Chapter Eleven
Gentle snowflakes landed upon Cora’s heated cheeks. She pressed her finger against his broad chest. A heated memory of their stolen night of pleasure rocked through her, and she jerked her hand away as though burned.
Thankful for the cold bite of the winter air to cool her overheated state, Cora took a moment to gather her wits after his embarrassing display before the entire village.
His public confession had caught her completely unaware, leaving her shaken and stunned.
Had she not dragged him from the room, she feared what other things he would reveal that would forever tarnish their good opinion of her.
Cora wrapped her arms around her torso and glared up at him. “What in the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Asking you to marry me.” His bearing held no sign of deceit, his tone sincere and pleading, but not weak.
She stilled in confusion. “Surely, you jest?”
Phillip held her gaze steadily. “I have just announced my intentions to the entire village, and still you do not believe I am in earnest?”
“I believe you are in earnest, but I have my doubts as to the sincerity of your request.” Cora licked her lips, her body trembling, but not from the cold.
“My ‘sincerity’?” He arched a brow. “I have thought of none but you since the day we parted. You have consumed my mind, my dreams, my fantasies. I have wandered for months in search of answers—of a balm to soothe the ache in my soul.” He stepped closer.
“I have found nothing but confirmation that I cannot live without you by my side.”
Cora’s pulse quickened. “You are young. You will find someone more suited.”
“We are suited well enough, and the differences in our ages means little and you know it.” Snowflakes gathered in his dark hair.
“And what of an heir? Surely, that is important to continue your legacy.” She dropped her gaze. “I am too old—”
“If God deigns to grace us with a child, then it is his will.” Phillip took her hand. “And if not, then I am content to let the title pass to the next in line. You are far more valuable than what you can provide.”
The hardness around her heart softened. She saw him more clearly without the youthful trappings of wit and flirtation. This was a duke of intent and determination, not the charming young rake she’d once believed him to be.
Her protest weakened. “I hardly know you.”
“I have written you a letter every day since we last parted.” A soft smile curved his lips before fading away. “Those letters bore the content of my character, the deepest pieces of my soul. Things I’d never before shared with another living being.”
Cora remembered devouring every letter, every word as she’d sat before the fire where they had once allowed passion to rule reason and surrendered to the desire burning through them. They had given her hope and terrified her in equal measure.
“You know nothing about me.” The flimsy protest fell from her lips.
“I spent a year watching you.” Phillip stepped closer, his heat surrounding her.
He lifted her chin with his fingers and forced her to meet his gaze.
“Every month, I returned in the hope you would give me a chance. And when you remained aloof, I waited patiently observing and admiring from a distance.”
Cora’s breath caught, her heart thundered beneath her ribs.
“You bewitched me, Cora, from the first moment of our acquaintance.” He cradled her face in his hand, palm warm against her cold cheek.
“I saw your strength and dedication to those in your community. Your kindness and generosity toward those around you. Every interaction I observed allowed me a glimpse into your character and showed me a woman who not only knew her own mind—but followed her heart. I fell in love without even realizing it.”
“Phillip.” Cora whispered his name and pinched her eyes closed, stemming the tears. The walls around her heart cracked and broke into rubble. “You cannot want me.”
“I do.” He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “I love you, Cora.”
“But you are a duke—and I am a widow with no title—nothing to offer—”
Phillip pressed his fingers to her lips. “I will not allow you to say such things about yourself. You are magnificent, and there is no one in the world I would rather have as my wife.”
“I was not raised to be a duchess. I know nothing of the life you wish me to enter.” A steady fear rose somewhere in the back of her mind.
“You will learn and adapt quickly. I have seen your cunning and wit. With some guidance from my mother and her band of merry widows, you will outshine every lady in society.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I believe in you.”
The tears fell freely, and he gathered her into his embrace. Cora wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his coat.
“I offer myself, all that I have, all that I am,” he whispered against her hair. “If you do not love me, tell me now and I will never again return to Glenbrae and leave you to live in peace.”
“I cannot,” Cora replied softly.
Phillip stiffened, and she drew back to meet his gaze.
“I cannot tell you I do not love you.” She sniffed and wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. “Because I do—and I realize now that I had from the moment we met.”
A grin replaced his frown.
“I love you, Phillip,” she said with a laugh. “Heaven help me, but I do.”
Without warning, Phillip caught her up in his arms and spun her around. His lips captured hers in a passionate kiss. She clung to him, savoring the warmth surrounding her heart. Joy at this new journey suffused her, filling her with equal measures of excitement and fear.
When they broke apart, she held his face in her hands. “The ton will be thoroughly scandalized by our union.”
“They can go straight to the devil.” Phillip kissed her again. “I love you, Cora, and I refuse to let another day pass without you by my side.”
Cora’s heart nearly burst.
“Shall we return to the gathering?” Phillip asked.
Cora spied the footman peering at them through the door. “I have a better idea.”
She quickly crossed to where the man waited, requested both her and Phillip’s outer garments, and asked him to pass on their regrettable departure.
“What are you plotting?” Phillip asked as the footman passed her the requested items.
Cora pulled him toward his waiting carriage and motioned to the driver. “The duke wishes to return to his estate.”
Phillip blinked and followed her inside the conveyance.
She curled up on his lap, noting the length of his hard cock pressing against her thigh through her thick, woolen skirts. He rested a hand on her hip to still her.
“Mrs. Mackenzie will be horrified by this arrangement.” Phillip traced his lips along her jaw. “The duke bringing home his lover.”
“Fiancée,” Cora clarified with a sly smile. “I believe she will be rather accommodating, considering the circumstances.”
“I can only pray my mother is equally as accommodating when we return to London.” He nipped at the tender skin of her neck, making her gasp. “But I fear you both may have more in common than I realized.”
Cora drew back, eyeing him suspiciously. “What do you mean?”
“You are both beautiful, strong-willed, and indifferent to scandal.” He grinned. “She will like you immensely.”
“I hope she finds it in her heart to forgive me.” Cora ran her fingers through his hair, earning a groan from deep within him. “Because I fully intend to ruin her son in every conceivable fashion.”
“Fuck,” Phillip murmured before capturing her lips in a heated kiss.
Cora ruined him thoroughly before the carriage had even made it to the hunting lodge.
Scandalous, indeed.
The End