Mary looked up at John's impassive face as she took a step backwards. There was no sign of whatever he might be feeling other than a faint line between his eyebrows. Which she suspected was a sign that he was hurting and trying to hide it.

"I thought you might have left," she mumbled as she fiddled with the skirts of her dress, not knowing what to do with her hands. She wanted to touch him but wasn't sure if now was the time. Especially after what he had just heard her say.

The line between his brows deepened. "No matter my personal feelings, I would never abandon you here alone. We don't know that there is no danger."

Her eyes met his before he averted his gaze, and it only made the gnawing guilt in her gut feel worse. "John..."

A quick shake of his head told her he was not ready for that conversation. "Come. This is not the place for a private discussion."

When he gently took her elbow and moved towards their room, she followed. It must be a good sign that he had not left. Whatever she had said, he was still there. A few moments later, he closed the door behind them as she walked into their room. She glanced at the bed. To think it was not even an hour since she had experienced such pleasure between those sheets. Something she had never expected.

So much had changed in such a short time since arriving at Hayes's house. Her feelings for John had swept in like a whirlwind and upended everything in her life, all in the span of a few short days. This was not what she had planned. What she had expected her life to turn out to be.

But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Spinsterhood was not a terrible prospect for her, coming from a good family, and she had rather looked forward to some aspects of it. The freedom. Not having to be accountable to anyone else. But the possibility of sharing her future with John was even more enticing. Now that she knew what she could have, spinsterhood no longer looked so appealing. If only she dared to trust John's feelings. Dared to believe she was his first choice.

John hesitated for a moment before stepping away from the door, coming to stand two feet away from her. Neither spoke, both unsure of what to say. Mary wished she could find the words to explain how she felt. Shifting from one foot to the other, she let out a small sigh.

"I never wanted to make your life more difficult."

"I didn't mean what I said."

They both spoke at the same time and fell silent again as their words mingled.

Mary made a wry face. "I'm sorry. I never should have said what I did. Jane angered me and I lashed out. You haven't made my life difficult. Well, you have—in a sense—but..." She hesitated as her cheeks warmed under his attentive gaze. "But I think these last few days have changed a lot for both of us. Maybe 'difficult' is the wrong word. Complicated?"

"I will admit that I never expected to fall in love when I accepted this case." The hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "But it does not have to be complicated. It's really quite simple."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. As he took a step closer, butterflies fluttered in her abdomen.

"Yes," he said, raising his hand to brush his knuckles over her cheek. "I love you. You love me. There is nothing simpler."

"And yet nothing quite so difficult."

"I'm not sure love was ever meant to be easy." His gaze strayed to her lips before coming back to meet her eyes. "Not an uphill battle, of course. But something you have to fight for. Work at. A give and a take. And most difficult of all... You must trust."

She nodded. That was truly the most difficult part. Trust. Believing in what they had. What they felt. Looking up into John's grey eyes, the love and adoration in them warmed her. Maybe it had taken her some time. But she had it. Trust. This man might have loved her friend before, but he loved her now. At this moment, in this room, he loved no one but her.

"I do," she whispered. "I do trust you. You've given me parts of yourself you have never shared with anyone before. Told me secrets few know. At a house party with plenty of beautiful women and more temptation than we might ever come across, you've shown no interest in anyone but me. What else could I possibly ask of you?"

Leaning down, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss that sent the butterflies in her abdomen into a frenzy. Pulling back slightly, his hand on her cheek and his forehead against hers, he met her gaze. "There is no one but you," he vowed. "And there will never be anyone but you. I have been blind all this time not to see that it has been you all along. You're everything I could ever want. Everything I need. Every vexing inch of you."

She smiled at his words. "So what you're saying is that you enjoy vexing women?"

He chuckled before kissing her. "No," he mumbled against her lips. "I enjoy one vexing woman."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she lost herself in their embrace. Knowing that he was fully hers. And she was his. Returning to London didn't seem so daunting any longer. She wasn't sure how long they kissed, but when John straightened, he gave her a questioning look.

"What of your sister?"

"Oh. She and Hayes are married. They went to Gretna Green before coming here." She still couldn't quite believe it and judging from the widening of John's eyes, neither could he.

"Married?" He blew air out between his lips. "Well, how about that? I suppose that solves the issue of her reputation, at least."

"Yes. I don't know how my parents will react, but it is too late for them to do much about it." She shrugged. "This probably was not what they were hoping to return home to."

"Probably not," John allowed, the corners of his mouth twitching. "One daughter already married, and another—"

He cut himself short as her eyes settled on him. She raised an eyebrow. "Compromised?"

"Well..." He cleared his throat, and she could have sworn she saw his cheeks turn a shade pinker. "I cannot argue the validity of that statement. But that wasn't what I meant."

"Then what?"

Her teasing smile faded into an open-mouthed stare as his face grew serious and he took her hands in his. "Mary..." He inhaled deeply as if gathering courage. "Will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"I..." Fear and excitement surged through her in a mixture of emotions. But she trusted him. Trusted that he knew what he wanted. She had to. "Yes."

John kissed her again. "I know you're worried," he said, and she averted her eyes, ashamed that he could so easily read her. "But I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know you are the only one for me. There will be no doubt in your mind that I want no one else."

Placing her hand on his cheek, she marvelled at the smoothness of his skin against her fingertips. "I know that. And when I'm with you, everything feels right. I trust you and I believe in us."

Their lips met. It did feel right. He felt right. And she knew he would always be there for her, no matter what. She loved him, and he loved her. Nothing else mattered anymore.

The kiss soon turned more heated, and they fell onto the bed in a tangled mess of limbs. They took their time exploring each other, underlining their feelings with caresses and emphasising their love with deep kisses.

A while later, as they lay between the sheets, Mary nearly drifted off to sleep despite it being the middle of the day.

"Mary?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes were still closed. She was far too content to rouse fully.

"If your sister and Hayes are married... Can you promise we won't have to attend any of these house parties?"

She laughed. "I'm sure we can avoid that."

"Good," he muttered, his lips against her neck tickling her skin. "I think I've had enough of this debauchery. Can we go back to London now?"

"We can," she said, still smiling. "But I must say this house party had some positive sides, too."

"It did," he allowed, and his arm around her tightened slightly. "The most positive one is right here in bed with me."

She was nearly asleep when she heard a muttered, "But I still refuse to go to another one of these."

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She loved this. Being in his arms. Listening to his grumbling. She felt warm and safe in his embrace. This was it. This was how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. Loving this man and being loved by him.

~~~~~~