FANS *Just a note*-this is the last chapter of "A Love Worthy", however, there will be an epilogue.:) Stay tuned!
Hours later, Ginelle found herself sitting where she had remained since arriving back from town. She peered with an empty stare around the room, reliving those moments that made her heart ache.
The moment she heard him coming, she straightened and inhaled a deep breath, feeling a swift tightness in her chest as the door swung inward.
She noticed his hesitation, his confusion at finding the room dimly lit, and the bed neatly intact. When his eyes finally found her, sitting quietly in the chair, he slowly closed the door behind him.
"What is this?" he asked notably as his eyes accessed her frame. She had not removed her cloak or slippers.
"I am leaving." She said assuredly.
He frowned and stepped towards her. "Leaving? Where are you going?"
She stood as he stepped closer, his blue eyes piercing as he stared down at her. "Far from here." She felt her confidence swaying beneath his intense stare and struggled to say what she had practiced over and again since returning home. "Far from you."
His face darkened with a mixture of confusion and anger. "What's going on, Ginelle?"
She jerked her chin upward, determined to not waver, fighting back the tears that threatened to materialize. "I saw you." The moment she said it aloud, they came uncontrollably, laboriously wetting her face as her emotions poured out of her like a dark, black cloud containing all its rain. "I saw you." She rasped, achingly. "How could you lie to me? How could you continue seeing her knowing what she did to me?"
She felt a sob rising and inhaled sharply, pivoting away from him, unable to look at him without feeling that merciless ache in her heart.
"Ginelle-"
She wrenched away from him as he attempted to grab her. "Do not touch me." She hissed, crossing the room to put space between them. "I'm leaving tonight. I've gathered my things. I'll have Henry assist me."
When she looked up and met his gaze, her anger intensified. He was actually smirking! Enraged, she had the sudden urge to pummel the grin right off his face. "You find my heartache amusing?" she blurted the words before forestalling them and immediately regretted it.
His smirk vanished and all sincerity softened his face. He stepped towards her and she realized she had no where to turn. He had backed her to a corner. She was determined to look elsewhere but he forced her head up and she gasped as she looked into his eyes. They were the gentlest of blue, that tender blue that bespoke his love; relayed the truth in his heart. "You are wrong, ma petite."
Her heart began to pound dramatically with his words. She shook her head as if to convince herself otherwise. "I saw you."
His mouth curled into a grin, his blue eyes twinkling as he reached up and pushed a blond strand from her face. "What did you see, ma petite?"
Her eyes narrowed heatedly. "I saw you with Victoria." Her lip quivered despite her anger, "I saw you holding her like a man who loves his woman." She attempted to pull away but he held her firm. "I'd rather we not do this. I wish to leave."
"Are you going to run like a coward?" he asked with a slight hint of humor.
Her eyes sharpened like daggers. "I am not a coward."
He laughed gently but his laughter faded as he released her. "It is your courage and defiance that has me captivated."
"Dorian-"
"Are you certain of what you saw, Ginelle?" he demanded, stepping closer until they were a breath apart.
"Yes!" she cried. "Would you have me describe it perfectly?" she shoved at his chest and he captured her wrists easily, jerking lightly until she fell against him.
She was forced to peer up at him as his mouth hovered above her own. "What you saw was all an act." He said gently, "Every gesture, every smile, every longing look-all fabricated."
Ginelle shook her head desperately, "No, you're lying-"
"'I had to make her believe. I would have never convinced her unless I devoted all my time catering to her. I had to make it seem real, that I was hopelessly and erratically in love with her-"
"I don't want to hear this!" she wrenched her hands from his and attempted to cover her ears but he pulled them back down.
"But its you, Ginelle." He captured her chin gently and lifted her tearful eyes to his. "It's you that I have fallen hopelessly for. I could love no other."
Her shoulders shuddered as she closed her eyes against the tears that streaked her face, shaking her head, refusing to believe the validity of his words.
He reached up and brushed away her tears. His hand cupped her face and his thumb adoringly caressed her cheek. "If what you say is true-" Ginelle said, "-then what did you accomplish by gaining her trust?"
His blue eyes leveled firmly on her mouth and she struggled to not encourage his kiss for she yearned for nothing more. "I had to ensure your safety." He said softly as his breath fanned her lips. "I had to make certain that no one would attempt to steal you from me again. She was all that stood between us."
Ginelle couldn't imagine Dorian harming anyone especially a woman he had once been intimate with, nor would she wish that upon anyone but she feared asking what became of Victoria.
