Page 58 of To Dare the Devil

“Kathy,” he whispered, and then roused himself, sitting up with a sharp intake of breath. “Go away!” he told her firmly, pointing at the door.

“No,” she said, smiling at him and walking closer. Lord, he was gorgeous. He sat in bed, with the covers to his waist, the bandage about his middle visible. Golden hair glinted on his bare chest and Kathy drank in the sight of him.

“Miss de Beauvoir, if anyone sees you here, you’ll be ruined. Now turn yourself around and—”

“No,” she said again, shaking her head.

“Dammit, Kathy!” he growled, trying to get out of bed.

She ran to him and put her hands on his bare shoulders, forcing him to stop. He went still at the touch of his hands and Kathy blushed but did not remove them. His skin was hot, not with fever, but simply with vitality, with the energy that seemed always to radiate from him.

“Do you love me, Max?”

His eyes widened at her question, staring up at her as if he did not quite believe she was real.

“Yes,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Yes, I do. With all my heart.”

Kathy let out a shaky breath and smiled, feeling happiness bubble through her, fizzing in her blood.

Max huffed out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “I’ve no idea why that pleases you so much. Even if you were mad enough to want me after everything you know now, your father and brother would finish the job Franklin began before they’d let you marry me.”

“Marry you, Max?” she said, her heart beating harder and faster until she felt lightheaded. “Was that a proposal?”

Without taking his eyes from hers, he took her hand from his shoulder and kissed her palm, then closed his eyes as he turned into her hand, and she stroked his cheek. “I’d marry you in a heartbeat, Kathy. But why on earth would you want me, after everything I’ve done?”

“Because you’re not the man you were, Max. You’ve worked to change your life, and I know you’ll keep working, to make things better for other people, and I want to help you with that, with helping them, with helping you. But mostly I want to marry you because I’m hopelessly in love with you, and I don’t think anyone else will do.”

She saw hope and joy and then misery flicker in his eyes in quick succession, and then he shook his head. “I thought you’d understood, when Grace came here, when little Beatrice came in….”

“She’s your daughter. Yes, I know.”

He gaped at her.

“T-Then why? How can you think to… Grace would never forgive you, and she’d likely shoot me. I can’t let you turn your back on your friends for me, Kathy, you’ll—”

Kathy pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

“She knows how I feel, and she understands. Well,” she said, frowning slightly. “Perhaps understands is overstating things, but she accepts my decision. Grace is one of the gentlest, most loving and forgiving people I’ve ever known, Max. She won’t turn away from me. Though you must stay far away from them. Beatrice has your eyes. She looks like you, and even if Sterling would allow it, which he won’t, you two must never be seen together.”

“I would do nothing to put her at risk. Not ever,” he said urgently, his expression grave and sincere.

“I know that,” she whispered, stroking his cheek with the backs of her fingers. “Now then, Maxwell Drake, are you going to propose to me or not?”

Hope glittered in his eyes, but caution tempered it still. He didn’t dare believe this was what she wanted, that she understood what she was doing. “I want to, but, Kathy, are you sure? Have you really thought about it?”

She grinned at that. “I’m sure that seeing you sitting in this bed with next to nothing on is giving me ideas that suggest we’d better marry as soon as possible, and I can think of little else.”

“Christ, Kathy. Don’t say such things,” he groaned, shaking his head.

Kathy stroked his hair, finding it soft and warm, sliding through her fingers like silk as an unpleasant idea stirred unwillingly in her mind.

“I love you, Max, and I want to be with you, but if it’s because of my-my blood, my background. I suppose I never really considered it mattering with you, because you never made me feel anything less than a lady, but that’s stupid, isn’t it?” Her heart trembled as she wondered if this was the reason for his hesitation and he just didn’t want to hurt her. Why hadn’t she realised? She’d been a fool not to consider it. A stupid fool. She pulled away from him. “You’re an earl, and I was born in the workhouse, and—”

She gasped as he reached up and slid a hand behind her neck, pulling her down to claim her mouth. The kiss was sweet and infinitely tender, and then he released her.

“I don’t give a damn about any of that, Kathy. I cannot imagine anyone else as generous and loving as you in the entire world. You’re all I dream of, all I want. That you know the worst of me and can still find something worth loving and putting your trust in is a blessing I never expected. I will never take that for granted. I love your energy and your determination to change the world, I love that you make me see things differently, and I love you. I do. Kathleen de Beauvoir, I want you to be with me always.”

“Then let me,” she whispered, cupping his face in her hands. “I forgive you for the past, Max, but I shan’t forgive you if you don’t let me share your future.”