to this moment. Don’t you see? Our lives aren’t intersecting paths. This isn’t a crossroads. This moment is a mirror of that day in the blackberry patch — and there will be another moment someday that is a mirror of this one. No matter what happens, no matter what we do to each other or how we fail ourselves, we will always circle around to this moment and start again.”

Start again
. It sounded so much better, so much kinder, than all her exhortations to stop being dramatic and find a purpose. She sighed wistfully. “I would like that, Nick.”

He smiled. “I know.”

“Not lacking in confidence, are you?” she said with a laugh.

He grinned in response, but it looked a little shaky. “Only about one thing.”

Then he shocked her, utterly, by dropping to his knee.

“Ellie, I love you. I’ve always loved you. Granted, I used to love your passion, and your laughter, and your hair.” He laughed, a little self-deprecating. “But we’re both more than that. I know what we are now, and I know what I’m offering when I say that I want to share forever with you. I still want your passion — but I also want to sit beside you and breathe the same air and know that, in this world, we’re together. Can you give me that, Ellie? Will you marry me? Can we grow old together and discover whatever it is we might become?”

She had laughed when he mentioned her hair, but her laughter was overwhelmed by tears. In another life, she might have wiped her tears away — but in that moment, she chose to let them overflow, to give them to him so he might see the heart their love had opened up and knit back together.

“I love you, Nick. Beyond all rationality and comprehension, I love you. And I know what it means now, too. It’s not because you’re persuasive or because I want to please you, but because you give me the courage to stay even when I’m scared and even when it hurts.”

She dropped down to her knees in front of him, looking him dead in the eye. “There could be no greater joy in my life than to marry you, Nicholas Claiborne. And I will love you no matter how many times we begin again.”

Their kiss was like the first time — wondrous, magical, a meeting of two people who could hardly believe their luck. They could be slow. They could explore each other rather than merely devouring. Their love wasn’t perfect. There were lumps and bruises and scars — memories woven into their fabric that would never fully fade.

But it was
real
, not a dream.

Nick pulled away first. He lifted her hand and kissed it — right over the ring finger, where she would soon wear his wedding band. The thought filled him with some swell of pride he’d never thought he would feel. He was already thinking of the wedding night, and children, and the life they would have…and the wedding night again. He forced himself to take a breath. “Don’t change your mind this time,” he said. “Or I will take you to Gretna Green without a second thought.”

She gave him a wicked grin. “I won’t. On one condition.”

Her conditions didn’t worry him. Perhaps they should — but the grin she used now said he would like whatever it was she wanted. He leaned in to nibble her ear, wondering if he could distract her as much as she distracted him. “And what is that?” he murmured, after a long moment.

She paused, and he grinned into her hair; she was just as susceptible as he was. Finally, she said, “Promise me we’ll share a bed. Not that I’m opposed to the occasional floor or chaise,” she said, with another grin that made his heart stop. “But I rather liked waking up with you.”

That was a demand he would happily fulfill. He stood abruptly and scooped her up into his arms. “I’ll keep you in bed for a week if that’s what you want. You may break me after all, goddess.”

Ellie laughed. Then she rested her head against his chest. “I’m glad you came home.”

Home.
He still barely knew his way around his house, but it didn’t matter. Ellie was the only direction he needed.

He strode for the door, dodging plants and pillars. The future waited for them, as it always had, and they finally had the courage to seize it.

“I’ve half a mind to carry you through the drawing room just to make sure you can’t get away after tonight,” he said as he nudged the door open.

“My last scandal as Lady Folkestone…or my first scandal as Lady Folkestone?” Ellie asked. “There’s an advantage to this wedding — I won’t need to order new calling cards.”

Nick laughed. “There will be time enough for scandals when you’re my Lady Folkestone. Tonight, I want you to myself.”

“I’ve always been your Lady Folkestone,” she said. “But if you want to impress that fact upon me…”

“I do. I think you will like what you will wake up to in the morning, Ellie my love.”

She smiled, a seductive little grin that added speed to his steps. “If I don’t, we shall just have to begin again. But I trust you’ll make it good, Claiborne.”

He brushed a kiss against her hair. “Always.”

THE END

Author’s Note

Thank you for spending a few hours with Nick and Ellie! I’m so grateful for your purchase, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a few moments, please consider leaving a review on your favorite reading or retail site — whether you loved it or loathed it, I appreciate your thoughts.

The next book in the series,
The Earl Who Played With Fire
, features Miss Prudence Etchingham. It should be out near the end of 2013. Beyond that, I have vague plans for novels or novellas featuring several other women from the series. If you have a favorite character whose story you want told, feel free to lobby me on email, Twitter, or Facebook — I can’t guarantee I will write them all, but I plan to stay with the Muses world as long as there are interesting stories within it.

Thanks again for picking up this book, and happy reading!

Best wishes,

Sara Ramsey

San Francisco, California

February 2013

Books by Sara Ramsey

Muses of Mayfair

Heiress Without a Cause

Scotsmen Prefer Blondes

The Marquess Who Loved Me

The Earl Who Played With Fire
- coming 2013

To buy other books in the series, please visit Sara’s website at
www.sararamsey.com/wordpress/where-to-buy

Stay in Touch

Do you want to be the first to hear about new releases, special content, and giveaways?
Sign up for Sara’s newsletter
on her website.

Sara loves to hear from readers and usually responds quickly, barring deadlines. Please send questions, criticisms, or compliments to
[email protected]
.

If you want to share this book with your book club, Sara is happy to talk to groups in person or via Google Hangouts/Skype.
Send Sara an email
to discuss possible options.

You can also find Sara on Twitter (
@sara_ramsey
),
Facebook
, or
Goodreads
.

Photo by Misti Layne

Sara Ramsey writes fun, feisty Regency historical romances. She won the prestigious 2009 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award with her second book,
Scotsmen Prefer Blondes
. Her first book,
Heiress Without A Cause
, was a 2011 Golden Heart finalist.

Sara grew up in a small town in Iowa, and her obsession with fashion, shoes, and all things British is clearly a rebellion against her hopelessly uncool youth. She graduated from Stanford University in 2003 with a degree in Symbolic Systems (also known as cognitive science) and a minor in history. She is currently living the hip romance writer life in San Francisco, California. Read all about her Regency obsessions and upcoming works at
www.SaraRamsey.com
.