Jacquie ’Alessandro - Whirlwind Affair

"But then things got worse, because two weeks after the fire, Nate died." A tear rolled unchecked down her cheek. "Lord Robert blamed himself for his death, and no words from me would change his mind. In his mind, he was responsible for a crime bein' committed and for Nate's death. Just before Nate died, Lord Robert promised him he'd never tell about Nate's role in the fire, allowin' my Nate to go to his death in peace, knowin' his actions wouldn't ruin Hannah's future. Lord Robert, who was liable to his brother for the destruction of the smithy, saw to the financial reparations. Once the smithy was rebuilt and the villagers saw Lord Robert was as good as his word, the talk died down, folks callin' the incident a youthful indiscretion gone bad, most of them even feel in' sorry for Lord Robert as his father had died only a few months earlier. And truth be told, no one in the village was sorry to see Cyril gone. Heard he died of lung disease a couple years back, and no one here mourned his passing."

Another fat tear rolled down her cheek. "Even though Lord Robert insisted he didn't want it, I made monthly payments to him-not much, you understand-but at least it was a little something toward repaying him. But do you know what he did with the money? He set up a trust with it, and last year, when my Hannah married-a fine young man, too, who loves her- he gave the money to her and Edward as a weddin' gift. And to this day Lord Robert has seen to it that I'm provided for." She paused and blew her nose with noisy gusto. "You could not ask for a finer man than Lord Robert."

Allie couldn't speak, could barely nod. Emotion tightened her throat, and hot tears pushed behind her eyes. Dear God, what he'd done for this family. Risking his own reputation to save a man from prison-or worse-and his wife and daughter from ruination. A sob rose in her throat. How could she ever have been foolish enough to compare such a man to David?

Swallowing, she pressed Mrs. Morehouse's hands between her own. "Mrs. Morehouse, I want you to know how much I appreciate you telling me all this, and I wish to assure you again that I will not ever betray your confidence."

Mrs. Morehouse nodded, then smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Brown. My Hannah and her husband are expectin' their first child soon. And it's all possible because of Lord Robert. I couldn't let anything deny him the happiness he allowed my daughter to find." She stood. "I'll not keep you any longer. May God smile upon both of you."

Allie escorted her to the foyer, where she shook the woman's hand warmly, then bid her good-bye. No sooner had Fenton closed the door after her than Robert strolled into the foyer. The snowy bandage encircling his head lent him a rakish air, as did the sling supporting his arm. His warm smile heated Allie down to her toes.

"Did we have company already this morning?" he asked.

"I had a visitor," she said, watching him closely. "Mrs. Morehouse from the village."

He went still. Without looking away from her, he said, "Will you please excuse us for a moment, Fenton?"

"Yes, sir." The butler walked down the corridor, turning out of sight.

"What did Mrs. Morehouse want?" he asked.

Instead of answering immediately, Allie walked to him. When she stood directly in front of him, she took his face between her hands and looked into his eyes. Such beautiful eyes. Such a beautiful man. And how incredibly beautiful that he loved her.

"She told me about the fire, Robert," she whispered. "Told me everything. About Nate, and her daughter… what you did for them."

He appeared momentarily stunned, then pain flashed in his eyes. "I didn't do anything for them, Allie. I was responsible for that fire."

She laid her fingers over his lips. "No. Not any more than I was responsible for what David did. We cannot control other people's actions."

"Why… how did she know to come here? To ask for you?"

" Elizabeth wrote to her, telling her you'd asked me to marry you and that I'd refused you because of your past."

" Elizabeth?" he echoed, frowning. "Why would she do such a thing? She doesn't know the truth about the fire…" His voice trailed off, and they shared a long look. Finally he said, "Yes, well, as we both know, it is not always necessary to tell Elizabeth something in order for her to know it."

"Robert… what you did for that family… I do not know the words to express my admiration." A tiny smile pulled at her lips. "Actually, I believe I do. I can say, T hold you in the deepest admiration, Robert. You are the most decent, honorable man I've ever known. And I love you. Passionately' "

His eyes darkened, and he grabbed her hand. Raising it to his lips, he pressed a warm kiss into her palm. "How passionately?"

Heat shot through her veins, tempered by the laugh brought on by his exaggerated leer.

"Extremely passionately. But the foyer is hardly the place to prove it."

"I hope you don't want a long engagement."

A loud ahem sounded from the staircase. They turned and saw Elizabeth coming down the stairs. Her gaze bounced between them, her expression reflecting a combination of trepidation and hope. When she joined them, she said, "Good morning."

Robert inclined his head. "Good morning, Elizabeth. Allie and I were just discussing Mrs. Morehouse's visit this morning."

Relief and unease flashed across Elizabeth 's features. "I see."

"You know the truth about the fire," he said.

She hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."

"You never mentioned it."

