Mrs. Hawthorne beamed. “What brings you here in such a hurry, Stapleton?”
“My companion.”
“My companion now.” Mrs. Hawthorne smiled at Gillian fondly. “What you do not want, I will gladly take off your hands, your grace.”
“It was my eldest daughter who claimed I didn’t want her.” He sidestepped his neighbor and loomed over Gillian. “I do want you, Gillian. Very much.”
Gillian froze. “Your grace?”
“My love,” he whispered, bringing his fingers up to caress her burning cheeks. He bent further, until his lips hovered inches over hers. “Last night was the beginning for us, not the end. Don’t go. I love you with all my heart.”
He paused a moment while she processed that news, and then he crushed her mouth under his in a devastating kiss that left Gillian without any doubt of his sincerity.
They were not alone!
Mrs. Hawthorne swooned, stumbling back against the nearest wall to gape and gasp.
Gillian clutched Nicolas for support, giddy with shock and hope. He bound her tight against his chest and lifted her feet from the floor. “Never, ever, ever, ever believe any of my children know my plans before you do.”
“But Jessica?”
He smiled. “Will go to London with us when the house party ends, if you agree to marry me by special license as soon as possible.”
“I…”
“Don’t tell me you don’t love me, now that I’ve gone and ruined your chances of employment with Mrs. Hawthorne.” He glanced at his neighbor. “Sorry about that. Perhaps you should sit down.”
Mrs. Hawthorne was already against the wall and, at his suggestion, slid to the marble floor, oblivious that her gown had risen above her knees and revealed her shapely legs.
Nicolas turned his warm and wicked face to Gillian and kissed her quickly again. “You love me. I know you do.”
Gillian studied his face. So many things about his behavior suddenly made sense. His determination to protect her reputation, his insatiable desire, and his behavior the last time they’d made love. He’d wanted to talk, but she’d distracted him with kisses and then hid from him ever since. Armed with self-doubt and Rebecca’s false information, Gillian hadn’t given him a chance to speak his mind or his heart.
She held his gaze and then brought her hand to his dear face. “Heaven help me, I do love you.”
He winked. “Then without further ado…”
He set her down and sank to one knee, took her hand in his and smiled up at her. “Darling Gillian, would you make me the happiest of men by accepting me as your husband? I promise to devote my life to making you happy, and I assure you my first appointment when we arrive in London is to have my solicitor draft a marriage contract that will ensure you will never have to raise another man’s child as your own again.”
She beamed at him. “I was very happy standing in for Jessica’s mother all these past months.”
“Then say yes, and become her mother in truth.” He rose. “Let me love you for all the days of my life. I cannot bear the thought of ever losing you.”
Gillian sobbed and raised her hand to his face. She had never heard such a sweet sound as Nicolas pleading for her love and hand in marriage. “Yes, Nicolas. I would be so happy to marry you.”
Epilogue
“Remember not to get too comfortable.” Nicolas squeezed Gillian’s fingers one last time, stepped from the traveling carriage, and then turned to help his wife out. He kissed her fingers before he let her go.
Gillian looked around, grinning from ear to ear. “I have missed this place,” she told him.
“We all have,” Jessica said dryly, falling into place beside Gillian and looking around the grounds with a critical eye. “It’s good to be back where we belong.”
“We are going back to London once I’ve dealt with the situation,” he warned his daughter. This was only to be a brief respite from the delights and rigors of the London season.
Jessica sighed. “I wish we could just stay here forever instead.”
“And leave your new friends to face the perils of the marriage mart alone?” Gillian chided. “You’d never desert them in their time of need. Besides, there is no one better at driving away unwanted suitors than you with your talk of fungus.”