She stood too and reached out a hand. Lord Wright brought her finger to his lips. She gave one final nod before he turned and exited the room.
Marigold drew in a deep breath, not of relief but more like one preparing for battle.
“Mary Ann Clearwater,” her mother bit out behind her. “How could you?”
With a slow pivot, Marigold turned to face her mother, keeping her shoulders straight and her resolve firm. “How could I what, Mother?”
“Dismiss the best suitor you have!” Her mother huffed, crossing the room. “You are an ungrateful—”
“Mother,” her voice dropped lower, her spine snapping even straighter until she felt taller than she’d ever felt before. “That is enough.”
Her mother stopped, blinking several times. “I beg your pardon.”
Marigold gave her head a shake. “I love you. Very much. And I don’t envy you the job of raising a child alone.” She drew in a steadying breath. “But you must give me room to find my path. Otherwise, I will continue to hide behind ferns and stumble over my words. I need room to find myself and it’s time that you gave it to me.”
Her mother’s mouth opened and then closed. “But you’ve always needed so much help. And I don’t know what I would do with myself if I didn’t have you to—”
Marigold’s heart constricted and she suddenly understood. Her mother had made Marigold her sole focus. “Oh, Mother. I understand. Truly I do. And I will always need you but right now, I need myself more. Does that make sense?”
Her mother crossed the divide that separated them and wrapped her arms about her daughter. “I am sorry I just called you ungrateful. It’s me who has been rude.”
Surprise made Marigold stiff. She sincerely had not expected an apology. “We’re all doing the best we can.” Then she leaned away. “But right now, I need to go tell a certain marquess how I feel about him.”
Her mother nibbled on her lip. “I talked to him earlier, dear. He seemed clear that he isn’t looking for a wife.”
Marigold nodded. “I know. But I would be remiss if I didn’t tell him how I feel. I know I face rejection but...” She drew in a deep breath. “At least I will leave here knowing that I did everything I could, and perhaps the next time someone I could truly care for comes into my life, I will have learned to be brave and—”
“Oh, Marigold,” her mother interrupted.
Marigold gasped in surprise. Her mother never used that name.
“My little flower has finally bloomed.”
Marigold laughed at that. Then she hugged her mother again. “I’m going to go find him. I hope you understand.”
Her mother gave a nod. “Last I saw him, he was in his study.”
Marigold let go of her mother and turned toward the door. “Thank you for understanding.” Then she lifted her skirts and started her search.
But his study was empty, as was the music room, the library and the stables. After an hour of hunting, the sun was beginning to set. She’d neither changed for dinner nor found Max.
Stopping in front of the music room once again, she let out a deep sigh. There was nothing left to do but change into her evening gown and hope she found him tonight.
Just as she pivoted away, Lily appeared in the music room, walking through the doors of the garden with Lord Merrick on her arm. “Marigold,” she called waving. There was a sparkle in her eye that caused Marigold to inwardly cringe with jealousy. Lily often got that look when she was with her fiancé.
Lord Merrick also gave Marigold a soft grin. “It’s a beautiful evening,” he called. “You should take a turn about the garden.”
Marigold shook her head. What had gotten into the two of them? “Thank you. I shall do so later. Right now, I’m going to—”
“Oh no,” Lily shook her head. “That won’t do at all. You must go now. The setting sun can’t be missed.”
Marigold frowned. She wasn’t certain she cared about the sun or the glow of the two people who’d found their happily ever after. But then she sighed. It wasn’t like her to be so rude and honestly, they were just trying to share a lovely sunset with her. “All right. I’d love to take a turn about with you.”
Lily’s smile grew. “Not with us. But there is someone waiting for you.”
Her brow crinkled. What in heaven above were they talking about?
But Lily waved her forward. “Go on. Sunsets wait for no man...or woman.”
Marigold stepped out onto the terrace with a final look back at her friend. What was Lily on about? But then her head swiveled back to watch where she was going and a gasp ripped from her lips.
Because the setting sun was beautiful. The garden, stunning during the day, was magnificent this evening, cast in hues of orange, yellow and red.
But more importantly was the scene staged in front of the setting sun.
Tears of joy and excitement sprang to her eyes as her hands covered her mouth.
Marigold couldn’t believe the scene before her eyes.
A table had been set in the gazebo at the garden’s entrance, with candles and flowers and serving trays and a bottle of champagne.
Some of the musicians who’d performed at the ball the other evening began playing a soft melody from the far reaches of the garden.
But it was the man who waited for her who stole her breath, her thoughts...her heart.
“Max?” she whispered.
“What do you think?” His smile was slow and sweet. “A bit over the top?”
She blinked as the reality of what she was facing struck her anew. This was a romantic evening.
Alone.
She glanced around at the otherwise empty gardens. Well, aside from the musicians, they were alone.
