Epilogue
EPILOGUE
“ T ell me the moment you first knew again.” Maddie sighed, leaning back into the chaise lounge. She laughed giddly. “And then once more.”
Daniel laughed, reaching out to caress her face gently. “How many times must I tell you?”
“A hundred,” she whispered, picking up her glass of brandy, and sipping it gingerly. “A thousand!”
“Well, since we are going to be together forever, then I suppose that is not too bad,” he said, scratching his chin, his grey eyes glittering with mirth. “Over the course of a lifetime, it should only be at least once a week.”
Maddie laughed, gazing around the room—his lair at the house on Grosvenor Square. One of them, at least. The very first he had lured her into. She blinked, unable to believe that she was actually sitting here again. It seemed a lifetime ago that she had last been here.
At that time, they had barely known each other. She had been so nervous and scared, unable to believe her gall.
And now, here she was again, only this time, they were engaged to be married. Somehow, the thrill of sneaking out of her room in the dead of night to meet the waiting carriage in the mews had been even greater, knowing at last how they felt about each other.
“I finally knew that I love you when Christopher threatened that he would reveal your identity to the scandal sheet,” Daniel said, his face growing solemn. “But I had always known it, deep down. The knowledge was waiting for me to discover it. I had just built my walls so high that I had trouble knocking them down.”
Maddie’s heart twisted. He had finally told her about the scandal that had befallen his family all those years ago. How his father had died in the bed of his mistress, who was apparently one of many. How the news of it had broken his mother’s heart, and how he had vowed that he would never do the same thing to a woman. He had vowed that he would never marry.
Her heart broke a little, picturing him learning the shocking news, and then dealing with his heartbroken mother, as well as his grief. She could tell that he had loved his father, once upon a time. But that love had become twisted and distorted, turning into resentment, and a fervent desire to never be like him.
“I understand now,” she said softly. “I understand why you fought our love so hard. It must not have been easy for you.”
He grinned ruefully. “It was the hardest battle of my life,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “I was tormented, trying desperately to keep my feelings for you at bay, while hungering for you with a fervor I have never felt before. I felt like I was going mad.”
Maddie reached out, taking his hand. Instantly, she felt the spark that she always felt whenever they touched. He drew in a sharp breath, which told her he felt it as strongly as she did.
But as tempting as it was to submit to it, she ignored it, at least for now. It was so wonderful just sitting here with him, nursing brandy, as they finally spoke about their feelings for each other.
The physical side of it was a huge part, but it wasn’t everything. She had believed that it was the only thing for him, and now, it was amazing to bask in the knowledge that it wasn’t. That he felt as deeply for her as she did for him.
He was controlling their passion as well, which told her, more than words ever could, that it wasn’t just about their insatiable desire for one another. In the past, he would have simply given in to it, for, in the past, he was fighting against getting to know her better.
“I thought that our mothers were going to explode with happiness today.” She sighed. “After they got over their shock, of course.”
Daniel laughed wryly. “My mother is in the seventh heaven. Finally, she will see me married. It has been her life’s ambition to marry me off. I am sure she thought she would never see the day.”
“It will make them both so happy when we marry at Stansgate,” Maddie said. “They practically completed the wedding preparations this afternoon. All they need to do is set the date.”
Abruptly, Daniel sat up, putting down his glass. He turned and looked at her with a strange expression on his face.
“What is it?” she asked, mystified.
“I am glad that we are making our parents happy with our union,” he said solemnly. “But already, I feel as if they have overtaken everything. This is about you and me, Maddie. It is about declaring our love and devotion to each other for eternity.”
Maddie’s heart swelled with love. “Yes. It is.”
“Then let us do it our way,” he suggested, his eyes glittering. “Why don’t we just get married now?”
She blinked rapidly, thinking she had misheard him. “Now? But… what do you mean?”
“Let’s run away to Gretna Green,” he said slowly. “We can start the journey to Scotland tonight.” He paused. “We could be married over the blacksmith’s anvil in a few day’s time.”
She gasped. “You are not serious?”
“I have never been more serious in my life,” he stated, his voice breaking a little. “It would be just the two of us, taking our vows before God. No fuss. No wedding breakfast for a hundred people whom we don’t care about.”
Maddie was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say for a moment. “But it would cause a scandal,” she pointed out, eventually. “People would assume you are only marrying me because you had your wicked way with me!”
He gave a bark of laughter. “I had my wicked way with you,” he returned in a husky voice. “And I do assure you that I intend to do so many more times. What does it matter what anyone thinks? We know the truth. That is all that matters.”
Maddie sat back, staring at him. “Both of our families have been blighted by scandal,” she said slowly. “We know what it is like. How could we do that to them all over again?”
“It would be an adventure.” He gazed at her earnestly. “An adventure just for us. I have lived under the shadow of scandal and let it rule my life. I was governed by fear. How liberating it would be to simply not care if we shock people. To start our lives on our own terms.”
Maddie gaped at him. She was still stunned by his outrageous suggestion. But alongside the shock, she was starting to feel a small thrill of excitement.
She had always longed to be an adventuress. She had always wanted to live her own life, to not be totally bound by Society’s strict shackles. That was why she had written the list. It had been her only way to express her innermost heart’s yearnings.
She had not really given much thought to the wedding—she had just been delirious with happiness that they were getting married at all. She had been willing to be passive while their mothers took over the planning. What did it matter, at the end of the day, except that they were man and wife?
But now… now, she realized that it did matter. It mattered a lot. For they were both restless rebels, at heart. That was one of the reasons they had been drawn to one another.
If they did this, they certainly would be starting their lives together on their own terms. They would be starting their lives as they wished to continue them.
What an amazing adventure it would be.
And their parents would get over it, eventually. It would be only a minor scandal, after all. They would still get the union they desired.
Maddie felt giddy. She laughed aloud in sheer joy. It felt simply wonderful to not be shackled by Society’s rules. Exactly as the list had always intended.
“All right,” she agreed, her heart racing with trepidation and excitement. “Let us do it.”
Daniel jumped up, whooping with laughter, grabbing her hands and pulling her up with him. They danced a lopsided jig around the room, breathless with laughter. When they eventually stopped to draw breath, they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“I cannot wait for the rest of our lives to start, Maddie,” he whispered. “I feel as if I have waited a lifetime for you already.”
It didn’t take long to prepare the carriage. Giggling, they left a note in the foyer for the Dowager Duchess and another one beside it, written in Maddie’s hand for her family.
When they climbed into the carriage under the shroud of darkness, Maddie felt breathless with anticipation. The coachman cracked the whip, and they were on their way to Gretna Green.
The fight was over now. Their lives spread before them like the unfurling of a magic carpet, ready to fly to the skies. A life lived on their own terms.
They turned to each other. Without a word, they fell hungrily into each other’s arms, kissing passionately. After all, it was a long trip to Scotland, and they had to pass the time in some way. The very best way of all.
The End?