Chapter twenty-one- Beatrice

Once again Beatrice found herself lost in Gilbert's kisses. She forgot all the aches and pains from yesterdays efforts. She forgot about her nieces and nephew and how they were depending on her to support them all. She even forgot her own name, she was so completely focused on the passion raging between them. Mr. Narwhal and his persistent attempts to compromise her were shallow and clumsy compared to Gilbert's expert kisses. Honestly, the man could teach lessons and she was more than happy to be his one and only pupil. Beatrice sighed in pure pleasure and settled in for the duration. She really could kiss him forever.

She drew in a breath and caught the unmistakable acrid scent of soot and ash. The brilliance of the sky overhead, the warmth of the day, the soft murmurs of the crowd attempted to intrude on her conscience. She was reminded of yesterday. Rescuing the children, finding Sissy dead, escaping the inferno only to return with a group of villagers to fight the blaze. And they had succeeded. The raging fire was finally extinguished. They were all safe and sound.

When she first awoke to find Gilbert laying by her side, she almost thought they were back at his castle again. She had wanted nothing more than to cuddle up close to him and breathe in his unique male essence. But of course, her bladder had put an abrupt halt to those thoughts. Then, after taking care of that little problem, she'd returned to find him surrounded by a crowd of children. She could not blame them for their fascination. He had been snoring rather loudly and even she was amazed at the volume he could achieve.

But all she'd wanted to do was to shoo them all away so that she could have Gilbert all to herself. What she hadn't considered was Gilbert's impish sense of humor and how he would react when she scolded him for encouraging the children. He had taken her by surprise when he tugged her into his arms but she found she didn't mind. Now she was exactly where she had truly wanted to be. Right where she belonged. Lost in the passionate wonder of Gilbert's warm embrace.

It was the sound of childish giggles and whispering that finally yanked her back to reality. She pulled away from those pleasurable lips and blinked owlishly at her nieces, her nephew and more than a few others.

"Now they will simply have to get married." Martine asserted confidently.

Beatrice jolted with surprise. Marriage? She immediately whipped back around to find Gilbert still grinning at her, unfazed by their little audience and Martine's bold pronouncement.

How could he just sit there, looking for all the world as if he was enjoying the moment? Why wasn't he as upset by this mistaken assumption as she was? Didn't he realize the dilemma this placed them in?

The man couldn't have heard that comment about marriage. He continued to sit there, smiling up at her, deviltry dancing in his eyes. He certainly was pleased with himself. Then he raised his eyebrows at her, as if asking her something. Beatrice's eyes widened further in shocked realization.

"You can't be serious." She told him, denying the sudden excitement bubbling just beneath the surface. It couldn't be. He couldn't want to marry her. "We barely know each other."

Gilbert nodded in agreement and then raised his hands, palms up and shrugged his massive shoulders.

"But we cannot possibly get married." She insisted.

"But he kissed you, Aunt Bea." Felicia pointed out with irrefutable logic.

"And you slept together. He has to marry you." Teddy insisted.

"That's right. He has to marry you." Martine chimed in, not to be outdone by her siblings.

Beatrice turned to shush the children and scold them for their interference but Gilbert grasped her chin and pulled her attention back to him. He softly caressed the stray curls off her face and she realized that somewhere along the way she had lost her bonnet. Her hair must be a mess. She hadn't done anything more than run her fingers through it and plait the length of it into a casual braid before they left the castle last evening. Automatically, her hands went to check the condition of her curls. But the movement halted almost before it began.

The stray worry evaporated as Gilbert continued to gaze into her eyes with that soft, sweet smile. There was nothing she wanted more than to lose herself in those startling, hypnotic blue eyes of his. But he didn't seem to want her fascinated admiration.

When Beatrice continued to simply sit there and stare at him, he frowned and blew out a sigh of mild exasperation. Then he was urging her up off his lap. At first, she continued to sit there, confused and unmoving. She couldn't seem to make her brain function. Gilbert practically had to shove her off him before she actually was able to move.

She stumbled, struggling as she hurried to comply. Her heart felt heavy with disappointment, weighing down on her and slowing her movements. That bubble of excitement that had been building inside her chest burst with a painful pop and deflated.

Of course, he was angry with her now. She told herself she shouldn't be surprised. After all, she deserved his ire for being so dense. She had completely misunderstood. It was entirely her own fault for wanting something that never could be. She told herself she shouldn't be so disappointed. She knew it had been too much to hope for.

Gilbert never intended to propose. He was simply humoring their audience. That kiss hadn't meant anything serious. He was simply celebrating their success. The children were all safe, the blazing inferno was extinguished and he was free to return to his crumbling castle. He was going back to his peaceful, solitary existence just as if she had never intruded on his life.