“We should not...” She started and stopped as he walked toward her. “If anyone finds us—”
He would be forced to marry her, that was what she meant to say, but she could not bring herself to say the words when he was smiling at her like this.
Like she was the only woman in existence.
Chapter Seventeen
“No one will find us,” he said.
It was amazing he could get the words out at all when she was standing there looking at him like that.
“How do you know?” she asked, still hesitating where she stood on the edge of the terrace.
He grinned, some of his nerves evaporating now that she was here. With him.
Exactly where he longed for her to be.
She blinked as if coming out of a trance and looked around once more at the garden entrance which Sarah had helped him to decorate. “How do you know we will not be discovered?” she asked again.
His smile threatened to fade at her hesitation. If they were discovered she would be forced to marry him and it was only now occurring to him how terrifying that thought might be for her.
“My mother has promised to keep the other guests away,” he said. “And trust me when I say that my mother can be quite formidable when she wishes to be.”
She did not laugh as he’d hoped she would. Nor did she smile. Her gaze was fixed on him, unblinking and slightly dazed.
He certainly hoped that was a good thing.
Either way, he meant to say what he’d come here to say.
“I was a fool.”
Her eyes widened. “Pardon me?”
He cringed at his own admission. Perhaps it was better to explain first... “Did I ever tell you how I came to have an injured leg?”
She shook her head.
“A stray cannonball when we were fighting in France.”
She winced. “I am sorry.”
He shrugged, shoving aside the visceral memories that threatened to drown him whenever he thought too long about that fateful day. “I was lucky,” he said. “Many men were not.”
Her expression was pained but she kept her mouth shut, her hands clasped before her.
“One would think that after such a near brush with death, I would have learned my lesson.”
&nbs
p; She blinked a few times in confusion. “What lesson is that?” she asked quietly, her voice drifting through the rose-scented garden air that was still warm from the afternoon sun.
“That there is never enough time.” He gave her a small smile. “There is never as much time as we wish and rarely an opportunity for second chances with the ones we love.”
Her lips parted but she shut them quickly, her expression uncertain.
He took a step toward her, and when she did not back away, he took another. He was close enough now that if he were to reach out he could touch her. “And that is why I was a fool,” he continued. “I ought to have known better than to think I had all the time in the world to make my feelings known, to woo you the way I’d intended—”
“Stop.” The hand she held up was so close to his face it brushed his nose.
His heart sank. She didn’t want to hear it. Perhaps she’d already made up her mind that she would have a better future with Alex. But there was no way he could let her walk away without saying what he’d come here to say. “Marigold, you have to know that there is no one but—”
Her hand clamped over his mouth and they shared a wide-eyed look of surprise.
She looked nearly as shocked by her action as he was.
“Wait,” she said. “Please.”
It was the please that did it. He nodded and she slipped her hand from his lips, taking a deep breath.
She was bracing herself to let him down easily, he just knew it.
“I want to go first,” she said softly.
He frowned. What did that mean?
“I do not wish to be your friend, Max.” Her whole body seemed to sag with relief and her eyes lit with happiness. “There. I said it.”
His brows arched in surprise and his heart leapt with hope. “Does that mean—”
“I like you,” she said quickly, her lips curving up in a smile that made his whole body feel warm like the sun had just reversed its course to shine down on him. “I like you as something more than a friend. I think perhaps I—”
“I love you, Marigold.”
Now it was her turn to stare with wide eyes. “What?”
“I felt a connection with you instantly,” he continued. “I did not realize it for what it was until you kissed me, but there is no doubt.”
“But you said you wished to be friends.”
“When I came to you in the music room, I’d wanted to explain but I...” He sighed. “I was such a fool.”
Her lips twitched with amusement. “Yes, you’ve mentioned that.”
There was so much to say, so many things he needed her to know. And yet right now, with her lips curving up with repressed laughter and her eyes dancing with happiness...
He reached for her. When he pulled her into his arms, she melted into his embrace. When his lips found hers, it felt more like a homecoming than his actual return home.
Her lips were soft and sweet, her body perfectly fitted to his.
“I love you, too, Max.”
He stilled, pulling back to meet her gaze, his heart thudding painfully in his chest at the affection he saw in her eyes. “Are you...are you certain?”
Her smile widened. “I am. I know we have only just met but when I am with you, I feel as if I am myself for the first time in my life. I feel as if I know you and you know me and...” She trailed off with a laugh and a shake of her head. “If you are a fool, then I must be too.”
He grinned as he held her even tighter. “Then let us be fools together, shall we?”
She nodded. “I would like that.” Her arms wrapped around his neck. “Tell me, what brought on this sudden change of heart?” Her eyes narrowed in feigned suspicion. “It wasn’t seeing me and Alex together on our stroll, now was it?”
He cringed with embarrassment, but not even humiliation could stop his smile. “You saw that?”
She nodded again. “Alex was certain you would be beside yourself with jealousy.”
“I was,” he said with a growl that made her laugh.
