Page 56 of Much Ado about a Widow

The surprise in his voice baffled her. “I don’t want to ruin my favorite gown.” Surely the man had undressed a woman before? An even more embarrassing thought occurred, and she grew still. “Rob, you’re not a virgin, are you?”

“Georgie! What does that have to do with it?”

“I mean, it would not matter to me, my dear.” She turned to him and grasped his hands again. “I have been married before. I know what to do.”

His mouth twitched. “I assure you, I know what to do as well.” He squeezed her hands tightly.

“Oh.” She couldn’t understand his hesitation, then. “So, we really should get on with it.” She peered into the gloom at the door. “Someone could come in.”

“That at least is true, so I will proceed.” Rob’s smile vanished as he went down on one knee, just like he was going to . . .

“Oh!” Startled, she tried to pull back, but he held on steadfastly to her hands.

“No, no. You are not getting away from me. Ever.” Gazing deeply into her eyes, Rob took a deep breath. “Lady Georgina, it would be the greatest honor of my life if you would consent to marry me and become my wife. I have never felt for any other lady of my acquaintance what I feel when I see you. Which is that I want to spend the rest of my life making you the happiest of women.” He bowed his head. “Will you, Georgie? Please, for God’s sake, say yes. I don’t think I can do this again.”

“Yes, Rob. Yes, I will marry you.” Joy erupted in her heart, so much happiness that she didn’t know what to do. Should she kiss him? Should they shake hands? She wanted to jump up and down like she had done when she was a child, on the rare occasions when she had been taken out for a treat. This treat, however, would be hers forever.

Rob seemed to have no reservations. Slowly, he stood and pulled her to him. “May I now kiss the bride-to-be?”

“You may.” She threw her arms around his neck and jumped into his arms.

Their lips met and held, their mouths melded perfectly together. As though they had always been meant to be as one. She wanted to drink in this moment, remember it just like this through the years.

Straightening as he eased her to the floor, Rob grinned widely at her. “Now that the proposal is over, we can turn to other, more interesting things this evening.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I believe you wanted to engage in a very different sort of activity a few minutes ago, my love.”

Mortified, Georgie hid her face, wanting nothing more than to kill him.

“I am happy to oblige you, if you still desire to do so.”

“Wretch.” She pulled her hands from his. “You are enjoying my discomfiture far too much to be a proper gentleman.”

“I don’t think you agreed to marry me because I am a proper gentleman. You agreed because I am a pirate, who is willing to take his stolen booty when he can get it.” Bending swiftly, he scooped her up over his shoulder and spun her around in a circle.

“Rob.” Laughing so hard she hurt, Georgie beat him lightly on his back. “Unhand me, pirate.”

“Your wish is ever my command, my lady.” He stopped and carefully set her down. “Demand of me what you will.”

“That I will do, this minute.” She smoothed out her skirts, though they would probably never be the same again, and held out her hand to him. “Come with me to tell the others.”

Grasping her hand, he led her to the door, but turned before opening it. “I will gladly break the news to my mother, your sister-in-law, and even your brother. I leave you, however, to tell Lulu by yourself.”

* * *

Deliriously happy, Georgie sat primly next to Rob on the comfortable sofa in the drawing room, the fire burning merrily, candles aglow all over the room. She couldn’t help stealing sideways glances at him and, every so often, surreptitiously squeezing the hand that rested so conveniently next to her on the cushion.

“The largest problem they face is the blasted contract Father signed with Travers.” Jemmy continued to pace around the drawing room, more than an hour after Georgie and Rob had entered to announce their betrothal. Her brother had wished them happy, but had seemed anxious ever since. “I’m not really certain such a thing can be broken. We’ll need to consult a solicitor at the earliest possible moment.”

“The bulk of our family affairs are overseen by Harcourt and Stokes in London,” Lady St. Just offered. “We had a local solicitor in Penzance, but he died several years ago, and I have had no reason to need one since. Until now, perhaps.” Peering at Georgie, she pursed her lips. “Lady Georgina has brought a new element of excitement to the family, to be sure. I wager we shall not need to worry about boredom ever again in St. Just.”

“As I said to her earlier, she’s the only adventure I now crave.” Rob grasped Georgie’s hand in both of his. “There’s a reason for that, you know.”

“Can they not simply be married here in St. Just?” Lowering her teacup, Elizabeth turned to her husband. “Georgie is past her majority and a widow. Even if settlements were signed, they only provided for her dowry and any children they might have.”

“Unfortunately, Father was much wilier this time.” Georgie sighed. She’d outwitted him once; she’d not be able to do so the same way again. “When I first came out, Father was busy with my other sisters’ marriages, and so I had no impediment to falling in love with Isaac, until he asked for my hand and was refused. We discussed running away to Scotland, but Mr. Kirkpatrick was a clergyman and adamant about our being married in the Church of England. So we devised a plan to try to wait until I reached the age of one and twenty, after which we could, of course, marry without Father’s consent.”

“Three years is a terribly long time to have to wait, never knowing if your father would find a suitor of whom he approved.” Elizabeth shook her head. “You must have been always on tenterhooks.”

“It wasn’t exactly three years, thank goodness, although Isaac and I were still not happy about it, of course. Fortunately, we did have an ally. My second year out Father was obsessed with arranging a marriage between me and the heir of the Duke of Carford. I had nothing against Lord Wrothby, except I did not love him. He too had placed his affections elsewhere, with a Miss Draper, and so was well willing to help me stall the proceedings. Eventually, Wrothby simply refused to agree to the match, and so Father and the duke had to end their negotiations.” Georgie grinned at Elizabeth. “Father was so angry he agreed to the next gentleman who asked for me. Which turned out to be Lord Travers. And this is where luck and my birthday came in to save us.”