But he had talked of setting her free, and he’d wanted to give her family back to her. None of this meant what she had believed at first.
‘I’m not sure that my father deserves your clemency,’ she said carefully. ‘He has schemed against you—plotted...’
‘Oh, I’ll be keeping a very close eye on him from now on,’ Alexei assured her. ‘For one thing I never want you to have to deal with him again. If he tries to interfere in your life then he will have to answer to me. Though I know you’ll be able to stand up to him for yourself from now on. And I think the fear that he might have lost your mother will be punishment enough. Love can do that to you.’
Love? That word again.
‘I should know,’ Alexei went on.
I loved once—adored her... Lost her.
‘Belle...’
Alexei nodded sombrely, his eyes still fixed on her face so that she could read his feelings in his expression. And those thoughts made her heart contract on a wave of painful hope. Because the look on his face now as he looked at her was the same as when he had stared down at the little snapshot of Belle, the person he had loved most in all the world.
‘It broke my heart to lose her. I never thought I’d feel that way again—about anyone. But this morning when you said that I’d trapped you, I knew I was risking losing you when I forced you into marriage.’
‘For the good of the country and because you wanted me.’
She could risk saying that much. Did she dare to take it any further? He had wanted to set her free. Surely that was the act of a man who...
‘And I wanted you every bit as much.’ Her voice jumped and cracked as she forced herself to add more. ‘I always have. I still do.’
Alexei lifted his hands, cupping her face in both of them, his lips just a breath away from hers.
‘Forgive me for tonight. I tried to let you go, but I couldn’t. But I thought it was worth one last try to show you that I love you and to...’
‘Alexei.’ Ria’s hand came up to press against his mouth, stilling the rest of his words. She didn’t need to hear any more. ‘You love me?’
He nodded his dark head, his intent gaze never leaving hers.
‘I love you. With all my heart—the heart I thought was dead when I lost little Belle. But you’ve brought it back to life again. You’ve brought me back to life. But I don’t want to trap you. I don’t want you here if it’s not where you want to be. I’ll set you free if that’s what you truly want but—’
Once more she stopped his words, but this time with a wildly joyful kiss that crushed them back inside his mouth.
‘That’s not what I want,’ she whispered against his lips. ‘What I want—all I want—is right here, right now. In you.’
He closed his eyes in response to her words and she felt him draw in a deep, deep breath of release and acceptance.
‘I love you,’ she told him, needing to say the words, glorying in the freedom of being able to speak them out loud at last.
‘And I love you. More than I can say.’
She didn’t doubt it. She couldn’t. She could hear it reverberate in his deep tones, in the faint tremble of the hands that held her face. It was there in his eyes, in the set of his mouth, etched into every strong muscle of his face. This was the only truth, the absolute truth. And it made her heart sing in pure joy.
‘Can we start again, please?’ she whispered, making each word into a kiss against his mouth. ‘And if that proposal is still open...’
‘It is.’ It was just a sigh.
‘Then I accept—freely and gladly—and lovingly. I’d be so happy to marry you and stay with you for the rest of my life.’
She was gathered up into his arms, clamped so close against his chest that she could hear the heavy, hungry pounding of his heart and knew it was beating for her. The kiss he gave her made her senses swim, her legs lose all strength so that she clung to him urgently, needing him, loving him, and knowing deep in her soul that he would always be there for her now and in the future.
It was some time before a noise from outside reminded them that everyone who had come here to attend the ball was still waiting. A thousand people, waiting to discover just what her reply had been to his proposal. Glancing towards the door, Alexei looked deep into her face and smiled rather ruefully.
‘Our guests are getting impatient. We should let them in again. Let them share in our celebrations.
‘But,’ he added as Ria nodded her agreement, ‘This will be the official celebration. The time for our private celebration will come later. I promise you that I’ll make it very, very special.’
And the depth of his tone, the way he still held her close, reluctant to let go even for a moment, told Ria that it was a promise not just for tonight but for the rest of their lives together.