“Nothing else matters except making things right between us, and showing you with every day that I’m given how much I love you, need you, want you with me always.” His words tripped over themselves as he rushed on. “Once a man has that, everything will fall into place as it was always meant to.”
“Oh, Andrew.” Her mind reeled. “I never thought you’d say such things, that you would make your way to this point.” He hadn’t exploded with anger, nor had he suffered an attack, when by all rights he should have. “I don’t know what to say.” The change was there, and it overwhelmed her.
“I realize I’ll have to work at it and that I’ll most likely fail at times.”
“We all will.”
“But with your help I’ll succeed.” His eyes shone. With a wicked grin that promised equally wicked things in the future, he sank to one knee in the mud and muck, despite the rain and the servants who gawked at them. “Lady Hadleigh, will you promise to remain married to me, now and all the days of our lives?”
Tears sprang into her eyes. Her heart squeezed and overflowed with the love and affection she’d come to have for him. With a shaking hand, she drew her gloved fingers through his sopping hair. “I will.” The urge to laugh welled in her chest, but instead, tears fell to her cheeks. “Oh, please get up.” She tugged at his arm.
“Thank you.” Once he’d stood, the drivers clapped and uttered catcalls, all of which he ignored, but he hadn’t lost his grin as he looked at her. “My God, I love you.” Before she could move or say anything, he caught her up into his arms and claimed her lips in a series of long, drugging kisses that had her mind spinning, her pulse racing, and heated tingles circling through her insides.
When she pulled away to breathe, she touched his cheek. “Thank you for coming back early. I missed you but was stubborn and hurt. I needed to go away before you returned because my heart was breaking. And I thought you would never love me.”
“I’m sorry.” His hands at her waist tightened. “Forgive me.”
“Only if you do the same for me. I was wrong, wasn’t thinking clearly.” She shook her head. “Then everything happened so fast. The coach fell over, we were in the water… I didn’t want to die before bearing you this child…” Oh, drat. She hadn’t meant to reveal that so soon without confirmation, but she was allowed to be overwrought just now.
“What?” His eyes rounded with shock as his lips formed a perfect “O” to match.
Suddenly self-conscious, Sarah cleared her throat as her cheeks burned. “Perhaps we should discuss this matter once we’re home and in private.”
As if he were a man trapped in a dream, Andrew nodded. He moved slowly, the shock firmly in place throughout his expression as he turned to address the men behind him. “Everyone in this coach. Someone tell poor Tilly that we’ll need to go around to the next bridge, but once we’re over, we’ll come and retrieve her and the driver.” He held out a hand to Sarah. “Come, countess. We’re going home.”
Home. The word shivered down her spine. For the first time in years, she had someplace where she felt like she belonged, and it was all due to the man she’d married.
*
A fleeting, gentletouch on her face nudged Sarah awake. The dark interior of the coach hadn’t changed since they’d left the scene of the accident, but now the door had been thrown open and the servants had disembarked. For the moment, she was alone with her husband.
“Have we arrived?” When she lifted her head from his shoulder, her muscles protested the movement. Her clothes were damp and cold in places, stiff in others, and they both stunk of mud and creek muck. A quick look out one of the windows showed soft golden light illuminating nearly every window at Hadleigh Hall.
“We have.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Let’s get you inside.” His baritone, in that thrilling whisper, had the power to see her undone. Before she could respond, he stood and then vaulted to the ground, turning to offer her a hand. “You’ll need a proper rest.”
“I’m fine, truly.” His hands at her waist sent warmth into her cold extremities, but her feet had barely touched the gravel drive when he scooped her up into his arms and carried her toward the front door. Water spots marred her spectacle lenses.
“Dalton! Mrs. Hastings!” His shouts rang in her ears, but she hung onto his shoulders and snickered at his assertiveness. “There’s been an accident,” he said, the second he came into the entry hall and the butler scrambled through the corridor. “Please arrange a hot bath for both Lady Hadleigh and myself. Post haste!” he shouted while the housekeeper met him at the grand staircase. “We can’t have Her Ladyship catching a cold,” he told the older woman with a grin that caused Sarah’s heart to sing. “She’s carrying a babe,” he said as if imparting the greatest secret ever known to mankind.
“At once, my lord,” Mrs. Hastings said with a surprised smile and a glance at her.
Sarah shrugged. There was no point in denying it now that he’d blurted out the news. The household would hear of it within minutes. “Do hush, Andrew. How embarrassing.”
He merely winked as he carried her upstairs like she weighed nothing at all.
An hour later, Sarah sighed. Her bathwater had cooled, but the warmth of it had seeped into her body and chased away the chill from the rain.
“Best come out of there, my lady,” Tilly advised as she entered the room holding a dressing gown of red silk embroidered with gold thread in the Chinese style. “Your fingers will prune. No doubt you’re exhausted.”
“I was, but right now, I’m wide awake.” She stood in the bath and used a soft towel that had been draped over the end of the tub to quickly dry her skin. “I suppose that’s what a near-death experience will do for a person.” While she’d soaked, one of the maids had polished her spectacle lenses while another had whisked her soiled and ruined clothing out of the room. As she stepped out of the tub and allowed Tilly to wrap her in the beautiful dressing gown, she sighed again. Such luxury. Would she ever become acclimated to it?
“If you’re hungry, I can ring for a tray. Perhaps some tea?” Tilly led the way into the attached room where the bedclothes had already been turned down. A single candle burned on the nightstand.
“Not yet, but no doubt I’ll find a nice appetite in the morning.” What she wanted more than anything was to see her husband, to assure herself that he hadn’t suffered injury. To hold him in her arms while she digested the events of the evening.
“Very well, my lady. I’ll tuck you in then?”
The sound of a masculine throat being cleared at the door had them both looking in Andrew’s direction. The earl wore a dressing gown similar to hers, except his was midnight blue. And, oh goodness, he was so handsome!