Chapter 36

Victoria was as beautiful as the dawn. Thomas' heart raced as she approached him. He drank in the sight of her warm, brown hair and pale skin, her blue gown and delicate figure, like a man left in a desert and deprived of water. She was so beautiful, and she was here. She had not fled from him like he feared she might.

"Victoria," he said, trying to express everything unspoken between them.

"Thomas." Her voice wavered a little. "I did not expect you tonight."

"I know. I hope I have not ruined your evening with my interruption."

Thomas had thought a great deal about how to do this. While he had been hesitant to actually go on stage during Victoria's play, knowing how important it was to her, Loralie had assured him that Victoria would be delighted and charmed, rather than frustrated, by such a gesture.

It was true that Victoria did not look vexed with him, but Thomas still felt as though he were standing on the edge of a windswept cliff in Cornwall, prepared to tumble into the sea below at the merest hint of disapproval from Victoria.

He had told himself that if she refused him after this, he would pursue her no longer. Loralie and Charles had made him agree to that. They were both willing to help him win Victoria's affection, but they were not willing to let him pressure her into doing anything she did not wish to.

"You have not ruined my evening," Victoria said. "Far from it. You have been the best part of my evening."

Thomas grinned, and a warm feeling came over him. "I hope you mean that and are not saying so simply because we have an audience. You are welcome to embarrass me if you feel that I ought to be."

"You truly did not tell me about the will because you wanted me to learn to love you without thinking about the money involved?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. After I met you, I wanted only to prove myself worthy of your love," Thomas said. "I swear that was all."

Victoria hummed. She looked askance, averting her gaze to the script in her hands. It was as if she was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to read from it. "I believe you," she said at last.

"Do you forgive me for it? If I had known that it would hurt you, I never would have hidden the will from you," Thomas said. "I swear it."

"I know," Victoria said, tossing the script aside. "I am sorry that I did not believe you when you told me the first time. I am sorry that I let my stepmother come between us."

Thomas shook his head. "No. No, Victoria, you do not need to apologize for anything. The folly was mine, and the truth was revealed so suddenly and unexpectedly to you that anyone would have been surprised by it."

"Still, I wish that I had acted more graciously," Victoria said, stepping towards him.

Thomas took her hands in his. "No. You have never acted anything less than graciously. And even if you had acted in any reproachful way, I would still love you. I love everything about you, Victoria. I love how passionate you are and how clever you are. I love how witty, beautiful, and compassionate you are. My one concern is that I am not nearly as good for you as you are for me."

"Oh, Thomas …" she trailed off. "You are as good for me, if not more. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please, say that you will marry me, and I am yours."

The words were so beautiful that they could have been rehearsed for a play, but Thomas knew that they came straight from Victoria's heart and fell like honey from her soft, coral lips.

"Marry me," he said.

"Oh, yes!"

Thomas grinned as joy swept over him. He had never felt such happiness in his entire life, and delighted with the answer, he drew Victoria in for a kiss. Thomas smelled the rose oil in her hair and the sharpness of mint on her breath.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him and drinking her in. She was warm and real against him, and Thomas kissed her until his chest burned. He drew in great gulps of air and pressed his forehead against hers. Victoria's breath came in quick pants for air, and distant applause thundered in Thomas' ears.

"And now, you see what happens when love wins!" Margaret exclaimed. "Remember this moment, this love, and warm yourselves in its glow. While Lady Constance and Lord Belmont have a romance doomed by Fate, Lord Bedford and Lady Victoria will away to eternal bliss!"

Victoria laughed, the sound quiet and melodic. "I think we are being forced from the stage," she whispered.

"Your play must continue," Thomas said, offering his arm.

He and the troupe had discussed this, too. While they wanted to give Victoria a grand and dramatic love confession, they also wanted to ensure that her play was a success for the patrons.

Victoria shyly took his arm, her face warm with fondness. "I see."

"We want you to become a famous playwright, after all," Thomas added.

"That still may not happen," Victoria argued. "We do not know if the patrons will appreciate my play."

"They will," Thomas insisted.

Together, they crossed the stage. When they passed Loralie, she gave Victoria a small smile. Then, she swept onto the stage. "Oh!" Loralie exclaimed. "Where is my Lord Belmont?"

Samuel waited for them backstage, just behind the curtains. "Lady Victoria," he said, sweeping into a bow. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

Victoria curtsied. "Likewise, Lord Worthington."

