Woolgathering, Eve didn’t realize Margaret had been talking until she jabbed her in the shoulder. “Yes?” Eve blinked. She raised her gaze from the garment resting in her lap, her needle and thread poised in preparation for the next stitch.

Margaret’s lips stretched to form a wide smile, her eyes laughing with unabashed amusement. “Dare I ask you about your ponderings?”

Eve sank back against the sofa and sighed. “It has been three whole days.”

“And thank goodness for that.” Margaret poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Eve. “If Ravenworth had arrived any sooner, your gown would not have been ready.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

The moment Eve had arrived at Amberly Hall, Margaret had insisted on finding an appropriate gown for her to wear on her wedding day. She’d riffled through her wardrobe while Eve had watched, amazed by the rich collection of fabrics, until her friend had produced a stunning creation of light blue silk. It had required a few alterations to the bodice and hem, which had kept Eve busy during the following days.

Still…

“He hasn’t even sent a note though, which makes me wonder if—”

“What? He might have reconsidered?” Margaret shook her head. “The man is clearly enamored with you.”

“Do you truly think so?”

“I know so, Eve. The archbishop is getting on in years. I’ve been told he likes to take his time with things. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he is dawdling over the marriage license.”

Unsatisfied with the answer, Eve puffed out a breath and completed the final stitches. “There. All done.” She rose and laid the gown across the back of a nearby chair so she could enjoy her tea. “I’m also eager to tell him what Mr. Havisham has discovered.”

“It’s possible Ravenworth already knows. Gossip travels faster than forest fires, Eve.”

A knock at the door brought Margaret’s butler into the room. “The Earl of Ravenworth is here to see you. May I show him in?”

Eve’s breath caught, suspended until her friend answered in the affirmative. It then whooshed from her lungs, matching the speed of her racing heart while she hurried back to her seat, claiming it seconds before the door opened again to admit the most dashing man in the world– the only man Eve cared about–Ravenworth – Bryce.

His gaze swept across the room, honing in on Eve with a predatory gleam. It pulled at her belly, and a surge of awareness swept through her. Dressed in a dark blue jacket with breeches to match, he cut an impressive figure--broad-shouldered and tall, his dark hair windblown and with his jaw bearing signs of day-old stubble. Bowing, he greeted Eve and Margaret in turn, his voice sounding gruff and perhaps a little fatigued as well.

“Eve has been awaiting your arrival with great anxiety,” Margaret said. She stood and went toward him.

Blushing, Eve began to look away, but Bryce caught her gaze and held it, the darkness therein conveying intense degrees of longing. “Procuring the license took time. Longer than I had anticipated.” He glanced at Margaret. “Will you grant Miss Potter and me a moment of privacy? Please.”

Margaret dipped her head in an elegant nod. “Of course.” She went to the door, paused to gaze across the distance at Eve, and gave her a secretive smile. “Take your time.” And then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.

Eve’s skin pricked with awareness. She was alone with Bryce for the first time in three days, and he was coming toward her now at a slow prowl. Her lungs tightened and so did her stomach. Calming her heart had long since become impossible. It was racing away, producing a tremble that spread from the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes.

“You look…” His voice was softer than before, his throat working as if struggling with the ability to speak. “As lovely as I remember–lovelier even, if such a thing is possible.”

The heat of his gaze made her cheeks warm. She knew she was blushing. “Thank you, my lord.” His increasing nearness afforded her speech with a breathless tone. There was more to be said, however. “Mr. Havisham says Miss Edwina Jenkins’s husband has left her. He overhead a group of people talking about it in the village yesterday.”

Bryce stilled. “Really?”

“Word is she’s been unfaithful on countless occasions, that the child she carries belongs to another.” She held out her hand, encouraging Bryce to come closer. “The incident has cast doubt on what really happened between you two. So chances are your reputation will be restored.”

Reaching her, he lowered himself to the vacant spot on the sofa and quietly murmured her name. “Eve.” There was anguish and hope and passionate need all rolled up in one simple utterance.

“Yes.” One word to encompass so much. Yes, I want you; yes, I need you; yes, I will be yours forever; yes and yes and yes, a thousand times yes.

His hand found hers, cradling it gently against his own. A pause followed, and he cleared his throat before proceeding in a firmer voice than he’d used before. “I hope that will be the case. For your sake more than for mine.” When she started protesting, he hastened to say, “Everything happened so quickly before, I never managed to make a proper proposal. So please allow me to do so now, to offer you what you truly deserve.”

Reaching inside his jacket pocket, he produced a small box and flipped open the lid to reveal the prettiest ring Eve had ever seen: a simple gold band adorned with a gilded forget me not. He’d made it himself, and this alone made it the most precious gift she would ever receive.

“My life was an empty void before you arrived to give it meaning,” Bryce said. He picked the ring up and held it between his fingers. “I cannot think of living without you, of us not sharing every lasting moment together. My heart is yours, my love for you as infinite as the stars in the sky. Please accept this ring with the promise that I will make you the happiest woman in the world. Marry me, Eve.”

“Yes.” Her hand reached around his neck to draw him close for a kiss. “Yes.” His lips met hers while the ring slid into place on her finger. “I was yours the moment we met.” She kissed him again. “And I will be yours until death do us part.”

* * *

The ceremony took place the following day with the Havishams in attendance. It was swift, completed much faster than Eve had expected, but every bit as romantic as she could have hoped. Snow drifted over them like white winter blossoms when they exited the church as husband and wife. A joyous gathering followed at the nearest inn, before Bryce and Eve set their course for home.

Home.

