AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I didn’t know you then. I didn’t know how much people depended on you.’ Brand reached for her hand. ‘It is the right thing to do.’
‘And will the king force me to marry you as a result of your actions?’ she asked, drawing her hand to her side and ignoring him. ‘I don’t want a forced marriage.’
‘Halfdan will do as he pleases,’ Brand admitted with a frown. He had to hope his plan worked. When he’d learned from Halfdan that her request for a reward was that he marry any woman that he wanted, he had known what he had to do. He’d asked for the king’s help in marrying the woman he loved. ‘For now, he is content that you should have the estate as a dowry to attract the right husband.’
‘I don’t want a husband who is only interested in my dowry or who marries me out of duty. I had one of those before. It doesn’t work. It is a cold, lifeless thing.’
‘Doesn’t it work?’ he asked. ‘How could a marriage with you in it ever be cold or lifeless? You have more heart than anyone I have ever met and you have shown a hardened warrior what loyalty is truly about. You have shown the true essence of caring for people.’
‘I have no wish to take a husband simply because people say I must,’ Edith retorted cautiously. Her heart began to hammer. She didn’t dare think about what he was saying. She’d been so wrong before.
‘What do you want to do, Edith?’ he asked quietly.
‘I am not sure what I want any more. I thought I knew, but lately everything has been muddled.’ She resisted the urge to lay her head on his chest. ‘I want you to be happy. I want you to have your most cherished dreams.’
‘I know the feeling. You can give that to me.’
‘How?’
He dropped to one knee. ‘Edith, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you. I want you to bear my children if we are so blessed or, if we are not, I want to grow old with you.’
Edith started shaking. Brand was on one knee, proposing to her. He had convinced Halfdan to give her back the estate. But she knew she needed more.
‘Why?’
‘Because I love you with all of my soul. I want you in my life and in my bed. I have no desire for any other woman. I want to know that you want me for me, not because it will benefit the estate. Selfishly, utterly and completely.’
With each word, Edith’s heart grew lighter. ‘I want you to be happy, Brand. I love you. Not because you are an earl or because you hold the power of life and death over people I care about, but because you are you.’
‘I have no wish for some faraway maid, all I want I hold in my arms. Your love is my most cherished dream. Will you marry me?’
Edith threw her arms about his neck. ‘Yes, yes, I will.’
‘I have come home at last,’ he whispered against her hair.
‘As have I.’
