What You Propose (Anything for Love #2) (26 page)

Marcus knew why she had asked the question. To know the identity of one's enemy brought a level of strength and determination, a level of confidence in one's ability to overthrow them in battle. To be blind and naive brought a constant fear of the unknown.

Selene coughed and cleared her throat. "I said I drove the cart to town, but that was a lie. I came here instead. You were still able to walk a little although your eyes were closed and you were sleepy. There is no one else to blame. Only me."

As Andre led her away, Anna exhaled deeply.

"Are you alright?" Marcus asked taking her hands in his. They felt soft and warm despite the rain and blustery breeze. "I see you've been using the balm," he added when she only offered a smile.

"Yes," she replied. "Selene is rather adept at making tonics and potions."

Justin and Lenard walked on ahead. Though his coat was damp, Marcus shrugged out of it and draped it over Anna's shoulders.

"Thank you." This time, Anna's smile reached her eyes, and she threaded her arm through his. "Selene is in love with you. That's what all of this has been about."

"In love with me?" Marcus gasped. "Surely not."

Anna hugged his arm. "She thought I would take you away, that she would lose you."

The woman had worked for him for three years, never giving him as much as a second glance. "She never said anything, never gave me the impression she cared."

"Women often keep their feelings hidden. But if one looks closely you will see it in their eyes, in the soft timbre they use when speaking to the object of their affection."

He glanced at her and their gazes locked. He saw it then: love, warmth, and tenderness. The depth of emotion in her eyes touched him.

"But I do not believe Selene truly loves you," she added.

Marcus snorted. "And why is that?"

"When you love someone with all your heart and soul, you do not do things to hurt them." She clung onto him as a sudden gust of wind almost knocked them off their feet. "Heavens, I shall be glad to be indoors."

"Tell me." He stopped and turned to face her. "What do you do when you love someone so deeply?"

She smiled. "You show compassion and understanding, even though you've spent long terrifying hours wondering if you'll live to see the sun rise. You put aside your negative feelings, safe in the knowledge you have something beautiful blossoming in your heart."

Was she telling him she loved him?

Marcus felt his throat constrict. The pain of regret, of never saying the words he knew filled his chest was too much to bear. It suddenly occurred to him that he was scared. Good Lord! He was scared of losing her. He was scared of loving anyone. He was scared of being a constant disappointment.

Fear was his enemy — the only thing standing in the way of true happiness.

As his boots sank into the moist sand, as the wind howled around their ears and the rain pelted their faces, he made the sudden decision to offer her his heart.

"I never meant to betray you," he said pulling her into an embrace. "I don't give a damn about Miss Beaufort or Dane or some silly cottage in Marlow. I wrote the letter because I care about you. For no other reason than that."

Anna looked up at him and put her hand on his cheek. "I know. A few hours in a tomb full of corpses has taught me to appreciate what truly matters."

"Then I am forgiven?"

She nodded. "You're forgiven."

"If it helps, I shall write a letter of apology to Miss Beaufort. I would not want her to think ill of you when you do not deserve her disdain."

"It is of no consequence. She loves Lord Danesfield, and if he's still looking for her after all this time, then he obviously loves her, too. I am confident all will be well."

They were silent for a moment, and he brushed the straggling tendrils from her face.

"And what of us, Anna?" He sounded nothing like himself: the vulnerability in his voice was foreign to him.

She shrugged and offered a coy smile. "I don't know what you mean."

"Are you deliberately trying to make this difficult for me? Is this to be my punishment? To live with the torturous agony that comes with the anticipation of rejection."

Perhaps sensing his fear, knowing he had never been so unguarded with his feelings, she took the first courageous step. "Know this. You are the only man I have ever loved, the only man I would lay down my life for. I will take you any way I can have you, regardless of what you propose."

Marcus swallowed down the hard lump in his throat as he realised his life was worthless without her. "If that is how you feel, I propose we marry. I propose we live together in the monastery and farm the land."

A smile touched her lips, and he was not sure if it was a tear trickling down her cheek or a drop of rain. "So, now that I have soft hands again, you want me to start digging in the dirt?"

"I want you any way I can get you — rough, dirty, hot and bothered."

Offering a sultry smirk, she raised a brow and said, "Is that another proposal, Mr. Danbury?"

"No, Miss Sinclair, it's a promise." He pulled her close, devoured her mouth in a kiss that expressed everything he felt in his heart. "I love you, Anna," he said as he broke away.

And then her tears did fall.

Epilogue

Three months later

Anna found Marcus behind the desk in the chapter house. "You rose early this morning."

After waking to find the bed empty, she knew her husband would be eager to finish balancing the ledgers. His current assignment had nothing to do with trailing after smugglers or hiding the mistress of a bawdy house away in an old monastery.

Marcus raised a sinful brow. "Trust me. I had to drag myself away from your warm body. I'm surprised you didn't hear me groan. But I'm eager to ensure the stone walls are reinforced to prevent us losing any more livestock."

Since making the decision to farm the land, Marcus had thrown himself into the project with the same level of passion and determination he did all things. A smile touched her lips when she recalled experiencing the depth of his passion just a few hours earlier.

"I thought you'd be busy scrawling away with pen and ink," she said noting the letter in his hand, "pushing wooden beads back and forth on that counting device of yours."

"I was, but then I became a little distracted when I realised the letter was from Tristan."

