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R egina was certain she wouldn’t be able to move for another century.

She’d never realized an argument could lead to sex like that.

Leo had been insatiable, and more forceful than ever before taking her over and over until her entire body felt numb.

Sometime during the third round he’d stripped her bare of her clothes kissing every inch of her body.

Now she lay in Leo’s arms, replete, her mind blissfully blank, her head nestled against his chest, her arm flung across his stomach.

“Did you want me?” his voice suddenly came, startling her into awareness.

“You need more proof?” she drawled starching against him. She expected him to chuckle, to smile. He did neither of those.

“I know you wanted to protect your family; I respect that. We are already married and I made my choice. I won’t be angry. I just need to know what you feel for me. How you see me.”

“How I see you?”

“Yes.” He took a deep breath. “If the crown came tomorrow and said it was a mistake to confirm me, that I wasn’t the true Baron of Starkley, would you regret marrying me?”

She pushed herself up to look at his face. “You think I don’t love you?”

“I think without the title you might love me a little less.” There was a bleak resignation in his eyes that he was trying to hide. How had she managed to put that there?

“That’s not true.”

“You said you can’t separate me from the title. To me that sounds like without it, you wouldn’t want me because you wanted a title.”

“ I never wanted a title.”

He closed his eyes and sighed warily. “I don’t want to argue again, Regina. I just want to know.”

“I never had the luxury of thinking of marriage without a title attached, so it is difficult now to separate the two now. But to answer your original question, if we found out that the title wasn’t yours, my main concern would be whether or not I could stay your wife.”

“Truly?” There was a damp sheen in his eyes. She brushed his cheek gently her heart flooding with tenderness.

“Most truly. I do love you. You will always be more than a title to me, you are my husband . You are the husband I never dared to allow myself to hope for, because I knew better than to hope for a man for your wit, intelligence, integrity and capability among the ton.”

“They do exist you know.” He teased.

“Not to me. I nearly made myself sick wanting you even before the title. I’m sorry I made you think otherwise.

I would be afraid of losing you more than anything.

It is still what I fear the most. It’s why I am still so annoyed with you.

” She slapped his bare chest lightly and she finally got the grin she’d sought from earlier.

“Ah,” he winced, “still?”

“Absolutely. I married you to stand by your side no matter what. If you only allow me to participate in certain things and leave me ignorant of others you aren’t treating me as your wife. You are treating me like a child.”

“What would you have done if you knew he was still a danger after our wedding?”

“Well I wouldn’t have insisted on returning to London for one thing, but outside of that I certainly wouldn’t have insisted on making such a show of us and a target of you.”

He sighed and reached up to sweep a fall of hair back over her shoulder. “You’ve shouldered so much too early on. You were so afraid of him and what he could do. I just wanted to lift the burden for you.”

“No, you wanted to take all of it on yourself.”

“That is my privilege as your husband.”

Her temper sparked. “The hell it is.”

“Mmm.” He rolled his eyes halfheartedly but didn’t argue further.

She took his hand in her and kissed the back of it. “I want you to hold my hand, and I want to never let go of yours.”

He regarded at her for a moment. “To stand beside me, not behind me.”

“Yes.”

He closed his eyes, and she felt his body relax under hers, as some unnamed tension flowed out of it. “I’m sorry.”

“You are forgiven my love,” she kissed his shoulders and neck, moving across his chest until she could feel his heartbeat under her lips, slow and steady.

The next time he spoke, there was more uncertainty in his voice than she’d ever heard before. “I don’t know the first thing about being a baron. I don’t know how to be that for you. Perhaps I was afraid of failing you in that way, and too ashamed to admit it.”

She nuzzled his chest, cuddling him closer with a sigh. “You have your own nobility. You define the position not the other way around. It would serve nothing and no one for you to change who you are.”

“But the position will inform my choices won’t it? It has to.”

Was that what he was afraid of? Losing himself within a life of luxury? “Leo, informing some of your choices and dictating who you will be, are two very different things. However you act, whatever you chose you are still and always the Baron Starkley, and you will always be you.”

