Yes, she already realized that, too. Her marriage to Byron wasn’t going to change any of those things, but certainly, this marriage was going to change something besides her financial standing.

  “What kind of activities will I be able to do once I marry you?” she asked.

  “We already discussed writing stories. You can do that if you wish.”

  “Is there anything else I’m permitted to do?”

  “Eleanor, I don’t intend for this marriage to be a prison. You are free to engage in whatever interests you. You don’t have to write stories if you don’t want to. I only suggested it because it’s something you said you enjoyed doing when you were a child. Do the things that interest you.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. Was it really going to be that simple? She wasn’t going to have to abide by a set of rules others laid out for her?

  “Unfortunately,” Byron continued, “I doubt you’ll be a member of Ladies of Grace. That group caters to the wealthy. You might have to give up those friendships you wanted. For that, I’m sorry.”

  Yes, she had gathered as much. She would miss the new friends she’d made, but she did like Byron’s sister. Perhaps they might be friends. His sister wasn’t part of an exclusive group. “You have no need to be sorry,” she assured him. “I was the one who went to your residence without a chaperone. If anything, I should apologize to you. It’s because of me that you’re forced into this marriage. I hope there wasn’t some lady I prevented you from marrying.”

  “No,” he softly said. “There wasn’t anyone else. Before I met you, I had no romantic interest in anyone.”

  She didn’t hide her relief. “Good. I’d hate to find out I ruined your life.”

  “You’re not the one ruining someone’s life; I am. I don’t think you understand how different your life is going to be now.”

  “You just got through telling me that I will have to give up prestigious social functions, fancy clothes, and Ladies of Grace. I don’t see what’s so terrible about that. I mean, I will miss the ladies in Ladies of Grace, but I don’t care about the meaning behind the group. You said your sister might be friends with me. I like her. It’d be nice to be her friend.”

  “My sister is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. There’s no better friend you could have.”

  “Then how will my life be ruined?”

  For a long moment, he stared at her as if he had expected her to say something else. Then he shrugged. “I suppose if all you want is a friend and to do things that you don’t need money to do, then you’ll be all right.”

  “I grew up with a lot of money, and I wasn’t happy. What’s the point in having wealth if you’re miserable?”

  He winced. “You were miserable even after leaving the country estate?”

  “Things were better after I made some friends, but I didn’t care for the rest of it. All I want is to feel like I belong somewhere in this world. I’m tired of feeling all alone.”

  “No one should feel that way. We should all have a place to belong.” He hesitated but then reached for her hand and held it. “I promise that you’ll have a place to belong with me.”

  An unfamiliar warmth spread through her. Offering him a shy smile, she said, “That will be nice.”

  He returned her smile and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Though they spent the rest of the ride in silence, he didn’t let go of her hand.

  ***

  The day finally came when they arrived in Gretna Green. From all appearances, everything was safe. The Duke of Winnett seemed to be in London. He hadn’t attempted to kidnap Eleanor at any point during the trip, and the carriage remained in good condition. The night watches had only resulted in hours of boredom. On the surface, it appeared that there was nothing to worry about. But Byron knew better. Now wasn’t the time to drop his guard.

  The first thing Byron did was ask the innkeeper to arrange for a priest to meet him and Eleanor at the clothing shop not too far from the inn.

  “That’s an unusual request, Mr. Tumilson,” the innkeeper said with a frown. “People are supposed to go to the blacksmith shop to get married.”

  “It’s important the priest goes to the clothing shop,” Byron insisted as he placed extra money in front of the innkeeper. “He will have to go in there, stay for a few minutes, leave with an article of clothing, then return in a half hour with the clothing. When he returns, my betrothed and I will be waiting for him in the back of the shop that is away from any windows. I will give the priest the rest of the instructions from there.”

  The innkeeper and Eleanor both stared at Byron as if he’d grown a second head, but it was the innkeeper who spoke. “That is the most ridiculous set of instructions I’ve ever heard.”

  “They might be ridiculous, but they’re necessary,” Byron said. “Tell the priest I’ll pay him double for doing this.”

  The innkeeper was quiet for a few seconds. “Why is this elaborate arrangement necessary?”

  “Is there anything illegal about it?”

  “No, of course not. It’s just peculiar. No one has ever asked a priest to do this before. People are just happy a priest will marry them without the headache of following the usual procedures for marriage.”

  Since the innkeeper seemed determined to get a reason, Byron finally came up with one. “My betrothed and I met in a clothing shop her father owns. Given his untimely death, we thought it would be a good way to remember him.”

  The innkeeper rolled his eyes as if that was even more ridiculous than anything Byron had said up to now, but at least he stopped arguing with him. “All right. I’ll explain the situation to Father Thomas Lark. He’s the only priest eccentric enough to do this.”

  Byron thanked him then escorted Eleanor up the stairs and to their room.

  She waited until he closed the door before asking, “Why can’t we just go to the blacksmith shop?”

