Authors: Nichole Matthews
“I missed you tonight,” she murmured sleepily against his chest.
“
I missed you too
.”
He kissed
th
e top of her head tenderly
, s
liding his
hand up and down her arm in long relaxing strokes.
“I tried to follow you this afternoon, but you were too sneaky for me.” She chuckled. “Are you sure you aren’t a spy
for the crown
? You would be very good at it.”
A laugh escaped him as he thought of all the planning that had taken place this week.
Please with his friends selfless assistance, concerned at their
utter exhaustion, but witnes
s
ing the
shudder
that slithered down Seymour’s spine as he stared
at the dirt b
e
neath his nails was without price.
He knew
himself
we
ll
enough
, but he hoped he hadn’t taken this
cloak-and-dagger pla
n
ning way too far.
For that reason, he sat and h
eld her for what seemed like hours
stroking her back
.
W
atch
ing
as her breathing evened out
.
He
spoke
gently
,
whispering words of love
even
though he knew
she was sleeping peac
e
fully and could not hear him.
W
ith awe in his voice
he
whispered,
“I have fallen in love with you
, my dearest,
Poppy.”
Grinning
as he voiced the words aloud.
He let
his head fall against the back of the chair. “I am in love with you.” A peculiar peace su
r
rounded him.
His breathing began to slow as he d
rowsily
thought of the gift he had for her in his room. It had arrived earlier th
at
afternoon
m
aking his purpose
seem
even more
real.
He placed a kiss on her sleep-flushed
cheek
, stood with her still cradled in his arms, and carried
her to
bed.
Tucking
her
cover
let
tightly around her
, he
paus
ed
as she mumbled in her sleep.
Tur
n
ing onto her side she
f
i
nally relaxed in
to
the softness of her mattress.
He almost smiled as he thought of his task for tomorrow.
He kissed
her lips softly
and wh
ispered h
uskily, “I promise I will love you forever
.”
Drawing in
a d
eep, slow, steadying breath as he
quietly closed her chamber door.
One half of me is yours, the other half yours-
Mine own, I would say; but if mine,
Then
yours
and
so all yours!
The Merchant of Venice
*Williams Shakespeare
L
ife can change like the seasons
. A few weeks
ago,
he was an empty shell filling his days with backbreaking work to keep the ghosts away. Now to be sitting here
with his heart so full of love that
he
felt r
eady to burst
, it was unfathomable
.
He
looked
forward to being leg-shackled, as Poppy put it
, that is if she agreed
.
That pa
r
ticular thought elicited a quiet chuckle.
He looked forward t
o spend
ing
his life with
such a remarkable
woman and filling his nursery with golden haired freckle-faced babies.
It was more than he thought he deserved.
He was amazed.
He knew God was smiling down on him, proud of him. Why else would he have given such a magnificent gift to such an unworthy man?
He leaned
back on his elbows
lifting
his face to the sun and
i
nhaled deeply. He imagined the sweet smell of Poppy’s scent. A s
mile on
his lips,
h
e
smiled a
smile full of peace and fo
r
giveness
, and most of all
love
.
When he heard the crunch of footsteps on the rocky ground, h
e
slowly stood and faced
her
.
H
e stood staring at
her, overwhelmed by the powerful emotions that churned
deep
in hi
s gut
. Nervously
he
had
anticipat
ed
this
encounter because he
had something he wanted to say. For the first time in his life, he already knew what the answer needed to be.
The crumbling turrets of the ruins pointed portentously towards the sky in the bac
k
ground. To some this could be a dismal backdrop, but for Poppy it was a solid reminder of ha
p
py times
in her life.
“I looked everywhere for you
,
”
Poppy said with a faintly questioning note in her voice.
She walked up to him
,
c
aptured
his hand and twined their fingers. She studied his eyes. “Pa
r
ker told me he thought you might
have come
here.”
Declan lifted her hands to his lips and
gently kissed the tips of each of her fingers. “I was just remembering
,” h
e gently spoke.
“We both know what a fickle mistress life can be.” Poppy squeezed Declan’s hands close to her heart.
