But what if he didn’t feel the same?
‘I love you,’ she said again, throwing herself off the cliff. ‘I want us to be married again, to make a true life together. Here at Barton, in London—it doesn’t matter. I just want to be your wife again.’
For a long, tense moment, he was silent. He stared at her, his eyes unreadable. Just as Jane started to turn away, sure that it was too late, his arms came close around her and he drew her against him.
‘Damn it all, Jane, if I’m asleep and dreaming don’t let anyone wake me up,’ he said. ‘I never thought I would hear you say those words again. I thought you were gone for ever. The mistakes I made, the stupid mistakes…’
Jane laughed and cried all at once, holding on tightly to Hayden as he kissed her over and over. ‘We have both made mistakes, both been in pain. But we can make a new start now, if that is what you want, too.’
Hayden drew back, holding her face tenderly between his hands as he stared down at her. ‘It’s all I want. I love you, Jane. I want to show you how much, show you that I’ve changed. I can be the husband you deserve now. Let me prove that.’
‘You don’t have to prove anything to me. We just have to be together now,’ Jane said. ‘Together always.’
‘Always,’ he said, and there was the ring of deepest, truest promise in that one word. As if he was making his vows to her all over again. As if their marriage now was truly begun.
Always. This time, Jane knew that word was the whole world. She was Hayden’s now, and he was hers. Always.
Epilogue
Lake Como—one year later
‘Jane, look!’
Jane glanced up from the book she had balanced on the marble balustrade of the terrace and shielded her eyes from the sunlight to wave at Emma. Her sister dashed along the lakeshore, the hem of her white muslin dress wet as she threw sticks into the water for Murray. The dog, who’d grown prodigiously large on the good Italian food, joyfully dived into the waves as Emma clapped.
Jane waved and laughed, feeling more contented than she ever would have thought possible as she saw Emma having so much fun. After her kidnapping, Emma had grown so quiet and withdrawn, wandering around the gardens alone, waking at night from bad dreams, until Jane feared for her health. That was when Hayden suggested they follow the doctor’s advice and take an Italian holiday.
There, under the azure skies and brilliant sun, the flowers and the good food, Emma began to blossom again. She laughed and chatted, just as she had before all the bad things happened. And, if possible, she’d even grown more beautiful. The young English bucks on their Continental tours followed her about every time she went to tour a museum or a ruin, sending flowers and letters, asking Hayden for her hand in marriage.
But Emma just dismissed them with a laugh and went on about her studies. There would be time to worry about her marriage later. Right now Jane was just glad she was happy and healthy.
And Emma wasn’t the only one growing and blooming under the Italian sun. Jane rested her hand gently on her own belly, now large and rounded, and felt the baby stir under her touch. It liked to move about, kicking and turning restlessly as if her little son or daughter couldn’t wait to be out in the world.
Jane smiled as she felt a tiny foot press into her palm. At first, she had lain awake worrying this child would be lost before it even had a chance to see the sun, just as her other babies had. When she’d lost that last baby, so much hope had slipped away with it, and she and Hayden were pushed even further apart.
But this child had grown and thrived, and in a few weeks she would hold it in her arms. Even if something terrible happened, she knew now she needn’t fear—Hayden was with her. They were truly together now and nothing could push them apart. This last year had shown her that every day. Their love for each other grew every day, content and peaceful. They had married too young, expected too much of each other, but now they were ready for their life together. Truly ready.
‘What is Emma up to now?’ she heard Hayden say. She glanced back to see him coming out the open terrace doors, a platter of fruit in his hand. He had turned golden in the sun, his dark hair slightly lighter, and his smile gleamed.
It made Jane smile, too. ‘She’s running in the water like a hoyden, of course.’
Hayden laughed and sat down on the chaise next to her. He popped a glistening strawberry between her lips. Its sweetness burst on her tongue, as perfect as the day.
‘I had another suitor beg me for permission to marry her this morning,’ he said. ‘It seems there’s a line out the door every day.’
‘I know.’ Jane sighed. ‘Yet she cares for none of them.’
‘There is time for her to find the right one. None of these gadabouts are good enough.’
‘I hope so. I want her to be as happy as we are one day.’
‘No one could possibly be as happy as we are.’ Hayden smiled and leaned over to kiss her, his lips sweeter than the strawberries, the sunlight. Sweeter than anything in the world.
It had been a long, rocky road To get here, full of storms and wrong turns. But it had led them here, to this perfect moment. To a future together, as a family.
Jane gently touched Hayden’s cheek and smiled up at him. ‘You’re absolutely right. No one is as happy as we are.’
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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First published in Great Britain 2013
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited.
Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road,
Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Ammanda McCabe 2013
eISBN: 978-1-472-00404-8
The Runaway Countess Page 20
