Bound To Bea

Chapter Thirty

"Do we need to journey back?" Beatrice frowned, burdened by the thought. She had just experienced the best two weeks of her entire nineteen years; returning to London would bring everything to an end.

But it didn't matter how much she dreaded it; London was only a few hours away, for they had left Switzerland over a week ago and were in a boarding house in a small village outside of London. By the next morning, they would be in London and their time together would come to a temporary halt.

Brushing her damp hair to the side, Noah kissed her ear. "Yes," he murmured gruffly.

Beatrice sighed, reveling in his nearness as his form covered hers, warming her bare back. She closed her eyes, lacing her fingers with his hand that laid on her belly.

"I do not wish to return," she confessed, "nor do I wish to be away from you."

"Neither do I," he said, but she knew it was as it was. Upon their return to England, they would be required to keep their marriage a secret until Noah publicly ended his engagement to Lady Penelope. The news of the broken engagement would certainly cause a stir, but the news of Noah's marriage to another woman within the period of his engagement would cause a greater stir.

Beatrice cared nothing for society and its opinions of her, but she didn't wish to drag Lady Penelope, an innocent party, into the mess. Lady Penelope had been gracious in her decision to let Noah call off the engagement; exposing Lady Penelope to shame and disgrace would be a cruel form of repayment. To salvage the situation, Beatrice and Noah were left with no other choice but to remain apart, their marriage concealed from society for a few weeks until the news of the broken engagement died down.

"I hate it more than anything else, Bea." His lips trailed down her shoulder blade, along with an icy shiver. "You must know that the second you change your mind about waiting to break the news of our marriage, I shall make the announcement."

"I shall not change my mind." She shook her head, hating the situation they were in—slightly hating Noah for putting them in that situation.

"Then there must be another way. You may stay in Camden."

"News shall travel still. I shall not be selfish in this decision, Noah. Surely you know Lady Penelope shall suffer otherwise!" she snapped, annoyed by his insistence, by their predicament.

His weight over her lifted as he withdrew his hand. She turned in time to watch him sit upright on the bed.

"You blame me for this, do you not?"

She swallowed. It was true; she blamed him. But as she stared at him—the helplessness that sagged his shoulders and the frown that creased his face—she knew he blamed himself as well; she also knew it wasn't entirely his fault. If she hadn't flirted with the duke to provoke Noah's jealousy, he would never have gotten engaged.

"Yes," she said, sitting upright and closing the space between their bodies. "It is true; I blame you." Silence followed her words as she wrapped her knees around his waist and placed her head on his bare back. "But it is only because I love you so much," she whispered warmly against his back, her fingers tracing the muscles that ripped his chest. "So much, I loathe this impending distance."

He took her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry. I let my anger and jealousy over a nonexistent relationship between you and the duke drive me to a ridiculous engagement. I'm a fool! Surely I should have known you were only his mother's companion!"

"It is too late for regrets now, Noah. I shall wait." She pressed her cheek to his back. "I shall wait until the announcement is made and the rest of the world is privileged with the information of our marriage. But you must promise to never forget that their ignorance changes nothing; you're still my husband."