Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
She took a breath, emotion welling in her voice. She forced herself to speak clearly, to honor his heroism.
“We had to jump into the water, into the sea.” She looked at her mama, then her papa, holding their gazes. “We had to swim, and if he hadn’t stayed beside me, holding me, dragging me, shouting at me when my strength failed, I would not be standing here today in this drawing room. He protected me and brought me to safety. We lost everything, all our money when the boat sank, and he has provided for me by selling his jewelry and his h-hair.”
Her parents looked at the new, short-haired Marlow, her father’s lips in a tight line, her mama’s trembling.
“He has not complained or blamed me or flagged in his responsibilities to me. He’s brought me back here to my family because he felt it was the right thing to do. He’s a good man, an honorable, courageous man, and for you to sit here and glower at us, at him, when he has saved my life and gone to such lengths to protect me, well—I cannot—”
He stood and embraced her, giving her strength when she felt she would fall apart. All this time, she’d been brave. Now she wanted to sob, for him, for herself, for all of it. She needed her family to support him for all he’d done.
“We were married before a priest and witnesses in Santa Maria di Leuca,” he said in the tense silence, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “He wrote our marriage lines in his parish book.”
“Yes. It was a very nice wedding.” She accepted the linen handkerchief Marlow offered her, which would have been silk, except everything was topsy-turvy and their lives had changed. Couldn’t they change back? Couldn’t they return to England and be a normal couple of the ton? “There were two ladies named Maria Regina who witnessed it. One of them gave me a veil.”
“Well,” said Felicity, gesturing toward her husband. “Carlo can officially solemnize the marriage and write it in the book here, so you’ll have a more official certificate. Would you like that?”
Rosalind turned to Marlow, hating that their intimate, private marriage was being called into question. “We were married,” she said.
“There is no certificate, though?”
At her father’s gruff question, she felt Marlow’s hand tighten around her fingers. “It was written in the parish book,” he said.
“A parish book in Santa Maria Wherever is not much use to us here.”
“We will have a second wedding,” her mother said, too brightly. “Why not, now that we are all gathered together? And when we return to London, we can put it about that the two of you chose to marry in Tuscany so your sister could be present. It will explain to the ton why you were both absent last season.”
At that moment, her brother Townsend appeared, looking as if he’d come straight from a ride. “You’re alive?” he exclaimed. After taking her in, he strode toward Marlow. “Very well, since it gives me the chance to kill you myself.”
“Edward, darling,” her mother said. “We are having a civilized talk.”
“Civilized?” He stared at Marlow, nose to nose, their gazes both hot. Rosalind thought she’d never seen her brother this angry.
“Leave him alone,” she said. Her voice sounded too shrill. “All of you leave him alone or we shall run to India in truth and never come back.”
“I don’t need you to defend me.” He didn’t scold, but his words were firm. He turned back to Townsend. “If you wish for satisfaction—”
“Gentlemen,” August pleaded. “Sit and have some tea.”
“We’re going to have a wedding.” Her mother went to Townsend, commanding his attention. “A second one, actually, for your sister and Marlow have already married.”
“You’ll allow this elopement, then?” Townsend looked set to murder his new brother-in-law. “How dare you kidnap my sister? I’ll have your head for it, or else your honor—”
“Enough.” Her father’s voice silenced further threats. “We’ve heard the entire story in your absence,” he told Townsend. “And while I do believe Marlow improperly inflamed your sister’s affections, it was Rosalind’s choice to book passage on the Providence and run away. At this point there’s nothing to be done, except to thank God the two of them aren’t lying on the ocean floor along with the ship.”
Her mother made a soft sound of grief. Her father approached Marlow and, after regarding him in his lofty way for a long, fraught moment, extended his hand. “Thank you for bringing her back to us. You were instrumental in helping her survive…” His throat worked a moment as he shook Marlow’s hand, then he composed himself. “Helping her survive this entire ordeal. For that, we will always be grateful. You have always been part of our family, Viscount Marlow, almost like another son to me. I welcome you now as a son-in-law.”