“Yes, it would be best.”
She looked at him, perplexed by his words. They reached the restaurant, and she didn’t say anything further. The waiter led them to a table in a corner with a view of the street.
“I’ll bring a chair for the little one,” he told them. “We keep one in the kitchen for the owner’s child.”
“Thank you,” Tess said, grateful to find someone so accommodating. After Emily was settled, Daniel ordered beef steaks and a bottle of champagne.
“My, aren’t we extravagant.”
“We have cause for celebration. It isn’t every day you receive a bank draft for more than a thousand dollars.”
“It certainly isn’t.” After the waiter delivered the champagne to their table, she raised her glass in a toast. “Here’s to Uncle John.”
“To Uncle John,” Daniel repeated. “To the future.”
She touched her glass to his and held his gaze while they sipped their champagne. His eyes heated, sending her pulse racing.
The waiter brought their food, and she spooned mashed potatoes into Emily’s mouth. When she grew restless, Tess gave her a green bean to chew. Turning to her own meal, she cut a bite of rare steak and savored the rich flavor. Looking up, she discovered Daniel watching her.
“Did you finish your errands?”
He nodded and selected a roll from the basket between them on the table.
“Was it something to do with Uncle John’s house?” she asked when he didn’t elaborate.
“No, I went shopping.”
“What did you buy?”
“I’ll show you later. It’s a gift.”
“Oh.” She thought of Lottie, and her pleasure faded. “Whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll like it.”
“Who will like it?”
“Lottie. She’ll like whatever it is you bought for her.”
His gaze met hers. “I didn’t buy anything for Lottie. The gift is for you, and there’s no point in asking what it is because I’m not going to tell you. Not yet.”
Tess was torn. Pleasure filled her heart, but guilt ate at her enjoyment. She watched in silence as the waiter cleared their plates and brought slices of chocolate cake for dessert.
She took a bite and moaned. “Have you ever tasted anything so sinfully rich?”
“Wash it down with some champagne.” He filled her glass. “Can I give Emily a bite?”
“A very small one.”
Emily tasted the cake, smacked her lips together, and reached for more.
“Now you’ve done it. She can have one more bite and that’s all. I’m afraid it will give her a tummy ache.”
Tess finished her cake and took a sip of champagne for courage. It was time. She had to tell Daniel about Nathan’s proposal before they went back to the hotel. She couldn’t avoid it any longer.
“Daniel, there’s something you should know—”
He interrupted. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “I suppose so.”
“I saw Nathan kiss you at the train station. Why did you let him?”
She set down her champagne glass. “I was going to tell you about that.” She took a deep breath. “Nathan asked me to marry him.”
“What?” He stared at her, his face paling.
Nerves shattered, her voice rose. “He asked me to marry him, and I’m going to say yes.”
“Why, Tess, why would you?”
“Because he’s a good man, and I want a husband. I want Emily to have a father.”
“Do you love him?”
She didn’t answer.
“Let’s go back to the hotel.” His lips were tightly compressed, his eyes hard. “We’ll talk there.”
“There isn’t anything to talk about.”
“Yes, there is.” He pushed back his chair and stalked to the front of the restaurant to pay the bill. When he returned, she lifted Emily out of her chair.
Outside, the air had cooled considerably. Tess shivered as she hurried along beside Daniel. His expression grim, he retrieved the key and hustled her up the stairs to their suite. Once inside, he shut the door and leaned against it.
“Can you put Emily to bed now?”
“She won’t be tired for at least another hour.” Her heart pounded. “Daniel, if you have something to say about my decision, you can say it with Emily in the room.”
“No, I can’t. I’ll come back in an hour.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. For a walk I guess.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so angry. I had hoped you’d be happy for me. Is this about Rory?”
“It has nothing to do with Rory. I’ll be back,” he said and slammed the door behind him.
Angry and upset, Tess stared at the closed door. Emily looked at her with big, round eyes. “Dada?”
“When Daniel returns I’ll find out just what is bothering him.” She turned on her heal and fury lengthened her stride. First there’s something I need to do. She dug inside her reticule and pulled out Nathan’s ring. After a final moment of hesitation she slipped it on her finger.
“That’s that. All right, Emily, now we can play.”
An hour later, Tess emerged from the bedroom and found Daniel at the window with his back to her. “I thought I heard you come in.”
He turned. His eyes had lost their anger. “I’m sorry I yelled, Tess. Is Emily asleep?”
She nodded and came toward him, stopping a few feet away. “I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”
He didn’t speak. His gaze fixed on her hand. Slowly he reached for it and held her fingers up to the light. The soft glow from the lamp gave the pearl a lustrous radiance.
“Why weren’t you wearing it earlier?”
“I wanted to tell you first.”
He dropped her hand. “You can’t marry him, Tess. He isn’t the right man for you.”
She took a deep breath. “Can’t you be happy for me? I loved Rory. Losing him tore me apart, but he’s gone. Do you expect me to stop living out of loyalty to him?”