"I suppose we have much to talk about," Thomas said. "Shall we discuss everything while we watch your play?"

Victoria laughed, looking a little anxious. "I cannot attest to the quality of it," she said. "When I wrote it, I thought I knew what love was. Then, I felt as though I had been misled, so I rewrote it to match what I thought I knew. Now, I am questioning everything yet again."

"Perhaps that is because love is simply complicated," Thomas suggested.

He and Victoria, their arms still intertwined, left the stage and set their course towards the wings where Victoria had been just moments before.

"Perhaps love is not any one thing, and that is why romances have so many different ends. It is not that one love is truer or not real. It is only that love is so great and so vast that no human can possibly define it in every circumstance."

"Maybe that is why we keep writing about it," Victoria said. "We are trying to compile a more accurate definition of something that is impossible to define."

"Maybe so. I do think that your definition is my favourite, however."

They paused in the corridor. Victoria faced him, her expression sly and amused. She looked as if she were delighted with her present situation, yet she had never expected to find herself here—alone and with him.

"My stepmother will not agree to the engagement," Victoria said.

"I do not care," Thomas said. "We will be married against her wishes, then."

"Is it truly so simple?"

He did not know. It would be complicated, but he would fight for Victoria until the bitter end if need be. Thomas had almost lost her once, and he could not bear to lose her again. "It will be," he said. "I will ensure that we are wed."

Victoria smiled and placed a quick, shy kiss on Thomas' lips. When she moved away, Thomas ached for her presence. Heat stirred in his loins. He thought of pressing his body against Victoria's and hitching her gown over her thighs. He could easily slip his hand between her thighs in that place that ladies delighted so much in.

"Thank you," Victoria said. "I appreciate everything that you have done for me. You are so kind and thoughtful."

It was not the right moment for an amorous congress. Tonight, everyone should be focused on Victoria and her play. Besides, they had just reconciled, and Thomas did not want Victoria to feel as though he desired her only for pleasure. Tonight was the time to celebrate Victoria's artistry and her brilliance as a writer. Everything else would have to wait.

"I learned that from you," he said softly.

"No, I think you were always kind," Victoria said. "If anything, perhaps, you were not able to show that kindness as often as you liked. I imagine that business is a rather cutthroat pursuit."

"Often," he conceded.

Victoria nodded. "I wish I could help you with it, but I know nothing about such things."

"You do help me with it," Thomas replied. "You remind me that I am only a man and that I cannot devote my every working moment to business alone. You taught me that there are more important things in life than money, like being in love."

Victoria smiled and ducked her head. She looked suddenly shy. "And you have taught me more about love than I ever imagined that I could know."

Thomas smiled. "Shall we return to the wings, then? So I can see what you have learned?"

He offered his arm again, and she took it. Her shoulder brushed his arm as they walked together. "I am happy," Victoria said, "that our love did not end like Lady Constance and Lord Belmont's did."

"As am I. A woman like you only deserves all the best in the world."

"And you are a man who only deserves all the best in the world."

"Debatable," Thomas said. "But if anyone could make me believe it, it would be you."

After returning to Victoria's usual place, Thomas guided her into her seat and handed her the book, which she had dropped onto the floor. She smiled and took it in hand. On the stage, Loralie was being carried by the actor playing Lord Belmont.

Thomas thought his name might be Henry. From where he sat, Thomas could see Samuel waiting just at the edge of the stage. Even with the great distance between them, it was obvious that Samuel's eyes were fixed firmly on Loralie, acting her heart out.

"Would you like my thoughts on the performance?" Thomas asked.

Victoria smiled. "I would be pleased to hear your thoughts on it. If the patrons enjoy the performance, it must be made all the better for the future. It will be seen by all of London."

Thomas nodded. He looked admiringly at her. Never before had he ever met such a creative and talented lady writer. The patrons would love Victoria's play. He did not doubt that even for a moment, and when all of London saw her work, Thomas would be so proud.

"Well," he said. "The cast is exceptional. I cannot fault Loralie's performance."

Victoria nodded. She did not so much as look at him, already so enchanted with the events unfolding on stage. Thomas smiled to himself. Victoria had asked for his thoughts, but he would wait until after the performance to share them. In the meantime, he would watch the play, and Victoria, so focused and intense. An artist practising her craft.