“Yet, you wish His Worship to say the words and make promises of his affection,” her aunt said as she again brought Freya into her embrace.
“I love him,” Freya sobbed. “I thought he… thought he only hesitated because of my father. His Lordship once thought to propose to Lady Rhonda Hightower, the one Lady Rayland chose for her son. Lady Rhonda is so beautiful and I have these… these freckles,” she motioned to her face, “and this copper-colored hair.”
“You are breathtaking just as you are,” her aunt assured. “Likely, His Lordship is waiting until he speaks to your father before he actually says the words you wish to hear. Such is the more traditional manner, and your father is a stickler in such matters.”
“Do you truly think so?” Freya pleaded.
“Any Scot worth his weight in gold would count himself blessed to possess such a beautiful lass as you. Your children will be magnificent. You can take my word to the bank and know fortune. I am never wrong in such matters.”
“You look abit better,” Lady Annalise said when Aaran entered the sitting room. He had made a sweep of the various rooms being used by the house party in hopes of finding Lady Freya alone. It appeared she had yet to come down, and he was wondering if she was avoiding him.
“Still sore, but Mr. Dideon replaced the bandage on my leg, and this one is more comfortable,” he remarked with a frown. “Have you seen Lady Freya, my lady? I have been searching everywhere for her,” he explained.
Her Ladyship smiled widely. “Freya said she required some place quiet to think. Personally, I do not believe she should be alone with her thoughts at this moment. She requires the man she adores to confess his affection for her. I sent her out to Thompson’s conservatory. You know the way, do you not, Lord Graham?”
“Yes, my lady,” he said with a smile. “Beaufort is truly blessed.”
She laughed lightly. “I tell him so daily. By the way, my lord, though I am not confident of the source, though I rather imagine it was William Shakespeare who claimed that when a gentleman was feeling particularly self-assured, Fate steps in and introduces him to the concept of the obvious by employing a club to strike him over the head.”
“I already feel as if I cannot breathe when Lady Freya is not close,” Aaran admitted, for he knew Lady Annalise would understand.
“The proverbial club never makes a mistake, my lord,” she told him. “Now hurry along.” She shooed him from the room with a delightful giggle and went back to her knitting, likely something for the child she carried.
Aaran made his way to the back of the house and along the covered walkway to the conservatory. Through the glass panels he saw Freya, and he paused to study her beauty. “Dear God,” he whispered to the chill of the early evening, “I do not deserve her, but I cannot live without her.”
Swallowing his hesitation, he gently guided the door open by supporting the hinges so they would not squeak and frighten her. Nevertheless, she turned upon his entrance. “I am going to pummel Lady Annalise,” she announced.
Aaran smiled. “I was determined to find you.”
“Why?” she demanded. “You are very good at ignoring me.”
“That is not true,” he argued. “I am only content when you are near.”
“Why?” she repeated.
“Because I need you. Need you more than I thought possible. More than I want you, and God knows I want you more than my next breath,” he said in honest tones.
“You have ignored me since we have returned to Thom Manor,” she challenged.
“I never ignore you,” he countered. “However, I felt it best if you heard the dirty truth of my family and had time to come to terms with it before I presented myself to you in hopes of claiming your affection.”
“Lady Rhonda will be happy to be a countess,” she argued with a lift of her chin. “Surely your heritage is more acceptable at the moment than is your brother’s.”
“And you do not wish to be my countess?” he questioned. “Nice to know, I suppose, but you might have explained your choices before I realized I was in love with you.”
Lady Freya reached out for a potted fig tree, evidently to steady her stance. “What… What did you say?”
“Has your hearing worsened with today’s adventure, my lady? I said I am in love with you.”
“You… you cannot be,” she stammered.
“Oh, can I not?” His eyes held Freya’s. “No need to say ‘cannot’ to me. I told myself the same thing over and over. Unfortunately, I had no choice in the matter. Naturally, I did not know it then, but I suspect I was doomed when you stepped out of your father’s coach on a deserted road in Scotland.”
“Can you Graham brothers not choose the right woman until you have met all of them?” she demanded.
“I cannot speak for Boyde, though my adopted brothers appear quite satisfied with their chosen wives. I would not mind emulating their happiness. That is, if you have enough braveryin that lovely heart of yours to take a chance on a man who will devote his days to your happiness and the happiness of our children, provided we are so blessed. From you, I have learned what it is like truly to be in love. Miserable, at the moment, but you can change all that with a few simple words of agreement.” He approached her slowly, one step at a time.
“My father will object,” she said through trembling lips.
