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“Bella,” he said huskily. “How I want you, this is torture. They will never agree to our marriage. We must accept it.”
“We can’t be sure until we try, can we?”
He gazed at her doubtfully. “It will cause a terrible fuss, which I don’t want to leave you to deal with. Are you prepared to face that?”
“I am,” she said promptly. “Once you’ve asked me. And kissed me again.”
“Will you marry me,liebling?”
“Oh yes, Friedrich, I will.”
He enfolded her in his arms, and his mouth came down on hers. His passionate kiss was filled with longing, making her yearn for him to make love to her. She could sense how aroused he was as he moved to put distance between them.
He jumped to his feet and offered his hand.
“They could all be having breakfast by now. Shall we?”
“Yes, let’s.” She took a deep breath, and with his big hand holding hers, they walked back to the house.
“And if they refuse, know that I love you,” he said huskily.
“We simply must not give in until they agree,” she said sternly.
He chuckled. “What a wife you will make.”
Arm in arm, they strolled back along the path, butterflies battering her stomach. Could she convince them? Carrie would be terribly upset to see her go off to live in another country, and Bella would miss her sister dreadfully. She hoped they would come to visit. Nicholas was still her guardian. One word from him, and their chances turned to dust. Facing them seemed daunting, and yet somewhere deep within her, she knew that something so right and so destined would come to be.
Friedrich and Bella entered the breakfast room, where Carrie and Maria sat with Nicholas and Karl. It smelled deliciously of hot coffee, eggs, bacon, and kidneys.
“Where have you two been?” Carrie asked. Her voice was light, but Bella knew her sister was concerned. She hated it; it made her feel slightly sick to hurt her and Nicholas.
“Friedrich has asked me to marry him,” she announced.
Four sets of eyes went wide with shock as a clatter of discarded knives and forks filled the room.
*
With a smile,Friedrich shrugged. “There seemed no other way to tell you.” He gazed down at Bella, who silently encouraged him. “But we love each other deeply, you see.”
“I believe we should leave this until after breakfast. We cannot deal with such a matter here, we will all suffer indigestion,” Nicholas said. “After you both have breakfasted, we shall discuss this in the library at nine o’clock.”
As they finished their meal, they filed out of the room, Maria casting him a worried glance. Carrie stayed to talk to them, expressing the view that under different circumstances, she would be overjoyed to welcome Friedrich into the family. “Nicholas wants the very best for you, you know that don’t you, dearest?” she asked Bella,
“Yes, I do. But you must help us, Carrie. Friedrich has promised to travel to England to visit you, and perhaps you can come to us.”
Carrie’s anxious look encompassed them both.
“When you realized Nicholas was the man for you and that he loved you, you fought to convince him it was right,” Bella said. “You wouldn’t give up, remember? Well, it is that way for me, too.”
“I know, Bella. And you are sure it is what you want?”
“I am.”
“And you, Friedrich?”
“I love Bella dearly,” he answered with a loving smile at her.
“Will you help us, Carrie?” Bella asked.