“I don’t expect that.”
“Then what is it you want?” she cried. “Why do you care who I marry? You’ve made it clear you’re not interested in me, not in that way.” Her hand shook when she pushed back a lock of hair.
“I do want you, Tess. I’ve always wanted you.”
She felt for the edge of the settee and sank onto it. “What are you saying, Daniel?”
“I love you.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. Tears blurred her vision. “Don’t make it worse.”
He dropped to his knees in front of her and held her by the arms. “I’m not trying to make it worse. I’m trying to make it better.”
Anguish tore through her. “You said there could never be anything between us. You made certain I believed it.”
“I did mean it. I thought I would be betraying my brother.”
“What changed your mind?”
“It was what you said the other night. Rory asked me to watch over you. He knew I loved you, yet he entrusted me with your care. Maybe that was his way of giving me his blessing.”
She stared at him, feeling sad and lost. “Oh, Daniel, I tried to tell you months ago.”
“I know, and I was a fool not to listen. I was too filled with guilt to see the truth.”
Tears pooled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Why couldn’t you see it sooner? Now it’s too late.”
“It’s not too late, Tess. It could never be too late.” Rising to his feet, he sat beside her on the settee and pulled her into his arms. “You love me. I know you do.”
“But Nathan—”
“Tell him you changed your mind.”
She closed her eyes, fighting her confusion. “I haven’t promised to marry him. I wanted time to think it over first, but I planned to accept.”
Daniel’s arms tightened. “You would never have agreed. I know you, Tess.”
Her heart broke. “He’s a good man. I don’t want to hurt him.”
“Would it be fair to marry him when you don’t love him?”
“He knows how I feel. I never lied to him.”
He looked at her in astonishment. “You told him you loved someone else?”
She nodded.
“And he still wants to marry you?”
“He’s convinced in time I’ll love him.”
“But you won’t. You know you won’t.” He pulled her against his chest. “I won’t let you go. I can’t bear to see you married to another man, not again.”
“I can’t marry him knowing I could have you,” she whispered.
“Do you mean it?” He pressed his lips to her hair. “Will you give him back his ring?”
In answer, she pulled Nathan’s ring from her finger and set it on the table near the lamp. Then she buried her face against his shoulder. For several long minutes he held her. It was enough.
Finally, Daniel tilted her face and looked into her eyes. “I want to hear the words.”
“I love you, Daniel. You’re the man I want. You’re the man I need.”
“No more than I need you.” His eyes glittered, and his hand shook as he touched her face. “I’ve loved you forever.”
He lowered his head and touched her lips. The kiss was a joining of souls, an expression of love, pure and true. Her breath caught in her throat, and tears filled her eyes. They ran over onto her cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” he whispered.
She pressed her face into his neck and felt the strong pulse beating there. “Because I can’t believe this is happening. I was so certain I would live the rest of my life without you.”
“I can’t give you up. I can’t do it, even for Rory. Watching you with Nathan these last months has been eating me alive. Seeing him kiss you was torture.”
“How do you think I felt, knowing you were with Lottie?”
“There was never anything between your sister and me. I never kissed her once. I know you can’t say the same, and I blame myself.”
“That’s all there was, Daniel, a few kisses. When he wanted more, I stopped him. Deep inside, I knew it wasn’t right.”
“I wasn’t going to ask, but I feared the worst.”
“Would it have mattered?”
“Nothing can change my love for you, Tess. I loved you while you were married to my brother. I loved you while you bore his child, and I loved you while you mourned for him. If my love can survive that, it can survive anything.”
She leaned against his chest. “Why didn’t you find someone else?”
“Because you’re a part of me. You’re my life.”
She looked deep into his eyes and saw the pain he had endured. She gently traced the hollow of his cheek, the line of his jaw. She touched her lips to his. “You make me whole, Daniel. You fill the void in my heart.”
He smiled. “We make each other happy when we aren’t making each other miserable.”
“You’re to blame for that, you and your damnable honor. Have you really reconciled yourself to Rory’s death? Do you finally believe you weren’t to blame?”
He sighed and gripped her hand. “I know I didn’t want him to die. I know I don’t have to prove it by giving you up.”
“Oh, Daniel, is that what you thought?”
“I loved you so much. I had to be certain. If I’m the cause of Rory’s death, it’s because I wasn’t fast enough with a gun and no other reason.”
“I’m glad you didn’t draw against Jack Craven,” Tess said fiercely. “If you had, I would have lost you, too. I can’t bear the thought. Please, let’s not talk about it anymore.”
“I’d rather not talk at all.” He nuzzled her ear. His breath on her neck sent shivers through her. With eyes half closed, she stopped thinking and simply enjoyed the sensation of his mouth on her skin.
“Let’s go to my room,” he whispered. “My bed would be a lot more comfortable than this settee.”
She pulled away from him a fraction of an inch. “We can’t. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Why not? We love each other.”
