Chapter 18

J o was very glad she'd left at dawn that morning because rain had slowed the journey. Still, they'd made it to Froxfield, which was about halfway to Weston. She was now comfortably ensconced in her small room and had just finished a delightful repast.

She was sore from jostling around in the coach—something she had rarely done outside London—and eager to sleep. Not just because she was tired, but because she couldn't wait for morning so she could be on her way once more.

She tried to settle into bed, but whoever was lodging next door was pacing about. And the floor squeaked. This went on for quite some time. Jo glared at the wall behind the headboard of her bed.

Finally, it stopped.

Smiling to herself, Jo exhaled as she snuggled into the bed. Sleep began to claim her… then she jolted awake at the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor next door.

She pulled the pillow over her head and prayed for quiet.

S heff bolted up from the chair he'd just moved closer to the fire. He'd wanted it there because his bare feet were cold. However, he was too warm from pacing about.

Energy coursed through him, making the bedchamber feel close. He didn't want to be there. He wanted to continue toward London. However, the rain had made them stop, and they were only halfway.

He walked from the head of the bed back to the hearth on the opposite side of the room. Then back again. He removed his dressing gown and cast it on the foot of the bed. Clad in just a nightshirt, he returned to the fire.

Before he could throw himself in the chair, there was a knock on his door. Who would be disturbing him at this hour?

He strode to the door and opened it a crack since he had not thought to don his dressing gown.

"Sheff?"

"Jo!"

Was she really there? He recognized her voice, for her face was barely visible in the dim corridor. She could likely see him because he was in his much more illuminated chamber.

"What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously.

"I came to ask whoever was in this chamber to please be quiet."

He laughed at her sardonic reply and then wondered why on earth he was leaving her in the corridor. "Come in!" He opened the door wide.

She wore a garnet-colored dressing gown, and her sable hair hung in a plait against her shoulder, tied at the end with an ivory ribbon. Her expression was tentative as she stepped inside.

Somehow, Sheff resisted the urge to sweep her in his arms and swing her about the room. He was just so happy to see her. "I missed you," he said softly.

"I missed you too." She sounded almost…shy. Which was not what he would ever have expected from her.

"I'm glad to hear it. Since you only sent one letter, I thought you were pleased to be rid of me." Reality cut through his glee. She'd written about the dissolution of the betrothal. Because he'd been seen with a pair of women.

Sheff sobered completely. "Jo, I must tell you the truth of what happened in Weston."

She arched a brow. "I don't know that I need to hear it. I'd rather focus on the future."

"But it's important. I have remained celibate—in all ways. I haven't so much as touched any women."

"The gossip that you were seen with two women in your arms wasn't true?"

"In part," he said. "They had put their arms around me, and that was when we were seen. I hadn't yet had a chance to extricate myself from them. And I think you must know about another woman. Mrs. Ingram—the housekeeper—said she wrote to Min about seeing a woman outside my chamber. She stayed there—outside, I mean. She thought I would be amenable to her attention."

Her brows drew together. "But you were not?"

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. I haven't thought of another woman, let alone wanted one, since I left you in London. I've been a fair mess, if you want to know the truth." He attempted a smile, but feared it came out rather lopsided as he nervously awaited her response.

Response to what? He hadn't asked her anything yet.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked.

"Why should I be? You executed the plan we discussed. Things happened sooner than I expected, but now it seems that you didn't execute anything at all." She searched his face. "You weren't with any of those women? You didn't try to stir up a scandal?"

"No. My father had a party at the Grove. I thought I would join in, that it might cheer me up. It did the opposite. It only made me miss you more. I retired early. Then I was disturbed by that woman."

"Why did you need cheering?" she asked quietly.

"Because my heart was breaking," he whispered, his gaze holding hers. "I fell in love with you when I wasn't supposed to, and I was waiting for it to go away. Only, it did not. It has not. And I don't think it ever will."

She put her hand to her chest, her lips parting. "You love me?"