“Is that what compelled you to speak with me tonight?”
He sighed, tipping his head forward until his forehead touched hers. “That was part of it. But the truth is, I had every intention of talking to you before that, in the music room. I set out to tell you how I felt...”
“What changed your mind?” she asked.
He sighed. “So much has happened since I’ve come home,” he admitted. “I do not think I was ready for such an intense emotion. I hadn’t planned on meeting the woman of my dreams, let alone a woman I intended to marry.”
He heard her breath hitch and he pulled back to meet her eyes. “You will marry me, won’t you?”
Her smile was blinding in its radiance. How anyone could have missed her against the wall, even if she was behind a fern...it was beyond him. The woman was irresistible. A force of nature who’d just been waiting to be set free.
No, she’d been waiting to set herself free, his strong, beautiful, vivacious little Marigold.
“Of course I will marry you,” she whispered. “Nothing would make me happier.”
He kissed her with all the passion he was feeling and they both grew breathless as their lips learned the other’s taste and shape and breath.
When he finally came up for air, he cupped her precious face in the palm of his hands. “I am sorry I did not realize sooner that you are not one to be kept waiting.”
She laughed softly. “Oh, I don’t know. I’d like to think I’ve spent the last three seasons waiting...for you.”
He grinned. “My apologies for being late.”
Her eyes grew serious. “But, Max, if you need more time... That is, I know you said you were not ready...”
He shook his head. “I was mistaken.”
Her brows arched in question.
With a self-deprecating smile he tried his best to explain. “Coming home, it made me feel...well, for a while there I forgot who I was. Who I’d become.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I needed you to remind me.”
She smiled up at him.
“I know I still have a long road ahead of me as I learn all there is to know about being a marquess and taking care of this land and this family, but—”
“But we shall do it together,” she finished.
He kissed her softly. “Oh yes?”
“Yes.” Her nod and her tone brooked no arguments. “Don’t you know? A wife is meant to be your partner.” Her eyes lit with resolve and determination. “I will be your partner.”
He pulled her in for a tight embrace as her words dissolved the last of his hesitations about the life that lay ahead and the obstacles they might face.
“You are stronger and braver than anyone has ever given you credit,” he whispered in her ear.
“And you are wiser and more responsible than you have given yourself credit,” she replied.
They pulled back to share a smile of understanding.
“For the first time since my father’s death I am looking forward to the future,” he said. “Marigold, I cannot wait to start my life with you.”
She went up on tiptoe, her lips so close he could feel her breath. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and laughter. “Then let’s not wait.”
Epilogue
Six months later…
Marigold stood at the top of the stairs in Max’s ancestral home as a parade of men brought in goods of all kinds.
With the doors thrown wide, crisp December air filled the entry as well and Marigold gave a shiver. “I’ve never seen so many crates in my entire life.”
Max, on her right, pulled her close to his side. “My mother does have a way of turning any event into an…affair.”
Marigold groaned, her hand coming to his stomach. “I don’t like large gatherings under the best of circumstances. Why does our wedding have to be so…large?”
“How many are on the guest list now?” Sarah, Max’s sister, asked from her left.
Max shook his head. “Three
hundred.”
“Three hundred?” Marigold cried, cringing. “Has your mother forgotten I spent every season behind a fern? Will there be ferns around the alter?”
“Well it’s Christmastide,” Sarah added, raising a finger. “So my guess is that there will be holly and mistletoe.”
“Not helpful,” Max bit back, gathering Marigold near. Then he whispered close to her ear. “There can be whatever plants you wish.”
Marigold scrunched her nose as her voice rang with just a touch of desperation. “I wanted a small wedding with friends and very close family. This is obviously not about what I want.”
Max winced. “I know. My mother has always had a way of…” He looked up at the ceiling.
“Turning every event into the social gathering of the season.” Sarah finished for him. “After having what was heralded as the best garden party of entire year, she is most anxious to top the event with this wedding.”
Marigold shook her head. “How could our wedding possibly be more entertaining than a garden party where three wallflowers became engaged?”
Sarah shrugged, mischievous amusement curving her lips. “I’m sure Mother has some ideas.”
Marigold bent her head forward, looking at the rich carpet as yet another round of crates were stacked in the entry. And these were only the ones that had been too large to fit in the service entry at the back of the house.
Meats, cheeses, flowers, linens, and crates of champagne and wine filled the entry. “I can’t do this, Max.”
He gathered her close. “Of course, you can.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
He smiled, softly placing a finger under her chin to lift her face up toward his. “What happened to my brave wallflower who confessed her love for me and agreed to be my partner?”
She sighed, her lips settling into a frown. “That’s not fair.”
“I know.” He kissed her temple, his lips grazing her sweet skin. “But I also know you’re strong enough to weather this.”
She shook her head. “I should have never turned the wedding details over to your mother.”
A Wallflower's Wish Boxed Set: Three Regency Romances Page 34