“It changes like the seasons.”
Declan smiled at her choice of words.
With a
s
mile on her face she continued,
“We
don’t know
what tomorrow may bring.
All we have is here and now and I have decided that
I would like to wait out t
hat time with you by my side.” H
er
eyes
shimmered.
“I am not afraid
,
”
s
he told him matter of fact. “I am chom
p
ing at the bit
,
actually
. I am more than willing to leave my heart in your hands. I know you will guard it unreservedly forever.”
The words spoken with a slight hitch in her voice.
“I can
’
t lie. It is yours to do with what you will for better or for worse.”
She looked
i
n
tently up at him. “I just need to know that I am safe with you
, t
hat you will not hold anything back. I need to know that you are giving me everything. Nothing less will do. I am giving you all that I have. Are you wil
l
ing to do the same?”
s
he asked holding her breath.
Declan pressed
her hands firmly to his lips.
“My heart has been securely in your hands since the first time that I saw you.” His eyes
held a smile
.
A serene smile spread across her face.
With a look of wonder on his face he said
,
“I remember the love that I buried deep i
n
side my heart. I missed it. I did not say goodbye to either of them and I could not forgive m
y
self for living a life apart from them.
”
“I know it must have been painful for you.” Her vision blurred with tears.
“
I have missed so much. I allowed time to fly by without anything to show for it except calloused hands.”
“I love your calloused hands.”
She raised
his hands to her lips
and
kissed each
one
te
n
derly.
“They show your strength and determination.”
A smile of remembrance curled his lips. “I
remember
my father telling me to find my way.”
He looked
deeply into her eyes. “He had already given me permission to be my own man, but I have always regretted the need to search.
I
believed that I
should
have been co
n
tent where I was. I don
’
t want to shut the world out any longer. I dreamed of you. I know b
e
cause when I walked into your garden that day
, I
felt whole again.
”
Poppy wrapped her arms tightly around his waist in comfort.
Holding
him
for sever
al minutes before she
finally looked up and
said
, “
Amor Vincit omnia.”
Declan threw back his head
and laughed
.
“I think Seymour was right when he said that I ha
ve
met my match.”
“I very well could not be outdone with all this quoting business that you are so fond of.”
She smiled
bril
liantly. “If gentlemen need an
arsenal of quotes for wooing women, I thought maybe I would need an arsenal of quotes for wooing a man.” She giggled into his chest. “It is true you know.”
She ran
her hands gently over his chest.
The sunny breezy day was a perfect backdrop for the feelings in his heart.
“I will never doubt again.” The darkness replaced by
her
light. Smiling, he leaned down and wit
h a finger
l
ifted her chin, kissing
her delectable nose. “Love does conquer all
.
”
“
Splendid,
I hoped
I
would
remember how to
say
it properly.”
She grinned
from ear to ear her dimple peeking out. “I fear I am hopeless when it comes to foreign tongues. Ask Miss Harris or
Auntie Ad
e
le.”
“You belittle yourself.” He chuckled. “That was pronounced flawlessly.”
“Thank You.” She fairly sparkled at the compliment and they both chuckled at the dra
s
tic change in topic.
He closed his
eyes.
“Your smile is enough to bring a man to his knees.” He gave her a wide smile
of his own
. “I was put on this earth to love you and be loved by you.”
She sagged against him at the hopeful twinkle that lit his eyes.
The smile in his eyes shimmer
ed brightly
. “I may be a bloody fool, but I am not afraid to give you my heart
. Not
anymore.
I don’t want to marry you just because of things we have done.” He kissed her firmly on her lips.
“
I want to marry you because I cannot imagine my life without you
and I look forward to the things we will do together in the future
.
I love you with all of my heart Poppy.”
She
froze at his words, a giant lump forming in her throat
.
Reluctantly
he
releas
ed
her
to pull
a jewelers box out of his inner coat pocket. A
three-carat
flawless sapphire surrounded by
bezel set
diamonds winked up at her glittering brilliantly in the bright su
m
mer sun.