Chapter 20 #2
She turned her head and found Dominic watching her.
His gaze was steady, full of compassion, and—could it be?
—something softer, something achingly close to love.
That look undid her. Without a thought to propriety or to the walls she'd so carefully constructed, Dorothea stepped towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
He stiffened for a moment before folding her into his embrace with a quiet exhale.
His arms enveloped her completely, strong and sure, and a sob slipped from her throat.
In his arms, she felt anchored. Safe. Home.
And for the first time in days, she didn’t want to run, didn’t want to hide—she just wanted to stay right where she was.
Dominic pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Are you all right?”
Her voice wavered. “No… yes… I don’t know. Why does it feel like everyone wants me dead?”
He leaned his cheek against her temple, his breath grazing her ear. “It’s over now. I swear it. No one will hurt you again—not while I still draw breath.”
She shifted just enough to look up at him. “How can you promise that?”
“Because I would die before I let anyone touch you again,” he said, his voice edged with fierce conviction.
Her chest constricted, her heart thudding wildly. That one sentence undid her completely. A tear slid down her cheek, and her lips parted before her mind could stop them. “And that’s why I love you—”
The words were out before she could pull them back. Her breath caught.
Dominic went still. “You… love me?”
Panic bubbled up inside her. She could lie and pretend it was a slip of the tongue, but instead, she drew in a shaky breath and nodded. “I do. I’ve known it for some time.”
His jaw clenched, and he looked away, his voice raw. “How can you love me after everything I’ve done… after everything that’s happened?”
Her answer came without hesitation. “I fell in love with you beside a bloodied cot in a makeshift hospital. You were broken and half-mad from pain, but you still held my hand and begged me not to leave. And I haven’t. My heart chose you long ago.”
He looked down at her, disbelief flickering in his gaze. “But I’m not that man anymore.”
“You’re right,” she said softly. “You’re stronger now. You’re better.”
Dominic’s gaze searched hers as if trying to find the lie but there wasn’t one. Only truth, plain and bold. “Thea… I don’t know what to say, except—”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She squeezed his hands. “Just know that I want you—all of you. The parts you hide, the burdens you carry, even the nightmares that steal your sleep. You deserve to be loved fully, without condition.”
He drew in a breath. “Are you sure? I need you to be sure. I am not an easy man to love.”
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life,” she replied. “I am not giving up on you—not now, not ever. I love you fiercely, for who you are, not who I want you to be.”
Emotion swelled behind his eyes, and he huffed a laugh, almost disbelieving. “Then you should know that I am ardently in love with you.”
Hope blossomed in her chest at his words. “You are?”
“I am,” he said. “I’ve tried to tell you—at least a few times—but we kept getting interrupted.
” He reached up to cradle her cheek. “But make no mistake. You are not just the woman I love. You are the one I trust with everything—my past, my future and every shadow in between. You’ve seen my worst and stayed. ”
“Of course I stayed.”
His expression darkened slightly. “Then why did you press for the annulment?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Because I wanted you to stay by choice—not obligation. I wanted to give you the chance to walk away.”
“Well, I choose you,” he said. “I will choose you again and again, for every day we’re given.”
He leaned in, eyes falling to her mouth. “May I kiss you?”
“Yes,” she breathed. The word left her too fast, too eager.
He chuckled softly, then brushed his lips over hers in a whisper of a kiss. “Just as soft as I imagined,” he murmured before kissing her fully.
The kiss was slow and reverent, but there was fire beneath it—years of longing, months of doubt, days of fear all melting into one perfect moment. Dorothea clung to him, her world narrowing to the warmth of his mouth, the strength of his arms, the truth of his love.
When they finally parted, he rested his forehead against hers. “That was even better than I imagined.”
She smiled. “I feel the same.”
He met her eyes with a new intensity—one that made her breath catch. “I want to take you upstairs and show you how much I love you.”
“Why don’t you?” she whispered.
