The Libertine (Taskill Witches 2)

have nothing to fear. Even if we never had a child, I would be devoted to you. The child is a gift that we shall love and treasure together.”

“It was meant to be,” she whispered, as she looked up at him. “Just as you said.” She rested her hand over his. “It was your magic that made this happen.”

He saw how much she had thought upon this, how deeply she had engaged with the matter in her heart. “Perhaps.” He studied her. “I told you I never believed you needed the fertility rituals. However the way you responded to my magic was so precious. It was something so unique to my experience. It revealed to me that we had a very deep connection.”

She looked at him from under her lashes. “And it was just as magical without the magic.”

“It pleases me that you think so.” He chuckled and stroked her hair back from her forehead. The tresses were golden in the candlelight, and he hoped she would wear it loose more, when they were away from the formal life of the towns in the Lowlands.

She had stated her concerns, now it was time for his. “And do you forgive me, for my misguided motivation at the outset?”

“Yes.”

“It was short-lived, believe me. You soon came to mean everything to me, much more than some festering feud.”

That made her chuckle. “A festering feud, indeed it was. Tamhas grumbled at length about you, especially after you presented at council. The things he said. I didn’t know where to look.”

“Strangely enough, I can picture it.”

“I confess I was shocked, but that was because I hadn’t realized. With a little distance on it and time to think it fast fell into place.” She meshed her hand with his. “I looked back, and I could see when it changed. When I wrote to you telling you that I did not wish to continue with the rituals, you still sought me out. If you had just wanted to upset Tamhas, you could have revealed the matter to him then and moved on to some other conquest.”

She looked deep into his eyes and Lennox felt her love shine within him.

“It was wrong of me, but I am happier that the truth is out. It will take me a while to believe you truly forgive me, but I will work hard for that.” It was a promise he meant to keep.

Her lips parted softly, and he could do nothing other than kiss her.

Rolling her closer, he lifted her against him, joyous in their embrace.

Her lips parted, yielding to him. She was so soft and precious in his arms he wanted to hold her like that forever, even if it meant carrying her all the way to the Highlands that way. He ached for her, every part of him attuned to her and her alone.

She sighed after they kissed. “Why is it that you love me? I still do not understand how this has occurred... You are all raw power and wildness, and I am not.”

She was so bewildered looking that it amused him greatly. “Oh, well, the reason I love you should be obvious.”

She waited for his reply.

“Because you told me you are not prone to melodrama.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then burst into laughter. “And you believed me?”

“Of course I did.” He nuzzled the soft skin behind her ear, kissing her there.

“You have made me so happy,” she whispered.

“It is only the beginning.”

“We do however have one problem,” she added.

“We do?” Lennox did not like the sound of that.

“When you first came to my chamber at Torquil House, you said I could determine the amount of your fee if I was happy with the results of the rituals you undertook.” She looked at him from under her lashes, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “Well, I am most pleased with the way it has turned out, but I do not think I have enough coins, nor will I ever have enough, for that is how happy I am with the results.”

Lennox did not hesitate. “I will happily take you, in exchange for my fee.”

“Are you sure that will be enough recompense?”

“Only if it is forever.”