To Con a Gentleman (Dalton Family 1)

“Will you marry me?”

She released her breath and her worries and her fears. But words. She needed to say words. Unfortunately, she couldn’t pick any out of the endless swirling stream of them flowing around in her mind. And her legs felt weak. She had hoped and dreamed of this moment over and over again, and now it felt almost unreal.

Carver stepped through the door and took her hands, proving that he was really there and not just her imagination. “Rose, my love.” The aching tenderness she heard in his voice wrenched at her. Tears began streaming from her eyes. “I’m so sorry for my inattentiveness the week after your accident.” But he was there now and somehow, that’s all that mattered to her.

She shook her head to protest, knowing that he had an excellent excuse for being inattentive, but he stopped her. “No, please, let me say this.” He paused to take a breath, and she shut her mouth. “After your accident, I was forced to see just how much pain and grief I had not yet faced concerning Claire.” He looked as if he had just realized that Rose might not know who Claire was. “Claire was my fiancé who died three years ago. And although I did need to finally seek the closure, I shouldn’t have pushed you or my family away while I found it. Part of me was scared that if you saw how weak and vulnerable I was, you wouldn’t think I was strong enough to love you like you deserve. And also, that you would think, by my still loving Claire, that somehow meant I didn’t truly and deeply love you.”

Rose stepped forward, closing the gap between them emotionally and physically. “Carver, I know all about Claire. You can thank Oliver for that.” She smiled a little, hoping to ease some of his tension. “I never need you to pretend you do not still love her. I know that your love for her does not take away from the feelings you have for me now.” She reached up and touched his jaw feeling a bit of stubble beneath her fingers. “I don’t want a husband who is flawless and free of hurts. What a dead bore you would be,” she smirked and then let it fall away. “I want a husband who will love me enough to let me walk with him through the hard times as well as the good. Who will need and want me just as much as I need and want him.”

He smiled and took her face in his hands. His grey eyes burned into hers and the warmth of his hands sent a tingle through her entire body. “Rose Amelia Wakefield, I need you. I want you. I want you when we are laughing and when we are crying. I want to hold you every day for the rest of my life. I want to love you like you deserve to be loved. And I want to be honest and true with you always and forever. Will you be my wife?”

Rose was smiling up at him like a fool. Like someone who had just found a stream after days in a desert. Tears stung her eyes and her emotions kept her from speaking. She pursed her lips together and nodded her acceptance.

Carver’s arms were around her waist as he lifted her into the air. He twirled her around and then set her down. Before she had time to catch her breath, he was pulling her up close and kissing her. This one was completely different from the last. It was breathless and urgent. Her arms clasped around his neck and everything slowed. The world spun on end. Sounds all faded. It was just her and Carver as he kissed her with a flame that only the promise of forever could produce.

Finally, Carver broke away and pressed his forehead to hers. He smiled with his eyes in that way that only he could, and Rose fell for him all over again. She raised on her tip toes and gave him one more chaste kiss. He lowered his brows and eyed her as if he held a wonderful secret. “Tell me, my love, do you keep a vicar around here anywhere?”

She laughed a little skeptically. “What? Why?”

He smiled both joyfully and mischievously as he ran his calloused thumb over her bottom lip. “What? Did you really think I would make a romantic speech like that and not have the forethought to procure a special license first? Really, darling, I’m ashamed at how much you underestimate me.”

Was he joking? Her heart begun racing and in that very moment, Uncle Felix decided to step into the room.

“Kensworth! Devilish glad to see you!”

Carver did not release her or even look away so she didn’t either. But out of the corner of her eye she could see Uncle Felix rock back and forth on he heels.

“Felix. Always a pleasure,” said Carver still not taking his eyes off of her. “You wouldn’t happen to have a vicar in the area we could send for, would you?”

Rose’s mouth fell open. “You are serious. You mean to marry me tonight?”

He smiled bigger and then raised her hand to kiss her palm. “Now, in fact.”

“Do we?” Uncle Felix’s voice boomed. “The good vicar lives just a few houses down the way! I’ll go fetch him m’self. Do you mean to shackle yourself to my Rosie girl tonight?”

“I do.”

“Well, I say it’s a dashed good thing. The girl’s been in the mops all week. This is just the thing to put her to rights, if you ask me.” And then he was gone and Rose and Carver couldn’t contain their laughter.

But then a thought struck her, and she pushed away from Carver. But he was unfairly strong and did not budge, only pulled her back to him. “Carver, we can’t get married tonight.”

“Why not?” His expression was too serious to be serious.

“Because…your family.” Carver’s family already felt like her own. She loved them and it would be wrong to not have them present at something as monumental as their wedding. “I don’t want to get married without them. They…” she paused and bit her lip feeling it a little difficult to admit all of her feelings. She was still new to the concept. “They mean too much to me.”

A warm, heart-melting smile spread over his face. “Well then it’s lucky for you that I’ve brought them. Why do you think it took me so long to get to you? Mary and Robert had already returned to their estate, so I had to go retrieve them before coming here.”

Her eyes widened and then snapped to the movement just beyond the door they had yet to shut. Sure enough, everyone, including Oliver, was making their way up the front stairs.

She gasped and looked back at Carver with a horrifying thought. “Have they been just outside that door the whole time?”

He winced apologetically. “Sorry about that. I sort of forgot they were waiting.”

Oliver sprung through the door and slapped Carver on the back. “But there is no chance that we will ever forget that.”

Rose’s face burned with embarrassment but it quickly faded when everyone began giving their congratulations.

They were all buzzing with laughter and conversation, but Rose took a moment to slip back away from everyone. She paused in the entrance of the door and allowed herself a minute to imagine what it would be like if just maybe she stayed.