Page 24

Chapter twenty-four

Beatrice

Between getting Miss Lohndrey settled in a guest room for the time being, eating dinner, and helping Guinevere research where Rose might have sent Milton Lohndrey, it had been several hours since they had watched the sorcerer disappear. And Beatrice still hadn't had a moment alone with her husband.

She waited for Guinevere to leave before picking up the three-piece candlestick, making her way to their adjoining door, and knocking gently on it.

The door opened before she could say anything, and she stared up at her husband, who was smiling down at her.

“Hello, wife,” he said.

“Hello, husband,” she replied.

He reached out and took her free hand, pulling her into his room and settling down on his bed.

She sat next to him, and he took the candlestick from her to set it down on the side table. Then, turning to her and taking both of her hands in his, he said, “I have something I want to tell you. I'm very nervous, but I want to get this right, and I think you should hear it from me.”

He took a deep breath before continuing. “I know that I went about this all wrong, and I should have told you from the beginning what was happening. I wish that I could have and that we could have started our marriage on a better footing, but I will never regret the fact that you are my wife and that you chose me, even if it may have seemed like you had no other choice.”

Beatrice opened her mouth, but he shook his head. “Let me finish, please. I know we don't know each other very well, but I would love to spend the rest of my life getting to know you more and spending the rest of my life with you, because I love you.”

Beatrice’s eyes widened. Had she heard him correctly? “You love me?” she squeaked, the words barely coming out.

“I love you,” he said again, reaching up to cup her cheek with his hand. “And I hope someday, you will love me, too.”

“But I already do,” Beatrice said, the words tumbling out so fast she wasn't sure he could understand them. “I love you, Alexander. I love the way you smile when you think I'm not looking, and the way you put up with Dietrich because I love him, and the way you care for Rose, and the way you care about your mother's books, and the way you love me. And I'll stop talking now,” she said, taking in the way he was leaning closer.

His thumb stroked her cheek, and she leaned into the palm of his hand, feeling, for the first time in her life, completely safe and loved. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, just taking in the moment and all its wonderfulness.

“I never imagined I would find someone like you,” Alexander said, and her eyes fluttered open as her husband kept talking. “But you have made me a better person. You helped me break my curse, and you stood firm even when there was danger. I’m so thankful that you did.”

He reached up and brushed an errant curl out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

The movement brought him closer…or perhaps she was leaning closer…or maybe it was both of them. Either way, they were moving closer and closer to each other, as if drawn by magic, like two sparks of light that were meant to dance with each other forever and ever.

She reached for his shirt and pulled him closer as his hand tangled in her hair, and she tilted her face just right as he closed the distance between them.

It wasn’t unusual for Beatrice Dunham to think about what it would be like to be kissed, but it was unusual for her to have her whole world reduced to a single moment as her husband tenderly kissed her.

All time and space ceased to have meaning, and all that mattered was Alexander.

He pulled away, and she chased after him, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer until her whole side was pressed up against his, and she could feel his warmth and solid dependability. She knew without a doubt that her world would never be the same. Because he was hers and she was his. And nothing, not even magic, could come between them.