"Because it was none of my business. And it still isn't. But when I realized the truth would keep you and Allie apart, knew that your promise to Nate bound you to secrecy, I wrote to Mrs. Morehouse and mentioned your unfortunate romantic situation, hoping she would come here. She could tell Allie without breaking her word." Her gaze shifted between them. "I hope you will forgive my interference."

Robert drew a slow, deep breath, then looked at Allie and cocked a brow. "I don't know. Should we forgive her?"

Allie huffed out a dramatic sigh, then shrugged. "We might as well. If we claim we don't, she'll only need to touch us to know we're fibbing."

He turned to Elizabeth. "Very well. My bride-to-be says we should forgive you. Therefore, we do."

A slow grin eased over Elizabeth 's face. "Bride-to-be?"

"Yes. In fact, the lady accepted my proposal last evening- even before talking with Mrs. Morehouse."

Unmistakable relief filled Elizabeth 's eyes, and she opened her arms to Allie. They shared a tight hug, and Allie whispered into her ear, "Thank you. For everything."

Beaming, Elizabeth drew Robert into their circle and the three of them shared an embrace. As they pulled back, a small frown pinched between Elizabeth 's brows.

"Give me your hand," she said to Robert. After he'd complied, she turned to Allie. "Give me one of yours." Allie slipped her hand into Elizabeth 's. Elizabeth closed her eyes, and for several seconds silence reigned. Then she opened her eyes.

"Is something amiss?" Robert asked, looking worried.

"No. But I would strongly suggest a whirlwind engagement."

"We were thinking the same thing-but why do you say that?"

She leaned closer to them, smiled, then whispered, "Because your whirlwind affair has resulted in…" Her gaze settled on Allie's midsection in a meaningful way. "A baby."

Robert stared at her. "Are you certain?"

"Oh, yes." She turned to Allie. "And if you thought Austin was a mass of father-to-be nerves…" She shook her head and chuckled. "The Axminster rug is in for a terrible time with Robert." She patted them both on the cheek. "Now wipe those stunned looks off your faces, and I'll see you in the breakfast room. And I promise to act very surprised when you make your betrothal announcement." With that, she headed down the corridor.

Allie stared after her, stunned into silence. Finally she turned to Robert, whose gaze was alternating between her face and abdomen with an expression akin to awe.

"Did she say 'baby'?" Allie asked when she could find her voice.

"She did." He cleared his throat. "I hate to say I told you so, but…" A huge grin spread over his face.

Allie pressed her palms to her midsection. Tears pushed at her eyes, and unable to be contained, they spilled over onto her cheeks. Robert's gaze immediately turned stricken, and he gently grasped her shoulder. "Sweetheart, don't cry-"

"I'm not crying."

"Well, you're doing a fine imitation of it." He cupped her face in his broad palm and stroked the dampness from her cheeks with his thumbs.

She looked into his eyes, overwhelmed. "I never thought…" A sound of pure joy escaped her. "I'd buried the desire to be a mother years ago. Along with so many other dreams. And now they're all coming true."

Robert looked into her eyes brimming with happiness and love. Here was his girl from the sketch. The woman he'd waited a lifetime for. "My darling Allie. Of course they are. Did I not tell you that I always play to win?"

He drew her close and captured her lips in a deep, tender kiss. That "certain something," that indefinable magic he'd felt from the very first time he'd touched her, rushed through his veins, and utter contentment filled him.

At last.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people for their invaluable help and support:

My editor, Liz Scheier, for her kindness, cheerleading, and wonderful ideas.

My agent, Damaris Rowland, for her faith and wisdom.

My critique partners, Donna Fejes, Susan Goggins, and Carina Rock, for all the good times.

My mom and dad Kay and Jim Johnson, for a lifetime of love and support.

My in-laws, Lea and Art D'Alessandro, for the priceless gift of their son.

My sister, Kathy Guse, whom I am very proud of.

Martha Kirkland, my best research source, for being so generous with her time and knowledge.

Denise Forbes, Pat Pruitt, Nancy Krava, and Julie Teasley, for the great book signings.

Kathy Baker, bookseller extraordinaire, for her kindness and support.

Michelle, Steve, and Lindsay Grossman, for all the laughs and fun and for being such great peeps.

And a cyber hug to Connie Brockway, Marsha Canham, Virginia Henley, Jill Gregory, Sandy Hingston, Julia London, Kathleen Givens, Sherri Browning, and Julie Ortolon. You Looney Loopies are the best!

A very special thank you to Wendy Etherington and Jennie Grizzle. Thanks also to the members of Georgia Romance Writers.

And finally, thank you to all the wonderful readers who have taken the time to write or email me. I love hearing from you!

Award-winning author Jacquie D'Alessandro grew up on Long Island and fell in love with romance at an early age. She dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When her hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and driving a Volkswagen, but she recognized him anyway. They married after they both graduated from Hofstra University, and are now living their happily-ever-afters in Atlanta, Georgia, along with their very bright and active son, who is a dashing rogue in the making. Jacquie is currently working on her next historical romance for Dell, and she would love to hear from readers. Email her through her website at www.JacquieD.com