The Viscount’s Darling Adventure by Maggie Dallen
14
Clarissa knew she needed to answer, but her heart was so full, she could have sworn that it was blocking her windpipe. Words simply wouldn’t come out. “I…” she started, swallowing to try and make her dratted throat work. “Oh, Leo.”
He gave her a soft smile. “Yes, Love?”
What finally bubbled up out of her was somewhere between a laugh and a sob and her hand rested on his chest, directly over his heart. “Can one die of happiness?”
His gaze danced with answering laughter. “I believe that is highly unlikely.”
“Good.” She leaned into him, and he rested his forehead against hers, giving her time to revel in this new sensation. “It feels like a dream.”
“Better than a dream,” he murmured.
She shook her head, pulling back slightly to look up at him. “I didn’t think we’d ever get here.”
“Me either,” he answered with a grin. “But I’m so glad we did.”
“Me too,” she whispered. “But before I answer your question, I have something to tell you.”
His brows drew together as a shadow crossed his face. “What is it?”
“My family, they bought me a tour of Europe.” She drew in a deep cleansing breath, clearing her mind and preparing to tell him the rest. Tell him everything that was in her heart. She was sorry she’d doubted him this evening. The tension with their families muddled even her thoughts at times because if she’d been thinking clearly, she would have known with certainty that his feelings were as genuine as hers. He was a man of honor and integrity. He never would have kissed her if he didn’t have the most honorable intentions.
“I know,” he grimaced before she could continue. “And while I’ve asked you to marry me now, know that the wedding can wait. This tour…I know it's what you’ve always wanted.”
She shook her head, her heart swelling. “I did feel that way. I thought that nothing in this world would be more important to me than adventure, but it turns out…”
“You’re choosing me instead of adventure?” he asked, his brows drawing together.
That made her laugh. A sound that bubbled out of her, making her feel lighter. “Don’t be silly. You are the greatest adventure I’ve ever had.”
His answering smile was all the affirmation she needed. “I feel the same way.”
“My answer is yes,” she said as her arms slipped about his waist. “Yes, I’ll be your wife.”
He kissed her again, long and slow. “Good. But I do feel the need to warn you, I’m afraid marriage won’t be all grand adventures. There’s bound to be some drudgery along the way.”
She sighed, not with worry but with contentment. “I’m ready for whatever life with you brings me.”
He chuckled then, his fingers tracing her jaw. “And I you.”
She went up on tiptoe, and the kiss he claimed was deliciously firm and so passionate she felt as though he were declaring his vows right then and there. When he pulled up to give them both a chance to breathe, his gaze was fierce. A fire seemed to burn there, and his expression was as serious as she’d ever seen it.
“Leo? What is it?”
He touched her cheek gently. “For my entire life, my family always came first. I never questioned my duty, my loyalty—”
“And that is one of the many traits I love about you,” she interjected.
He smiled down at her, some of his intensity giving way to softer emotions as he studied her. “I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I never questioned my worldview until you came along. I never thought there could be merit in personal desires and ambitions.”
She arched her brows. “And now?”
He leaned down until his nose brushed against hers, their breath mingling as the orchestra’s music seemed to swirl around them. “Now I realize that family is everything, but what makes a family isn’t the name.” He kissed her gently. “It’s the love that binds us.”
Her lips curved up in a smile against his. “Then we shall have one strong family.”
He nodded. “Precisely.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Loving you might be the best thing I could ever do for this family.”
She laughed. “It will be entertaining to watch you convince your aunt of that.”
His laughter was warm, and she could feel the rumble of it where she pressed against his chest. “And as for you and your adventures…” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. “I hope your desire for adventure never wanes. I hope our marriage and this new family we create only fuels your sense of passion.”
She grinned up at him. “I like the sound of that.”
“Do you know what else I wish?” he asked.
She choked on a laugh. Seeing this romantic, emotional side of Leo was such a rare treat—but she hoped it was only the beginning. “What else do you wish?”
