Page 125 of A Marquess Scorned

It was the enticement she needed. She eased it to her knuckle. “I’m not sure it will come off.”

“Let me help you.” He caught her hand and wiggled the band loose, though his gaze kept drifting to her face. When the ring came free, he placed it gently in her palm.

She peered at the tiny inscription, squinting in the candlelight, but it was almost impossible to read. “I can see it starts withWho…”

“Shall I tell you what it says?”

“Please do. It would feel more personal if spoken aloud.”

He took the gold band and positioned it on her finger, sliding it slowly back to her knuckle. “Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?”

The quote caught her off guard, not the words, but the way he said them, as if he’d made her his world the moment they met.

“Hero and Leander,” she said, a little breathless. “You believe our connection is fated?”

“For me, it was immediate. Unforgettable.” He pressed the ring into its rightful place. “I married you because I wanted you. There wasn’t a week, day, or hour when you weren’t uppermost in my thoughts.”

Tears blurred her vision, the plump drops falling onto her cheeks. “But you said a marriage of friendship was?—”

“Forget what I said. I threw a halfpenny into a murky pool months ago, and my one wish was you.”

“Me?”

The word came out quieter than she intended, more wonder than question.

She had felt it too, simmering just beneath the surface. Attraction. Anticipation. And something else she’d been too afraid to name.

“Thank heavens your wish came true.”

He smiled faintly. “I knew it would, even before the coin touched the water.”

She studied his face, his eyes steady and sure in themoonlight. “You’ve wasted a decade avoiding romantic liaisons. What gave you faith in the future?”

He leaned in, brushing her lips with his. “I haven’t wasted the last decade, my love. I’ve spent it waiting for you.”