The Heiress He's Been Waiting For

by Kaitlin O'Riley

  Her parents were silent. Sara could not breathe or speak. Her heart was too full. For an entire minute, no one uttered a single word.

  Finally Captain Fleming cleared his throat. “Well, Lord Bridgeton, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Thank you for sharing all of that with us,” Juliette said softly, her expression full of sympathy. “It can’t have been easy. But it helps clear up some questions I had about the two of you as well.” She looked toward Sara.

  Sara stared at her hands in her lap, her fingers clenched tightly together, tension running through her entire body. She could not even look at him. She didn’t know what to do or say. She felt like screaming. Or crying. She willed the tears not to come but they stung her eyes. When was he planning to explain this to her? He had come here to tell her parents and Sara just happened to stumble into the library. What if she hadn’t come downstairs this morning? When was Christopher going to talk to her about any of this?

  “I’m willing to do whatever Sara wishes,” he stated calmly.

  “Lord Bridgeton, perhaps you could give Sara, and give us, a little time to discuss this privately first?” Juliette asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Christopher said with a nod. “I shall take my leave of you now and return tomorrow, if that suits you?”

  “Yes, that will be fine. Thank you,” Juliette said, looking curiously between him and Sara.

  He thanked them and exited the library.

  Meanwhile, Sara had avoided his eyes and could not watch him leave.

  26

  Coming Around

  “You mean we are really selling Bridgeton Hall, Kit?” Evelyn asked, her brown eyes wide with astonishment.

  “Yes,” Christopher explained to his sisters at the Townsend town house later that night. “It’s the best solution. We’ll have some money to live on from the sale of the estate, and once I am gainfully employed I can support us.”

  “I’m just so relieved that you’re not marrying that horrid Bonnie Beckwith, that I don’t care what happens to us,” Gwyneth added, a smile on her sweet face.

  The three Townsend siblings sat in the main drawing room before the fire later that evening after he’d spoken with the Flemings. A heavy rain was coming down outside and Christopher had just explained his recent plans to his sisters. He had specifically omitted his engagement to Sara, since he was not certain what their state of affairs was after he left Devon House. Would there still be a marriage between Sara and him after all? In the meantime, his sisters had been relieved that he’d ended things with Bonnie Beckwith, as he knew they would be.

  Even though he had originally intended for them to stay in London only for a few days, a month had now passed. Evelyn and Gwyneth were enjoying life in the city more than he had expected, and he couldn’t bear to send them back to their mother at Bridgeton Hall.

  “If things go well with the sale of the estate, maybe we could simply lease a little town house like this in London,” he suggested to them.

  “I would love to live in London!” Evie cried with glee. “Perhaps we can even have Mother go live with her older sister in Scotland. How wonderful that would be!” She waved the letter they had just received from their mother, demanding that the girls return to Bridgeton Hall immediately.

  “It’s certainly a possibility, for Mother can’t very well stay at Bridgeton Hall when it’s sold.” Christopher smiled, caught up in his sister’s enthusiasm. A new sense of freedom had taken over him since he made the decision to end the engagement with Bonnie Beckwith and sell the estate. Once his father’s debts had been cleared, he wouldn’t be beholden to anyone anymore. He would be a free man. It was quite a novel feeling. The fact that his sisters were supportive of his decision made him feel even better.

  “Excuse me, my lord,” said the butler, entering the drawing room. “There is a Miss Fleming here to see you.”

  Christopher stood up in surprise. Sara was here? At this late hour? Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was well past nine. After he left Devon House early that morning, he didn’t think he’d hear from the Flemings again today. What was Sara thinking coming here at this time of night? Did her parents know she was at his house? Somehow he doubted it.

  “Miss Fleming is here?” Evie asked, her eyes dancing, obviously thrilled by this development. “Please, by all means, show the lady in, Jensen.”

  The young man paused. “Shall I serve tea, my lady?”

