THERE WAS A King’s Arms not three blocks from the Chases’ town house. The few patrons still there had never heard of Robert Stanley, but the innkeeper directed Kendra and her brothers to another King’s Arms, which directed them to a third.
The place was deserted, but a weary serving maid was still in the back, sweeping up, and she was able to confirm that they had indeed found Robert Stanley’s haunt. Perking up at the sound of his name, she informed them that rumor had it he’d taken off with his love, bound for either St. James or St. Trinity.
“There would be no marriages on Sunday.” Kendra’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Perhaps we’re not too late. We’ll go and warn—”
“Oh, no, we won’t,” Jason interrupted in a tense, clipped voice that forbade any argument. “There’s no sense in chasing out there tonight. The morning will do fine.”
“But—”
“Listen, Kendra,” he said more gently. “We’re as concerned about Amy as you are. But I know that neighborhood—it’s no place to visit late on a foggy night. The clergy will have been long since abed, anyway. We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
Crestfallen, Kendra felt her enthusiasm evaporate. It had felt so good to be in active pursuit. Still, she knew there was nothing to discuss—Jason made perfect sense. “I want to get there early,” she proclaimed. “Before anyone can possibly be married.”
“We will. We’ll be there when the sun rises.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
With a heavy sigh, Kendra resigned herself to a sleepless night of waiting.
COLIN WAS awakened by a warm kiss brushed across his mouth. He opened his eyes lazily, gazing up through half-closed lids. In the hazy light of dawn, he saw Amy’s face just inches from his.
“Colin, kiss me. Make me forget,” she whispered.
He brushed the hair off her forehead. His eyes searched hers for confirmation, but what shone from their amethyst depths was such a deep, abiding love that he was momentarily taken aback. His breath caught in his chest, and he blinked, but when he opened his eyes the look was still there.
Unconditional and unfaltering.
His arms went around her, and she lowered herself, slowly but deliberately, until her lips touched his.
He held back at first, mindful of her bruises both physical and emotional. But soon his prudence melted away, and he kissed her until both of them were breathless.
When he broke away, he could feel her heart beating against his in the still room. In that moment, he knew with a stunning clarity that they’d never be parted again. He would never give her up. He had tried to protect his heart—tried and failed. Now it was bursting with love, and he couldn’t deny it a moment longer.
His lips drifted over her eyelids, her forehead, the smooth skin of her temple. In her ear he whispered, “I love you.”
Amy drew away, still clutching the towel around herself like a shield. “Wh-what?”
He kissed one downy cheek and the tip of her nose. “I love you,” he murmured, the words coming out husky and unsteady.
“No! You cannot. We cannot.”
His head snapped up. Did she not…? “But I saw it in your eyes. Just now. I thought—”
“I love you, too,” she whispered fiercely, her arm snaking around him. “I do. It’s just—”
“Hush.” Colin touched his fingers to her lips. They could work out the complications later. “I’ve never told a girl that, you know,” he admitted with rueful candor. “You’ve disrupted my entire life, Amethyst Goldsmith.”
In contrast to his words, he felt immensely pleased with his new life. He kissed her with all the tenderness he felt in his heart, completely at peace for the first time in months.
“Tell me again.” There was a smile in her voice.
“I love you,” he said simply, and it was easier than he’d ever thought possible.