Page 10 of Her Duke to Tempt (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #29)

Eight

T he morning sun peeked through the curtains and cast a soft glow across the room.

That was not what kept Logan riveted though.

It was the warmth in his arms that truly made Logan remain completely still and reluctant to shake off the remnants of sleep.

As much as he would like to, he knew he could no remain in this bed with Enid wrapped in his arms. So reluctantly, he blinked, slowly and focused his attention on the woman in his arms. He stared down at her and a swell of love filled his chest. Her dark hair was spread across the pillow like a halo, her breath soft and steady.

Enid—his Enid. The woman who had stolen his heart years earlier, but he had been unable to claim Until now. ..

For the first time in what felt like forever, he had her—finally had her—where he had dreamed of having her for years.

Joy filled him as he ran a finger over her soft hair.

There was a weight on his mind. One he could not shake.

She had willingly come into his arms the night before, but they had not made any promises to each other.

He needed that from her, but he was not so sure he could ask for them yet.

Enid had been the one thing he had ever wanted in life, the one thing he had been denied.

He could not act rashly and chance losing her.

Not when he had her in his arms as he had always wanted.

He had to remain patient for a little while longer.

She was far to important for him to be stupid now.

She was reluctant for a reason. He may not know what that reason was, but that did not mean it did not exist. If he had any hopes of erasing her doubts, he had to discover what held her back and why she had decided he was worth taking a risk on.

He grazed his fingers over the curve of her cheek and made a silent promise to her and himself.

Loan would do whatever he needed to for her to feel save with him.

He could not help the hope that surged within him as he watched her sleep next to him.

He loved her so bloody much and he wanted her at his side forever.

More than that, he needed her—he had needed her for so long.

They had many choices to make. He would take her any way she was willing to come to him.

But that did not mean he would not always want it all from her.

For the moment he would allow her to decide what she wanted.

He did not need to push her to give him more than she was ready for her.

He wanted her to stay by his side, even if it was only as lovers.

But deep within his hopeful heart, a part of him longed for more—he wanted her to be his wife, his partner, his duchess.

But he would say nothing to her about any of that.

At least not yet... The words were there, but they were not yet ready to leave his lips.

He had to be patient. He would give her time.

He watched her for a moment longer, memorizing the peaceful expression on her face, before gently disentangling himself from her embrace.

The thought of losing this closeness made his chest ache, but it was not forever.

He would have her, and he would make sure of it.

“Enid,” he whispered softly, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. For a moment, she blinked at him in confusion before recognition took hold. A small, sleepy smile tugged at her lips. “Good morning, Your Grace.”

Logan couldn’t help but grin back. “Good morning, darling.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly. “We have a long day ahead. We have much to see too. Mainly finding your niece and my son.”

She sat up slowly, stretching her arms with a soft yawn. “You’re right. If they are here and I pray they are, we should locate them before they do something rash.”

Together, they dressed and made their way downstairs of the inn.

It was a quiet morning, as many of the guests had not yet risen for the day.

Logan felt a surge of satisfaction as he watched Enid move beside him, their hands brushing occasionally as they walked.

They did not break their fast. They had much more pressing needs to see to.

Logan stopped to talk to the innkeeper. “I forgot to ask the night before,” he began.

“My son was to come through here. Could you tell me if he has arrived?”

The innkeeper raised a brow. “And who is yer son?”

“The Marquess of Redding,” he said.

The innkeeper tilted his head to the side. “Aye,” he replied. “I do believe yer son was here, but he’s not here at the moment. Him and his lady have gone off to the blacksmith. They mean to wed this morning.”

Enid sighed. “Of course they do…”

Logan’s lips tilted upward. “I expect they do. Can you give us direction to the blacksmith? We do not wish to miss them saying their vows.”

“Ye canna miss it,” the innkeeper said. “It’s at the end of the courtyard. Just turn left when ye exist the inn and keep walking. Ye will walk straight into the blacksmith shop.” He frowned. “Ye doona wish to stop this wedding?”