  “No, I don’t think that shall be necessary,” Christopher said, recovering from his surprise. Sara was here. At his house.

  Gwyneth smiled in satisfaction. “What is Miss Fleming coming to see you about, Christopher?”

  “I’m not quite sure, but I would ask you both to give us some privacy, would you?” he asked his sisters.

  Evelyn and Gwyneth exchanged amused glances. “Perhaps,” Evie said with a mischievous smile.

  “Now, listen you two, Miss Fleming may need to discuss some things of a personal nature with me, so I’d like—”

  “Good evening. I apologize for the late hour.”

  Sara Fleming stood in the doorway of the drawing room. Wearing the same simple pink gown she had on earlier this morning, she had a thick shawl wrapped around her shoulders to protect her from the rain. Her hair was loose and damp and not covered by a bonnet. She looked as if she had just run right out of the house. Her blue eyes bright, she appeared more naturally beautiful and alluring in her simplicity than she had in her most stylish and elegant gown. His heart pounding, Christopher couldn’t look away from her.

  “Miss Fleming!” Both Evie and Gwyneth exclaimed in delight.

  “It’s so wonderful to see you,” Evelyn said, welcoming her in. “Won’t you please come and join us? Have a seat over here by me.”

  “Thank you.” Sara seemed hesitant, but made her way over to the sofa where Evelyn was seated. With a brief glance at him she said, “I bet you’re all wondering what I’m doing here so late.”

  “The thought has crossed my mind,” Christopher quipped, still standing near the fireplace.

  “It is a rather rainy night to be out . . .” Gwyneth said.

  Sara turned to his sisters with a warm smile and a bit of a conspiratorial look. “Lady Evelyn and Lady Gwyneth, would you mind giving your brother and me a moment alone together? I have something private that I must discuss with him.”

  “Why, of course!” Evie exclaimed. “Come, Gwyneth. We were just saying how tired we were and that it was past time for bed. Won’t you please excuse us, Miss Fleming?”

  The drawing room grew silent after his two sisters left.

  Christopher stared at Sara with an expectant look. “So exactly what are you doing here, at this hour, on a night like this?”

  She gazed up at him from her seat on the sofa, her blue eyes warm and appealing. “I had to see you.”

  “And it couldn’t wait for a more civilized hour?”

  She shook her head, her dark wavy tresses spilling over her shoulders. “I needed to see you right now.”

  He looked at her with a bit of worry. “Do your parents know that you are here?”

  “No.” Sara shook her head again. “They think I’m asleep in my room.”

  Christopher ran his hand over his face. “It’s a wonder they don’t keep you under lock and key.”

  Sara smiled at him with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “But they don’t.”

  “Well, they should. How did you even get here? It’s pouring out!”

  “Phillip took me in the carriage.”

  “Waverly. Of course.” None of this made any sense. “Where is the esteemed Phillip Sinclair, Earl of Waverly, right now?”

  Sara shrugged, the shawl falling from her shoulders. “On his way to his club, I would assume.”

  “Your cousin just left you here?” he asked in disbelief. What on earth was Waverly thinking? Or Sara, for that matter? Coming here like this?

  “Yes, he did. I asked him to.”

  Her matter-of-fact answe
r unnerved him. “Remind me to have a little chat with Waverly the next time I see him. In the meantime I feel that I’m going to need a drink this evening.” Christopher sighed heavily and strode to the liquor cabinet. Sara’s showing up at his house could only spell trouble. With her he never knew how things would turn out. He poured two glasses of brandy from the decanter. He walked back to the sofa and handed one of the glasses to Sara. Hers had half the amount of brandy in it as his did. He quipped, “I also have a feeling you need this as much as I do, but I don’t want you falling asleep on me either.”

  “Thank you.” She took the glass from him while appearing slightly abashed at the mention of the last time they had brandy together.