“First I should tell Nathan I can’t marry him. At the station, he was worried about me spending the night alone with you. I assured him it would be completely innocent. I don’t want to betray his trust. I want to come to you without guilt.”
He frowned. “I don’t want to wait. Life is too short not to take advantage of every second we’re given. We’ve wasted too much time already.”
“Then a couple more days won’t matter.”
“They matter.” He reached into his pocket. “I told you I bought you a gift today.” He pulled out a dark blue jeweler’s box. “Open it.”
Tess took it from him and lifted the lid. Inside the box, resting on a bed of velvet, was a ring. The large solitaire diamond glittered in the light from the lamp. She caught her breath.
“It’s magnificent.”
He took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. “Tess, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?”
“Oh, yes!” She threw herself into his arms, her heart overflowing with joy. “I love you more than I can say.”
Their lips met and clung. His hands sifted through her hair, pulling out the pins, releasing the silken mass. “You’re mine, and nothing else matters.”
She returned his kiss with equal fervor. When his hands moved from her hair to her breasts, she pulled away. “Daniel, we shouldn’t. We have the rest of our lives for this.”
“But I want tonight to be just for us. I want to make love to you and sleep beside you. I want to know you’re thinking only of me, that I’m the one you love.”
“You’re the man I love. Never doubt it for a moment. You’re the man I dream about.”
“Then let me have my dream. Let me love you.”
“It’s my dream, too.”
He didn’t press her further. He held her, stroking her hair while she fought her conscience.
Tess weighed in her mind her obligation to Nathan against her overwhelming love for Daniel. She thought of all the time they’d lost while he let honor rule his heart. He had been wrong to stubbornly place pride before love. Now she was guilty of the same. There was no guarantee they would have tomorrow. All they could count on was today.
She looked up at him, and her heart swelled. “You’re right. Time is too precious to waste. Make love to me, Daniel.”
Chapter 14
The soft glow from the lamp illuminated the big double bed. Tess pressed so closely to Daniel they cast a single shadow on the far wall of the room. Her eyes drifted shut and she lost herself in his kiss, clinging to him for support. After several long minutes, he lifted his head and stared down at her.
“Oh, Tess, I love you so much.” He dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. “Are you certain this is what you want?”
Her legs trembled. She pressed her palm to his chest, feeling the frantic beat of his heart. “I want to make love to you and fall asleep in your arms.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He stroked her hair back from her face before lowering his mouth to hers in a kiss that spoke of passion long denied. When he raised his head, she was breathless.
“I want to touch you,” he whispered.
Her hands shook as she reached for the buttons fastening her bodice.
He covered them with his. “Let me. I’ve dreamed of undressing you.”
Her hands fell to her sides. He unbuttoned her dress and peeled it from her shoulders. Beneath her corset her breasts rose and fell.
“You are so beautiful.” Daniel ran his finger along the lacey edge of her chemise. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”
She shivered when he cupped her breasts. He kissed each swell of flesh and rested his cheek against them. Her heart pounded. She stroked his hair, sifting it between her fingers.
“What’s this?” he asked, touching a warm piece of metal resting in the valley between her breasts.
Tess covered his hand with hers. “It’s Rory’s wedding ring.”
“Oh.” Slowly he raised his eyes, and she saw his uncertainty.
“Help me take it off. I don’t need to wear it anymore.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’m positive.”
She untied the ribbon without a single twinge of remorse. The time for mourning was past. For a moment the ring hung suspended between them. He searched her eyes, and the shadows in his disappeared.
“What will you do with it?”
“I’ll give it to Emily when she’s older. Maybe someday she’ll want to give it to the man who will be her husband.”
“That’s a fine idea,” he said quietly. “I’m sure Rory would approve.”
“I hope so, but tonight I don’t want to talk about Rory. Tonight is about us.”
He smiled down at her. “I agree. Now where were we?”
“I think you were going to kiss me.” She caressed his cheek where only the faintest trace of a beard abraded her fingertips. “At least I hope that’s what you were going to do.”
His chest shook with laughter. “I’m going to do a whole lot more than that.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, to her cheeks, and the tip of her nose. Finally he took her mouth, his tongue stroking hers, igniting a fire. When he lifted his head, his eyes burned bright. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
Her body quaked. “Neither do I.”
Grasping his arm to steady her shaking legs, she stepped out of her dress. One by one he removed her petticoats, corset, chemise, and pantalets. Last he smoothed her stockings down her legs, pausing to kiss her behind each knee. Tess thought she might melt into a puddle at his feet. Finally she stood naked before him.
“You are the most beautiful woman on earth.” He ran his hand down the smooth curve of her waist and touched the faint marks on her stomach, a reminder of the child she had borne.
Tess smiled. “I’m passingly pretty at best.”
She reached for his shirt front, teasing him with the slow release of each button. When at last his shirt was open, he let it fall to the floor. She placed her palms flat against his chest, stroking the dusting of hair. She kissed the pulse beating frantically at the base of his throat, loving that her touch excited him.
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