Snuggling into Bryce’s embrace during their carriage-ride back to Ravenworth Manor, Eve couldn’t help but marvel at the idea. She’d already dispatched letters to Josephine and Louise and now wondered how they would respond to her hasty decision to marry. She hoped they were going to be happy for her and not too displeased with her reluctance to wait.

“What are you thinking about?” Bryce asked against the top of her head.

She turned in his arms and gazed up into his stunning dark eyes. “That I am so incredibly lucky and that I cannot wait to introduce you to my sisters.”

A touch of seriousness flattened his mouth. “Do you think they will like me?”

The fact he might be concerned they wouldn’t made Eve’s heart swell. “Without a doubt,” she assured him, kissing him for good measure. She continued to do so until the carriage swayed to a halt, alerting her to their arrival at Ravenworth Manor.

Bryce opened the carriage door and helped her alight. His hand firmly at her back, he guided her up the front steps and into the foyer. Silently, he helped her remove her pelisse and her bonnet before leading her toward the stairs. Eve’s stomach tightened around a knot. It seemed to squeeze her insides together. Her heart fluttered against her ribs, her breath growing increasingly labored with every step she took.

Reaching the top of the landing, he stopped to face her and offered his hand. “Come.” One word, luring her with the promise of pleasure, impossible to resist when accompanied by the hungry look in his eyes. She placed her palm upon his, watching his fingers close around hers. With deliberate steps, he drew her toward a door at the end of the hallway, opened it, and ushered her into the bedroom beyond.

Draped in burgundy and gold, the four-poster bed which stood at the center like a lavish enabler of sexual craving, reminded Eve of what would transpire. A shock of anxiety shot up her spine, until she felt Bryce’s hands behind her, firm upon her shoulders. His mouth sought the curve of her neck and pressed a trail of kisses there, scattering her concerns so only her need for him remained.

“Mine.” His voice heated her skin, calling on her awareness while his fingers plucked the pins from her hair and allowed them to scatter across the floor.

Leaning into him, she sighed as her hair tumbled down her back, then again while his fingers worked on the fastenings of her gown. The sleeves slipped over her shoulders, down over her arms, until the gown vanished completely – forgotten somewhere at her feet. Her stays and chemise followed, and she was naked in his arms, save for the fine silk stockings tied with light blue satin ribbons around her thighs. A kiss was pressed to the nape of her neck and a hand slid over her waist, circling her with a lazy caress that threatened to be her undoing.

“Bryce.” She breathed his name.

“Finally,” he murmured.

Another kiss touched her shoulder, followed by the gentle scrape of his teeth raking over her skin. It produced a flurry of heightened sensations in other parts of her body. He stepped away, allowing cool air to cascade over her back as he moved to stand before her. With darkened eyes, he allowed his gaze to travel the length of her body, so slowly she was certain she’d expire from anticipation.

“Ever since the night in the library, my mind has been filled with the vision of you, the hint of your naked body beneath your nightgown. The things it did to me, the ache it stirred, and the need.” Reaching out, he trailed his fingers down over her breasts, forging a reverent path to her belly. “My wildest imaginings failed to do you justice, Eve. You are so much more glorious and so much more tempting than anything my mind was able to conjure.”

Unable to speak in response to his forthright declaration, her body clamoring for more of his touch, Eve stared as her husband began to undress. He did so with torturous slowness, dragging out the process until she feared she would scream. Finally, after divesting himself of cravat, jacket, waistcoat, and socks, he pulled his shirt over his head, and his trousers and smalls joined the increasing pile of clothes on the floor. He stood before her, magnificent in his nudity, his muscles rippling across his torso in a way that demanded exploration.

“You are…” She tried to think of the perfect word. “Absolutely glorious.”

Two swift strides brought him right up against her, his mouth meeting hers in a feverish kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her with his masculine strength. Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and carried her straight to the bed and laid her down so her head could rest on a soft pile of pillows. His gleaming gaze roamed the length of her body. She squirmed with restless desire.

“I’ve pictured this too,” he confessed, the sensual lilt of his voice inviting sparks to dance across her skin. “You, spread out like this on my bed, waiting for my touch.” His eyes captured hers while he trailed one finger along the length of her leg, over her hip, and up the center of her chest.

“Yes.” Her back arched of its own volition.

“Yes?” A teasing edge to his question matched the mischievous smirk he gave her.

“I need you… Please, Bryce…I need…”

“As do I,” he said. He came to join her, kissing her softly at first and then with increasing fervor, his hands stealing over her flesh and teasing her lightly until she was ready, until she begged for him to join his body with hers.

He did so gently, accompanying their union with loving words of assurance. She welcomed the new sensations and savored the closeness she felt to this man. It was awe-inspiring and sweet, inviting a promise of something greater between them, of a pleasure unlike any other she’d ever experienced before. He carried her toward it, urging her to capture it for herself, to revel in every last dazzling second of this new wonder. And then it tore its way through her, shattering every bit of remaining control in a spellbinding thrill that bordered on madness. It was more than she’d ever imagined it would be, a sacred pact binding their souls.

For long moments after, no sound filled the room besides their deep breathing. Reluctant to move, Eve enjoyed the press of her husband’s chest against her own. But he suddenly stirred, rising above her once again so he could look down into her eyes. “You’re incredible, Eve.”

Heat rose in her cheeks as self-awareness swept through her. “So are you,” she said, hoping to match his candor.

A wicked smile touched his lips. “You can’t imagine how pleased I am to hear you say that.” His hand trailed down her thigh, re-igniting her need for him in a heartbeat. “There are so many ways in which I want to love you.”

And he proceeded to show her each of them until she lost count and the only words remaining between them were, “Love. My love. Forever.”