The moment she realised she loved him…
It had rained most days since Daniel had left.
The knocker banged again. Ellie forced the bitter lump from her throat. She lifted the poker, strode to the door and flng it open, weapon brandished belligerently.
There was no one there. The rain had stopped and a heavy mist had fallen. It swirled and ebbed, making the cottage surroundings eerily fluid. Poker held high, Ellie stepped out on to the wet ground.
“Hello, Ellie.” The deep voice seeped into her frozen bones like heat.
She whirled around, stared, could say nothing. The fog eddied around a tall silhouette, wrapped in a dark cloak, but the cloak was no disguise to Ellie. She knew every plane of that body, had been living with it in her mind and her heart for weeks.
“What are you doing here, Daniel?” she managed to croak.
He moved towards her. “I’ve come for you, Ellie. I want you with me.”
Pain streaked through Ellie. The words she had so wanted, but now it was all wrong. She held up the poker, as if to ward him off, and shook her head. “No, Daniel. I can’t. I won’t. I have Amy to think of.”
He stood stock-still, shocked, his brow furrowed. “But of course I want Amy as well.”
Ellie shook her head, more frantically. “No, I can’t do that. I won’t. Go back home, Daniel. No matter what my feelings for you are, I won’t come with you. I won’t ruin Amy’s life that way.”
There was a long silence. Behind her Ellie could hear the slow plop, plop of water dripping off the roof…the roof he had fixed for her.
“And what are your feelings for me?”
Ellie’s face crumpled with anguish. “You know what they are,” she whispered.
He shook his head. His eyes blazed with intensity. “No, I thought I did, but now…I’m only sure of my own feelings.” He took a deep breath and said in a voice vibrating with emotion, “I love you, Ellie. I have my memory back and I know I have never loved anyone and will never love anyone again as much as I love you. You are my heart, Ellie.”
Tears blurred Ellie’s vision at his words. All she’d ever dreamed of was in those few words… You are my heart, Ellie . But it was too late.
“Go back to your wife, Daniel,” she said miserably and turned away.
There was a short, fraught silence. Then Daniel swore. Then he laughed. “I’d forgotten that.”
Ellie turned. “Forgotten your wife?” she said, shocked.
Daniel’s blue eyes blazed into her. “I don’t have a wife. I’ve never had a wife. It was all a stupid misunderstanding.” He laid his hand over his heart and declared, “I am a single man, in possession of all my wits and I’m able to support a wife in relative comfort. I love you most desperately, Mrs. Ellie Carmichael, and I’ve come to ask you to be my wife.”
There was a long silence. Ellie just stared. The raised poker wavered. A strong masculine hand took it gently out of her slackened grasp.
“Well, Ellie-love, aren’t you going to answer me?”
Ellie couldn’t see him for tears, but she could feel him and she flung herself into his arms and kissed him fiercely. “Oh, Daniel, Daniel, yes, of course I’ll marry you! I love you so much it hurts!”
* * *
“The sergeant lied,” Daniel explained some time later, an arm around both Ellie and Amy. “The silly clunch thought he was rescuing me from a designing hussy. He’d started to wonder if he’d made a mistake—apparently you just about gave him frostbite when he offered you money—but he thought it would be better to get me out of your clutches and recover my memory before I made any decisions.”
He grinned and kissed Ellie again. “So, having regained my memory, I’ve brought myself straight back to your clutches. And what very nice clutches they are, too, my dear,” he leered in a growly voice and both Ellie and Amy giggled.
“So you remember everything, now?”
“Indeed I do. The moment I arrived back at Rothbury, it all came back to me.
It had rained most days since Daniel had left.
The knocker banged again. Ellie forced the bitter lump from her throat. She lifted the poker, strode to the door and flng it open, weapon brandished belligerently.
There was no one there. The rain had stopped and a heavy mist had fallen. It swirled and ebbed, making the cottage surroundings eerily fluid. Poker held high, Ellie stepped out on to the wet ground.
“Hello, Ellie.” The deep voice seeped into her frozen bones like heat.
She whirled around, stared, could say nothing. The fog eddied around a tall silhouette, wrapped in a dark cloak, but the cloak was no disguise to Ellie. She knew every plane of that body, had been living with it in her mind and her heart for weeks.
“What are you doing here, Daniel?” she managed to croak.
He moved towards her. “I’ve come for you, Ellie. I want you with me.”
Pain streaked through Ellie. The words she had so wanted, but now it was all wrong. She held up the poker, as if to ward him off, and shook her head. “No, Daniel. I can’t. I won’t. I have Amy to think of.”
He stood stock-still, shocked, his brow furrowed. “But of course I want Amy as well.”
Ellie shook her head, more frantically. “No, I can’t do that. I won’t. Go back home, Daniel. No matter what my feelings for you are, I won’t come with you. I won’t ruin Amy’s life that way.”
There was a long silence. Behind her Ellie could hear the slow plop, plop of water dripping off the roof…the roof he had fixed for her.
“And what are your feelings for me?”
Ellie’s face crumpled with anguish. “You know what they are,” she whispered.
He shook his head. His eyes blazed with intensity. “No, I thought I did, but now…I’m only sure of my own feelings.” He took a deep breath and said in a voice vibrating with emotion, “I love you, Ellie. I have my memory back and I know I have never loved anyone and will never love anyone again as much as I love you. You are my heart, Ellie.”
Tears blurred Ellie’s vision at his words. All she’d ever dreamed of was in those few words… You are my heart, Ellie . But it was too late.
“Go back to your wife, Daniel,” she said miserably and turned away.
There was a short, fraught silence. Then Daniel swore. Then he laughed. “I’d forgotten that.”
Ellie turned. “Forgotten your wife?” she said, shocked.
Daniel’s blue eyes blazed into her. “I don’t have a wife. I’ve never had a wife. It was all a stupid misunderstanding.” He laid his hand over his heart and declared, “I am a single man, in possession of all my wits and I’m able to support a wife in relative comfort. I love you most desperately, Mrs. Ellie Carmichael, and I’ve come to ask you to be my wife.”
There was a long silence. Ellie just stared. The raised poker wavered. A strong masculine hand took it gently out of her slackened grasp.
“Well, