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Her voice trembled as she spoke her plea. Her brother had always been overly protective of his sisters, but that was understandable. They were close as a family, loving and kind to one another. She could not imagine him being any other way. Yet now, she needed her space, her privacy. She could only hope he would understand.
“That is just fine,” Sarah jumped in as if she feared their brother not agreeing to it. “Isn’t it, Oliver?”
Silence cracked in the room like a whip. Bridget silently pleaded with her brother once more. Whatever Joseph had to tell her, it was for her ears alone. Whatever his words evoked, whatever emotion, it would be all too visible, and her brother and sister would know exactly what had transpired without even overhearing the words.
“Absolutely fine,” Oliver gave the final permission.
Within minutes, Bridget found herself by Joseph’s side, striding through the familiar grounds of her own garden. She remembered it as a vast place, yet now by his side the vast area had somehow shrunk through the sheer force of his presence. Neither of them was talking yet, but neither of them seemed to mind the silence. His scent was breath-arresting. The very idea of walking alone with him made her stomach clench, but in a good way if there was such a thing. She could hear his breathing through the curtain of birds chirping, and it trailed over her mind and heart sweet like honey.
Even though she could not see, she knew that they were still within view of the drawing room windows and her brother’s watchful gaze. But that was all right. The very fact that he had allowed this to take place assured her that the obstacle that had once existed between them was now removed. She tried to pacify her wild heart, but that was impossible.
“Shall we sit?” Joseph suggested in a polite tone, leading her to a small bench just by the flower bed which by now should be in full bloom. When she inhaled, the onslaught of sweetness was almost unbearable. “No, wait, you might sully your gown.”
“It’s all right,” she smiled at him. “If one always waits for the perfect moment to do something, few things would actually get done.”
With those words, she easily found her way to the bench and took her seat. He sat by her side momentarily. If she had to venture a guess what he was looking at, it would probably be her. So, she turned to him, so that now, they were sitting chest to chest. He did not look away. Neither did she.
“Can you tell I am looking at you?” he asked, politely, but there was an underlying current in his voice, the likes of which marred her own soul.
“Yes,” she nodded. “What I don’t understand is why.”
She knew that he kept searching her gaze, and for a moment, she feared that he might see too much, that she would not be able to hide her emotions from him. He was a man of intense emotions, but she had no concern that he might try and kiss her. He knew the risks well, just as she did. They were here to talk.
“Because from the moment I first laid my eyes on you, you have been, and you remain the only thing I wish to gaze upon all day and all night.”
Immediately, Bridget blushed at those words, turning away, but his fingers gently cupped her chin, making her face him once again. She wanted to close her eyes, to hide from him the only thing that could make her unfit to be a wife, a mother, and a duchess, yet she kept them open. He knew her. He knew her heart, her very soul. Hiding her gaze from him would be futile when he would know exactly what was in her heart.
“Please, don’t hide from me, Bridget,” he pleaded. “I know I acted like an oaf that day when I met you and Sarah on the street. I was merely endeavoring to keep myself away from you because of the promise I made myself years ago, a promise I now see has only served to keep me unhappy. I do not wish to be unhappy any longer. But to be happy, I need you. I need your hands, your eyes, your face, your lips. I need all of you because I love all of you, every bit of you.”
Did he really say what she heard him say? It could not be. The icy cold water of reality which she had been using to extinguish the fire raging inside of her was all used up. Now, the fire was allowed to burn bright as flames licked through her, lowering themselves down towards her belly and then even lower. He loved her. His heart belonged to her just like hers belonged to him. What would it feel like to belong wholly to this wonderful, fascinating man?
“Bridget?” he whispered her name softly like a prayer. She had taken too much time to think as if there was anything to think about. Doubt endeavored to keep her down, to prevent her from flying, but all she needed to fly was his voice, his tender touch, his love. And he was just now offering all that to her.
“Joseph, I… I feel the same,” she finally admitted, victorious over the fears that had been plaguing her all this time. She refused to give in to them, allowing love to win. “My heart belongs to you. It always has, and that kiss with…”
“Shhh…” He pressed his finger to her lips. “None of that matters, not the kiss, nor what my horrid cousin did to keep us apart. He did that because of his own misery. He could not keep me away from you, no matter how hard he tried, because we were meant to be together, my darling. The actions of a man who matters not could never keep us apart.”
“Oh, Joseph… I love you…”
He squeezed her hand eagerly. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me,” he gushed. “I do not wish to waste another moment longer without you.”
He suddenly let go of her. She flinched at the abruptness of his motion, wondering what had happened. She heard him move restlessly, then his hand gripped at her fingers.
“Please, tell me you will make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to be my wife,” he exclaimed as she felt a small, cold-metal hoop against the tip of her ring finger.
“Yes…” she whispered, losing her breath. With those words, he slid the ring onto her finger. From the way she felt, it was a perfect size. She caressed it gently with her other hand. She could recognize a pear-shaped stone, perhaps a diamond? There were small stones around it as well.
“The ring belonged to my great-grandmother,” he said. “It has been given to every wife in my family with my mother being the last one… until now.”
“Joseph, I… I do not know what to say,” she managed to muster, feeling completely taken over by the thrill of the moment.
“You do not need to say anything more, my love,” he whispered back. “You have already said all you needed to say, and you forgave my oafish behavior from before, for which I am forever grateful.”
“And I am forever grateful for you,” she smiled at him, her heart giving a pang at the realization that she had just accepted to be someone’s wife. Joseph’s wife. How wonderful life could be sometimes, surprising even those fate chose to punish a few years before. Perhaps all this happiness was the way fate endeavored to atone for the accident Bridget was in. Whatever this was, Bridget would accept it with arms wide open.
Suddenly, she could feel his thumb trace her cheek. Her heart fluttered like a million bottled butterflies trying to find a way out. Her body reacted instantly. Her breath got lost somewhere inside of her, unable to find its way out or in. His motion was too intimate.
“Joseph…” She clasped her hand over his. Her first instinct was to remove it, fearing her brother might find it inappropriate.
