The Marquis Is Trapped (20 page)

“
By love
.  A love so totally perfect, so glorious, so divine, it can only have come from Heaven.”

Celina gave a little cry.

“How can you possibly say anything so wonderful?  It is something I thought I would never hear you say.”

“I love you, I love you, I love you, Celina, and that is why, my exquisite one, I suggest that instead of going back to your family and mine, who will be busy telling us what to do and telling you how difficult it will be to keep me faithful, we get married at once!”

“
At once
!  Do you mean here in Orkney?”

“Why ever not?  There is, I believe, a magnificent Cathedral in Kirkwall and that means a Bishop, who I am sure will be only too pleased to marry us.”

Celina gave a little laugh.

“That will be exciting and romantic – but you must promise to buy me a wedding dress.”

“I am sure that we can find one somewhere in the town, but you look adorable and ethereally beautiful, my darling, whatever you wear – or do not wear – ”

Celina blushed.

“You did
not
look when I was climbing the turret?”

“Because I knew you did not want me to, I did not.  At the same time that ghastly agony of fear I went through, I hope I will never have to suffer again.”

“There cannot be pirates everywhere and it will be lovely to spend our honeymoon among the Islands.”

“We will,” the Marquis assured her.  “Equally the crew will be armed and will watch over us.  I am not taking any more chances where you are concerned.”

Celina slipped her hand into his.

“You are quite certain,” she asked earnestly, “that you will be content with me?  You have achieved so much that it is going to be difficult to keep up with you.”

“But, as you think so quickly with your clever little brain, I rather suspect that you are some miles ahead of me all of the time!”

Then they were both laughing as the Marquis drew her out onto the deck.

Now the moon was shining and the stars glittered brightly above.

He thought that the Captain would now be making for North Ronaldsay, where he could anchor safely without being worried.

At the moment all he could think of was that Celina was standing beside him.

With the moonlight glittering on her hair, she was like the stars themselves.

“I love you, adore you and worship you, my Celina.  I love you so much that you will be bored with hearing me say it over and over again.”

“And I love you,” she sighed.  “I knew at once when I saw you fishing that you were the most wonderful man I could ever have imagined.  But I wanted to run away from you because I thought you would be angry when you learnt what Stepmama was planning.”

“I think really – maybe we should both be grateful to her,” the Marquis suggested surprisingly.

“
Grateful
?” exclaimed Celina.

“If she had not plotted in such a disgraceful way to force me into marrying you, it might have taken me very much longer to realise how adorable you are and how much I want you forever in my life.”

Celina gave a little laugh.

“You are making everything seem so different.”

“One thing that is not different, my darling Celina, is that I love you.  And I am falling more and more in love with you every second we are together.  How can you be so unique?  The perfect wife I thought I would never find.”

“I want you to keep on loving me and I will try to be perfect for you, because you are the most wonderful and handsome man in the whole wide world.”

There was nothing the Marquis could do after that but kiss her.

As he felt her melting into his arms, he knew how amazingly lucky he had been.

He had run away from marriage all his life.

Only because at the back of his mind he desperately wished for the ideal woman he had never found until now.

He knew that as Celina was so young and innocent, he must be very gentle with her.

At the same time he knew that her love for him was so perfect and so spiritual that it would keep them bound together for as long as they lived and beyond.

He kissed her passionately and fervently and went on kissing her.

He knew that they had found the Heaven that God has created only for lovers who truly love each other.

A very special Heaven where there was never any question of losing each other.

Only growing closer and closer until they were not two people but one, in this life and for all Eternity.

Where to buy other titles in this series

The Barbara Cartland Pink collection is available for download at the following online bookshops :-

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