She could never have been the kind of wife the duke deserved, and he could never have been the husband she yearned for. She wanted love and passion and lightning bolts in her marriage—the sweet fire only Jack could give her. Tonight she had overcome a major obstacle and garnered the chance to live her own dreams—although there were even greater obstacles still standing in her way.
It was possible, even probable, that she would have to make an onerous choice and decide whom she loved more, her parents or Jack, and how she would be able to honor the nuptial vows to forsake all others. Could she actually forsake her parents?
She also had Jack himself to contend with. If he hadn’t truly meant his admission of love for her, his heart might still be closed to her, but she had to take the risk. She needed his love to feel complete, and it was time that she told him so.
The fog had thickened by the time she reached Jack’s home in Montagu Place—an ill omen that made Sophie shiver as she mounted the front steps. Upon being admitted, she found him in his study, sprawled in an armchair, staring broodingly into a low-burning hearth fire, a snifter of brandy held loosely in his hand.
He glanced up when she entered, but his reception of her was far different from the duke’s. Jack set down his glass and rose slowly to his feet, not looking at all pleased to see her.
Her greeting to him was different as well. Sophie crossed directly to Jack, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and kissed him ardently.
For a moment, he responded just as she hoped, his mouth meeting hers in a breathtaking show of passion. But it bewildered her when he suddenly pulled back.
“You shouldn’t be here, Sophie,” he said, deliberately setting her away from him.
“I had to tell you my news, Jack. I am free.”
“What do you mean, free?”
“I ended my betrothal with the duke tonight.”
For an instant Jack’s eyes sparked with gratification, but his succeeding frown was completely unexpected.
“I thought you would be pleased that I found a way out of the engagement,” Sophie commented as she searched his face.
“But your parents still oppose our match.”
“Yes. Nothing has changed in that regard. But my father is being stubborn and unreasonable. I think my mother might be more forgiving, but either way, I am prepared to defy them if need be. I will marry you and live in Navartania with you.”
Jack shook his head. “I cannot let you make that choice, love. Not when it could lead to a permanent rift with your parents.”
Sophie could scarcely believe her ears. She was willing to follow Jack to a foreign country, even if it meant being cast out from her family; she had renounced the duke, and now he was retreating?
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. For days you have been hell-bent on pressing me to accept your proposal. And just two hours ago you were asking my father for my hand in marriage.”
“I have reconsidered since then. You should not have broken your engagement to Dunmore, sweetheart.”
She made a sound of frustration. “It is too late now. I have burned that bridge. Besides, you were the one who told me I should make my own fate, and I did just that this evening. You were right. I needed to act instead of meekly accepting a future I couldn’t bear.”
A muscle in his jaw tightened. “I was mistaken, Sophie.”
“So you are just giving up on us?”
His jaw hardening completely, Jack looked away, effectively masking his expression from her. The walls were up once more, she realized. He was shutting her out again. But she wouldn’t allow him to continue, Sophie vowed. She had too huge a stake in the outcome.
“Jack … please, look at me.” When he complied, she murmured breathlessly, “I love you. It has been coming on for some time. I fought it at first, but I couldn’t help myself. I love you more than I can say.”
She wasn’t imagining the spark of fire that flared in his eyes, but when it was just as quickly extinguished, unease began to grow inside her.
“Jack … Earlier tonight you said you loved me. Even if you didn’t mean it, I still want to marry you. And I will understand if you can’t love me in return. Given your past, it would be difficult for you to love anyone.”
Jack shut his eyes, as if he were in pain. When he opened them again, they were midnight dark and glittering with everything he wouldn’t say. When Sophie met the burning intensity there, her breath caught in her throat, for she knew without a doubt that he loved her. The quiet fierceness in his eyes told her so.
Whispering his name, she moved into his arms and raised her mouth to his. Their kiss this time was heated and fraught with emotion, a shared hunger that required no words, along with a sudden, desperate urgency.
The same urgency was in Jack’s voice when he broke off and drew back. “I meant what I said, Sophie. I do love you. But I want your happiness more than your love.”
She stared at him in confusion. “If so, there should be no problem.”