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Ethan’s shoutof fear seemed to stun those around him. When he tried to lower Miss Alice to the ground, she dared to cling at him and sobbed that her ankle hurt. Ethan dropped her onto her ass on the ground. With a squeak, she rolled over, her dress muddying, shock suffusing her face. Her mother rushed over, and he ignored them to dart forward, dismissing the fearful cry of his mother to stand back.
“We must return and send out footmen to search,” his mother cried, “Ethan, be careful that you are not swallowed.”
The only thing that mattered was that Charity had disappeared. It seemed the constant rain had softened the earth's integrity, and looking down the small landslide, he did not see a hair of her head. He plunged forward, tumbling several times down the loose earth. God, what if she suffocated before he reached her. Where was she? Why did he not see her pushing upward/
“Charity!” he shouted, wading through the dirt and rocks.
A flash of yellow caught his eyes, and he waded over, grabbed at the dress and pulled. He dipped his hand under the loose dirt and fell for her. Curving his hand around her body, he heaved and pulled her from the dirt. She was so still for a moment it was as if his world collapsed onto itself. His knees weakened, and fucking tears burned the back of his throat.
“Charity,” he said, shaking her. Holding her close to his chest, he tried to walk up the hill with her. It was better to go down the incline to the foot of the hill, so he did. His mother and aunt, even Alice was calling down asking if Charity was well. Only dear Jenna scrambled down the hillside on her arse, even tumbling in the loose dirt at a few places.
“Ethan?” she cried. “Is Charity well?”
He placed her on the ground, brushing grass and dirt from her face. He parted her lips, his hands shaking to see a speck of dirt on the inside of her mouth. Fuck. How much had she inhaled?
“Charity, please, my darling, open your eyes.” His voice was a ragged prayer of hope and fear. “I cannot lose you, not when I have not yet told you how much you mean to mean…When I saw you just now, such hope filled my heart. That you were here meant you were with child, and that meant you would marry me. When you shook your head, ‘no,’ I was even more determined to follow through with my plans. You see, I have a list of how I would return to town and woo you. I have a list of places I would take you. The museum, Vauxhall, the opera, kite flying, even scandalous secret clubs. I planned to court you and show you that I can be the man you want to marry, the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. Please open your damn eyes so I can tell you how much I desperately love you,” he roared.
He shook her gently. “Charity, please. Woman, I promise I will lay the world at your feet if….”
There was the slightest tug at her mouth, and then her lashes fluttered open. Bright green eyes that filled with tears stared at him. “I might have fainted,” she whispered with a small smile. “You love me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain of it?”
“In the time we were apart, I realized all the aching hunger I feel to see you smile and to see you walking by my side was more than just an obsession, and you were more than a tormentor haunting my dreams. You are my great love, Charity. My only love.”
“And you were planning to come to town…to woo me.”
“Yes.”
“I came down to tell you that I love you…and even if you are not able to say the words now or even feel them now, I feel them in your kiss, in the soft way you touch the back of your hand to my cheek, in the way to kiss me…in the way you touch. I want to marry you, for I love you with my entire heart.”
He hugged her to him, uncaring that his mother called down, questioning what was happening. They were not that far apart. They can damn well see and interpret the scene below them.
“You were hearing me all this time, Charity,” he demanded.
“Yes, but I could sense you had something important to say and decided to keep my eyes closed a little bit longer so that you did not stop.”
“I am going to throttle you.” He brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. She held that hand to her cheek and closed her eyes, breathing in the tender reverence in his touch.
“Perhaps you might kiss me instead,” she whispered achingly.
He took her mouth in a tender yet devastatingly sensual and loving kiss.
A choking sound had him parting from her, and when they looked up, everyone stared at them with varying degrees of shock and delight.
“What is the meaning of this?” his mother called faintly, truly appearing on the verge of collapse.
Ignoring everyone, Ethan helped her to her feet, and after a few brushes with his hand, gave up trying to remove the dirt and grass from her hair and dress.
“Ethan, the view is glorious.”
“Why don’t we continue walking down,” he suggested. “There is a smaller pond below with a bench. We could sit and talk. However, if you prefer to return home and change your clothing.”
She looped her hands within his. “No, let’s go sit together. We have much to chat about, like why were you so cozy with Miss Alice.”
He groaned. “Does it mitigate your ire that I just dropped her on her fundament?”
Charity smiled, and even with smudges of dirt on her cheeks, she was enchanting and so damn lovely.
“Yes, it does,” with a light laugh.
Ethan dipped his head and kissed her, promising her with his mouth that he would love and treasure her for a lifetime. “Will you marry me?” he murmured.
“Oh yes,” she breathed. “I will marry you.
