It didn’t matter. He had arranged with Vanessa to make that announcement. She pulled out of his grip to get away from her mesmerizing attraction to him. She had to keep her senses alert. Being near him did terrible things to her mind.
“Well, I guess you should have thought about that before you had her make her announcement to half the ton,” Jennette spat.
Matthew stilled. “You think I put her up to that announcement?”
For a quick moment, she almost believed the innocent look on his face. “Yes, why else would she have done it?”
“Because she didn’t want me to marry you,” he said with a sigh. “She was in love with me.”
She crossed her arms over the black wool covering her chest. “Why would a mistress care who her protector married?”
“Because she knew I would never come back to her if I married you,” he said gently.
“How could she know that for certain? Many married men take mistresses,” she retorted before walking the short distance of the room. There was not enough room to pace in here! With his overwhelming presence, the small cabin seemed to shrink.
“Because she knew I loved you. And I, unlike many men in the ton, wouldn’t take a mistress when I loved my wife.”
Jennette stopped mid-step. He loved her. Her heart leaped in her chest and then slowed. It mattered not if he loved her. Nothing changed just because he’d said those lovely, heart-wrenchingly beautiful words.
“Then how did she learn about what happened to John if you didn’t tell her?”
Matthew glanced down to the floor of the cabin and sighed. “I did tell her,” he admitted in a whispered tone.
“Why?” Jennette’s voice rose.
“I was drunk and bitter. It happened two years ago.” He looked into her blue eyes and held her gaze. “I’m sorry. I had no idea she would ever speak of it. Mistresses are supposed to keep secrets.”
The look in his eye was so genuine Jennette almost ran to him then. But she couldn’t. There was still too much that he hadn’t explained. And nothing he’d said changed her situation. She might still hang for John’s death. The only thing to do was make him leave and put the pieces of her heart back together again…alone.
“Thank you for telling me what really happened.” She walked to the door and opened it. “Good-bye, Matthew.”
His eyes widened and slowly he smiled. “Do you really think I’m leaving?”
“I believe you had better before I call for assistance.”
“Call all you want.” He took the two steps to the door and slammed it shut. “They all believe I am your husband. So who do you think is going to interfere with a married couple? According to the law, I can forcibly remove you from this ship and no one could stop me.”
“Why would they think we are married?”
“Because I told them we had argued and you thought to leave. We both know that as my wife I can drag you back to my house, even against your will.” He placed his hands on his hips and gave her a devious smile.
“I cannot believe you did that!”
“I did. And if you don’t pack your bags right now, I will put you over my shoulder and carry you off this boat.”
“You wouldn’t…” Her voice trailed off because, staring into his eyes, she knew he would dare to do such an outrageous thing. And the idea that he would melted her heart. He wouldn’t force her to return if he didn’t love her.
“I cannot go back, Matthew.” She turned away from him.
He stepped behind her and gently placed his large hands on her shoulders. Leaning toward her ear, he whispered, “I will be there with you, Jennette. For all times.”
“I killed John. I ruined your name. I scandalized my family’s name.” A tear slowly tracked down her cheek. She wanted desperately to believe everything would be all right. But she knew better.
“My name doesn’t matter as long as you are with me.”
“Matthew, please stop. We both know your name means everything to you.”
“Not if you aren’t with me.” He turned her around and looked down at her. “Jennette, I have nothing to offer you except my love.”
“Please, don’t do this,” she pleaded. She hated the thought of turning him down. If she could just prevent him from proposing to her and then get him to leave.
“Jennette, please marry me. Be my wife and we shall face the gossips together. We’ll show them that waspish talk doesn’t matter when you’re in love.”
Her heart raced. She couldn’t do this. She could not! “No!”
“What?”
“I cannot marry you. I can’t go back to town. I have to leave before they discover the truth.”
“Who and what truth?”
“The investigators, you fool. Now that Vanessa told everyone that I killed him, there will be another inquest. I lied to them five years ago.” She covered her mouth with her hands and mumbled, “Oh God, you lied to them, too.”
Matthew grabbed her shoulders and brought her closer to him. There was no way he was going to let her go now. He knew she loved him. But somehow, he had to find a way to get her to admit it and trust him enough to face the gossips.
“Jennette, no one will believe Vanessa. She isn’t a lady. She’s just a bitter mistress who lost her protector.”
“I saw the looks on the faces of the people at the party. They were horrified.”
“By her actions, not yours,” he said softly, trying to calm the wild look in her eyes.
“I can’t go back there, Matthew.” She flung herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Come with me. We can build a new life together in America.”
He slowly disentangled himself from her clinging body. Cupping her face, he said, “We cannot do that. I am the earl. I have responsibilities to my tenants, to my estates, to you. I cannot leave and you know that.”
“I do know that,” she mumbled. “Then I shall have to go alone.”
With his thumbs, he wiped away her tears. “Jennette, I promise you, everything will be all right. No one will believe her. Your family and friends will support you. Your brother has been out of his mind since he learned you were missing. You can’t leave them.”
He paused before whispering, “You can’t leave me.”
She closed her eyes as tears continued to fall. “I don’t want to leave you…or my family. But how can I stay?”
“You have to trust me,” he said softly. “I’m not going to let you leave, Jennette.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I shall be by your side the entire time. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“You are far too good for me,” she whispered. “I don’t deserve such an honorable man.”
