Page 80 of The Mistletoe Dare

It was too much. Georgie had spent the entire day in a stew of anticipation and excitement, only to find Rochford distant and quiet, and now all her dreams were coming crashing down. She’d been a fool. Thoroughly overwhelmed, she burst into tears.

“Georgie! Love, what is it? Oh, God, don’t cry. I won’t propose if you don’t want me to.” He hauled her off the settee and into his arms and Georgie clung to him, sobbing so hard it took her a moment to understand his words.

She hiccoughed and sniffed and calmed herself enough to speak. “W-What did you say?”

Rochford gazed down at her, his eyes full of sadness, but his expression tender. “Georgie, I’d do anything to make you happy. You are the beat of my heart, but if you don’t want me—”

“Don’t w-want you?” she repeated. Oh, the great numpty. “It’s you that’s changed your mind about wanting me.”

“Who said such a thing?” he demanded.

“You did!”

He opened and closed his mouth. “Unless I missed something, I said no such thing.”

She fought back a sob and shook her head. “No, you’ve said nothing at all, and you’ve spent all evening looking so grim.”

“I always look that way,” he protested.

Georgie shook her head. “You don’t. It’s different. You’ve been miles away.”

He laughed then and reached out to stroke her cheek. “I was, miles away at Mulcaster, trying to imagine you as my wife, as a part of my days, my nights, my life.”

“Oh, that’s why you looked so wretched, is it?” she retorted, feeling her lip trembling again.

Rochford shook his head. “That’s why I was so damned nervous, you little fool. I spoke to your father, and he made me realise what was at stake. Everything I had to gain, yes, but—but everything you would need from me, too. He scared me half to death.”

“I’ll kill him,” Georgie said, struggling up from his lap.

“No, love.” Rochford chuckled, holding her tight. “No. He was right. It took me most of this evening to realise it, but he was right to warn me.”

“Warn you?” Georgie said, outraged. “He warned you about marrying me?”

He nodded, but his expression was fond, which was encouraging. “Yes. He warned me I had better be prepared to love you, because you’d settle for nothing less.”

Georgie relaxed, her mouth opening in a silent ‘o’ as she gazed up at him. She smiled. “He’s right.”

Rochford nodded. “I know that now, and I don’t know how things will go, Georgie. I don’t know the first thing about love, or having a wife, or a family, or any of it, but I’m willing to try, if you would give me the chance.”

“I would,” Georgie whispered, feeling her eyes brim again as emotion got the better of her.

He grinned at her, such an unrestrained, happy smile that she felt something in her chest shift, like her heart had taken on a new shape, like it belonged entirely to him.

“You actually have to ask me, though, duke,” she said, trying to act as if she were scolding him and only sounding like a besotted fool. Ah, well. True enough.

To her consternation, he shook his head. “Not yet. I haven’t passed my test.”

“What test?” she asked, frowning up at him.

“Your birthday present.”

“That wasn’t a test,” she said tenderly.

“Yes, it was, and I intend to pass it,” he said.

He stood, lifting her as though she weighed nothing. Georgie gasped, never having been moved about with such ease. She felt delicate in his strong arms, something she had never felt in her life before.

It was rather lovely.