  Byron went to the window. It was early in the afternoon, so there was a lot of activity outside, and that was going to be to their advantage. If the Duke of Winnett was out there, he would have a harder time seeing him and Eleanor as they made their way to the clothing shop.

  Byron turned to her. “If I was going to prevent a wedding, I’d pay attention to the blacksmith shops. I wouldn’t bother to look at a clothing shop.”

  “Oh. I suppose it makes sense when you put it like that.”

  The corner of his lip turned up. “It’s nice to know you understand reason.”

  “I might understand it because I know what’s at stake. The innkeeper, however, thinks you’re the unreasonable one. Even if we had met in a clothing shop, it’s absurd to marry there.”

  “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. All that matters is that he does what I paid him to do.” Noting the way her eyebrows furrowed, he added, “I wasn’t trying to be difficult with the innkeeper. The less he knows, the better. If the Duke of Winnett happens to talk to him, he might let something important slip into the conversation.”

  She relaxed. “I understand. Do you often have to come up with something complicated in order to protect the person you’re working for?”

  “First of all, I’m not working right now. I realize I’m doing my duty as a Runner, but the situation between us has changed. Second, yes, I have had to come up with some elaborate plans that made people question my sanity, but that doesn’t happen often. It depends on the seriousness of the situation.”

  Her gaze went to the window. “So, this is a serious situation?”

  “It is, but not for the reason you probably think.”

  “Then what is the reason?”

  He should have known better than to answer her question that way. She’d been open with expressing her curiosity when he met her. Why would she be any different now? He supposed he could hint around his feelings without risking finding out she didn’t return them. “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”

  Since she offered a satisfactory nod and went to the wash basin to clean her face, he knew he’d been spared from having to say more. Relieved, he opened his travel bag and got ready for the wedding.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Byron wished people would just do the job he paid them to do instead of arguing with him every step of the way. The priest and shop owner kept questioning the need to have the wedding in a clothing store. The whole thing baffled him. He wasn’t asking them to do anything illegal or immoral, and yet, one would think he was. Why couldn’t they just be happy with getting paid? If he put up this much protest when his clients wanted him to do something, he would be fired. But he didn’t protest. He always did the job he was paid to do. It was beyond frustrating that he couldn’t get the same respect from the people he was paying.

  If he hadn’t wanted to marry Eleanor, he would have found her someone else to marry. Off the top of his head, he could think of a couple of good gentlemen who would be good to her. They didn’t have a title or wealth, but they were better off than he was. But he did want to marry her. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to be with her. If he didn’t marry her, he was going to regret it.

  He didn’t think she would mind a marriage to him all that much. She had assured him that she knew what she was getting into, and she seemed fine with it. So why not put aside logic for once in his life and follow his heart? Eris had done that when she married Charles, and she was happier than ever. Why shouldn’t he do something that would make him happy as well?

  He ended up using almost all of the money he had to convince the priest and shop owner to allow the wedding to happen. He would have to get right back to work after he and Eleanor returned to London, but it would be worth it to be with her.

  “I suppose having a wedding in here wasn’t so bad, after all,” the priest said after the wedding was finally over.

  The shop owner rolled his eyes but counted the money Byron had given him for renting the space.

  Byron gave Eleanor the hat he’d bought her so the Duke of Winnett would assume they’d only gone into the store to do some shopping. Byron had taken all of the precautions he could think of. If the Duke of Winnett saw through the ruse, there was nothing he could do about it.

  He didn’t know about Eleanor, but the whole experience left him in a foul mood. In an effort to cheer them both up, he decided to buy her some flowers from a woman on the street who had a cart full of them. Not only did the woman appreciate it, but he noticed that Eleanor’s eyes lit up as he gave the bouquet to her.

  “If you hang those upside down, you can keep them forever,” the woman told Eleanor. “They’ll dry up, but the petals won’t fall off. Then you can put them in a vase where they will remind you of this day for as long as you live.”

  “Thank you for the idea,” Eleanor said. “I think I’ll do as you suggest. It would be nice to have a keepsake of this day.”

  Byron’s mood improved considerably. He didn’t care if the hat lasted, but it would be nice to see those flowers with them throughout the years. The woman selling them had been much more pleasant than the other people in this town. And Eleanor looked far happier with the flowers than she had with the hat, anyway.

  Byron scanned the people before he escorted Eleanor across the street. He didn’t see any signs of the Duke of Winnett. That didn’t mean the duke wasn’t watching them. It just meant Byron didn’t see him.

  “You know what I love most about flowers?” Eleanor asked. “Even though they’re small, they have so much detail in them. When I was younger, I used to collect all the flowers I could find and compare them to each other.”

  When they were on the other side of the street, he took a moment to peer into the flowers. “I used to only think they appealed to ladies because of their color and smell.”

  “Those things are nice, too.” She smiled. “You didn’t have to get these for me, but I’m glad you did.”

