The air seemed to thin the longer she looked at him. Belle couldn’t tear her eyes away. He started toward her and her heart raced.
She was sitting on a circle of rocks that had been covered with pillows. He sat next to her. “You saw Mark, I see.”
“He’s very thankful that you found him.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt while you all spoke.” He held her gaze tightly. “Are you upset that he’s married to someone else?”
She frowned. “Why would I…? Oliver, no. I told you I didn’t love him. I’m glad he found love. I’m happy for him and Hannah.”
He kept his eyes steady on her for another moment and then nodded before he looked away.
“Did you see the boys?” she asked.
He nodded. “Clive and Landcastle are having the young men finish the shelters. Then they’re taking them to the beach to begin swimming. I want to show you the rest of the cave. I mean, if you want to…”
“I want to,” she whispered.
Oliver stood and held out his hand.
She wrapped her arm through his as he led her away from the others. She grabbed the bag she’d borrowed from Jackson on the way out. She’d give it back to him at the beach.
They went back into the narrow dirt path in the direction they’d come from. “The beach is past the waterfall. It’s a little far.”
“I don’t mind the walk.” There were still lit scones in the pathway that seemed to have been partially dug out. “I love this. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Thank you for not kicking me off your property,” she teased.
His lips twisted. “You’re welcome.”
He was silent, which wasn’t bad, but Belle felt a difference in him she hadn’t felt last night. He was calmer. She wondered how long he’d been in the room while she spoke to Mark, how long he’d worried about her feelings for the other man.
Old Oliver would have acted out his jealousy. This one seemed to take what she said for truth. She loved no gentleman more than the one whose arm she held.
“Did you sleep well??
“I did. You were gone when I woke.”
“Jolly had an inventory of what they needed, and I left early this morning to get it.”
“You’re amazing,” she said. “You’re the most amazing person I know.”
Finally, he smiled and stopped. “I think the same of you.”
Her cheeks went hot, and she looked away.
He lifted her chin. “Believe me when I say you’re the best part of me, Belle.”
Her lips parted in surprise. His thumb stroked her cheek before he dropped his hand. “For a long time, I tried to feel as little as possible and then I met you and immediately felt everything. Happiness. Peace.”
“Anger.”
“Lust.” His eyes darkened.
Her heart jumped.
He looked away. “I’m feeling everything right now. I feel nervous.” He looked at her again. “What if you choose to only love me from a distance?”
She took his hand. He was so vulnerable at the moment. Her heart could barely handle it. “Oliver…”
He shook his head. “I’ll be all right.” He kissed her hand and then tucked it back into his arm. “If in the end, you decide that it’s best we not marry, I’ll be all right. Knowing you love me… I can live with that.”
“You could marry someone else.” She hated the words as they left her lips.
He couldn’t have anyone else, her mind shouted. He’s mine.
“No, it’s like you said. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone else. My heart is yours.” He didn’t seem happy about the fact.
“Some women would marry you for your title alone.” She thought of the young women in the cave.
He stopped again and stared at her. “Is that what you want me to do? Marry someone who won’t mind bedding me every once in a while?”
“No,” she whispered. “I’m selfish, too.”
The confession made him smile. A scream made them pause and then Oliver was running.
Belle was right behind them. She could hear the waterfall.
She stopped when Oliver did, mostly because she didn’t have a choice.
Oliver turned to her. “Stay here.” Then he stepped into the water. She could see the path he’d been carrying her over last night. Stones were visible just below the water’s surface. On one side was the powerful fall and on the other a pool.
There was a hole in the roof just like the one in the other part of the cave. Light shined in and reflected on the water.
She gasped at the sight of Johnathan. Then Oliver jumped into the pool and began to swim in his direction.
Ward and Jackson were there. Ward was trying to yank Jackson away from the water while Johnathan fought for his life. Was Ward keeping Jackson from saving him?
Johnathan went under just as Oliver got there and pulled the boy to shore.
Belle started across the path, but Oliver’s shout stopped her.
“Stay there, I said.” His anger was back, but she understood it. He didn’t need another person to worry about at the moment.
∫ ∫ ∫
5 6
* * *
“Let me go,” Jackson cried.
“No!” Ward shouted.
“Let him go,” Oliver ordered as he was crouched over Jonathan, trying to get him to wake up. He shook the boy to try and release the water in his lungs. Fear made his blood cold.
“Sir, I can’t!” Ward screamed.
“Let him go!” He made certain he put malice in his voice. He didn’t know what Ward was up to, but this was proof that something was terribly wrong.
The shouting stopped, so he knew he’d been obeyed.
Then there was a slap.
Ward stood on the edge of the rocks, glaring down at Jackson, who was floating in the water. Oliver didn’t have to guess how Jackson had landed in the pool. He knew Ward had pushed him.
Strangely, it looked like Jackson was grinning.
How had these boys ended up in the cave anyway?.
Johnathan choked, and Oliver flipped him over.