He laughed softly. “Hardly honorable. Just a man in love.”
She blinked her blue eyes and stared at him. “I love you, Matthew.”
“I know, Jennette,” he said with a smile. “I think I’ve known since that first night we made love. You never would have given yourself to a man you didn’t love.”
“I do love you, Matthew,” she whispered.
“And do you love me enough to disregard the gossips?”
She bit down on her lip and nodded slowly.
“I will never let anything happen to you, Jennette. I will protect you with my name, my title, and more importantly, my love.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I love you, Matthew. And I want more than anything to be your wife.”
“Then so you shall. But if we don’t leave now, I’m going to make love to you here.”
Jennette kissed his mouth tenderly. “And that wouldn’t be good?”
Matthew laughed. “Oh, it would be good but we would spend our honeymoon traveling to New York.”
She leaped backward. “The ship! It’s leaving soon.”
“Not with us on it.”
Epilogue
Anthony watched the faces of the people at the wedding breakfast held at Selby’s home. Lady Jennette Blackburn clung to the arm of her new husband as they g
reeted the guests at their wedding party. Finally, he had finished this mission.
“Thank you for coming, Somerton,” Lady Blackburn said with a gracious smile.
“You are very welcome. How could I not attend and make certain this scoundrel actually went through with his vows?” Anthony smirked at Blackburn.
Blackburn smiled at his new bride. “There was no chance I would back out, Somerton.”
“So I see.” He was genuinely happy for them. But, seeing the one woman he came to this breakfast for, he excused himself.
After reaching Sophie, he said to her, “We need to talk.”
“Not now, Somerton.”
“Now,” he said roughly. He clasped her elbow and led them to a quiet corner.
She rolled her eyes at him. “This is their day. Come to my house tomorrow.”
“No. We will discuss this now.”
“There is nothing to discuss,” she replied in a hushed tone.
Anthony leaned in closer to her and whispered harshly, “I have helped you twice now. First Selby and Avis, now Jennette and Blackburn. You owe me.”
Sophie tilted her head back and laughed softly. “I owe you nothing, Anthony. How many times have I assisted you when you needed to find someone for that position you don’t have with the Home Office?”
“All I want is her name.”
“Not yet,” she answered coyly. “I have one more friend who needs our help.”
“I am not a damned matchmaker,” he retorted as the strangling anger circled him.
“Of course, you aren’t. I am.” She patted his arm with her fan. “You are just my assistant.”
“I want her name.”
“No.”
“I want to strangle you,” he whispered.
“I know. But you won’t because you want that woman’s name and you know that there is no one else who can help you find her.” Sophie smiled in such a sweet manner that everyone watching would think they were friends.
“But not until I help you…again.”
“Exactly. Now turn around because Selby is about to toast the happy couple. And they are only happy because we helped them, whether they know it or not.”
“I really want to kill you,” Anthony said.
“I know. Now do be quiet.”
Selby cleared his throat and lifted his glass of champagne into the air. “I truly never expected this day to come. My little sister has finally found a man to love her. I wish them both all the love in the world. May they be as happy fifty years from now as they are right now.”
As Jennette watched the guests slowly leave the wedding breakfast, her heart could barely contain all the love she felt. Their first public appearance since they left the ship a week ago had gone quite well. Only a few people had declined the invitation and for all she knew they had other plans that couldn’t be broken. She wished Nicholas were there, but his daughter had been struck ill and he had to be with her.
To her amazement, Matthew had been correct so far. No one believed Vanessa. They all still assumed Matthew had killed John. And Matthew never let anyone think otherwise. Slowly, people were beginning to believe the story that they had fallen in love while she helped him find a bride.
While a part of her wished she could clear that assumption and his name, she knew he would never allow it. He needed to protect her. And she now realized he needed that to forgive himself for letting her take his sword that day.
They said their farewells to her mother, Avis, and Banning. Jennette walked with her new husband toward the carriage she’d bought him as a wedding gift. The Blackburn crest emblazoned the black door. A footman opened the door for them.
“I love you,” he said to her once they had settled in the coach.
“And I love you. I have a little surprise for you,” she said as love filled her heart to the brim.
“Oh?”
“I’m a week late.”
Matthew stared down at her. “Is that unusual?”
“Very. I’m quite timely.”
“Do you think?”
She smiled at him. “I certainly am hoping.”
Pleasure lit his face. “I am, too.”
“I love you,” she said for the tenth time that day. “I never thought I could be this happy…until you.”
“And do you believe I didn’t marry you for your money?”
She reached up and stroked his cheek with her hand. “I never believed you wanted me only for my money. Except perhaps that first night at my birthday ball.”
Matthew reached over and pulled her onto his lap. “That was the only time.”
“I know.” She kissed him fully and felt the spark of desire skipping up her arms. “You know, we could take the long way home.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
About the Author
CHRISTIE KELLEY was born and raised in upstate New York. As a child, she always had a vivid imagination and the bad dreams that go along with it, or perhaps the dreams were caused by her five brothers and three sisters. After seventeen years working for financial institutions in software development, she took a leap of faith and started her first book. Seven years later, Every Night I’m Yours was bought by Zebra Books.
She now lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons. Come visit her on the web at www.christiekelley.com.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2009 by Christie Kelley
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN: 1-4201-0946-4
Every Time We Kiss Page 26