Logan shook his head. “Not at all. My son loves her, and it is about damn time he settled down.” Logan winked. “It is a good match.”

The innkeeper grinned. “They did seem to be in love,” he agreed. “I wished them well as they left.”

“If you will pardon our abrupt departure,” Logan began.

“We have a wedding to witness.” With that Logan took Enid’s hand in his and led her out of the inn.

They had finally caught up with Aiden and Felicity and he could not wait to see the two young lovers.

They walked in the direction that the innkeeper had given them.

They stopped when they caught sight of a young couple in the distance.

It was, of course, Aiden and Felicity. The two were standing before the blacksmith shop, a flash of gold catching the light in the early morning sun.

They were speaking in low voices, their heads close together.

Logan and Enid stopped, their presence unnoticed at first. It took a moment for the young couple to realize they were being watched.

Aiden looked up first, his face breaking into a wide grin.

“Father…,” he said, a hint of surprise in his tone.

“Why are you here?” He reached over and grasped Felicity’s hand, pulling her close.

Enid raised a brow. “Shouldn’t we be asking you two that?” she asked, her voice filled with chastisement.

Aiden's grin only widened as he nodded toward Felicity.

“Well,” he began. “I think it is obvious what we have done.” He glanced at Felicity and his smile softened a little.

“We came here to be married.” He turned his gaze back to Logan and Enid.

“If you wanted to stop it you are too late. The deed is done. Felicity is my wife.”

Enid sighed. “He has no remorse at all.” She turned to Logan and glared at him. “He is your son. You deal with it.”

“What pray tell should I do?” he shrugged. “They’re married.” He turned to Aiden and frowned. “You just had to create a scandal, didn’t you? You could not have courted her properly and then married her after the banns were read? Did you truly need to do a mad dash to Scotland?”

Felicity blushed, casting her gaze downward. “That’s my fault, not his. He might have done it the proper way if I hadn’t decided to run away.”

Aiden grinned wider. “Difficult to say what I would have done if you had not led me on a merry chase.” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “You, my love, were determined to be stubborn and difficult. Apparently, I find that hard to resist.”

“I suppose that is it then.” Enid blew out a breath and turned to Felicity. “I am going to let you explain this to your father. I am not looking forward to that conversation.”

Felicity’s eyes widened. “But Aunt Enid…”

“No,” she said. “You made this mess. It is yours to clean up.”

“You did not need to come after us,” Aiden said. “We would have returned shortly. This was not meant to be a lengthy trip.”

Felicity snorted. “You didn’t intend it to be one, but I certainly hoped never to return.” She sneaked a guilty glance at her aunt. “Clearly, I did not think that through properly…”

The explanations were good and all, but Logan had other things on his mind.

He had been telling himself to remain patient.

To give Enid time… Hiss thoughts raced as looked at Enid with a longing he could not deny.

As Aiden and Felicity kept up their explanations all he could do was look at Enid.

Logan stepped closer to Enid, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

“You know,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers, “there’s another matter that should be addressed.”

Enid blinked at him in confusion, her brow furrowing. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Logan drew in a breath and steadied himself.

The time had come. “I’ve been thinking, darling.

.. That after last night—after everything that has happened—perhaps we should.

..” He had to just say it. Why was this so bloody difficult?

“I want you to be with me. I want you to be my wife. I want you beside me, always.”

Enid’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open in surprise. She blinked rapidly, as if trying to make sense of what he had just said. He had clearly stunned her into silence, and he was fumbling this. Perhaps he should have discussed this with her in their room, but he couldn’t stop now.

Logan continued, his voice stronger now, full of the sincerity that had taken root in his heart long ago. “I love you, Enid. I have loved you for so long that it feels like the very air I breathe is bound to you. Marry me and be my duchess. Let me love you for the rest of our lives.”