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“Why didn’t you come to me then?” Her lips were so close to his if he bent slightly he could kiss her senseless.
“You trusted the duke and would have told me I was foolish.”
“You’re right.” She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his mouth.
He brought her up against his chest and deepened the kiss until she moaned. He broke away from her heady lips only to kiss her jaw. “I was right?”
“Yes, I was a fool not to trust you completely. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Can you forgive me for using you as bait to get a confession out of the duke?”
“On one condition.”
He clasped her shoulders and pushed her away. “One condition?”
“Yes, you must tell me why you paid for all my comforts at Newgate.”
He stared down at her blue eyes and frowned. “How can you not know that I love you?”
“Because you never told me,” she whispered as tears welled in her eyes once more.
“Tessa, I do love you. I never expected that I would fall in love with the Cursed Countess when I took this case. But I do love you more than I ever imagined possible.”
“I love you too, Jack.” She bit her lower lip and then smiled up at him. “I think you broke the curse.”
“There wasn’t a curse to break, darling.” He moved them both fully into the room and then closed the door. “But can you see your way to marry an impoverished second son of a viscount who will need to work to support us?”
“I can but can you accept that people will call you a fortune hunter?”
Jack turned away in thought. “If that is what it takes to make you my wife, I suppose I shall have to become accustomed to it. I highly doubt I will be able to keep you in the style you are comfortable with on a solicitor’s salary.”
“Did you forget that I am actually only the daughter of a banker from Cornwall?”
“No, I did not but the ton does not realize that.”
“They may soon enough. I have paid back almost all the money my father owes plus interest. They will let him out after the final payment.”
Jack chuckled. “Your mother must be having fits.”
“You have no idea. She asked me to stop making payments.”
“Will you?”
“No. I never wanted a Season and the only reason he stole the money was to satisfy her. The poor man only wanted a peaceful house.” Tessa stared down at the Persian rug covering the floor.
“What else is burdening you?”
“Jack, what if I cannot have children?”
“Then I know two little girls and one tiny boy who will be dreadfully spoiled by their aunt and uncle.” Jack drew her back into his arms. “But stop worrying over it. If that is the biggest hurdle we face, then we shall be truly blessed because we will still have each other.”
She rested her head against his chest. “I never thought I would fall in love. I wanted love with each marriage but it never happened.”
“You were marrying the wrong men.”
“Three times over.”
“We shall be the talk of London, you know.”
