Chapter Ten
The night was long.
Not entirely unpleasant, Clarissa mused as she watched Mason sleep. She’d dosed him with laudanum.
Rest would help him heal better than anything else.
She’d fallen in and out of sleep, restless, and she woke often to make certain he was comfortable.
She’d agreed to be his wife. A countess. How could this actually be happening?
He’d offered her the very dreams she held close to her heart. As many orphanages as she could dream of running. A way to prove she was a good person. A family of her own. And best of all, he’d offered himself.
She leaned forward and allowed her fingers to stroke along his jaw. His skin was still cool to the touch. A good sign.
He breathed evenly as he continued to sleep.
So this was love.
Her heart hamme
red in her chest. She should have realized sooner. The way she’d dreamed of Mason.
But would she hurt him by agreeing to be his wife?
She wanted to believe what he’d said about her father being selfish. And the priest. She smiled into the darkness to think of Mason sending him away. And Penny.
Penny’s life had become wonderful. She was a countess too and she’d found the love of her life. Perhaps Mason was right after all and Clarissa had been living with needless fear.
He shifted in his sleep and then murmured her name, his hand reaching out. She clasped it in her own and without thought, slid next to him on the bed. His warmth seeped into her, the firm press of his lean frame and in the dark of the night, she found herself drifting off to sleep.
She had no idea how much time had passed but when she woke, dawn filtered through the windows.
And Mason was awake.
His dark eyes looking straight into hers.
Clarissa nearly gasped to see him. His skin was pale, but his eyes glittered with that same mysterious fire that threatened to engulf her. “You’re awake.”
One corner of his lip curled up. “I am. It was a beautiful sleep with you pressed to my side.”
“How do you feel?” She started to sit up, but he reached for her, stilling her movements.
He lightly stroked her arms. “Sore but otherwise fine.”
She touched his forehead and smiled with relief. “Still nice and cool.”
“We’re marrying today,” he said.
“Today?” She did sit up then. “Really? So quickly?”
“Did I not mention that?” He relaxed back into the bed. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’m not myself.”
That seemed reasonable enough. He was injured after all. “It’s fine. But how did you manage to get all the details into place while you’ve been bedridden?”
“Mostly it was Logan,” he answered.
Her brow scrunched. “How long have I been asleep?”