“But not a private investigator,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes. “I want you to be all of what you are. This title only means you can exercise more power than most. Your character and your experiences have prepared you to wield it well. You don’t need to hide your true self from anyone anymore.”

“I don’t agree that a title makes me more of anything. I am prouder of the life I made on my own before all of this.”

She would have to tred carefully there. It was clear that he couldn’t see the difference between the freedom of privilege versus privilege improving oneself.

The first was an unshackling, the other was a delusion.

“That makes sense. I don’t see it as a matter of pride.

I think that your nature would allow you to rise no matter where you were placed.

So many people have tried to limit you through sabotage or pettiness, and you’ve found your way around and past it without losing yourself in bitterness or self-pity.

That is your true self, and it would show up no matter where you were.

This title only means that the jealousy of others is no longer a stumbling block.

They cannot diminish you to save face for themselves.

Avoiding your new position at this point is you reducing yourself on their behalf. ”

“I thought that was called humility.”

“Humility is knowing your limits, not conforming to the mediocrity of others to avoid hypothetical trouble.”

“What do we call that Lady Starkley?”

“Cowardice. And it doesn’t suit you at all, Lord Starkley.”

He smiled then chuckled. “Yes my lady. Do we have any other functions to attend?”

“No.” She had been ignorant before but now she knew the truth, it would be madness to maintain the current course of action.

“Truly? I thought we had to cement our position in society quickly.”

“There will be time enough for that once we sort out Mr. Harrison.”

He smiled again, playing with her hair. “I have a meeting with Bielson at the Oriental Club in a couple days.”

“Mr. Bielson again,” she griped. “Where were you tonight exactly?”

“A pub. We were scouting the location to hear something about what Harrison was planning.”

“Seeing as he shot at us I imagine that didn’t go as planned.”

“It did not. But that was a separate issue. An annoying officer blew our cover and Harrison got away. But not before telling me that he had someone marking you.”

“That’s why you came tonight?”

“Yes. I didn’t know whether they were watching the house or you. So I went to you first.”

She stroked his cheek again and then laid her head on his chest, squeezing him for a moment.

He’d come to rescue her from danger. He’d been terrified that she would be hurt and she’d shouted at him and accused him of not caring about her.

It was his fault entirely of course, but she still regretted it.

“He’s dangerous.”

“What do you want to do?” she asked, listening to his heartbeat in her ear.

“Part of me feels like you should stay inside lest we trigger another episode like last year when your friends were kidnapped.”

“Yes but thanks to you it wasn’t for very long.”

“You don’t need to share the experience. Besides which the situation is entirely different. Trent wanted money. Harrison wants to do more than take our place, he wants to erase every trace of us from the family line.”

It was a good point to make. “I will keep close to the house then. Although if he has gone to ground, we cannot do the same if we wish to draw him out.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I cannot become a recluse, especially after tonight.”

“So some social engagements but on a very small scale?”

It was a necessary risk, but she didn’t want to spend her time looking over her shoulder. “Perhaps Mr. Bielson has some contacts to keep an eye on me while I do small errands. Your aunt did invite me to tea.”

“Which aunt?” he asked, an adorably puzzled frown on his face.

“Aunt Theo.”

He sighed. “When did she become ‘Aunt Theo’?”

She swatted at his chest. His rivalry with that woman was both entertaining and infuriating. It was so obvious how much they enjoyed each other. “She is a dear woman, and you are fond of her, admit it.”

“I admit nothing,” he replied. “When is that happening?”

“The day after tomorrow. She is hosting a formal tea to endorse me now that I am well and truly a Baroness.”

“Am I needed?”

“No. She likes me better.” She stuck out her tongue and he rolled his eyes and smiled. “In any event it’s a short distance away, barely ten minutes. I can stick my head out but if he moves I will have witnesses. Either way I shall take my new pistol.”

“You think he’ll move that quickly?” Leo asked.

“I haven’t the faintest. I only didn’t want to miss tea.”