  He noticed that her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the brandy. So . . . his little Sara was nervous, was she? He sat down beside her on the sofa. “Well, Miss Captain’s Daughter, what is so important that you snuck out of the house in the rain at this late hour to see me?” he asked.

  She sipped her brandy first. “I needed to apologize to you.”

  “Oh?” This ought to be interesting.

  “I want to apologize to you for so many things, I’m not sure where to start.”

  He drank some of his brandy. “Go ahead.” This evening was eerily reminiscent of the night of the storm in the Devon House library. The rain. The brandy. The two of them alone, talking earnestly.

  Sara paused, and looked toward him, her eyes tinged with regret. “Christopher, I am so very sorry for everything I’ve done wrong. I’m sorry for being a selfish brat and only thinking of myself. I’m sorry most of all for running off to marry Alexander after you asked to marry me. I’m sorry you gave up everything to marry me, although what you did touched my heart more than you can ever know. I’m very sorry I had no idea what a difficult financial position you were in and I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t share that with me. I’m sorry for worrying you and making you run around town looking for me. And I am very sorry for not being able to say any of this to you when you were at Devon House this morning. But I’m also not sorry.”

  “Not sorry for what?” he asked, intrigued by her mood and moved by her sweet apologies.

  “Well, I’m not sorry you found me at the hotel and kept me from marrying him. I’m not sorry that you stopped Alexander from hitting me. I’m not sorry that you hit him so hard that you broke his nose.” Sara’s voice caught a little and she took a breath. “I’m not sorry that we made love that night. I’m not sorry that you said you loved me. And I’m not sorry that you asked me to marry you.”

  Christopher reached out and brushed away a stray tendril of hair from her cheek. “You’re not?”

  She shook her head before taking a sip of the brandy. “No. I’m not sorry for any of those things.”

  He asked the question that had haunted him since he had known her. “And so do you still love Alexander?”

  “No.” Her eyes met his. “All this time I think I was only infatuated with him and the idea of him. But no, I don’t love him. I thought I did, but I was mistaken.”

  “And seeing him yesterday?” Christopher couldn’t forget the worry in his heart yesterday as they searched for her. The fear that Sara had married Drake had been quite real.

  “Seeing him again was what made me realize that I didn’t really love him at all. He didn’t love me either, that was quite obvious. But now that I understand what love is and what real love feels like, I know I never felt that way about him.”

  “So, what is it you want, Sara?” He wanted to hear her say the words to him.

  “I want . . .” She faltered for a second. “I want you to know that I love you. And I think I’ve loved you for a while now, but I was too blinded by what I thought was love for Alexander to realize it.”

  His heart turned over in his chest. Sara Fleming loved him. It was too good to be true. Wanting nothing more than to kiss her, he leaned in, reaching for her.

  Placing her small hand upon his arm, Sara stopped him. “Please. Let me explain.”

  “Very well,” Christopher murmured, sitting back against the sofa. “I’m listening.”

  She took a deep breath. “I’ve come to realize that what I felt for Alexander, what I thought was love, wasn’t really love at all. He was merely a romantic ideal that I had already built up in my imagination. A knight in shining armor. I knew nothing about Alexander except that he was handsome and charming and whispered pretty things to me. We never talked about anything of importance, or anything that mattered, or even of our future together. But because of you, I know now that wasn’t really love I felt for him.”

  She paused and sipped her brandy. Then she settled her blue eyes back on him. “If I really loved Alexander, I couldn’t have kissed you the way I did. If I truly loved him as I claimed that I did, I wouldn’t have let us do the things we did together in the carriage that day or in the drawing room the other night. But I didn’t, did I? Because deep down I guess I didn’t truly want to be with Alexander. Because I have realized that you are the one I love.”

  “How do you know that?” he couldn’t help but ask, his heart pounding at her words. “How do you know that I am the one you love and not him?”

