Page 46 of One Autumn Knight

A brow arched.

“I attended a few of your lectures.”

His jaw dropped.

“And you never introduced yourself? I was at some podium pontificating and oblivious to the beauty sitting in the audience.”

Hyacinth smiled. “I liked observing you, listening to you, learning about your work.”

For a moment, something seemed to shadow his expression, stealing a bit of his mirth. “I don’t want us to waste any more time, Hyacinth. Once Edgerton gives his approval, I’d like to get a special license if we can obtain one, perhaps with his assistance.” He met her gaze and looked a bit uncertain. “Would you like that?”

“Yes.” She lifted up until she was all but resting on his chest and kissed him, a soft sweet taste of each other’s lips. “Let’s not wait.”

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, nuzzling her hair and placing kisses on her head.

Hyacinth hesitated to mention what had come to mind when she’d seen that flash of sadness in his eyes, but she couldn’t hold it back.

“Emma told me…” she started and then hesitated, afraid of ruining the moment between them.

“Told you what, love?” he prompted.

“That you were both quite young when you lost your mother,” she said quietly, then looked up at him.

He cupped her cheek. “It’s true. And, yes, I suppose it’s part of why I don’t wish to wait now that I’ve found you.”

Hyacinth turned her head to lay a kiss against his palm. “Then let us get a special license.”

“Emma approves of us,” he told her with grin, “as you might have expected. You never told her?”

“That I was madly enamored with her brother?” Hyacinth shook her head. “I didn’t want her to tell you or embarrass you. Or me.” She had met their father on the day she’d arrived but hadn’t seen him since. “Will your father approve?”

That flicker of sadness darkened his gaze again and then was gone. He gave her a soft smile. “He has given his blessing.” Tristan stroked her hair back and let his fingers linger to trace a spot behind her ear that made her shiver. “He once told me I should never lose my heart to anyone. He wanted to protect me, I think. But then…” For a long moment, he merely smiled.

“But then?”

“I crashed into a beautiful debutante in a moonlit garden and smashed her toe and dirtied her shoe, and it was not a matter of losing my heart. It was if I had finally found a purpose for it.”

Hyacinth’s eyes filled with tears and he rushed to stroke his fingers across her skin to dry them.

“You have my heart, love,” he whispered.

“And you have mine.”