He couldn't possibly want to stay here with herself and the children. He hadn't bargained for all this. Look at all the trouble she had caused the poor man. And now, to expect him to take on even more responsibility. No, he had done more than enough. He had sacrificed more time and energy than any of them had a right to expect. He had faced his greatest fears for complete strangers. He more than deserved to have his quiet solitude back.

She finally managed to free herself from the tangle of bedding and gained her feet. Disappointed, she kept her gaze on the ground she stood on, her hands nervously brushing down her now non-existent skirts. It wasn't until she felt the soft worn linen of her old bloomers beneath her hand that she got reminded how inappropriately she was dressed.

Embarrassment colored her cheeks. What must he think of her to be walking around in little more than her undergarments? She wanted to sink into the ground and hide she was so ashamed. But Gilbert didn't even seem to notice. He grasped her hands and pulled her around until she stood facing him.

Beatrice avoided meeting his gaze. She was far too uncomfortable to even look him in the eye. But he was persistent. One large hand cupped her soft chin and tilted her face up so that she had no choice. Once he captured her eye, he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, taking her completely by surprise.

She stared at him in open-mouthed confusion as he deliberately dropped down to one knee before her. He lifted her left hand to his lips and lovingly kissed her ring finger. Beatrice could only stare at him in complete surprise. She watched in fascination as he trapped her hand between both of his, glanced up at her and raised his brows in expectation. For long moments speech was beyond her. She was struggling to understand what he was doing? Surely, he wasn't seriously considering matrimony.

"How romantic." One of the young women nearby sighed with envy.

"I wish my beau would propose like that." Another woman commented.

"Answer him, Aunt Bea." Felicia told her excitedly.

"Say yes." Martine giggled.

Beatrice swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat. She was still trying to process all this. There was only one reason a man got down on one knee like that. And yet, it couldn't be. He didn't really want to marry her. He couldn't. Not after only four days. They barely knew one another. And yet.

"Are you proposing?" She whispered so softly she doubted anyone but Gilbert heard. "To me?"

Gilbert nodded solemnly.

"But," Beatrice struggled with disbelief. "We barely know each other."

Gilbert shrugged and lifted an eyebrow at her as he waited patiently.

"You don't have to do this you know." She told him even as she berated herself for a fool. Why did she continue to argue over something that should have her rejoicing? But she just couldn't bring herself to believe.

Gilbert shook his head at her, then raised that eyebrow again. He tapped the back of her hand and watched her closely, waiting, though not quite so patiently now.

"Ah, take pity on the poor lad. Say yes and put him out of his misery already, My Lady." The elderly fellow from last night called out and Gilbert grinned with amused delight.

Beatrice glanced up with surprise. She hadn't realized any of the villagers had actually recognized her. The old man merely smiled calmly back at her. She searched the rest of the small crowd they had acquired with their theatrics. Every man removed his hat and nodded his head. Every woman dipped her knee and tilted her head with a knowing smile. They all recognized who she was and yet not one seemed to be judging her. Surprisingly, they all treated her with the same friendly respect she remembered from when her parents were alive.

"We hope you can forgive us for any disrespect, Miss." The older women she recognized as Miss Mabel gruffly entreated.

"We are all ashamed for the way we've been treating you all these years." Another woman admitted solemnly.

"Every one of us realizes how much you did for us." One of the men said.

"If it wasn't for you, we might never have thought of sacrificing our skirts." A young blonde pointed out.

"You worked right alongside the rest of us" Another woman added.

"As did your young man." An older man spoke up.

"Go ahead, My Lady." A young girl in braids encouraged. "He's waiting for you to say yes."

Other voices called out encouragement but Beatrice was no longer listening. Her gaze had met with Gilbert's and she was absorbed in those brilliant blue eyes and the promises in them. She was afraid to believe in those promises. So many times, she had held happiness in her grasp only to have it all wrenched away. What if something happened to steal this away? But then, if she didn't reach out and take it, would she ever be able to be happy again? A life without Gilbert was unimaginable. Even after such a short amount of time, she had grown accustomed to relying on him. He was honorable, dependable and so warm and caring. She had grown to care for him so much. His health and happiness had become more precious to her than her own. She loved him.

The realization settled over her like a warm, cozy blanket and her fears simply melted away. She stepped into his chest, grasped his hairy cheeks between her hands and bent in close to catch those spellbinding lips of his beneath her own. It was the first time she had initiated a kiss herself. Perhaps it was a bit clumsily executed but it had the same desired effect. Gilbert quickly wrapped his arms about her waist as he climbed to his feet, clutching her close to his chest so that when he stood to his full height, he pulled her feet right off the ground. Beatrice couldn't care less. He was kissing her senseless again and that was all that mattered. Even the cheers of the crowd were drowned out by the explosive passion that burned between them.