He grinned. “Because you deserve a proper courtship. Starting with Vauxhall Gardens tonight.”
“I’ve always wanted to go.”
“I had a feeling,” he said, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “But truly, I don’t care where we go… so long as we go together.”
“Together,” she echoed. “That sounds… perfect.”
Dominic’s smile faded into something more thoughtful. “What can I give you to show how much I love you? You have your own fortune—”
“That’s yours now,” she interrupted gently.
“No,” he said firmly. “It belongs to us.”
Her smile deepened. “Then I already have everything I want.”
In a quiet voice, he asked, “What about a little girl?”
She gave him a bemused look. “But I thought you didn’t want children.”
“I didn’t,” he said. “Or rather, I was afraid to want them. But… one or two wouldn’t be so terrible, assuming they inherit your red hair.”
She laughed softly. “Are you sure? Because I don’t need children to be happy. Just you.”
He stared at her, his expression solemn. “My father was cruel. I’ve feared becoming him my entire life. But you… you’ve shown me there’s another path. You’ve made me believe I’m more than my blood. More than my wounds.”
“I love you, Dominic.”
“And I love you, Thea,” he whispered.
A slow, mischievous smile curved her lips. “I know you want to court me properly, but I find myself rather eager to engage in these marital relations I have heard so much about.”
He chuckled, low and rough with affection. “Who am I to deny you such a thing, my love?”
Before Dorothea could reply, the door creaked open and Wright stepped in and announced, “Pardon the interruption, my lord, but a Mr.—”
“Send him away!” Dominic shouted. “I plan to spend the rest of the day with my wife. Uninterrupted.”
Wright inclined his head. “Very good, my lord,” he said before retreating with a bow.
Dorothea gave Dominic a stern look, though she found the whole thing amusing. “That was rather impolite.”
He reached out and tucked a loose curl behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her cheek. “Work can wait,” he murmured. “But you… you, I will never make wait again.”
Heat rushed to her face as her smile returned. “I believe we were about to go upstairs.”
Instead of replying, Dominic stepped back and—without warning—swept her up into his arms. She let out a small gasp of surprise before wrapping her arms around his neck, laughing breathlessly.
“You will hear no complaints from me,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple as he carried her towards the doorway.
Just as they crossed into the entry hall, a blur of movement caught their attention. Tristan stood in the entryway, proudly clutching an inflated pig bladder like a prized treasure.
“Look what Mrs. Dawson gave me!” Tristan shouted. “I’m going to kick it in the gardens!”
Dominic came to an abrupt halt, still cradling Dorothea in his arms. “That sounds… delightful,” he said.
Tristan bounced on his heels with excitement. “Would you like to join me? It’s much more fun to kick it with other people.”
Dorothea bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a giggle and looked up at Dominic. “It does sound like an excellent way to spend the afternoon.”
“As tempting as that sounds,” Dominic said, “Dorothea and I are otherwise engaged at the moment.”
Tristan tilted his head, thoroughly unconvinced. “But what’s more fun than kicking a pig bladder around?”
Dominic shifted Dorothea higher in his arms and gave the boy a crooked smile. “I can think of a few things,” he replied, a teasing note in his voice. “But we will join you later. Much later.”
“All right. I’ll go see if my mum wants to play instead. She’s very good at kicking things,” Tristan said.
Without waiting for further comment, he darted off towards the servants’ corridor, kicking the inflated bladder ahead of him with a loud squelch.
Dominic shook his head as he turned back to Dorothea. “That boy is going to rule the household by the end of the month.”
“He already does. You’re just too smitten to notice,” she said. “Now, where were we?”
“You mentioned something about carrying you upstairs and distracting you thoroughly.”
“Ah, yes,” she said, looping her arms more tightly around his neck. “Do carry on.”
“With pleasure.” He resumed his stride, every step purposeful, as Dorothea’s laughter echoed through the halls behind them—a sweet, unguarded sound that filled every corner with the promise of love, of healing, and of a future no longer shadowed by fear.