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“You were telling me about Ben,” she prompted.
Marcus stopped kissing his way down to her chest. “Was I?”
“Yes,” she replied pertly. “You were.”
Marcus looked up at her and grinned. “He seemed to thrive on the adventure. I think part of Ben’s problems wasn’t the house he didn’t want to occupy. It wasn’t Smothey, Lloyd’s threats, or the difficult financial situation. He was bored; unequivocally bored out of his skull. He needed something to do; something more challenging than evading Lloyd. When I searched the guests’ bedrooms, he was there with me and showed an incredible logic and foresight that is considerably older than his years. Although he needs some more training, he is the perfect candidate for the Star Elite. He is an ordinary lad who can blend in with people, and is willing to adapt to the challenges life throws at him. That is invaluable to us.”
“What happens to him, though?”
“Well, he will need to go to London at some point, and will meet with everyone’s boss, Sir Hugo. He will then get his papers, and be given a salary, and will return to the group to help with the investigations. He will have accommodation and the money to be able to secure his own house when he is ready. The rest of the men are there to help him should he need it. Meantime if he doesn’t want to purchase a home of his own, he can either have my place in London or can stay with us whenever he needs to take a break from his work.”
“I don’t think he will ever want to come back to village life. Not once he has sampled the freedom of being able to travel about and get paid doing it,” Jess replied musingly.
While a part of her was delighted that Ben had decided to swap onto the right side of the law, and was working to eradicate crime, she worried about his safety. She was a little sad that their old life was now over, but they couldn’t go back. The door to that way of life had been very firmly closed leaving them free to be able to find their own futures.
“I know my future lies with you,” she said aloud.
“Good. I hope so,” Marcus replied as he settled over her. “My mother is going to love you. She just loves a good wedding and will be overjoyed when I am a married man. She will pester you for children, though, I warn you now.”
Marcus laughed when her cheeks began to colour.
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Well, you did say that you needed something to do,” he smiled but then turned serious. “First things first, Jess. While we can leave Smothey to gossip and speculate to their heart’s content, we cannot live together under the same roof in Hertfordshire without being wed. So, I am afraid that I am going to have to insist that we are man and wife sooner rather than later. I am not going to re-join the investigation until you are my wife, and I can leave you safely at home. You can then set about making the changes to the house you need to make to feel comfortable there. You know, decorate and the like.”
Jess laughed. “You have it all planned out, don’t you?”
“Well
, I am a man of action,” he replied with a smirk.
“What are you doing?” she demanded huskily when he slid further down on the bed.
“Loving you,” he murmured lovingly. “Don’t you know that sometimes actions speak louder than words?”
The End.
