by Gill, Tamara
“They died when I was eight. Heading for a picnic in which I refused to go on. I didn’t want to leave my toys, you see, and so being the selfish little ass that I was, I got to play with my toys while they died not two miles from here.”
“Oh, no, Luke.” She reached out to him, taking his hand. He shook his head at her ability to care, even after all he’d done to her. He played with her fingers a moment, needing the time to compose himself, the lump in his throat awfully large.
“The horses were spooked and the carriage rolled. They all died and they never returned home that night. The house was shut up and I was bundled away to Sussex to live with my grandmother. A woman who tolerated me, taught me how to be a marquess, but little else. I forgot, you see.”
Her eyes held his and he could see the unshed tears in her eyes. “What did you forget, Luke?” she asked.
“I forgot what it was like to have a family. A caring and a joyful family to come home to. I forgot what it was like to be responsible for others and care for them. To want the best for them now and for their future.” He stepped closer to her, taking both her hands. “When you were hurt I couldn’t see straight. The fear that you would never wake up, just as my family had never woken up…I couldn’t do that again and I panicked because I’d already gone too far.”
“Too far?” She frowned, stepping closer. “How?”
He glanced at the sky, praying for strength lest he lose his composure completely. “I love you, you see. The thought that I would lose you, that you could be taken away from me within a moment of time. I couldn’t stand the thought.”
She reached up, clasping his jaw. “So you pushed me away to protect yourself.” Louise lifted herself and wrapped her arms about his neck, holding him close. “I’m here, Luke. I didn’t die. I survived. This time, you didn’t lose everything.”
He wrapped his arms about her back, feeling the warmth of her skin, her scent of jasmine, the expansion of her chest with each breath she took. So unlike his family who had been cold, gray, and still as death.
He clutched at her, the memory bombarding him and he gasped, and for the first time since he was a child, he cried. Cried for the loss of his parents, for the loss of a sister who had so much to give to the world and had never had the chance. For the loss of his childhood and his ability to love. But not anymore. Louise had broken down his walls, had showed him that to love was to live and he wanted nothing more than to love and be with her forever and a day.
“I’m so sorry, my darling,” he said, kissing her neck. “I will never push you away again. Ever.”
Louise rubbed his back, a comforting gesture that he remembered from his own mother. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t know, Luke and I should have asked. When we lost our parents, we were thrown into our auntie’s home, and although she loved us, we were so poor. I too was sent away at eight, but having my siblings to love and care for made me only want to protect them, keep them safe always.”
She paused, pulling back to look at him. “I intended to travel to York for work, but I did hope to marry one day to a man I loved who could support me and my siblings. When you stumbled into my room that night I thought all of my dreams had been crushed. That you had ripped that future away from me, but you had not. You only made my dreams come true.”
She reached up, rubbing away the tears drying on his cheeks.
“I did?”
She nodded. “You did.” She smiled, leaning up to kiss him. “I love you too and I promise, it will take a lot more than a carriage accident to tear me away from you. You have my word on that.”
He tried to smile, but his lips merely wobbled. “Promise?”
She wrapped her arms about him again. “I promise.”
Epilogue
Seven months later
Louise pushed as pain ripped through her body, threatening to tear her in two. The midwife kneeled between her legs, telling her to push, that she could see the baby’s head, but she’d had enough. She just wanted it all to end. For the pain to stop.
She tried to close her legs and the midwife tsked tsked her, pushing her knees apart. “Come on, my lady. Push hard. We’re nearly there.”
Luke lifted her higher on his chest and held her hands. “Come, my love. Push as hard as you can. We’re almost there.”
A baby cried in the hands of Sophie who stood beside the bed, her sister’s tears dripping onto the newly born babe and Louise wanted to tell her to stop dribbling on the baby, before another contraction hit and she bore down. The only time she felt a little relief was when she pushed.
“That’s it, my lady.” Louise flopped back on Luke, panting. “The head is out now, my lady. One more push for the shoulders and we’ll be there.”
“It better be so,” Louise said, ignoring Luke’s chuckle at her ear. The contraction came fast and hard and she pushed with all her might, wanting the child out and the pain finished.
Please, God, let it be done.