"Tristan!" She could not hide her excitement. "How is he? Was he shocked to hear of our marriage?"

Marcus shook his head. "Not at all. Tristan believes it was a case of love at first sight. Or love at first slap to be more precise. He said he will never forget the look on my face when your palm connected with my cheek."

"Neither will I," she began a little sheepishly. "I never mentioned it before, but I could still see the outline of my fingers on your face an hour later."

"I think you have a fondness for slapping." His mouth curled up into a devilish grin, and when his eyes flashed with desire, the warm feeling in her chest journeyed southward. "From what I remember of last night, my buttocks—"

"Yes, yes," she interjected as her cheeks grew warm, too. "I was there. I do not need you to remind me."

"On second thoughts, perhaps the stone walls can wait." He rubbed his chin as his gaze drifted over her. "Perhaps I did get out of bed too early this morning."

With her heart all aflutter, Anna nodded to the leather wingback chair. "Then I shall leave you so you may catch an hour's sleep."

"I think we both know I did not have
sleep
in mind."

How could she resist the tempting offer when he spoke with such a rich, languorous drawl? But she chose to use the moment to her advantage, to give her the courage to broach the subject she had been mulling over for days.

"Before we retire to our chamber," she said in as seductive a tone as she could muster, "I would like to discuss another proposal."

Marcus placed the letter on the desk, sat back in the chair and crossed his arms behind his head. "A proposal? Now I am intrigued. Does it involve slapping?"

Anna thrust her hands on her hips. "Be serious for a moment." She sighed. "When I gave you my great-aunt's brooch—"

"Your great-aunt? You never mentioned it was a genuine family heirloom. I assumed—"

"What? That one of the randy lords bribed me with a gift?"

"Well ... I didn't realise it meant so much to you." He put his hand to his chest. "I find it rather flattering that you chose to give it to me."

"It is of no consequence now as you have given it back to me. But at the time, I thought you needed the money to find another vocation. And you didn't have to agree to take me in, despite the debt you owed to Lord Danesfield."

"You mean you took one look at my relaxed attire and decided I must be debt-ridden."

"Yes. But now I know I was mistaken, and you've smartened up considerably since we've been married." She swallowed deeply. It was best to get it over with. "Now, returning to the matter of my proposal, I would like to take a trip to England."

Marcus shot out of the chair. "England? Why the hell would you want to go back there?"

Anna knew he would not be pleased. "Because I would like to use the money I saved from Labelles and invest it. I would like to open a refuge for women who find themselves alone and with no prospects. I could provide an education. Give them a room until they find employment."

Marcus stared at her, his expression blank, his eyes vacant.

She hoped he would understand. During the few months they had spent together, he had spoken fondly of his mother. But the guilt he had for leaving her to fend for herself still ate away at him.

"If there had been such a place when I came to London, perhaps I would not have met Victor."

"The irony is, had you not met Victor you would never have met me."

He was right, of course. That one horrendous situation had led her straight to Marcus' door.

"I thought you loved it here?" he added. A look of doubt and fear marred his countenance.

"I do, and I would never want to leave permanently. I thought of employing someone to manage the refuge for me. I could interview for the position."

Marcus strode around the desk, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her softly on the mouth. "How can I refuse your request? Had there been such a place for women like my mother then perhaps things would have been different."

Thank heavens.

Anna placed her hand on his chest. Despite his calm tone, his heart was beating hard against her palm. "I know you have so much you want to do here, but Andre and Selene will manage things while you're away."

"You do want me to come with you then?"

He sounded like a little boy lost, and she stood on the tips of her toes to return his tender kiss. "I never want to be without you. Besides, Andre has been looking for an opportunity to prove himself worthy. He is so grateful to us for giving Selene a second chance, and now they plan to marry he could use the extra income."

"It seems you have thought of everything. You do realise my return will be met with a mixed response. Once people discover we are wed, I expect the gossips will claim it to be a great scandal."

Anna smirked. "The illegitimate son of an earl marrying the madam of a bawdy house, why should there be any scandal?"

"You may find it amusing, but people can be cruel."

She had experienced the worst kind of cruelty. Nothing else would ever compare. "Marcus, I don't care what people say about us. We know the truth."

He exhaled deeply. "Very well. Thankfully, you have made my task much easier."

Anna stepped back and frowned. "What task?"

"I, too, was about to propose a short trip to England. Tristan has asked us to visit him in Bedfordshire and I feared you would say no."

"Why didn't you say so before?"

Marcus nodded to the desk. "I've only just opened it. Apparently, he's had a hell of a time of it these last two months and begs for us to come."

"Well," she said with a satisfied sigh. "That's all settled then."

"Not quite. I believe there is the matter of my original proposal to address."

By the lascivious look on his face, Anna did not need to ask what he meant. "You'll have to remind me. With all this talk of England, my mind is a little hazy."

Marcus pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her until her body tingled, delved deep into her mouth until her head felt fuzzy and she was forced to clutch at his shoulders for fear of falling. "Do you remember now? Is your mind any clearer?"

Anna tried to catch her breath. She felt the loss of his hard body as he left her to lock the door. "What … what are you doing?"

Pushing the papers off his desk onto the floor, he settled his hands on her waist and lifted her up to sit on the uncluttered surface. "I am following your advice. When we met, you said one must make the most of any opportunity presented."