"Desperately." He couldn't keep from smiling, then, or taking her hand. But he stopped short after reaching for her. His conversation with Mrs. Ingram rose in his mind. "May I touch you?"

Jo took his hand in hers. "How can you love me? You have been adamant that you could not love anyone."

Sheff moved close to her and pulled her hand up to hold it against his chest. "I love you because you are brilliant and witty, and you have stood with me through a ridiculous time. I am so sorry that I put you through everything with my stupid fake betrothal scheme. But I don't want it to be fake."

She held up her hand, halting anything further he might have said. His breath stalled in his lungs. She didn't want him to continue.

She didn't want him .

"Please stop," she said, sounding almost breathless. "I need to tell you something before you can go on. I was on my way to Weston. Or did you not think it strange that I was here in Froxfield? That we are here on the very same night is astonishing."

In truth, he hadn't stopped to think about why she was here. He was simply too overjoyed to see her. "You were coming to Weston? To see your mother?"

A smile lifted her lips as she gave her head a slight shake. "Can you not believe that I was coming to see you ?"

Sheff's brain froze for a moment, and he struggled to find words. All he could manage was "You were?"

"Yes. I have something very important to tell you." Her hand moved to her abdomen. Sheff continued to feel as though he were not entirely in working order. "We were not careful enough in London. I am going to have a baby. I am not telling you to prompt a marriage proposal, but that would be best for the child. I also needed to tell you that I love you, and if you wanted to marry, I am amenable."

She didn't finish uttering the final word before Sheff had gathered her into his arms. "Yes. No. Wait." He slid down her body, setting his hands on her hips. "Yes, I want to marry. You. I want to marry you. Please marry me, Jo." He leveled his gaze at her belly. "Hello, there. I am very much looking forward to meeting you. You will have the best mama in all of England. What a lucky girl—or boy—you are."

"You think the babe is a girl?" Jo asked, her eyes shining down at him.

"I don't know. The first image that filled my mind was a dark-haired girl with hazel eyes and a fierce smile." He held his breath. "Will you marry me?"

"I can hardly believe we are standing here doing this," she said with a laugh. "Yes, I will marry you."

Sheff pressed a kiss to her abdomen. "Your papa already loves you so very much." He stood and looked into Jo's dewy eyes. "I love you too. And I always will."

"How can you be so sure when you've always believed you were incapable of doing so?"

"I was so wrong about who I am and, more importantly, who I want to be. The time I spent with my father was most enlightening. He showed me a side of himself I'd never seen before. Being with him away from my mother gave me joy—and peace. It helped me to realize that I want a place where I can always feel that way, and that place is with you. I am, apparently, quite capable of overwhelming love."

She touched his cheek. "Oh, Sheff. I was wrong about myself too. I'd been doubting my role with the club, but I should also have been skeptical about my spinsterhood. It turns out I might be happiest if I had a family of my own—with you."

He sucked in a breath, hardly believing that this was what they both wanted. "I wish I'd been smart enough to return to London sooner."

"And I wish I'd left London before now," she said with a smile. "We told each other what we thought was true, what we thought we wanted. But even the best-laid plans can change."

He laughed. "If you are referring to my betrothal scheme, it was very poorly planned. Yet, I don't regret a bit of it since it brought us together."

Her gaze turned sultry. "For that reason, it was a brilliant scheme, really." She pressed a kiss to his jaw.

Sheff's body, already slightly aroused, vaulted into unbridled lust. "So many nights I dreamed of you," he murmured as she kissed his throat. "Every night since we parted."

"I can't believe you were celibate the whole time." She licked his flesh, and he shivered.

"It took no effort. The only woman I wanted was too far away. I became very well acquainted with my hand, I must say."

Jo laughed, and Sheff unfastened her dressing gown. She shrugged it off with his help, then set it atop the bed. She wore a thin night rail, which he drew over her head and sent to join the dressing gown. Then he swept her into his arms and carried her the very short distance to the bed.

He set her atop the coverlet, then removed his nightshirt and let it fall to the floor. She was already pulling back the bedclothes and sliding between them. She held them open for him to join her.