  He returned her smile. “When we get to the inn, I’ll ask the innkeeper if he has any vases we can put them in.” He slipped his arm around hers and walked her to the inn.

  As it turned out, the innkeeper was more willing to lend them a vase than he’d been to talk to the priest. For that, Byron was relieved. He didn’t think he had it in him to engage in another argument.

  Byron carried the vase up to the room and set it on the small table close to the window. While Eleanor poured water into the vase, he checked the room to make sure no one had been in it while they were gone. There was no key to secure the room while they’d been gone. Anyone could have slipped in here. At least there was a lock from inside the door. He tested it to make sure it held in place when force was put on it.

  “If you’re trying to get out, you should remove the latch locking the door in place.”

  Noting the teasing tone in Eleanor’s voice, he turned from the door and looked at her. She giggled then went back to arranging the flowers in the vase.

  His lips curled up into a smile, and he approached her. “You enjoyed that joke, didn’t you?”

  She glanced his way and laughed harder. “I know you’re being careful, but sometimes I think you’re overdoing it.”

  He considered arguing that he was only doing what was prudent, but she would probably see through the lie. He might as well come out and admit the truth. “I am doing more than I usually would. I don’t want to risk losing you.”

  She stopped chuckling and turned to him. “You don’t?”

  “No, I don’t.” He wasn’t prone to physical affection, but he felt the urge to draw her into his arms, so that’s what he did. “I want to keep you safe with me.”

  Her face brightened as she put her arms around his neck. “Does that mean you care about me?”

  “I don’t just care about you; I love you. I meant every word I spoke in the vows. I gave you my name, and I’m going to carve out a place for us where we’ll always be together.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Now, I’m not saying it’s always going to be easy. I work long hours, and sometimes I’m out all night. Also, there will be no servants to do the housework for you. You’ll have to cook and clean and take care of the children. But I will dedicate my life to doing the best I can to provide for you and our children, and my heart will always be yours.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Byron, that’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me. I want a future with you.”

  Since the moment seemed right, he lowered his head and kissed her. The kiss was a tentative one. He hadn’t kissed her before, so he wasn’t exactly sure if she was ready for it. But she leaned into him and returned the kiss, and it was then that he knew he could safely move forward to the more intimate side of their relationship.

  He drew her closer to him and continued to kiss her. If he told her he’d never kissed a lady before, she probably wouldn’t believe him. Since he had assumed he’d always be a bachelor, he hadn’t bothered to entertain romantic notions of any sort. He also hadn’t engaged in reckless living. He’d known a couple of Runners who’d been good at their jobs until they pursued getting drunk and loose women. His mentor, unfortunately, had gone down that path. After watching what happened to them, he vowed to stay clear of both.

  What he hadn’t ever considered was what it might be like spend time with a reputable lady. Yes, he considered himself to be close to his sister, but that type of relationship was completely different from the one he had with Eleanor. With Eleanor, things were sweeter. His feelings for her were more tender. His feelings also prompted him to do things like kiss and touch her in more interesting ways than he’d ever do with his sister.

  He cupped the side of her face with his hand and traced her lower lip with his tongue. When she parted her lips to accept him into her mouth, he let out a low moan and proceeded to explore this method of kissing. Thankfully, Eleanor wasn’t shy about expressing herself. Not that she had been at any time he’d known her, but it was especially nice that she wasn’t going to be shy in this area. He needed to navigate this uncharted territory with her help.

  She wove her fingers through his hair, an action which sent sparks all through him. If he was enjoying this, he was going to enjoy being in that bed with her a lot more. His excitement prompted him to explore more of her. His hands went to her breasts. Now, this was even nicer than the kissing. He had no idea breasts were so soft. He traced the outline of them before he cupped them in the palm of his hands.

  This time she let out a low moan. So she liked it. He wasn’t sure she liked this as much as he did because he was enjoying this a lot, but she liked it enough to wiggle closer to him. And that only served to strengthen his erection. He had been planning to consummate this marriage after dinner, but there was no way he was going to be able to wait that long. He was going to have to do it now.

  He decided to help her out of her clothes first. That was a selfish decision on his part, but he was intrigued by what he’d find under them. He fumbled a bit at the corset and the stockings, though he managed to finally get everything off. If she noticed his blunders, she didn’t give any indication of it. Instead she began to help him out of his clothes. The process of removing his clothes was pretty much a blur because he kept looking at her. She was much more attractive without clothes on than he was. She had creamy white breasts with pink buds in the center, and she had a dark patch of curls between those lovely legs. If he’d seen her like this upon their first meeting, he never would have considered her to be unremarkable in appearance. He would have thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed. As soon as he was settled next to her, he resumed his exploration of her. He kissed and touched her for quite some time, but he spent most of his time at her breasts. She, in turn, ran her hands up and down his arms and his back to let him know she wanted him to keep going.