“You’re making a mistake, Miss Chase, curling up against him like a purring cat. He’ll never actually marry you. He’ll say he will but then—”
Anger made his fingers numb. He gripped Minnie’s waist tighter, keeping his grip on sanity. “How dare you. I’d marry Minnie tomorrow if she’d have me. You want to blame me rather than admit your own wrongdoing.”
“I didn’t deserve what you did.” She clenched her skirts. “And if you think marrying her will protect her, you’re wrong. I’ll see you pay.”
Tag drew up to his full height. “You can’t hurt us, not without hurting yourself and your husband.”
Lady Abernath’s lip curled. “You think I care about him? My husband can rot in hell. Your club is going to be ash, your relationship dust, and your friends gone. Mark my words. You think you’ve won but you’ve only stirred my ire.” She spun about. “I’ll see you suffer.”
They all watched as she stalked away.
“That was your first fiancée?” Diana asked. “No wonder you were scared off marriage.”
Tag couldn’t help himself, he barked out a laugh. “That is the absolute truth.”
“How worried should we be?” Minnie still looked to the spot the countess had disappeared. “She threatened to ruin me. What do you think she’s capable of doing?”
“It doesn’t matter. As a duchess you’ll be completely safe.” He held her tighter to his side, relief flowing through him as she curled into his side.
“We didn’t agree to a wedding. You said you were going to eliminate the countess’s threat so that we could discuss this.”
He stiffened, looking down into her eyes. Why didn’t she accept his offer? It hurt that she refused to accept. “I’ve asked you to marry me multiple times. What more do you want?”
“Tag.” She swallowed, her hand coming to his neck. “I love you.”
Those words made him freeze. Had anyone in his entire life ever uttered them to him before? Something deep inside him shifted.
Her fingers slid to his cheek. “But I need to know how you feel in return. I…” Her face tightened. “I can’t be married to you if you don’t feel the same.”
She hadn’t been holding out on him because she didn’t care. She’d held herself away because he couldn’t share his heart. “I know I’ve struggled to express my feelings. No one taught me how. I’m trying.”
Her thumb brushed down his cheek. “I appreciate that. We can court. I can teach you…”
No. That simply wasn’t good enough. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Where?” she gasped as Tag pulled her back down the path.
Diana lifted her skirts to keep up. “Whatever is happening, I’m not going to miss this.”
Tag didn’t look back. “I need to prove something to you right now.”
“Now? What?” she asked. Not that he answered where either. She lifted her own skirts as he pulled her along. Part of her wanted to drag her feet and make him explain but another part wanted to see where this was going. “Tag.”
He turned back to her then. “You want to know how I feel?”
She nodded, not able to answer in words. There was a light in his eyes she’d never seen before. She’d like to reach out and touch it. “I’m not only going to tell you, I’m going to show you.”
“Oh my…” She didn’t have a chance to finish.
Diana yelled behind them, “Do wait for me. I can’t miss this.” Then she lifted her skirts higher. “Grace and Cordelia are going to be so upset they didn’t come. I told them they should.”
“Diana, please,” Minnie called over her shoulder, her heart hammering in her chest.
Tag pulled them back into the midst of the party. Several people sat on blankets, enjoying one of the first truly warm days of spring. “May I have everyone’s attention.”
“Oh no,” Minnie gasped. Tag was not a man to make public