She nodded, her swollen bottom lip tucked under her teeth while she grinned.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She laughed. “I thought you knew. You told me you could never love me since I’d lied to you. You talked about your mother being at the millinery and accused me of only wanting your title. I thought when you found out, you wanted to leave.”
“What kind of idiot do you think I am?”
“I might have wondered that a bit myself.”
“But how did this happen? Why did Helena make me think she was my betrothed?”
Lucy’s face, which he’d never seen blush, turned a delicate shade of red. “Yes, well. That wasn’t Helena’s idea.”
He smiled. “Of course it wasn’t.”
“You aren’t making this easier.”
“I wasn’t trying.”
Lucy took a deep breath. “I thought it would be a nice way to…well…” She groaned and put her hand over her eyes. “To take a very uncomfortable situation, like ours, and make it…more comfortable.” She peeked at him between her fingers.
“By making me think you were a child?”
“I thought you would be so relieved when you saw the real me that you wouldn’t be disappointed when we finally met.”
“You thought I would be disappointed?” He pulled her hand away from her face and kissed her fingertips. “In you?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps. I don’t know. I was nervous and stupid, and I’m very, very sorry.” She buried her face in his neck. She fit perfectly there. How had he ever considered leaving this woman? “But I have loved getting to know you these past three weeks, and I find it hard to regret what has happened. I never thought I’d get the chance to marry a man I loved. Because you left, I now can.”
Matthew put both of his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from him. He searched her dark eyes. “You love me?”
Lucy took a deep breath. “I…do. And even though our marriage was never a love match, I would like to love my husband…” She was stumbling over her words. “If you are all right with that?”
Matthew smiled. “Lucy.”
He loved the sound of her name on his lips, and she didn’t seem to mind it either.
“Yes?”
“I would love for my wife to love me.” Matthew leaned forward and pushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “I wouldn’t want to be in love alone.”
Lucy’s hands started shaking, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Matthew put his hands on her cheeks and she drew in an unsteady breath.
“Oh, Lucy.” He pulled her to him.
“I’m all right.” But as she said it, a tear slipped down her cheek.
“You aren’t.”
“I am. Truly, I am.” Her voice shook. “It has been a long three years. That’s all.”
Matthew’s shoulders drooped and he cursed under his breath. Every time she’d wondered if he would show up the next day or leave her; every time she’d glanced at him, worried he wouldn’t return; everyI hope sowasn’t because some other man had broken her trust.
It was him.
He was the ingrate who’d hurt her. He let out a long breath. “I was the one who left you.” He pulled her into his arms, wanting to warm her and reassure her with his embrace. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t—” Her sentence was interrupted by a hiccup. “You didn’t know.”