He nuzzled her temple, tickling her ear. “I wish we could stay here behind these blasted ferns until the end of time.”
Her head tipped back with a laugh at that. “Have no fear, Leo. If there’s one thing my family excels at, it’s finding all the best hiding spots at social events.”
He arched a brow, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Is that so?”
“Mmm.” She leaned into his embrace.
“So then, until our wedding comes to pass…” he started, his voice low and flirtatious.
She smiled as she pressed her cheek to his chest, just over his heart. “Until then, I can promise you lots of stolen moments alone.”
She closed her eyes and reveled in the sound of his warm laughter. “I shall hold you to that.”
With a final squeeze, he eased back with a sigh. “Should we see how our family fares?”
She sighed as well, but they wore matching, silly grins when they faced one another. “I suppose so.”
He gestured gallantly toward a gap in the fronds. “After you.”
With a smothered giggle, she peeked out first and then slid out from her hiding place with as much grace as she could muster. Leo followed close behind.
When they reached her brother and Leo’s aunt and uncle, the air was decidedly thick with tension. However, no one was being sharp or growling, so...Clarissa supposed that was the best they could hope for.
The low murmurs came to a halt when she and Leo joined them, and she cast her brother a quick, questioning look. With a short nod, he gave her the answer she was looking for.
The truth was out there and judging by the grim resignation in Leo’s aunt and uncle’s expressions, it was accepted.
“He always was a rash boy,” Leo’s uncle uttered softly with a shake of his head.
Leo cast her a sidelong look and she squeezed his hand.
“His mother will be so disappointed to hear his part in this,” his aunt agreed.
Evelyn came to his aunt’s side. “If there’s ever anything we can do, our family is here for you.”
His aunt gave a stiff nod and mumbled thanks. It was far from being a happy resolution, but at least the families were no longer at odds. It was a truce, at the very least. And that was a start.
Leo seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he led her onto the dance floor for a waltz. “Perhaps, given enough time, and the proper incentive, our families might become...friends, of sorts.”
She smiled up at Leo. “Like, for example, a wedding?”
He laughed. “And perhaps nieces and nephews to bond over?”
Her heart gave a lurch of yearning for the family she hadn’t even known that she’d wanted. “Yes, I think little nieces and nephews to fuss over will definitely do the trick.”
As the music swelled and they began the steps of a waltz, Clarissa grinned. “This reminds me of our first dance together.”
“Our only dance together,” he added with a smirk.
“Yes, but what a delightful dance it was.”
He spun her about the room, and their bodies fit together seamlessly. “It was a dance that changed everything, and I am so very grateful I met you at that masquerade.”
When his gaze was caught by something over her shoulder, she turned to look. “Is that your cousin?”
“Mmm.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I do believe my cousin Charlotte has found a love of her own.”
“How wonderful!” Clarissa said and meant it. For she could not imagine anything more positively transformative than true love. “I hope she is as happy as we are.”
“She will be, I have no doubt.”
Clarissa sighed happily as she watched first his cousin with her new beau and then Tabetha with her duke, who waltzed past them, too caught up in their newfound joy to notice them.
Out of habit, she found herself searching the sidelines for potted plants.
“Are you looking for someone?” Leo asked as the last strains of the waltz faded.
“Mariah,” she answered. “I can usually spot some sign of her through the leaves.”
“There she is, over there,” Leo said, gesturing toward a cluster of young ladies Clarissa recognized but did not know well. There was a duchess, and a marchioness, amongst others. “Goodness, she’s found herself in good company.”
“Fitting company, I should think,” he said.
She arched her brows in question, and he explained. “Before they were married, those ladies were famed only for being wallflowers.”
“Truly?” she asked with a laugh.
“Apparently they even gave themselves flowery nicknames,” he said with a smile. “Marigold, Lily, and Daisy, I believe.”
Her gaze caught on the sight of her shy sister smiling over something the other ladies were saying. “How delightful. But what happened? They’re certainly not wallflowers any longer.”
