Read Online Cavendish Brothers 01 - An Unintended Journey by Catherine Gayle - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Catherine Gayle
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intimately.
“ What are you doing?” she sobbed. “Please, Wesley.” She pushed against him a final time and then she collapsed against him, crying on his shoulder and leaving a wet spot on his greatcoat. He could do nothing but hold her until the tempest subsided.
So he held her, and stroked her hair, and whispered soothing words in her ear, and rained kisses along her cheeks and forehead, and told her again and again that he loved her more than life itself and would until the day he died.
Finally, slowly, her tears slowed to a trickle and her sobs changed from wracking heaves to mere whimpers.
Wesley kissed one of her eyelids, his lips coming away covered in hot, salty wetness that rapidly cooled on his lips in the chill air. “I love you, Abby,” he said again, then kissed the other. “I love you. I love you so much it hurts me to see you hurting. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me. Please say you’ll marry me in the morning.”
She hiccupped. Then she sniffed. Abby looked up at him with a queer expression, blinked, and then blinked again. “What did you just say?”
“ Marry me, Abby. Please, do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
*
She couldn’t possibly have just heard him correctly. It sounded like he was asking her to marry him, but he was supposed to marry one of the Duke of Danby’s granddaughters in order to appease his brother. Abby stared at him, studying the depth of emotion in his eyes. They were no longer the cold, hardened, intractable eyes he’d had since his return. They were vivid and bright, and he implored her with them. He truly meant it. There could be no mistaking the ardor of his gaze.
“ Are you addled?” she finally asked. “You have to marry one of the duke’s granddaughters or your brother—”
“ I know this is all relatively new to you, but you are one of his granddaughters.”
Abby chuckled, a hollow, mirthless sound. “Technically speaking, yes, I suppose I am. There is no doubting that nose, after all. But legally…”
“ Whether you’re considered his granddaughter in the eyes of the law or not doesn’t matter. Tristan was sure that Danby would deny you or he never would have agreed to it, but he only insisted that His Grace must acknowledge you publicly. Danby intends to do that, and more.”
She shook her head, her jaw hanging slack. “But in his study…” Abby closed her eyes, befuddled and disgruntled, and trying to sort it all out in her head. “He only asked me such odd questions about whether I intended to have children, Wesley. Why on earth would he decide to acknowledge me?”
“ Because you said you would have children. It seems he’s desperate to have great-grandchildren running about. Indeed, he’s ordered each and every one of his wayward grandchildren to return home for Christmas so he can marry as many of them off as possible.” Wesley drew her closer to him, snuggling her against his warmth, which seeped through her all the way to her very bones. Only then did Abby realize how cold she’d become. “You didn’t hear it from me, but I believe he has a stack of special licenses sitting on his desk, just waiting on their arrival. For whatever reason, he even had a blank one.”
“ A blank one?” Abby didn’t think such a thing possible, yet it all started to come together in her mind. Wesley had asked her to marry him— tomorrow morning. “Are you saying…?”
“ Yes. He wants us to marry in the morning. Here, at Danby Castle.” He took her hand and led her through the archway, so that they stood in one of the grand walkways, under cover from the snow. “He’s granted you a dowry, and he wishes for us to live in one of his smaller estates here in Yorkshire.”
Abby stood there, staring at him for what felt an eternity. She could scarcely believe it was all happening. Oh, sure…she’d dreamed of it for as long as she could remember, but it had been many years since she’d allowed herself to believe such dreams
“ What are you doing?” she sobbed. “Please, Wesley.” She pushed against him a final time and then she collapsed against him, crying on his shoulder and leaving a wet spot on his greatcoat. He could do nothing but hold her until the tempest subsided.
So he held her, and stroked her hair, and whispered soothing words in her ear, and rained kisses along her cheeks and forehead, and told her again and again that he loved her more than life itself and would until the day he died.
Finally, slowly, her tears slowed to a trickle and her sobs changed from wracking heaves to mere whimpers.
Wesley kissed one of her eyelids, his lips coming away covered in hot, salty wetness that rapidly cooled on his lips in the chill air. “I love you, Abby,” he said again, then kissed the other. “I love you. I love you so much it hurts me to see you hurting. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me. Please say you’ll marry me in the morning.”
She hiccupped. Then she sniffed. Abby looked up at him with a queer expression, blinked, and then blinked again. “What did you just say?”
“ Marry me, Abby. Please, do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
*
She couldn’t possibly have just heard him correctly. It sounded like he was asking her to marry him, but he was supposed to marry one of the Duke of Danby’s granddaughters in order to appease his brother. Abby stared at him, studying the depth of emotion in his eyes. They were no longer the cold, hardened, intractable eyes he’d had since his return. They were vivid and bright, and he implored her with them. He truly meant it. There could be no mistaking the ardor of his gaze.
“ Are you addled?” she finally asked. “You have to marry one of the duke’s granddaughters or your brother—”
“ I know this is all relatively new to you, but you are one of his granddaughters.”
Abby chuckled, a hollow, mirthless sound. “Technically speaking, yes, I suppose I am. There is no doubting that nose, after all. But legally…”
“ Whether you’re considered his granddaughter in the eyes of the law or not doesn’t matter. Tristan was sure that Danby would deny you or he never would have agreed to it, but he only insisted that His Grace must acknowledge you publicly. Danby intends to do that, and more.”
She shook her head, her jaw hanging slack. “But in his study…” Abby closed her eyes, befuddled and disgruntled, and trying to sort it all out in her head. “He only asked me such odd questions about whether I intended to have children, Wesley. Why on earth would he decide to acknowledge me?”
“ Because you said you would have children. It seems he’s desperate to have great-grandchildren running about. Indeed, he’s ordered each and every one of his wayward grandchildren to return home for Christmas so he can marry as many of them off as possible.” Wesley drew her closer to him, snuggling her against his warmth, which seeped through her all the way to her very bones. Only then did Abby realize how cold she’d become. “You didn’t hear it from me, but I believe he has a stack of special licenses sitting on his desk, just waiting on their arrival. For whatever reason, he even had a blank one.”
“ A blank one?” Abby didn’t think such a thing possible, yet it all started to come together in her mind. Wesley had asked her to marry him— tomorrow morning. “Are you saying…?”
“ Yes. He wants us to marry in the morning. Here, at Danby Castle.” He took her hand and led her through the archway, so that they stood in one of the grand walkways, under cover from the snow. “He’s granted you a dowry, and he wishes for us to live in one of his smaller estates here in Yorkshire.”
Abby stood there, staring at him for what felt an eternity. She could scarcely believe it was all happening. Oh, sure…she’d dreamed of it for as long as she could remember, but it had been many years since she’d allowed herself to believe such dreams
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