Everything I Do, I Do For You

Chapter 20

"Another wager?" Kellan cocked his head. In all his planning these past few days, this was not how he expected things to turn out.

"I wager that the soonest that you and I are able to marry would be some time in the fall. Perhaps sooner if one person finds out about our tumoutlous night at the St. Clair house. I bet you my entire dowry that I am able to move the wedding to just two weeks from now."

"Belinda Bassett" he sat in partial shock, "Are you asking me to marry you?"

"That does seem fitting considering all circumstances." she laughed, "Now will you be taking me up on this bet or not?"

"I have never been more excited for a wager in my life. Belinda Bassett you have a deal." He extended his arm to shake her hand.

"No no," she pushed his arm downwards, "I will not shake on this bet." She pulled herself up from the seated position and gave him a kiss. "Matters of love require a more intimate contract."

Never in his life had Kellan Butler expected that the woman he would marry would ask him to marry her. Though he had never met a woman like Belinda Bassett before. "My God, I love you." he said as their lips parted.

"And I love you." she replied, "Now. I will go call for my father. Now that we have spent nearly two different occasions unchaperoned, we will most certainly have to marry as soon as possible. Now tell me, where will you and I be spending the rest of our lives together."

"Well, I hope you are fine with Scotland."

"Excellent,'' she said standing up, and motioning for someone to fetch the duke, "I have an aunt and uncle over in Scotland."

"You do?" he asked, watching Belinda's demeanor naturally shift into the confident woman she had been when they first met.

"Yes. My aunt Francesca is married to the ninth Earl of Killmarin. Come to think of it, she was married to the eighth Earl as well. It's quite complicated. I suppose I shall tell you the story at a different time. I hear my father coming along."

Kellan watched in awestruck amazement as Belinda justified such an early marriage to her father. "And you see, since he and I are both responsible for our unsupervised events, it seems only logical that we are married in no more than two weeks time.

"Belinda, is this not the same man that you told your mother was the absolute scum of the earth?" the duke asked, sizing Kellan up with his eyes.

"I made a mistake. And so did he." she answered quickly, "Now about the two weeks?"

"Sir," Kellan felt the need to step in, "I can promise you that I am not as wicked as Belinda claims. It was all a simple mistake. I am very much in love with your daughter and by the grace of God she feels the same way about me."

The duke laughed and extended his arm to shake Kellan's hand, "Good sir, on behalf of her mother and I, thank you for finally convincing Belinda to fall in love."

Kellan shook his hand, "Sir I appreciate your kind remark, but it was Belinda who taught me how to fall in love."

"I suppose that does sound right. Now..." the duke held up his finger to Belinda's lips just as she was about to speak, "I will go get the duchess, and we will figure this whole thing out."

"You must be joking," He heard a female voice say just outside the door. It had only been a few minutes since the duke had gone off to fetch his wife, but he immediately recognized her voice. "Actually, knowing Belinda, I do believe that something like that would happen." After a few more seconds of hushed conversation behind closed doors, the duke and duchess entered the room.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, sir." the duchess curtsied, "Though I do not believe I ever expected to see you again."

"I made the biggest mistake hurting Belinda like that, and I intend on making it up to her for the rest of her life."

"Now, Belinda is quite a handful." The duchess began

"I wouldn't say that." he answered, "I would say she is a pleasant equal."

He watched the duchess turn to her daughter, "You really have found the perfect man."

"I am well aware of that," Belinda answered confidently, "Now when may I marry him. If necessary, I will kiss him nearly everywhere in public until the church has no choice but to let us marry."

The thought aroused him, and Kellan almost wished she would.

"I don't believe we will have to go that far," the duke answered, "I will just need to pull a few strings and things will fall into place."

"Excellent." Belinda responded