She screamed as the babe pushed through and out into the world, its squeaking cry loud in the room, starting off the other baby her sister held.
“It’s a boy, my lord, my lady. You have both a girl and boy.”
Luke shook behind her and she patted his arms, knowing that her husband was emotional over the news. The midwife handed off the child to her maid and Louise looked back at Luke, smiling. He leaned down, kissing her softly. “Thank you, my darling for giving me such a wonderful gift.” He glanced up at the babies, pride overflowing from him and making her smile. “I cannot believe it. Twins.”
“Well, they do run in the family, need I remind you, Luke,” her sister said, pointing at herself.
Louise laughed and the midwife declared her well enough to lay back on the bed. Luke moved from behind her and helped settle her on a bed of pillows at her back and then she gestured for the babies to be handed to them.
Sophie placed the little girl in Louise’s arms and Luke, having taken their boy from the maid, came to sit on the bed beside her. They stared and played with the babies for a time as the midwife went about cleaning the room and giving instructions to the staff.
“I shall be back after dinner and will sleep here this evening, just to be sure all is well through the night.”
Luke glanced up and nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Turner. That is most welcome.”
Sophie walked the midwife to the door. “We’ll leave you alone for a little while. I’ll bring Stephen in a little bit to meet his new nephew and niece.”
“Thank you, Sophie for today. You were wonderful.” Her sister nodded and left, closing the door softy behind her.
Louise looked between the babies, sweet and innocent and her heart filled even more than she’d ever thought it possible. “We have a little family,” she said, running her finger over her daughter’s golden hair that was only just visible atop her head.
Luke leaned over and kissed Louise on the temple. “We were already a family, now we’re merely a bigger one.”
She chuckled, supposing that were true. Her son fussed in his father’s arms and Luke cooed to him and he soon settled again. “He likes you.” Louise reached out and touched her son’s cheek, so soft and new. So perfect.
“May I ask something of you, darling?” Luke met her gaze, before looking down at his daughter.
“Of course, anything.”
He took a breath, quiet a moment before he said, “I would like to name her after my sister. I think Isabella suits her pretty little face.”
Louise looked back at her daughter, nodding. “I think she looks like an Isabella as well.” She lifted her daughter, kissing her cheek. “Hello, Isabella. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Luke lifted their son and kissed him in turn. “And what about this strapping young man? What shall we call him?”
“How about we name him after his father. I’ve always had a love for that name.”
Luke glanced at her quickly. “After me?”
Louise nodded, turning back to her son, not quite
believing she’d just given birth to two babies and had lived to name them at all. Certainly, throughout the ordeal there were times where she’d thought she would absolutely die.
“Yes, after you. Luke, Viscount Tomlinson, future Marquess Graham. I think it suits him very well.”
Luke caught her gaze, and she read all the love that he had for them in his eyes, for they no doubt matched hers. He leaned down and kissed her again, lingering a little this time. “Thank you, my darling. Have I said today how much I love you?”
She grinned, nodding. “You have. Multiple times, but you may say it again if you want. I like hearing it.”
“I love you. I love you. I love you,” he repeated.
She chuckled. “And I adore you too.”
Forever.
A Kiss at Mistletoe
Kiss the Wallflower, Book 2
Pre-order for only 99c!
Lords of London series available now!
Dive into these charming historical romances! In this six-book series by Tamara Gill, Darcy seduces a virginal duke, Cecilia's world collides with a roguish marquess, Katherine strikes a deal with an unlucky earl and Lizzy sets out to conquer a very wicked Viscount. These stories plus more adventures in the Lords of London series!
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Also by Tamara Gill
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TO TEMPT AN EARL
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A CAPTAIN’S ORDER
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About the Author
Tamara is an Australian author who grew up in an old mining town in country South Australia, where her love of history was founded. So much so, she made her darling husband travel to the UK for their honeymoon, where she dragged him from one historical monument and castle to another.
A mother of three, her two little gentleman in the making, a future lady (she hopes) and a part-time job keep her busy in the real world, but whenever she gets a moment’s peace she loves to write romance novels in an array of genres, including regency, medieval and time travel.
www.tamaragill.com
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