  “Because, Christopher, you are the one in my thoughts when I first wake up in the morning and before I go to sleep at night. You’re the one I think about all day long. You’re the one I care what happens to. You’re the one who makes me feel things I have never felt before. I love your kindness and your honesty. I love how you care for your sisters and your family. I love that you are honorable. I love that I can talk to you about anything and that you make me laugh. I love that you want to care for me and want to protect me. I love that you gave up everything to be with me. I love that I feel at home in your arms. I love the sound of your voice, your handsome face, your perfect mouth, and your gorgeous brown eyes. I love how you kiss me. I love that you can make me forget everything except being with you. I love everything about you. I love you, Christopher Townsend.”

  He feared it was all some kind of fever dream. Was Sara Fleming really here, at his house, confessing her love for him? But as his eyes rested on her beautiful face, he knew it wasn’t his imagination. She was truly there with him, saying these things to him.

  “Sara,” he whispered, filled with emotions he didn’t know what to do with. “I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you.”

  She placed her delicate hand on his cheek, caressing him lightly. “Please tell me that you forgive me for being a complete idiot?”

  “I forgive you,” he said. “And I’m sorry too.”

  “Whatever for?” she asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

  “I’m sorry for embarrassing you yesterday at the hotel. When I said you might be carrying my child in front of everyone. I regretted it the moment the words were out of my mouth,” he explained. He’d just been so desperate to stop her from marrying that man, he probably would have said anything at the time.

  “No,” she responded. “You were right to say it. It was nothing but the truth. I don’t know what I was thinking in running to Alexander after what happened between us. It was not well done of me. I was being willful because I didn’t like my parents telling me what I should do. In the end I honestly don’t think I could have gone through with marrying Alexander, even if I hadn’t discovered the truth about him and that awful Lucy Camden. I was having doubts even before I arrived at the Savoy Hotel. When you walked in that room, Christopher, in my heart I think I knew I loved you then. I acted angrily, but I was really quite happy that you had showed up.”

  “I would have turned London upside down to find you.”

  Her expression full of wonder, she asked, “You would?”

  “Without question. Anything to stop you from marrying Drake.”

  “They arrested him, you know. And Lucy,” Sara said. “My father and Uncle Lucien spoke with the authorities this afternoon. It turns out they were both stealing from other guests in the hotel. They even fou
nd some of the missing jewelry amongst their belongings.”

  “Well, that is good news. They were despicable characters. I hate to think what would have happened to you if you married him.” Christopher didn’t know what he would have done if they hadn’t found her in time.

  “I’m happy that they were caught too and I’m even happier that all of this is over. But I’m happiest of all that you cared enough to come to find me.”

  “That is because I love you more than I can say.” Christopher spoke in a low voice. “And I want you to be my wife, Sara. Do you still wish to marry me, knowing I have nothing to offer you?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “I want to marry you. And you, Christopher Townsend, have more to offer me than money. And honestly, I don’t care about the money. I never have. It was always my parents who worried about it. And it seems that they love you too and wish for the two of us to marry. They’ve already secured the license and everything is arranged for Saturday morning. That is, if you’ll still have me?”

  “Will I still have you?” He shook his head in disbelief, then turned to look in her eyes. “Of course I will still have you, my beautiful Sara. You’re all I have ever wanted. With or without your money.”

  “But we will have my money,” she said with a very serious expression on her face. “My parents said so. There’s nothing to worry about. We’ve already discussed it after you left this morning. They’re going to give us five million dollars as a wedding gift.”

  “I can’t take that money,” he blurted out, before choking a little on his brandy. It was a reflexive reaction and the words flew from his mouth before he could even think of what he was saying. The staggering sum of money was more than he could have imagined. His head spun. Five million dollars!

  “Why not?” she asked rather breezily. “I’m sure it’s more than the Beckwiths were going to settle on Bonnie.”

  “It is.” Christopher could barely speak. “Quite a bit more.” Five million dollars was a bloody fortune.