“And you Mama.” He searched her face. “You would do that for me, risk having your name dragged through the mud, so I could claim Zack?”
“I am doing it for Zack, too. He says that is what he wants. Of course, he will have to be made to understand what it means for his future, so if he does not wish to endure the stigma himself, we can leave matters as they are. But if that is what he wants …”
Heath broke into a grin. “Thisis precisely why I fell in love with you. Because you give yourself wholeheartedly to everyone you care about. Because your heart is—”
“Wait, wait, wait!” she cried, not sure she had heard him correctly. “You fell in love with me?”
“I did.” He drew her back into his arms. “You were right. I was afraid of love, afraid I’d lose myself to it the way I’d done with Lily, who hadn’t deserved to have my heart. Then I realized that you already have my heart. And not because you’re beautiful, althoughyou are ten times more beautiful than Lily. But because you’re clever and kind and thoughtful and full of such joie de vivre that you make me happy every time I’m near you. I love you, Mademoiselle Giselle Bernard, soon to be Giselle Oakden, the Countess of Heathbrook. Marry me, will you?”
“As soon as possible,” she whispered with a heart so full she feared she would die of happiness. After covering his face with kisses, she grinned at him. “How else can we make sure my papers are finally made legitimate?”
He drew back to arch an eyebrow at her.
“I am teasing you,mon amour,” she said with a laugh. “I do love you, you know.”
“Then perhaps you should prove it,” he murmured, and released her only long enough to go over and lock the drawing room door.
“Mon chéri!”she said in mock reproach. “I thought you said you were too tired to do anything.”
He returned to take her into his arms. “Too tired to listen to Jon’s and Tory’s gossip, yes. To make love to you? Never.”
“We are not married yet, sir,” she reminded him, half-teasing.
“You’re nearly a bride,” he retorted. “And that’s good enough for me.”
As he drew her over to the chaise longue, she decided it was more than good enough for her, too. No longer did she have to content herself with adequate.
At long last she got to have her heart’s desire.
Epilogue
With a sense of satisfaction, Heathbrook surveyed Longmead’s ballroom, which hadn’t been used in years. Giselle had insisted on getting it into shape, so that they could have balls if they wanted.
Today, it was being used for their wedding breakfast, which included half the détenus in Somerset, it seemed. Heathbrook had invited as many of the local ones as he could. He’d even invited Lily and her husband, so no one could gossip about why he kept ignoring the pillars of the community when he had events.
That had been Giselle’s idea. Once Zack had made his decision to become known as their “illegitimate” child, everything had centered around lessening the blow for him. Heathbrook had done his best to dissuade the lad from that course of action, but secretly he’d been glad that Zack had chosen him and Giselle. What good was it being an earl if one couldn’t have what one most wanted?
And Giselle loved being Zack’s mother. She loved mothering all the boys. He couldn’t wait to see her have their own child to mother.
Scovell walked up to shake his hand. “I just spoke to Jon, and he didn’t seem to know that originally your engagement wasn’t a real one.”
Heathbrook scowled at him. “You didn’t tell him otherwise, did you?”
“Of course,” Scovell said, smirking. “What are friends for?”
Just then Jon marched up with Giselle following hastily behind. “What’s this I hear about you and Giselle having a fake engagement? She denies it, but I know you, Heathbrook, and it would be just like you to involve yourself with a woman under false pretenses.”
“Did mywifesay it was under false pretenses?” Heathbrook asked, bristling at the accusation.
“Of course not.” Giselle took her husband’s arm. “Your bullheaded friend just will not listen.”
“That is not unusual for my husband,” Tory approached to say. “He’s a bear when it comes to protecting his family.” She softened her tone. “I think he’s merely angry you didn’t tell him about your arrangement when we came to stay with you in November.”
“I did not tell him because by then it was a moot point,” Giselle said. “Heath had already asked me to marry him in truth. The fake engagement had ended. And since we legitimately got married today, I should think it no longer matters.”
“Hmph,” Jon said. “And it is a genuine marriage?”
“As genuine as the local vicar could make it,” Heathbrook said. “We had the banns read for the proscribed three weeks, so everyone would know.” He covered Giselle’s hand with his. “We love each other. I think that’s what you really wish to hear.”