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What’s more, this was not her bedchamber at Slattery Hall. She swiveled her head from side to side as sights and sounds from the night before played through her mind. Was she aboard a ship? Where was it going? Gathering the bedclothes up to her throat she realized with a horrified gasp that she was naked. Had Julius Banyon—she could not even complete the thought.
What if he returned?
She heard movement outside the door and jumped from the bed, gathered up a brass letter opener from the writing desk, and moved to stand behind the door. Arm raised above her head, she intended to inflict as much pain as she could, though what she would do afterward, she had no idea. She did not relish the notion of running off naked, but she had even less interest in being the captive of a depraved man. Her flesh crawled at the recollection of his words from the night before and the feel of his hands grabbing at her flesh.
She gritted her teeth and clasped the letter opener with all her might, determined not to give in without a fight.
When the door opened, she swung widely without looking at who had entered the room. As far as she was concerned, it was Tallie against the world. She made contact with something and a clatter ensued.
“Bloody hell, Tallie. What the blazes are you doing?”
She blinked and tried to understand the sight before her. Zander, her beloved Zander, stood just inside the doorway, a tray of what must have been breakfast shattered and smeared across the floor.
“Oh,” she said, dropping her hand and putting the letter opener down. “I-I thought...” Her voice trailed off as she remembered how Zander had miraculously shown up to rescue her the night before, his fist shattering Lord Banyon’s jaw.
Zander stepped over the mess on the floor and took her into his arms. “You had quite a fright last night, Tallie. I expect it might be some time before you are completely over it. But I am here now. I will not leave you. You are safe now.”
She clung to him and suddenly remembered her nudity. “Zander, please close the door.”
He chuckled and did as she suggested, then carried her to the bed and tucked her beneath the covers. “You stay here while I see about getting this mess cleaned up and another tray of food.”
Now that she had recovered from her fright and surprise, Tallie looked at the food on the floor with longing. Her stomach growled.
Curious about her location, she got out of bed, donned Zander’s dressing gown, and peeked out the window. Unlike the night before, the docks bustled with activity as passengers and cargo filled the ships and the area surrounding them. The weather was clear and everyone seemed eager to be on their way.
Glancing further, she saw the area where Lord Banyon had dragged her. A shudder ran through her and she reared back from the window and returned to the safety of Zander’s bed.
Zander’s bed. Where she belonged. She gathered his dressing gown close and inhaled his scent. She could not wait for the ship to set sail and take them far, far away from London and Lord Banyon.
Of course, Lord Banyon would have some explaining to do, considering the injuries he sustained. No doubt he would find a way to lay the blame on her for that too. Not that it mattered to her reputation anymore.
What a change in him. He had certainly fooled her as well as Zander and who knows how many others who believed him to be a mild-mannered gentleman. He was anything but.
Zander returned with a cabin boy who tidied up the mess on the floor while Zander set the fresh tray of food on a table.
Once they were alone, she hopped out of bed and hurried to join him. “Thank you, Zander. It looks wonderful.”
“Well, you need to keep your strength up. It is your wedding day, after all.”
“What?” She jumped up from her seat, ignoring the food in front of her. “Have you gone mad? That marriage is not happening.” Not knowing what else to do, she rushed to where she had left the letter opener, her only weapon, and gripped it in her hand. “Y-you said you would take care of everything.”
Unconcerned with her histrionics, Zander stood and walked toward her. When she waved her arm around again, trying to frighten him off with the sharp point of the letter opener, even she could see the foolishness of her efforts, but she was panicked.
Zander stood before her, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted to the side and a sexy smile on his lips.
She took another swing at him, despite his apparent ambivalence to her concerns.
Zander held his hand out to her, palm up. “Give me the letter opener, Tallie.” His dark gaze bore into her and she did as he told her, though she had no idea why she was giving up so readily. Something about his commanding posture and tone had set her heart fluttering and calmed her anxieties. Once he had set the letter opener out of the way, he took her into his arms and placed a gentle kiss on her temple.
“I would never, ever allow you to marry that horrible man and I sincerely apologize for ever suggesting you ought to marry him.”
Tallie put her hands on his chest and pushed back in order to look into his eyes. “But—”
Zander got down on one knee and took her hand in his. “I never should have agreed to let any man marry you. Any man that was not me. If you’ll allow me, I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” He looked up at her and her heart melted. “That is, if you will have me. Tallie, will you marry me?”