As if sensing her thoughts, he laughed suddenly, startling her. "Your thoughts are as transparent as glass, my sweet. Surely you don't think of me such as a monster?"
She detected the humor in his voice and despite all she had thought, she felt her mouth tilting into a smile. "Perhaps a brute-" she said lightly, "-but never a monster."
Dorian laughed and captured her lips in a fevered kiss. Ginelle gave in to the fierce hunger that erupted with his fiery possession as he crushed her against him.
She broke free of his kiss, breathless as she asked, "What did you do to her?"
He was silent a moment before replying, "I convinced her that I tired of London. Knowing her taste for new and engaging things, I offered to take her to America, to begin a new life together."
Ginelle gasped, "Victoria is on a ship?"
"Let's just say when she learned that she would be traveling alone, she wasn't as delighted." His grin widened, "Lieutenant Cummings has obligingly volunteered to see her safely escorted to her new abode."
Ginelle suddenly felt a pang of remorse for Victoria.
Dorian chuckled, "Feeling guilty?"
She felt her face turn red beneath his amusing stare. "I would not wish harm upon anyone."
He shook his head, laughing softly. "No harm will come to her. Life in America will appeal to her exceptionally."
Ginelle felt a rush of tears as she stared adoringly up at him, her heart blossoming beneath his bright blue eyes. "Now what?" she whispered.
His lips curled into that sensual smile. "Now, I make you my wife."
**********
The room was in a flurry of moving bodies and Ginelle stood amid the clamor of excitement as Thora and Belle hastened to finish the touches on her wedding gown and Fannie and Ellison worked to fasten the riot of curls atop her head.
She giggled lightly as she caught sight of Lucile's hem beneath lowered lashes as the housekeeper issued frantic orders for them to hurry.
Amidst all this, Ginelle's thoughts turned inward as she peered lovingly around the circle of women. She had gained so much in merely four years. She had family and friends, all of whom she loved deeply. And she had a man who loved her exceptionally, a man who was soon to become her husband.
She caught sight of her image in the mirror and nearly didn't recognize the woman peering back at her.
She was radiant, adorned in one of her favorite gowns, altered beautifully for her wedding day. The gown was a dove hue, perfectly embroidered with white lace, the silk skirts flowing gently over the distinct roundness of her belly. She smiled softly as she placed her hands tenderly where her babe rested, anxious for the day that she could hold her baby gingerly in her arms.
A sudden knock sounded within the room, jolting all six women. Lucile rushed to the door and opened it ajar. "Oh!" she cried, "Come in, come in!" she urged, stepping aside to allow the visitor within.
A smile spread wide on Ginelle's face as the woman entering the room extended her arms toward her. "You look lovely!" Amelia cried joyfully as the two of them embraced.
"Are you happy, my niece?" Amelia asked gently, her dark eyes roaming Ginelle's face thoughtfully.
Her smile widened, her dark eyes glimmering with tears. "Yes, very much."
Amelia reflected her niece's smile and squeezed her hands gently. "As am I."
"We must hurry!" Lucile implored and the two women laughed softly at the housekeeper's urging. Amelia squeezed Ginelle's hand once more before leaving the room and it was than Ginelle felt the swift fluttering in her belly and smiled despite her nervousness.
She was to marry.
In spite of the cold weather, they were to exchange their vows within the garden. It was specifically chosen because alongside his sister and mother, his soon-to-be-wife's fondness for the enclosure had prompted his decision in choosing it for their wedding.
Although the wintry season had destroyed the flowers, the garden at that moment was absolutely picturesque.
The sky was painted white, revealing faint lines of thick alabaster clouds. Icicles glinted like diamonds in the crystalline light, dangling from snow laden limbs; the ground at his feet was like powder as it was carried away with the wind.
A soft descent of snowflakes drifted like white blossoms from the sky and his breath caught in his throat, not from the sudden snowfall but for the woman standing before the terrace, her beauty eliciting a sharp breath from his throat.
Mine. He thought instinctively.
Ginelle felt a rush of tears as she stared at the man who had captivated her heart. He stood tall and prominent against the white backdrop. Donned alluringly in sleek black trousers, a black tailcoat layered with a white satin shirt and cravat, he was absolutely striking.
When she met his eyes, she was stunned by the expression that softened his face. His eyes were alight with emotion, a profound love radiating from his crystal blue gaze. His eyes never wavered from her and with each step that brought her closer to him, her heart beat all the more.
He reached out and took her hand in his own, drawing her forward to stand before him. And she knew as she held his hand in her own and they exchanged their vows, combining them as one, she knew she had found her place in life.
**********