Eyes locked, they caressed each other, their hands exploring. He cupped her breast, feeling the difference in its firmness since he'd held her last. She was going to have their child. He would be a father. He'd never known how much he wanted that. And perchance he hadn't wanted it before. But with Jo, he wanted everything.

Sheff kissed her, and the touch of her lips against his felt like he'd come home. She cupped his face as she kissed him back and moved her body to his. Sliding her foot up his calf, she hooked her leg over his thigh.

Why had he stayed away from her for so long? He pushed away thoughts of the weeks they could have spent together and focused on this moment. She moaned into the kiss as he rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Then he drew his hand down her side and over her hip, bringing his fingertips to her sex.

She moaned against his lips as he stroked her clitoris. Her hips moved, and he rose over her, pushing her back onto the bed. She wrapped her legs around him.

She pulled her lips from his. "I want you now, Sheff. Please don't wait. I need to be yours."

He kissed her cheek, her temple, her forehead. "You are mine. Now and forever." He positioned his cock at her opening. Her hand curled around his shaft, guiding him into her wet heat.

Closing his eyes, he rested there for a moment and reveled in the overwhelming joy of loving her and being loved in return.

"You don't need to worry about pulling out," she whispered.

He could tell she was smiling when she spoke, and he laughed. "I suppose not." He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "How careful should I be?"

"I don't think you need to worry. I did ask Persephone about that, and she confided in me that she and Wellesbourne did not curtail their activities until she became too uncomfortable. And then they ‘modified' things, whatever that means. I'm confident we'll learn as we go."

"Did you tell your friends about the babe?"

"I did. My mother wasn't in London, and I needed advice." She put her hand to his cheek. "I didn't want you to think I'd entrapped you in a marriage you didn't want."

"My darling, I would never have thought that. Your thoughts on marriage were not different from mine, and aside from that, I would not believe you are capable of that sort of manipulation." He began to move, withdrawing, then sliding back into her sheath. "Rather, I would expect you to declare what you want, which you did."

"Eventually. Like you, I wish I hadn't hesitated. Think of all the time we wasted."

Sheff continued to move—and she was moving with him—which was causing his brain to lose focus. "Not that much in the great scheme. All that matters is we are together now." He drove deep into her, making her gasp and her eyes narrow with desire. "Quite literally."

Jo clasped her legs around him more tightly and drew his head down for a long, torrid kiss. Sheff lost himself in a haze of emotion and pleasure. He couldn't remember an experience like this because he'd never had one.

Their bodies rocked and glided together, rushing toward that peak of rapturous fulfillment. Jo clutched his back, her fingers digging deliciously into his flesh as her muscles clenched around him. He felt her orgasm grip her body and thrust faster and deeper to catch his own. He cried out amidst her moans and whimpers, holding her to him.

They remained like that, entangled together, for quite some time, their bodies settling into their normal rhythm. Yes, this was normal—Jo in his arms. He could hardly believe it.

He pulled out of her at last but still held her close. One of her legs was still wrapped loosely around his thigh. "Are you happy?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "More than I ever imagined I could be." A gentle furrow settled into her brow. "I am anxious about becoming a countess."

"Society will accept you," Sheff said firmly. "I will make them."

Laughing, she brushed his hair back from his forehead. "While I appreciate your primal instincts, I don't think you can force everyone ."

"I suppose not. But the cut direct goes both ways. I will not forget the people who treated you poorly when you were my pretend betrothed. When you are my wife, anyone who is less than welcoming and kind will simply be ignored."

"That sounds like a good plan, though I still don't want to be at the forefront of Society. Are you all right with that?"

"I am glorious with whatever you want. If you'd prefer to live in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, I would gladly do that."

"But you have responsibilities," she said. "Or, you will, someday when you inherit the dukedom."

"Yes, and I do think my father is going to want me to take on more responsibility. He has made some changes to his life since spending time with me in Weston. It was a revelatory period. He explained some things to me that I had not known, such as the true reason behind the strife in my parents' marriage."

