A Christmas Courtship (24 page)

Blanche’s fingers closed over the stem of the holly and she gazed down at the man she loved so very much, then she bent to kiss him softly on the lips. She closed her eyes, her whole body aching with love, then she straightened again. There were tears on her cheeks as she slowly left the bedside to sit on a chair by the fire, leaning her head wearily back.

The firelight danced in her gray eyes and shone with copper lights on her silver-blond hair as she gazed at the garlands of ivy, mistletoe, fir, and laurel festooned along the mantelpiece. The most wonderful Christmas ever? How could that possibly be? Athena’s scornful voice echoed in her head.
Did you know you were the subject of a wager? He said that you would not succumb to his advances until the new year, but I was sure you ‘d surrender before Christmas
. Were those the words of a spiteful, defeated lover? Or was there a grain of truth in them? How could
someone
as insignificant as Blanche Amberley hope to win a man like Major-General Sir Edmund Brandon? Oh, he’d told her he held her in high regard, and there had been times when he’d treated her with undue tenderness, but she knew nothing of what was really in his heart. He was a man of the world,
experienced
, confident, and possessed of the sort of looks and charm that would lure any bird from any tree, so why should she be anything other than the passing diversion Athena claimed?

Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. The minutes passed, and the warmth of the fire enveloped her as she drifted into a dreamless sleep, exhausted after all that had happened in the past few days.

Half an hour went by, and still she slept, but Sir Edmund began to stir on the bed. His eyes flickered and opened, and he
turned his head to look at the clock on the mantelpiece. He saw her, and for a long moment he gazed at her, taking in every detail of her face and hair, and the demure but becoming gray gown she wore.

Slowly he sat up, wincing as he became aware of the bruises on his head. Tentatively he touched the bandage, and then pulled it off, for if there was one thing he could not endure it was a bandage around his head. Then he ran his fingers through his hair, looking at Blanche again before getting from the bed and going to her.

He bent over the chair, reaching down to put his fingertips gently to her cheek. She didn’t move, and he smiled a little. ‘Blanche?’ he whispered.

She stirred and looked up at him, her gray eyes large and confused for a moment. Then she gave a swift gasp and rose to her feet. ‘Sir Edmund, you shouldn’t have left the bed, you’re not well enough….’

‘I’m perfectly well, Blanche. A slight headache maybe, but no more than that.’

‘I’ll tell the others….’

He caught her hand. ‘No, don’t go just yet.’

She hesitated, and then turned slowly back to face him.

His blue eyes searched her pale face in the firelight. ‘I
remember
running toward Neville’s curricle, but then nothing more. What happened?’

She explained all about the accident, and about Roderick’s subsequent capture by the fishing house.

‘He’s in custody now?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

‘Where is Athena?’

She lowered her glance. ‘She left some time ago, Sir Edmund.’

‘I suppose that was inevitable, given the circumstances,’ he murmured. Then he put a hand to her chin, turning her face toward him. ‘Why are you here now, Blanche? Why haven’t you gone home to your father?’

‘I-I had to see that you were all right.’

‘My valet could have done that.’

She drew away from him. ‘I wished to do it myself, Sir
Edmund. After all, this has all happened because of my brother, and I feel….’

‘Obliged?’ he finished for her. ‘Is that what you were going to say?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘Then what? Why have you remained here watching over me, Blanche?’ His thumb caressed her skin.

‘Because….’ But she couldn’t say it, she couldn’t confess her love, she was too afraid of rejection. Even now, when his eyes were so warm and dark, and she trembled at his touch, she was afraid to bare her soul to him.

‘Oh, Blanche, it’s time for one of us to be honest about all this, and I am prepared to be that one. Last Friday … dear God, was it only last Friday that you entered my life as if for the first time?’ He gave a brief, incredulous laugh, and then began again. ‘Last Friday, I walked into the dining room of the Saracen’s Head, and my life was changed beyond redemption. I saw the woman I was to marry behaving like the ill-tempered, conniving shrew she really is, and I saw you, Blanche, a woman I’d hitherto believed I disliked, standing up to my unpleasant bride-to-be with such admirable spirit that I could not help but be impressed by you. My eyes were opened, not only to the truth about Athena, but also to the fact that you were everything I wished, and everything Athena could never be. From the the moment I looked into your eyes again, I wanted you, Blanche. I desired you so much that the mere thought of you was a torment. I knew I had no right to feel as I did about you, and I resolved to stifle all emotion where you were concerned, but fate forced me into your company time and time again, and on each occasion I was left wanting you more than the time before. I should have been stronger, I should have resisted all temptation, but I couldn’t, and I was guilty of saying and doing things which no man of honor should have done. I was supposed to be marrying Athena, but when I held her, it was you that I embraced, and when I kissed her, yours were the lips I tasted. She was right to accuse me of desiring you, but wrong to think it was only desire, for I loved you too.’

Blanche stared at him, and Athena’s spiteful parting words
fled into the wintry night. An incredible joy was all around her, and she felt as if the world had stopped. ‘Do you really mean what you say?’ she whispered.

He took her face in his hands. ‘How can you doubt it? Can’t you hear it in my voice? I adore you, Blanche, and I need you. There isn’t anything I can do to cast you out of my heart, for you’ve taken possession. You are everything in the world, and beyond, and I don’t want to be parted from you for so much as a moment. Now look into my eyes and deny if you can that you love me too.’

‘I love you with all my heart,’ she said softly, ‘and I think that I loved you from that moment in the Saracen’s Head, although I didn’t know it. But I know it now – oh, how I know it now. You’ve filled my thoughts constantly from the time you entered that dining room, and although I didn’t want to love you, I couldn’t help myself. But I didn’t think you could possibly love me, not when you had someone like….’

‘Athena? How can you possibly compare yourself
unfavorably
with someone like that? Oh, my darling, you’re worth a thousand Athenas.’ He pulled her close, his arms enclosing her in an embrace that was both tender and aflame with passion. His lips moved ardently over hers, inviting a response that she was powerless to resist. Nor did she want to resist, for it was ecstasy to be in his arms. The sprig of holly was still in her hand as she linked her arms around his neck to return the kiss.

He drew back, his face warm with love. ‘I want you to be my wife, Blanche. I want you to be mistress of this house again. You told me only today that you were to have been betrothed on Christmas Day, and so it still must be, except that your finger will be graced by
my
ring, not Mortimer’s. And the Amberley pendant must adorn your wedding gown when I bring you back here, where you belong. I’ll make love to you here in this room, and you’ll be the most cherished and desired of brides, I promise you that. Make all this come true, Blanche. Say you’ll marry me.’

‘Yes. Oh, yes,’ she whispered, and as he kissed her again, the sprig of holly fell from her fingers. There was no doubting it now, this would be the most wonderful Christmas ever.

Also by Jeannie Machin
and soon to be published:
LADY SABRINA’S SECRET

Beautiful young widow Deborah Marchant came to Bath on a desperate mission. Her brother Richard stood accused of seduction and theft. Only Deborah could clear his name by unmasking his accuser, Lady Ann Appleby, and finding his love, the lady of mystery named Sabrina. But Deborah’s search was blocked at every turn by the formidable figure of Rowen Sinclair the domineering Duke of Gretton.

Deborah had but one way to unravel the shroud of secrets surrounding her’missing brother Somehow she had to gain the upper hand over this maddening, masterful man who used women as his playthings – while she tried to keep him from getting a hold on her heart….