There was someone in his bed.
“Juliet?”
She stirred, and he gathered she had been asleep. Her hair was unbound, the dark mass of it gleaming in the light from the candle that Truscott had left burning for him. Thank God he had told his valet he would not be needed tonight.
“Juliet? What are you doing here?”
He took a step closer and suddenly she was wide awake. Her gaze fixed on him and she half sat up, and that was when he realised that once again his beloved wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.
Chapter Fourteen
Midsummer Eve, 1816, Crevitch Castle, Somerset
It was while she lay tossing and turning in her bed in the Blue Room that Juliet had made her decision. There had been enough words, and besides, she and Ash always seemed to be at cross purposes, or else one of them ended up saying goodbye and walking out. Most unsatisfactory. This time she would act, not speak, and see where that got her.
If Ash truly loved her, then he would tell her so now. And if he ordered her from his room then it really would be the end.
But she didn’t think he would do that. In fact, looking at the expression on his face, she was sure of it.
She snuggled down into his bed and smiled up at him. “Ash,” she said, her voice husky from sleep. “Where were you? I’ve been waiting for such a long time.”
“I’m sorry. If I had known you were waiting . . .” He came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her, looking as if he’d like to climb in with her, shoes and all. For a moment she wondered whether he would, but then she remembered that he liked to think he was a gentleman.
Pity.
“I’m here to tell you I’ve changed my mind,” she said, still watching him. There was a glow in his e
yes and she didn’t think it was the candlelight.
“Changed your mind about what, my love?” He reached to pick up a strand of her dark hair, winding it gently about his fingers.
“About you. You and me.”
“Hmm.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, gently, chastely.
She brushed her fingertips against his skin, admiring the strong line of his jaw, the handsome face that had visited her in her dreams, even when she stubbornly refused to think of him while she was awake. She was tempted to kiss his mouth, but she knew if she did that then all the words she’d been preparing to say would be forgotten.
And she very much wanted to say them.
Juliet moved back slightly to give herself some thinking space. “Ash, are you listening to me? This decision of mine has been weighing heavily on me and I . . . I thought I would come here tonight and tell you. Why were you so horrible to me?”
“I wasn’t trying to be horrible.” He bent to kiss her again, but she held up her hand to stop him. “Disappointment in love will do that to a man.”
“Have you been disappointed in love?” she asked him curiously. He had taken her hand in his and was kissing her fingertips, one by one. She felt quite breathless, watching him. “Ash?”
“Very disappointed. I believed you and Doctor Knowles were about to call the Banns.”
She stared at him in amazement. “But Ash, Doctor Knowles is married and very much in love with his wife!”
Ash shifted awkwardly, and she could tell he was embarrassed. “Perhaps I wasn’t thinking straight, but I got the impression you and the doctor were a pair. So I decided I should bow out. I was trying to do the right thing for once in my life. You haven’t been very happy up until now, Juliet, and I wanted you to find contentment.”
She stared up at him, taking in his words, making sense of them. “What about love?” she said finally. “I don’t love Doctor Knowles, how could I? I’ve never loved anyone but you.”
This time when he kissed her mouth she didn’t stop him. Their lips clung, lingered. “My dearest love,” he breathed, and lay down with her on the bed.
“I love you, only you,” she insisted, making room for him on the pillow. “I wanted to tell you that tonight, when I saw you in the Great Hall.”
He gave a shaky laugh. “And as soon as I saw you standing there, I wanted to pick you up and carry you here to my bed. That’s why I was so horrible to you, Juliet. I was trying to be a gentleman and show some restraint. I wanted you to be happy, and in return I was willing to be miserable for the rest of my life. I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”