She laughed at the urgency and the eagerness that came from him but Sebastian could not wait another moment before he asked her. Their fingers intertwined as he held his breath, seeing her smile tenderly up at him.
“Of course, I shall marry you,” she said, with such a joy to her voice that Sebastian felt himself practically burst with happiness. “Just as soon as we can set the date.”
Even though the carriage was a little unsteady, Sebastian leaned forward, his hands on Lady Callander’s waist and his knees practically on the floor of the carriage as he tried to kiss her. She laughed at the awkwardness of it but slid her arms about his neck as he lowered his head, their lips finally meeting.
It was as though the stars had fallen from the sky and had landed all around them, as if the fragrance of the roses in Hyde Park had come to fill the carriage. Sebastian felt his heart overflow, his delight and joy solely in knowing that Lady Callander loved him as he loved her. They had endured a very difficult circumstance, had found the truth of it and now all that was left was to cling to each other and to the hopeful promise that was now to be theirs.
“I will love you with all that I have and all that I am, for the rest of my days,” he told her, as she brushed one hand down the side of his face. “I give you my pledge from this day on.”
“As I will love you,” she told him, the promise in her eyes flooding him with a fresh wave of love that Sebastian knew would never leave him, holding him fast until the end of his days.