When Love Is Enough (27 page)

Gabriel searched for Liddy. He found her adding her enthusiastic applause to the loud cheering in the room. She stood close to Lady Emmeline, and a moment before Culbertson reached them, she gave the marquess’s betrothed a warm embrace.

The room seemed fixed on the scene before them, watching the interaction between Lydia and Lady Emmeline with rapt attention.

When Culbertson reached them, he brought Liddy’s hand to his lips as a show of affection, then turned to his betrothed and took her into his arms.

The onlookers broke into thunderous applause.

"Follow me, Austin." Harrison patted the money in his pocket. "We have an appointment with the Duke of Chisolmwood and I don’t want to be late."

Lydia leaned against the low cement balustrade on the terrace and waited. The muffled roaring of excited voices still echoed from behind the patio doors as the guests offered their congratulations on Culbertson’s announcement. It had indeed been a shock to everyone.

Especially Gabriel.

She watched him as Culbertson made his announcement and recognized the restrained fury he kept from escaping. His years in the military had trained him to take charge of any situation, to accept nothing less than victory, so she knew how helpless he felt having to stand by while another man announced his engagement to her.

If the roles had been reversed, she wouldn’t have acted nearly so nobly.

Her breath caught and she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop the nervous laughter that wanted to escape. She couldn’t believe things had turned out the way they had. Only a few days ago she thought she was the one Culbertson would announce as his future wife. And last night in the dark, she’d told Gabriel goodbye for the last time. Until Culbertson saw her and told her his plan for both of them to escape a life separated from the person they loved.

God did indeed answer prayers, and the Marquess of Culbertson realized he was as loathe to spend the rest of his life apart from the person he truly loved as she was.

If everything went as Culbertson had planned, this would be the last time she’d ever have to go through a night like this.

She paced from one end of the flagstone terrace to the other, stopping before the open doors to listen for his footsteps. The longer she waited, the more anxious she grew. She clutched her fingers around the cement railing and—

The ballroom doors opened and excited voices from inside spilled into the nighttime silence. She took a deep breath in anticipation, then turned around when the determined thud of his cane hit the flagstones behind her.

"Have you finally come for me?" she asked.

"Yes, my lady. I’ve finally come for you. And I don’t intend to ever let you go again."

"Good." The tears she swore she wouldn’t shed ran down her cheeks and she quickly swiped them away.

He took several steps toward her and stopped when he reached her. "How long have you known Culbertson was going to announce Lady Emmeline’s name instead of yours?" he asked.

"Since last night."

"I see." He breathed a heavy sigh. "I should be exceedingly angry with you."

"You should?"

"Exceedingly. The torture you put me through took several valuable years off my life."

"I have suffered more," she said as a rebuttal. "Your discomfort doesn’t come close to matching the torture you put me through when you told me you didn’t love me and left me a year ago. Then when Austin brought you back more dead than alive. Then again when Jean-Paul returned with Austin and Geoffery but you weren’t with them. And once more when you delivered us safely aboard the
Silver Star
and we sailed without you. And last night when you told me good-bye a final time. When I tally the score, you owe me far more in years than I owe you."

He smiled. "Let it never be said that I don’t pay my debts. I intend to devote the rest of my life making up for my rudeness."

"You most assuredly will. I intend to make sure you do. You may start this moment."

He arched his brows in a devilish gesture. "Of course. What service may I offer?"

"You may begin by holding me."

"It would be my pleasure."

He gathered her in his arms and his warmth enveloped her. She sighed with relief. "How do you think Chisolmwood will take his son’s announcement?"

She heard his chuckle beneath her ear. "Publicly? Joyous elation."

"Privately?"

"I don’t know. Your brothers can fill us in on the riveting details when they return."

She lifted her head in alarm. "The money! Do they have the money to repay His Grace?"

"Yes. Culbertson sent Harrison the amount to pay their debt."

A heavy weight lifted from her. "Oh, it seems I’m more indebted to Lord Culbertson than I thought."

"We’re
all
indebted to him. Especially me." He placed his finger beneath her chin and lifted until her gaze locked with his. "I love you, Liddy."

"And I love you. I always have. But what I feel is more than love. It’s... it’s..."

He ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. "What do you feel, Liddy?"

She thought a moment then said the only word that came to her mind. "Consumed."

"Consumed by what?"

"Not what," she said. "By whom. By you." She nestled her face against his chest. "Do you know what it’s like to be consumed with thoughts of you day and night? It’s been more than a year since you walked away from me that first time and there hasn’t been a day— No, there hasn’t been an
hour
that I haven’t wondered what you were doing. Where you were. If someone else was taking care of you, talking to you, laughing with you..." She stopped and swallowed hard. "...holding you."

"You’re the only woman I’ll ever hold – day, night...anytime."

An errant tear spilled from her eye and she wrapped her arms around him and held tighter.

"Ah, Liddy. I love you so much I nearly died that first time I had to give you up. Then, I missed you so much I didn’t care if I came back from any of the missions I was sent on because what did it matter? Life wasn’t worth living if you weren’t a part of it."

"Oh, Gabriel."

He lowered his head and kissed her gently. "Do you know how I survived the trip to England from the Crimea? I survived because every day Austin told me when we got home you’d be waiting for me. I fought to stay alive so I could see you just once more. Then I fought to stay alive because I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you. And tonight..."

He held her close. "Tonight was the hardest of all. Standing there while I thought Culbertson intended to announce he was going to marry you.

"I searched the room, knowing if it were possible to steal you away, I’d do it. I love you, Liddy. More than I have a right to."

She cupped her palms against his cheeks and brought his mouth down to hers.

He lifted his lips from hers. "How soon will you marry me, Liddy?"

"Tonight?"

He laughed, then kissed her again.

Oh, she’d missed the feel of his arms around her and his lips against hers. Missed feeling the warmth of his body against hers and the surety of knowing she’d spend the rest of her life with a man who loved her as much as she loved him.

For her, love was enough. It always had been.

_______________

To my mom – who is the most special mom in the world. Thank you, Mom. I love you!

Also by Laura Landon

MORE THAN WILLING

SHATTERED DREAMS

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

WHEN LOVE IS ENOUGH

Copyright © 2010 by Laura Landon

First e-book edition

Print edition ISBN 978-0-9830741-1-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used in the context of another work of fiction without written permission of the author or Prairie Muse Publishing.

PRAIRIE MUSE PLATINUM

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Cover art by Prairie Muse

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