“Well, you’ve let me see a side of you that few can claim to know, and I never shriek. So unladylike,” she told him, tears forming in her eyes. “And I cannot claim to have a perfectly sensible life either. I’m not sure I will ever again trust people as much as I once did.”

“That’s a shame.” He caressed her cheek softly. “If not for your trust, I’d never have gotten to know you so well.”

She bit her lip—at the moment people she trusted could be counted on one hand. Merrick was at the top of the list because of all he’d done for her without expecting a thing in return. Her heart beat a little faster. If she thought him the best of all men, did that mean she loved him? She bit her lip as the idea took hold. Could this really be what love was?

She shook her head, delaying that line of thought. The night would soon be over. She needed to ponder love with a clearer head. “You do what you can to help others less fortunate than yourself. Even without Farnsworth, I still would have seen it. You did not have to help my niece marry your cousin. And I know you feel some guilt over your father’s behavior. I honor you for sharing your efforts to make amends for what wasn’t of your doing.”

Eventually, a smile teased at the corners of his lips. “I don’t have any more secrets left to tell, Arabella. You know everything unsavory about me and my family now. The good and the bad. It’s all there.”

She kissed his forehead, his nose, and at last his lips. “I have one secret I should have told you too.”

“Really? Just the one?”

“In coming to London to see Cecily matched and wed, I had a plan for myself. I wanted a lover. Someone who would teach me what I’d missed from my marriage. As you’ve discovered, my marriage was rather unfulfilling.”

He cupped her face, brushing his thumb forward to brush her lips. “It was a pleasure I will never forget, nor would I want to.”

She had found the perfect man for an affair. Merrick’s patience and understanding had helped her feel less like an ignorant fool. He had opened her eyes to what pleasures might be found with him and made her want even more. “Nor will I. You have been an excellent teacher.”

He fumbled with the ribbons on her nightgown, smiling in his wicked way as it opened. “There are other lessons I could share with you before I return to London.”

“I was hoping you might be agreeable.” She frowned at the thought of him leaving, but it would be for the best. “When do you go?”

He smiled and continued undressing her. “When you do. At the ungodly hour of seven in the morning, if you still intend to stay with my aunt in London despite all you’ve heard about us.”

She nodded. Lady Penelope had spoken to her right before she went to bed and was rather determined to have her pay a visit, insisting they leave together tomorrow. Now that Arabella knew her better, she found the woman a lot less terrifying. “I think that might be best for now.”

Merrick pulled a face. “Then I will call on you there if I may.”

She grinned. “If you would brave your aunt’s hospitality to see me, then I will be available at any time. I will look forward to your visits very much.”

But there was still one matter that troubled her greatly. She tugged on his shirt and drew it over his head. “What about your plans to marry? The special license must be expiring soon.”

“Let it.” He stood and finished undressing her. As her chemise sailed across the room, he continued, “I was never in any rush. I’d very much like a chance to court you properly.”

She searched his face for signs of frustration and saw none. “You might be wasting your time.”

“It won’t be a waste.” He pulled her into his arms and brushed her lips with his. “Surely you cannot believe that what exists between us happens every day.”

“I don’t know. I told you I’ve never been in love.” She wrapped her arms about his neck and pressed her cheek to his. “I don’t know when I would be certain, in fact,” she whispered.

It wasn’t fair to him to lead him to believe anything less than the truth.

“One day, you might be surprised to find you cannot live another day without me. But for now I am content make love to you while I can.” He drew her down to the bed at his side and set his lips to her throat. “What comes after we return to London is for you to decide.”

The soft kisses he peppered over her skin woke her body completely and she reached for him, eager to bring him closer.

Merrick dragged her flush against him, already aroused and needing her. “I must take pains to avoid getting a child on you. I cannot ever be careless.”

“I trust you.”

“In this you shouldn’t.” He dragged her upper leg over his and ran his hand down the expanse of bare flesh. “I lose all sense and caution when I’m with you. How do you do that?”

As he examined her leg, he lifted his head to stare at his actions and exposed his throat. Arabella darted out her tongue and tasted his skin quickly. Merrick groaned. “Yes, just like that. One touch and I’m beyond thinking of much beyond the moment.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am glad you like it.” Arabella chuckled as she leaned in to kiss him there too.

Merrick groaned again, arms tightening about her shoulders to hold her against him. “I love everything you do. I’m afraid I always will.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

“I tell you, Rothwell, you have missed your chance. You have wasted valuable time mending fences with Lady Penelope Ford, and for what, I ask you? The dubious pleasure of her company? Now you will have to wait until next season to make the match you need,” Lady Harrison warned as Lady Mary swept by on the arm of her future husband. “She would have made you an excellent countess if you’d not dragged your feet.”

“I am not concerned,” Merrick told her, attempting to hide his amusement at her outrage. “Lady Mary is not always kind to her servants, and that is a mark against her in my book.”

Lady Harrison gestured to Miss Milne, who stood between her protective parents and her suitor, Lord Bellows. “And what of that, I ask you. How could you ignore another gentleman poaching in your territory? It was very clear you were interested in the girl, too. Milne has remarked more than once that you went so far as to discuss pin money.”

Ah, so that was where he’d gone wrong and led Aunt Penelope to assume he was about to make an offer for Miss Milne. He silently vowed never to discuss pin money again except with Arabella.

It was a relief to him that the two young women Aunt Pen claimed were waiting for his proposal of marriage had found other gentlemen more interested in them. Arabella would have no cause for concern if the pair soon made a match with someone other than him.

A new face twirled past and he studied Miss Hayes. She was, as he’d first thought her to be, the closest to mimicking Arabella’s grace ever to waltz through London’s ballrooms.

“I see Miss Hayes has caught your eye,” Lady Harrison teased. “Good choice, Rothwell. Very good, in fact. I do feel she will be an easy wife for a man of your inclinations.”

Miss Hayes was popular, she was kind, and she was approved of by his Aunt Penelope, too. Yet one thing he’d discovered, that didn’t truly surprise him overmuch, was that Miss Hayes might be close to Arabella in nature, but she wasn’t close enough. For him, his head had been completely turned. He didn’t mind that one bit.

“My inclinations?”

“Why, yes.” Lady Harrison languidly fanned her face, her eyes skimming his chest then lower. Her brow rose suggestively. “It is well known you have a roving eye. Marriage will be very hard on you if your wife makes a fuss about every one of your affairs.”

Merrick pursed his lips as if considering his answer, but he needed no time to decide what response to give. “I intend no affairs as I plan to marry only for love, Lady Harrison. Surely you approve of that.”