She paused for a second and then gave a shake to her head. “I waited so long because I can’t always see what’s right in front of me.”
“I am right in front of ye and ye want tae leave me here.” He sounded gruffer than he intended
but she was confusing him with her sudden need to bolt away.
Slowly, she relaxed again. Vaguely he wondered what had been the matter but as she lay her head on his chest, he forgot to worry, content to have her against him. “Does it bother ye that I’ve never been with a woman?”
She lifted her head again. “No. Not at all. I like that we’ll discover together.”
He cupped her cheek, his hand giant compared with her delicate features. “Me too.”
She lay back down on his chest. “I do wish that we’d met under different circumstances. Not after so much loss. It made it more difficult for me to understand who you really were.”
He gave her a gentle squeeze. For him, the loss had only sharpened his understanding of what he needed but he understood her perspective. “We got there, lass. That’s all that matters.”
She lifted her head and gave him a tremulous smile. “I’m glad you think so. I do too.”
As she lay her cheek back down, she relaxed against him. With a sigh, she snuggled closer.
Within minutes, she’d fallen asleep and Stone lay in the grass for the longest time just listening to her breathe. She was finally his. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had upset her tonight. He just had no idea what it was.
Eliza woke in her own bed, not having a clue as to how she got there. Last she remembered, she’d been snuggled against Stone. Had he really been able to carry here up here without waking her?
Lord have mercy, that man was strong.
It was almost inhuman. But that thought made her wince. Not devilish…he was more like a great Roman god. And she’d managed to become engaged to such a man all the while doing her best to sabotage it. If he ever found out that she’d called him the devil…
She could hear it in his voice. It was his Achilles heel. The thing that wounded him beyond repair. He’d gone years without a woman simply because one had used the word while they were intimately engaged.
The thought of him discovering that she had said it filled her with a sort of nervous dread, but it was silly. The only person she’d ever admitted it to was her father and he’d warned her never to use it again. Clearly he knew how much it would wound Stone and he’d never repeat it.
Still, she wondered if she might just confess. Perhaps it wasn’t an issue at all, but the way he’d talked… she was worried he would be upset if he ever found out. In her heart, she’d always know what she’d thought and what she’d said.
She worried about it all through breakfast. She still ate in the dining room rather than the kitchen and her father joined her shortly after she’d arrived.
“Should we pack our trunks this morning?” he asked after his initial greeting.
Dread filled her chest. Had Stone found out and asked them to leave? “Pack?”
Her father crinkled his brows. “To move into the cottage? Remember? You’d prefer to have your own space wouldn’t you?”
She’d forgotten about moving to the cottage. She couldn’t very well change her mind now no matter how much she’d rather stay here with Stone. Looking back, she’d been rather dreadful about staying here instead of returning home. And she’d accused Stone of being selfish. “Of course.” She cleared her throat. “Have you spoken with Stone this morning?”
He shook his head. “No, I came to breakfast first, obviously.”
How silly of her. Of course he hadn’t. And what was more, she shouldn’t have spoken with Stone either. Certainly not in the garden at midnight. “I’d like to accept his marriage proposal. I know he hasn’t made a formal request to you but—”
“This is wonderful news,” her father crowed. “I’ll speak with him about it today.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him not to mention that she’d referred to Stone as the devil but why would her father say such a thing? And so she only nodded.
She needed to pack, but she wanted some time to organize her thoughts and so she decided to go for a walk along the cliffs.
Returning to her room, she changed into sturdy clothing and then made her way back to the front entrance. But as she came down the stairs, she heard the butler speaking with someone. “Yes, miss. If you’ll just have a seat. I’ll tell him you’re here.”
The butler turned and Eliza made eye contact with a young woman. It was one of the widows from the miners’ funeral. Her eyes lit up as soon as they landed on Eliza. “I know you. You’re with his lord.”
Yes, I am. But for how long if he finds out about what I thought about him? “Can I help you?”