"Yesterday. I saw him at White's. I'd already arranged to send you the flowers."
His hand continued its slow stroking, soothing, subtly calming.
Alathea looked into the future, the future he was so swiftly carrying her into. "They'll miss me. Not just the family but the household-Crisp, Figgs and the rest."
The slow stroking continued. "We'll be close-only a few miles away. You'll be able to watch over them until Charlie takes a bride."
"I suppose…" After a moment, she added, "Nellie will come with me, of course, and Folwell. And Figgs is your housekeeper's sister, after all.
"Tweety's sister?"
"Hmm. So I'll certainly hear of any problems."
"We'll hear of any problems. I'll want to know, too."
She lifted her head to look into his face. "Will you?"
He trapped her gaze. "Anything that happens in your life from now on, I want to share."
She studied his eyes, read his feelings on the years gone by, on the question that would always be with him-could he have saved them those eleven years if he'd known, if he'd opened his eyes and truly looked at her?
She lifted her hand to his cheek. "I don't think anything serious will happen, not with both of us watching."
Stretching up, wantonly undulating in his embrace, she pressed her lips to his. He lifted her and settled her, stomach to ridged abdomen, then filled her mouth with caresses that stirred her to her toes.
She was simmering when he drew back. Brushing his lips across her forehead, he murmured, "I fantasized for weeks about having the countess reveal herself to me." His palms skimmed down her naked back to cup her bottom, making it abundantly clear just how forthcoming he'd wanted the countess to be.
"Are you disappointed?"
His hands closed possessively. He shifted her, then rocked his hips, his erection parting her curls, impressing her belly. Alathea caught her breath.
He chuckled. "The revelations I've suffered were better by far than any fantasy." She looked up; he trapped her gaze. "I love you." The words were simple and clear. He searched her eyes, then his lips relaxed. "And you love me. As revelations go, those are hard to beat."
Alathea tucked her head into the hollow of his shoulder so he couldn't see her eyes as the words slid through her, into her heart. After a moment, she sighed. "I still can't quite believe that our troubles are all over, that Crowley is dead. We don't need to worry about him anymore-I don't have to worry about the family's finances any more."
Abruptly, she stiffened and went to sit up; Gabriel restrained her. She lifted her head. "The notes! Charlie has ours, but all the rest… we left them in Chillingworth's carriage."
Gabriel started to stroke her again. "He'll send them around. Don't worry. Stop worrying. You've been worrying for the past eleven years. You don't need to worry about anything anymore."
Alathea subsided back into his arms. "That's not going to come easily, you know."
"I'm sure I can find any number of engrossing subjects with which to distract you."
"But you manage your own estate-there won't really be anything for me to do estate office-wise."
"You can help. We'll be partners."
"Partners?" The idea was strange enough to have her lifting her head to look into his face.
He continued to stroke her bare back. "Hmm."
She frowned. "I suppose…" Turning over, she settled comfortably, wrapping her arms over the hand he splayed over her waist. "I'll do the household accounts, of course. Or does your mother do those?"
"No-by all means, you can do them."
"And if you like, I can do the estate tallies. Or does your father do those?"
"Papa handed over the Manor estate to me two years ago. Neither he nor Mama is any longer involved."