Jo came onto her side and snuggled against him, putting her palm on his chest. "I am most intrigued."

He met her gaze. "Would you believe that it isn't entirely my father's fault?" He went on to explain how his father had been in love with his mother, but that she'd rejected him and had an affair. But Jo did not appear surprised. And why should she be when his mother had been awful to her?

"You don't have trouble believing my mother shares the blame," Sheff remarked. "I confess I didn't either once I heard it. I'm a bit annoyed with myself that I hadn't determined that before."

"I know about her affair," Jo said. Now Sheff was surprised. "My mother finally explained how she came to know your mother. She had an affair with my father."

Sheff bolted up into a sitting position, his eyes wide. "Oh, God. That means Ellis is your half sister."

Jo also jerked upright. "I suspected that may be the case. But you know it to be true?"

"Yes. My father told me she is my mother's daughter and is the result of her affair. However, my father didn't know the identity of Ellis's father. Now, I do." He looked to Jo in distress. "What are we to do with this information?"

She took his hand. "I don't know. It's certainly strange for us to know the entire truth when no one else does. My mother was aware of the affair, but only suspected your mother had a child. My father knows nothing of a child. We have all the pieces of the puzzle. But I don't want to tell Ellis about her parentage. Shouldn't that come from her parents?"

"My mother won't say anything." Now that Sheff knew the truth about her, he was incredibly angry. "I loathe the way she's treated my father and Ellis. I don't think I can be around her without saying so, without informing her that I know the truth."

"Will you tell Min?" Jo asked.

"The duke said he would speak to her the way he did me, but I don't know when that will happen."

"He hadn't told her as of yesterday," Jo said. "I saw her, and I think she would have said something."

"Though it will be hard to keep this secret, I think we must—at least until we can inform all parties." Sheff relaxed. "I'm so glad I have you. This would be far more burdensome on my own."

She stroked her thumb along his hand. "I feel the same. Now, where are we going tomorrow? London or Weston?"

"Where do you want to get married? Because that is the very next thing we are doing." He lifted her hand and kissed her palm.

"I would have said London, but my mother is in Weston and our friends will be, so I think I'd like to have the wedding there. But we'll need to send for my father. Can you arrange for his transportation to Weston as soon as possible? He must be at the wedding."

Sheff nodded. "Of course. I'll dispatch a letter to my secretary in the morning, and he can handle the arrangements. I will purchase a special license, which should not be a problem, particularly since I have been in residence in Weston for several weeks."

Jo gave him a sheepish look. "I'm afraid I didn't pack most of my new clothing—some of which I haven't even worn yet. I do have a gown that would be nice for the wedding."

"Then I shall instruct my secretary to coordinate the delivery of your clothing along with your father. Can your housekeeper organize everything?"

"I can write a letter to her if you could also dispatch that in the morning." She laughed. "We are suddenly very busy."

"Because we have a future waiting for us, and we are eager to start it!" He grinned at her, love overflowing from every part of him. "Wellesbourne told me that when you realize you are in love, you can't wait for the happily ever after to begin. Or something like that. In fact, another gentleman told me the same thing. Now, I understand, and I wholeheartedly concur."

"I think we started a while ago when you invited me into your room," Jo said with a sly smile. "Shall we continue?" She took his hand and put it on her breast.

Sheff narrowed his eyes. "Yes, please." He gathered her to him with a growl, settling her on his lap. "I can't believe how much I love you. Even more now than when you walked through that door."

"And I love you. More now than when you asked me to marry you. I expect to love you more still when we wake in the morning."

"That assumes we will sleep." He waggled his brows at her.

She looked at him in horror. "We must sleep. I was exhausted after the journey today, and some idiot next door to my room kept me from falling asleep. The babe is absolutely draining."

Sheff grimaced. "Hell, I wasn't thinking." He lifted her from her lap and guided her down onto the mattress. "Sleep, now."

"In a while. I'm not quite as exhausted as I was earlier." She gave him a sultry look. "You're going to have to tire me out, I think."

Sheff smiled down at her. "I will do whatever you need, my love."