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Her throat constricted to the point she couldn’t reply. That was the night she met Emma. The little girl had touched her heart so deeply that night. But she had already become aware of her feelings for him. “I started to fall in love with you the night you came to my dinner party uninvited. Listening to you talk about Emma . . .”
She closed her eyes unable to go on.
“But you were furious with me for having an affair with Jennette.”
She nodded. “I was. And yet, the way you talked about your daughter touched my heart so deeply. I couldn’t help but wonder how different my life would have been if my father loved me as much as you do Emma.”
His arms slid down over her slightly extended belly. “I want you to come home, Sophie.”
She wanted that, too. She missed her family and friends in London. “I want to go home, too.”
“As my wife,” he whispered in her ear before kissing the outer shell.
The idea of being his marchioness still terrified her. But after weeks of being alone in Venice, she didn’t want that any longer. She wanted him. She wanted to depend on him when she was afraid. She needed to feel his arms around her, keeping her safe and loved.
Slowly, she turned in his arms. She stared into his warm brown eyes and was lost in the love she saw there. “What about Miss Littlebury? You were betrothed. Oh, Nicholas did you break off the engagement and ruin the girl?”
“I have done nothing untoward. Miss Littlebury discovered she loved Mr. Heston over me.”
She stared at him for a long moment before speaking again. “She broke it off?”
“Apparently, Mr. Heston did not wish for anyone else to learn that Miss Littlebury might be carrying his child.”
Her black brows furrowed. “Is Mr. Heston blond with green eyes—”
“And a slight scar on his chin? Yes.”
“He was the one for her,” she whispered. “He was the man I saw for her but was confused because I saw you there, too.”
“Apparently, Mr. Heston was her match.” He bent down and kissed her softly. “Just as you are my perfect match. Now, will you marry me, Sophie?”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m more certain of this than anything I’ve ever done in my life. I don’t care about the gossips. I don’t care that my father will give his inheritance away. The only thing that matters is us.”
“I love you,” she whispered before kissing him.
The feel of his tongue on hers was sweet agony. Heat built slowly through her body as she pressed herself closer to him. She never thought she could love a man as much as she did Nicholas. Slowly, she drew away with a smile.
“If my daughter was not in the next room, you would be on your back,” he said with a sensual smile.
“I think we shall have plenty of time for that.”
“Are you all right with this, Sophie? I don’t want to push you into something you aren’t comfortable with.”
Sophie released a long sigh. “I know the gossips will be wagging their tongues over our marriage and the baby. But all my friends have created some type of scandal so it must be my turn. I know they will all stand by us.”
“Stand by us.” He laughed. “Who do you think introduced Miss Littlebury to Mr. Heston? I believe they were doing their best to match us.”
She laughed and let her head drop to his shoulder. “That is why Elizabeth brought you upstairs the night of the dinner party. I thought she was just being kind to you for being left out.”
“No, and once offered the chance to be with you and our friends, I wasn’t about to leave.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t.”
“But you were furious with me,” he reminded her.
“Only because you caught me by surprise.” Her brows furrowed. “Do you rea
