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CHAPTERSIXTEEN
It took them hours to sort the mess out.
The townspeople joined them, clearing out the bodies. In the end, most of their party had remained unharmed.
Clubs had a grazing wound on his upper arm, but he mumbled something about having had injuries that were far worse and Lizzie dragged him off to tend him. A few of the soldiers had been killed, but most were alive to collect their pay. They worked until the late morning and packed up, ready to finish their journey to London.
Ash led her toward the carriage, but with determined strides, she passed the vehicle. “I don’t want to ride in there.”
“It’s safer,” Ash replied as he slowed his pace, worry making him pause. “And the Governor managed to escape. I…”
She shook her head. “I’ll take my chances. I’m not hiding myself away and I want to be with you.”
If she meant to soften him, her words were perfectly chosen. “I want to be with you too. But most of all, I want you to be out of harm’s way.”
She shook her head. “I can handle harm’s way with you by my side.”
He shook his head in return, pulling her closer. “I know that you can. You’ve proven it time and again.”
“I have.” She gave him a glowing smile. “Haven’t I?”
He lifted a hand, brushing his thumb along her cheekbone. “You have.”
“It’s a funny thing, I didn’t realize that in giving myself over to others, I’d be stronger.”
He looked down at her, pondering those words. “Giving yourself over?”
She nodded. “I could have run away. Done what I’ve always done when danger lurked and hidden myself away until it passed. But I couldn’t leave you. And in staying by your side and trusting you to protect me, I trust myself more too.”
“Thank you,” he said and then, despite the crowd of people loading horses nearby, he captured her lips with his own.
The kiss was quick and fierce because this woman belonged at his side, and he’d not hide that from anyone. But her words tickled at an ache inside him.
He had opened himself too. To her.
And he was better for it. Believing he could actually be loved had made him softer, more compassionate. Which made him wonder why he ached inside.
“About your offer…” she murmured the moment he lifted his head.
“Of marriage?” His heart thudded in his chest as his grip on her tightened.
“Yes. Of marriage.”
“What about it?” he asked, staring down into the violet of her gaze.
“Do you still wish to marry me?”
How could she ask that question? “More than I wish to draw my next breath.”
Her brows lifted as her eyes widened. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do.” He shifted her closer. “Have I not proven myself to value your safety above all else?”
A smile tugged at her lips. “I feel the same. Your safety has become more important to me than my own.” Then her expression grew more serious. “But I want more than just safety. I want love and family and a place in the world that is my very own.”
The words were out of his mouth before he could even think them through. “I can give you all those things.”
Another smile trembled on her lips. “Even the part about love?”
