Chapter 25

Chad was startled out of an uncomfortable sleep at his father’s bedside by a knock at the door.

“Enter!” he called, still trying to orient himself. It took a moment for the past days’ events to come flooding back.

“Sorry to knock, sir,” his butler said, coming into the room. “You didn’t hear the scratch.”

“That’s all right. What is it?”

“You’ve a visitor, sir.”

“I told you I am not at home,” Chad said, looking over his father to make certain he was still breathing.

“Yes, but…I did want to alert you to the young lady’s presence anyhow.”

At this, Chad stilled. It couldn’t possibly be. How in the world would she have gotten here? “A young lady, you say?”

“Lovely girl, brown eyes. I can’t tell her hair color, though…”

Whatever else his butler was saying about Samantha, Chad didn’t hear, for he fled the room as if there were fire beneath his feet. A million thoughts ran through his head as he made his way to the main floor—the most important one being that he had no idea where Balding had put her. Damn.

“Samantha!” he called as he began his search. “Samantha!”

He was about to burst through another door when she appeared from the small yellow parlor further down the corridor, and called back, “I’m here!”

Chad stilled and stared at her. Was she really there? Or was his over-tired brain playing tricks on him? Horrible, cruel tricks they’d be. But Balding had seen her, too. And now she was walking toward him, and in the next moment, she was throwing herself into his arms.

“Oh, Chad!” she cried, wrapping her arms about his neck and squeezing, whilst he gathered her about the torso, so relieved to have her near. To have her pressed against him. Everything felt right now. “Please forgive me. Goodness, I will never forgive myself if the baron terminates you for this, but I just had to see you. I had to tell you that…that I love you. And I want to marry you, not just because…well, because of what we did, but—”

Chad released her, confusion setting in as he stared into her lovely face. “Terminate me?”

She shrugged. “It isn’t every day a woman arrives at your employer’s house to confess their love, is it?”

“My…?” Chad couldn’t help it. The exhaustion combined with the absurdity of her words culminated into complete hilarity. It took him a moment to gain enough composure to tell her the truth. “My dear Samantha,” he said, pulling her close again as his laughter subsided. “I do not work here, you silly girl. I live here.”

At that, she pushed him away, her chocolate eyes wide with shock. “You…but…I don’t…”

He decided to spare her any further confusion and nonsensical babbling. “My father is the Baron Dinedor, for what will probably be only a few more hours. And then the title will pass to me, his only son.”

Samantha shook her head and furrowed her brow. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she breathed.

Chad exhaled. “Because I like being Mr. Kendall. I have many years ahead of me—too many, really—of being a baron. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what having lord or lady attached to one’s name means, and I was glad to enjoy my last few days of anonymity.” He stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her lower back. “I did not set out to deceive anyone, least of all you.”

“Perhaps if I had been more forthcoming, you might have told me sooner.”

“What do you mean?”

“My parents expect me to marry a peer. That is why I sent you away that first night, knowing they would never approve of a marriage to you.”

“And the second night?” he asked, his voice rough as memories of that night came flooding back.

“I decided I didn’t care what they wanted,” she said, her own voice thick with the desire they both felt.

Chad couldn’t wait another moment to taste her sweet lips, so he lowered his head and did just that.

Samantha couldn’t quite believe her luck. She would have married Chad, even as a commoner; there was no question about that. She’d traveled through two counties in a liquor cart to tell him so, hadn’t she? And yet, she’d been the one to get quite the surprise. Of course, part of her had warmed to the idea of being Mrs. Kendall. He had a point about having lady attached to one’s name. There were expectations that Samantha often found it difficult to live up to, when all she really wanted was to be left alone with a good book most of the time. But as she stared into the most captivating hazel eyes she’d ever had the pleasure of staring into, she knew that it would be all right—that they would face those expectations together.

“We will be married by special license as soon as possible,” he said, “but first, I must ask a favor.”

Samantha nodded. “Anything.”

“Meet my father? He may not even wake—I’ve been with him for hours, and it seems he’s mostly…gone. But I have hope that he will hear your voice and at least pass on knowing that…that I will be all right.”

Sam smiled up at him—this beautiful, vulnerable man, whom she knew with the greatest certainty that she loved more than anyone else in the entire world. “I would be honored to meet the man that raised such a fine son,” she said.

“I love you, Lady Samantha Priske,” he whispered, his nose against hers as his thumb stroked her cheek.

“And I you, Mr. Kendall,” she whispered back. “Come what may.”