Chapter 14

Fourteen

Moore

I sat in the dark, staring out at the black ocean surrounding the boat. A glass of whiskey rested on my knee. An awful feeling had settled in the pit of my stomach, one I couldn't shake.

I was an engaged man.

Earlier today, I paid a visit to the Whitney-Dunn residence. With both my mother and Gladys's father watching carefully, I asked Gladys for her hand. The girl had agreed and I gave her the ring I purchased from Mr. Tiffany last night. Whitney-Dunn had hired a photographer, so Gladys and I then posed for a portrait to appear in the newspaper this week.

I wanted to howl with the unfairness of it. Punch something, rip apart the city with my bare hands.

There hadn't been a choice.

The truth was little consolation to having my choices stripped away.

Unfortunately, my mother's physician confirmed Whitney-Dunn's information. Her heart was failing. It could be a week, it could be a month. Even years. No one knew how much longer she had, but I wouldn't add to her worries by having the company stripped away or creating another scandal. I couldn't lose her as I'd lost my father, and marrying Gladys prolonged my mother's life. It also kept Whitney-Dunn and the board off my back.

And I got to keep Rose.

Some of the bitterness and frustration eased from my muscles. Rose had finally agreed to be mine and I was goddamn grateful for it. It certainly lessened the sting of having this matrimonial decision forced upon me.

Lifting my glass, I drained half of it.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. I'd have a son or a daughter, maybe more. There would be someone to manage the house. And just as soon as Gladys was pregnant, I could devote my time to Rose.

Adulterer .

Yes, I would be. And I'd feel absolutely no regret over it, not if it meant keeping Rose. Gossips be damned. They didn't know what she and I shared, what Rose made me feel. I could never survive without her. She was a source of happiness and light, the only joy I had in this miserable world. I couldn't bear to face a day without her.

Now I had her all to myself for almost a week. It was purely selfish on my part, but the thought of staying in the city, accepting congratulations for a marriage I didn't want, had been too much to bear. So I dragged Rose off to my yacht, content to hide away from the rest of New York for as long as I could manage.

As if I'd conjured her from my thoughts, her voice sounded from across the room. "Darling, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

My lips tilted at the corners. "My beautiful Rose." I opened my arms and she slipped onto my lap, fitting perfectly into my body. I kissed her temple. "Why are you awake, sweetheart?"

"I woke up and missed you." She took the glass from my hand and finished my drink. "Whiskey. Mmm, delicious."

I cupped her hip and nestled her closer. "I tried to be quiet when I left."

"I didn't hear a thing. Why are you out here drinking? Is something wrong?"

The words wouldn't come. I knew I needed to tell her, but I wasn't ready. Telling Rose meant it was actually happening.

It appears in the newspaper in two days. Everyone will soon know.

Still, I wasn't ready to face it. I was a coward, clearly, but I just needed one more day before I spoke the words to another person. "It's nothing. Merely thinking."

Her fingers trailed along my jaw. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

"Not really."

She slid her nose against my cheek. "Have I told you how much I adore your yacht?"

"Several times, but I'm pleased to hear it. We will be spending a lot of time here."

"Oh, we will? That is quite a bold assumption, Mr. Emerson."

I loved when she called me by my surname. There was something so proper, yet teasing, in the way she said it. Naughty, almost. "Are you complaining?"

"No, though I do hope to be working again soon."

I remembered Whitney-Dunn's promise to keep Rose unemployed. At least this was no longer an issue. "Have you been offered a part?"

"Not yet, but I auditioned for my former director yesterday. He told me I have a very good chance."

"What's the production?"

" The Bathing Girl. It opens on Broadway this autumn."

"Bathing? Will you be naked in a brass tub on stage?"

"I don't know. If it's required of the role, then yes."

I frowned, unsure how I felt about that. I didn't want men leering at her night after night, though it was hypocritical of me to say, considering I'd spent a month leering at Rose from the audience.

What bothered me more was the timing. I was to marry in late September. I needed to see Rose if I hoped to survive the wedding obligations.

"You grew quiet," she remarked. "Do you have a problem with the show?"

"No," I said hesitantly.

"Then what are you thinking? But before you answer, I have to say I won't allow you to dictate which roles I accept. You and I have an arrangement, but I still possess a mind of my own. And this is a Broadway lead. It could be a big opportunity for me."

I rubbed her bare legs under her silk nightgown. "I know, but . . . Would you consider taking time off from acting? We could sail to Bar Harbor or Newport this summer." Of course this was unfair of me to ask, but I couldn't help it. My whole world was about to turn upside down and this woman felt like a port in a storm, a refuge.

"I prefer to work, Moore. I cannot laze about all day, waiting in bed for you to arrive. I need to keep busy."

"I promise to keep you very busy."

I slid my hand higher until I reached her inner thigh, but she shoved my hand down to her knee. "Stop. You're in a strange mood tonight. Are you drunk?"

I almost wished. "No."

"Then please explain your high-handed, selfish behavior."

"You're right. I am being selfish and high-handed, but can you blame me? You've only just agreed to be mine. I need to fulfill every fantasy I've had of you since the night I first saw you perform."

"That's sweet of you." She nuzzled my jaw with her nose, sending goose bumps along my skin. "You're very sweet, Mr. Emerson."

I clutched her tighter, and the confession suddenly tumbled from my lips. "Rose, I am lost without you. When you smile at me the world sparkles, bright and shiny, like a black curtain has parted from around my eyes. I haven't felt like this with anyone before, not in thirty-eight years. It's why I returned to see you night after night. And now that we've slept together, the feeling has only intensified. You've turned me inside-out, woman."

"Moore," she breathed, sliding her fingers into my hair. "It's the same for me. I've never felt this close to anyone else, not even my family. I don't understand how it happened so quickly, but you're . . . everything ."

My chest expanded with emotion. The words made me feel fifty feet tall. A skyscraper, towering above the mere mortals below. My god, what had I ever done to deserve this intelligent, beautiful woman?

Still holding her in my arms, I rose and started for our cabin. "I need to kiss you properly in a bed. Preferably for hours."

"That will make sleeping a challenge," she teased, nipping at my earlobe.

I tossed her over my shoulder, which produced a squeal from under her curtain of red hair. I slapped her buttock once. "An Emerson is always up for a challenge."