“Is he all right?” Belle shouted.
“He’s fine.” Oliver smiled down at Johnathan just as the boy’s eyes opened. “It’s going to be all right.”
“Oliver!”
Oliver looked up and saw Ward was holding a large rock and wasn’t standing too far from them.
Oliver glared at him. “Put that down.”
Ward didn’t even look at him. He kept his eyes on Jackson, who was swimming around the water. Was he trying to kill Jackson?
Johnathan grabbed Oliver’s shirt.
Oliver wrapped an arm around him as he inched away from Ward. “I won’t let Ward hurt you.”
“Not Ward,” Johnathan gasped. He was still trying to catch his breath. “Jackson.”
“You want me to protect Jackson?”
Johnathan shook his head as he pulled in air.
Oliver looked back and noticed Ward walking toward Belle. The rock was still in his hand.
Jackson was in the water, swimming toward Belle who had her hand out.
Oliver looked at Johnathan. “I have to go help Belle. Are you all right?” Even as he asked it, he was already setting Johnathan aside.
“Not Ward.” Another breath. “Jackson pushed me in the water.”
“What?”
“Ward was trying to… save me.”
Oliver frowned just as Ward shouted as he crossed the rock path carefully, “Lady Belle, don’t trust him!”
Belle ignored him as she encouraged Jackson to swim faster toward her.
Oliver was running.
“He wants the sack I got from the thieves!” Johnathan shouted. He wasn’t struggling to speak anymore.
“Why?” Oliver wondered aloud. His heart fell when he realized that the thief’s rucksack sat behind Belle. She’d been using it.
Jackson took her hand and everything that followed seemed to happen slowly.
&n
bsp; Belle gasped as she was yanked, and Oliver jumped into the water before she even touched the surface. He didn’t care what happened with the boys after that. His only thought was getting to Belle. Thankfully, it was morning so he could see her easily as he swam in her direction.
He got to her quickly and pushed her to the surface. She gasped and clung to him.
He held her with one arm and used the other to take her to the rocks.
Ward was holding Jackson to the ground.
Oliver and Johnathan got Belle out of the water.
“Are you all right?” Oliver asked her.
She nodded and turned to Johnathan. “What’s going on?”
The boy shouted, “Jackson wants the bag. He was the one who undid my rucksack. He’s been trying to get it ever since.”
“He’s part of The Circle,” Ward screamed as he struggled to hold Jackson down. “I’ve been trying to protect Johnathan, trying to get the sack myself so Jackson would leave him alone.”
Jackson finally flipped him, jumped over Ward, and started for the rock path again.
Johnathan was in Jackson’s way. Jackson pushed the boy back into the pool before he went on.
Oliver had no choice but to save the boy again... and let Jackson go.
Ward looked ready to follow Jackson, but Oliver told him to stay.
If Jackson was anywhere on his land, he would find him.
But hours later, Jackson hadn’t been found. Two of the other older boys were also reported missing. Oliver had his footmen search for days to no avail. They were gone, likely with help.
Noel was pacing in Oliver’s drawing-room. “This is all my fault. I thought the boys had no allegiances. I was wrong.”
“You can’t blame yourself,” Landcastle told him. “Even I wasn’t ready for this, and I barely trust the flower girl in Covent Garden.”
Oliver didn’t tell the man that he was right to be suspicious of Violet.
Clive and Belle were with the other boys. They were asleep upstairs. When he’d left Belle, she’d been holding Johnathan as she had the last two days, as though she’d never let him go. She’d given Ward an endless amount of kisses in gratitude, which heated the boy’s face. Then she sent him off to protect the others, just in case.
Oliver was certain the boy would see to it without complaint.
“What’s The Circle?” Landcastle asked.
Oliver stood by his fireplace. “We don’t know. It’s a society or something. They aren’t good.”
Jackson had been sent to recruit boys to join it. The Circle apparently thought the skills Oliver was giving the boys would be useful for their own end, but Jackson, according to Ward and the other boys, had failed.
No one had fallen for his happy act. Though he’d appeared younger, Ward had suspected him of being the oldest. He’d been manipulative. As he’d played and helped the other boys build their shelters, he’d been telling the boys about a way to make money in The Circle.
The rucksack had held a small note at the bottom. The paper had been so dark that it had blended into the material. One name had been written on the paper.
Ward.
Everyone believed Jackson had dropped it into the bag when the thieves had brought the bag to the table at the inn, instructing the thieves to injure Ward so he couldn’t participate on the trip. Which would have left the other boys with less protection from Jackson’s clever words.
Ward had been resistant from the beginning. Killing him would have ended the trip entirely, but if he was hurt, he’d have been forced to stay back.
Landcastle narrowed his eyes. “Lord Van Dero know anything about this Circle?”
“He knows as much as I do.” At least, that was what Oliver believed and even if he were wrong, he was certain Cass kept what he knew to himself for a reason. “The former Van Dero may have been a part of that group.”
