Chapter Fifteen #3
Once they were in his official chamber, he set her down on one of the chairs beside his desk.
“Your office is nicely furnished,” she remarked, looking around and surprised by the quality of the desk and bookshelves, which were of the finest rosewood.
The chairs, including the one she was presently seated upon, were of the softest leather.
“Did ye think I worked in some ancient mud hut?”
“No, I imagined you worked in a barn,” she gently teased.
He chuckled. “Well, how do ye like my barn?”
“I love it,” she said with a tender smile.
The room was decorated in Solway’s clan colors, crimson with an overlay of blues and greens.
Several clerks rushed forward to ask after him, for they had noticed his bruises and cut lip. “Your Grace, shall we seek a doctor for you?”
“Dinna be ridiculous.” He shooed them away and shut the door with orders that he and Miranda were not to be disturbed.
She was worried about him too. He’d taken a few hard punches while protecting her. “Let me see your lip.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted, striding to a cabinet and taking out a bottle of brandy. “But I’ll ask for yer handkerchief, if ye dinna mind.”
She handed it over to him. Once he had poured some brandy onto the handkerchief, she took it back. “Here, let me do it. You cannot see what needs tending.”
He leaned against the front of his desk while she stood beside him to dab the blood away.
He wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her close. “I like the way ye fuss over me.”
Miranda’s heart hitched. “How can you be so nice to me when I have been nothing but a frustration for you?”
He gave her cheek a light caress. “Sweet lass, ye were scared. The damage yer husband and his family did to ye left ye deeply scarred. But I know ye have bravery in ye. Look at the way ye fought back that bounder when he took yer necklace.”
“You had to come to my rescue even for that.” She cast him a pained look.
“I don’t know why you tolerate me. To my shame, I could not bring myself to accept your proposal even after Gwenys’s family tried to steal her away from my house the other day.
You offered to marry me because it was the best way to protect Gwenys.
You were right. It was the perfect solution.
Yet, in that moment, I thought only of myself. It was unforgivable of me.”
“I canno’ say I was pleased by yer decision. No one, no’ even her horrid family, would have succeeded in taking her from ye if ye were the Duchess of Solway.”
“I know, but I was too overset to respond sensibly. Mostly, I did not want you to think I was accepting you only because of Gwenys.”
He sighed. “Miranda, I dinna much care why ye would accept me. I just wanted ye to say yes.”
She wiped away the last of the blood and saw the cut was small and no longer bleeding.
She poured a little more of the brandy onto her handkerchief and then dabbed it on his fists for good measure, since they looked red and slightly swollen.
There were a few small cuts on his knuckles, too.
“I wanted to accept you because I love you,” she explained.
“I did not think you would ever believe me when you had just proposed for the purpose of saving Gwenys. You deserve better than that.”
“Miranda, I am a big oaf and no’ all that deserving. Nor am I too proud to accept ye on whatever terms ye deem reasonable.”
“Well, I came here today to tell you that I was in the wrong and I do owe you that apology. I have no terms, and no reason to be here other than I love you. I am no longer afraid to marry you. In my heart, I always knew it had to be you. There is no finer, more honorable man than you. I know I will always be safe and protected in your care.”
He cast her a lopsided smile that was more endearing because one side of his lip was swollen.
“What happened a few minutes ago just proves how wonderful you are, Bram. I would have been trampled under those hooves had you not saved me.”
“I’d do anything for ye, Miranda. My heart shot through the roof of my head when I saw ye struggling amid the crowd.
I was certain ye were just a mirage plaguing my thoughts.
But there ye were, yer own fists impressively flying as ye fought that thief.
Then the clot pushed ye down, and others knocked into ye.
My heart stopped in that moment ye fell down and I lost sight of ye. I still have no’ recovered from that.”
She smiled. “Your heart seems to have done a lot of bouncing around.”
He nodded. “But it will calm down now that I have ye safe. So, do I have this right? Ye are agreeing to marry me?”
“Yes.” She kissed him lightly on the lips because his beautifully shaped mouth was bruised and she was afraid to press too hard. “If you’ll have me.”
“If I’ll…” He laughed, and then gave her a scorching kiss that had her clinging to his massive shoulders for support.
Her legs were wobbly and her heart had fully melted by the time he ended the kiss.
“Bram! Your lip will bleed again if you’re not careful.”
“Ye’re the best medicine for it, lass,” he said, and gave her another kiss that was molten fire. “Is tomorrow too soon for a wedding?”