He shrugged. “I suppose...they bloomed?”
She smiled. “I suppose they did.” With one last glance at Mariah to ensure she didn’t need saving, she added, “I hope the same fortune awaits my sister.”
“I’m sure she’ll find her happiness as well.” Leo squeezed her hand as he led her from the dance floor, heedless of all the stares.
Clarissa, on the other hand, noticed the attention. Though if her time in society had taught her anything it was how to ignore the whispers and to keep her chin high and proud.
Almost like an Ainsworth.
The thought made her laugh, and she was still grinning when they returned to their families, who were together, albeit quietly, on the sidelines.
“You looked beautiful together out there, Clarissa,” Evelyn said in a gentle whisper as Clarissa reached them. Darius even gave a grunt of agreement, which was as good as a blessing from her taciturn brother.
A hush fell upon the group as they settled into one another’s company.
“Ah look, if it isn’t our mutual friend, Lady Harriet,” Clarissa said. The kind older woman would no doubt help to break the awkward silence.
Lady Harriet wore a beaming grin as she approached, and her eyes danced with mischievous laughter as she joined Clarissa and Leo. “You two dance so well together, my dears,” she said. “I’ve always thought so.”
The older woman winked, and Clarissa glanced up at Leo in confusion before turning back to her. “Always? But we’ve only danced…”
Lady Harriet’s smile broadened as Clarissa’s voice trailed off and understanding dawned.
“So then you…” She pointed at the older woman who nodded and laughed.
Lady Harriet winked. “You two look even better together without the masks.”
Clarissa choked on a laugh, her lips parting in shock.
“What is it?” Leo asked when Lady Harriet turned her attention to Darius and Evelyn. “What did I miss?”
“I think…” She started to laugh. “I do believe Lady Harriet has been playing matchmaker this entire time.”
“No…” His brows arched. “Really?”
She nodded. “I believe so. That’s how we ended up seated next to each other at her dinner party, which was how—”
“Which was how I learned you were her. My moonlit goddess.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed.
“Precisely. And that was how—” But Clarissa’s words were cut short as she overheard what Lady Harriet was saying to Leo’s aunt.
“Why, my dear friend, you are to be commended,” Lady Harriet was exclaiming. “The match of the century, they’re calling it.”
Clarissa glanced up at Leo in question, but he merely shrugged.
“Really?” Leo’s aunt looked uncertain, but Lady Harriet continued quickly.
“Of course. Why, everyone knew you were an influential member of the ton, but to join forces with a family you’d been quarreling with, and to forge a bond which makes you both stronger and more powerful than ever.” Lady Harriet leaned in as if letting her in on a secret. “You’re being heralded as a new leader in high society.”
“Oh!” Leo’s aunt flushed with delight as she patted her coif. “Well, I don’t know about that.” She flashed a brilliant smile at Leo and Clarissa. “But of course, I am delighted that my plan to unite our families was so successful.”
Clarissa gaped up at Leo, who was staring in shock at his aunt.
“But she...I never…” He started and stopped until she rested a finger over his lips with a laugh.
“Hush,” she said through her giggles. “It hardly matters who gets the credit for our happily ever after just so long as we have each other.”
He chuckled as he removed her hand and squeezed it. “I suppose you’re right. All that matters now is our future.”
“Indeed,” she responded pertly. “And I have grand plans for our very near future.”
He arched his brows. “Oh yes?”
“Did you know the Williams family is hosting a masquerade in three days’ time?” she asked.
His eyes danced with laughter. “A masquerade you say?”
“Mmm.” She tried to be serious and failed miserably. “I have a suspicion that there may be a veranda there. Perhaps a moonlit garden…?”
He leaned down with a growl that made her shiver. “I am already looking forward to it, my love.”
She tilted her head so she could meet his gaze. “I can hardly wait to start my future with you.”
His smile was so tender it made her heart ache. “And this is only the beginning.”