Landcastle frowned. “I hate to speak ill of the dead, but I never liked Gregory. He had too much control.”
“Did he control you?” Oliver asked.
Landcastle looked away. He sat with his elbows on his knees. His hands were fisted together. “Not me, but my father.”
“He controlled me,” Oliver admitted. “I’ve been fighting to get out from under his thumb ever since.” He’d realized that a part of the reason he’d been holding himself back from Belle was not only because of his own father but also because Gregory had given her to him. So every time he got near her, he thought himself accepting a gift from the old duke.
But Belle had given him something Gregory couldn’t have: Her heart.
“We’ll be more prepared next time,” Oliver said.
Noel lifted his chin and looked up at Oliver in surprise. “You’d be willing to do this again?”
“I would. We can’t let fear hold us back from doing what is right or what is simply pleasant. The other boys have had fun and there is no reason they shouldn’t continue to do so. This trip is not over. There is a ball in a few days’ time and they’ll be going.”
Noel and Landcastle smiled at him. Then he noticed someone else had joined the room.
Belle. She stood at the door wearing her own grin. “I’m glad you’re not stopping the trip.”
“The other boys deserve their happiness.” And so did he and Belle.
Landcastle and Noel left them alone before Oliver could come up with a reason for them to do so.
Belle joined him by the fire. “You don’t look worried.”
“That’s because I’m not.” He had the heart of the woman he loved and that heart was beating. He had no reason to worry for the moment.
And to prove it, he wrapped his arms around her and then pulled her in for a hug.
He grinned to himself as he pressed his face into her hair. There had been fear in her eyes when he’d lowered his head. She likely thought he’d go for a kiss, but he knew the boundaries.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. “I’m so proud of you.”
He chuckled and pulled away. “Don’t be so proud. There is a part of me that isn’t ready to return to London because I’m not ready to let you go.” He’d factored in everything.
She laughed. “You’re so selfish,” she teased.
He lowered his head and rested against hers. “I am wondering if it’s the right time to let the people out of the caves.”
“I’m wondering if you’re right. This Circle thing, it troubles me.”
He looked at her. “I’ll protect you with my dying breath.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to think of either of us dying.” She touched his cheek and then pulled away.
“Will you dance with me at the ball?” he asked.
She was surprised, but she nodded. “I’d love nothing more.”
∫ ∫ ∫
5 7
* * *
The dance was held a week later as promised. Because Oliver didn’t feel comfortable taking the boys far out into the forest, and he didn’t want the people in the caves discovered, he kept them closer to the manor.
There was a lake nearby, so swimming was still possible. Then his grandmother had sent over a dance instructor to teach the boys basic moves.
Oliver got to dance with Belle during the dance lessons in order to demonstrate how it was done. After that, every boy got a chance with her since she was the only woman around.
The ball was everything his grandmother could have hoped for. There was meat, sweetbreads, and enough confections to ensure that the boys and girls had a pleasant time and a stomachache in the morning.
A quartet played in the corner, and for a single night of their young lives, a group of boys and girls lived a dream. Oliver felt as though he were walking in a dream as well. He no longer had to hide his feelings from the world. He was no longer afraid to love Belle or take anything and everything she offered.
When she approached him after making her rounds, he asked, “May I have this dance?”
She gave him her hand and h
e led her to the middle of the floor.
She’d already danced with Clive and Landcastle but he’d not gotten jealous once. How could he, when she was openly displaying her love for him with her eyes?
He smiled down at her.
She laughed. “What are you thinking about?”
“How beautiful you are. How beautiful this moment is. I feel complete, happier than I’ve ever been or will be.”
She frowned. “Are you sure? Because I was just about to inform you that I accepted your marriage proposal, but you’re so certain that you’re the happiest you’ll ever be—” She gave a cry when he lifted her and swung her around a circle before putting her back on her feet.
“You’ll marry me?” he asked.
She laughed. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you so much, Oliver.” There were tears in her eyes.
He touched her cheek. “Are there still boundaries?” he growled.
She giggled.
The entire room had stopped dancing at her shout.
“Yes. no kissing in front of the children,” she said.
“There are no children around, only young men.” He tightened his arm around her waist. “And now it’s time for their final lesson.”
She placed her hands on his shoulders. “And what is that?”
“How to love the woman of your heart.” Then he kissed her right there in front of them all.
And in the quiet place of his heart, a voice whispered that everything was finally right.
∫ ∫ ∫
Keep Reading
From: Deborah Wilson
To: Beloved Readers
Subject: Next book in the series
Hi lovelies!
Thank you for reading The Marquess Who kissed Me, which is book 14 in the Valiant Love series.
The next book is targeted to release on 09th Dec.
While waiting for the next breathtaking book in the series…
I believe you will love to read the previous book in the series, which I had such a good time writing it.
Flip the page for a special first look at the previous book.
Thank you for reading my books and letting me serve you doing what I love!
The Marquess Who Kissed Me: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 29
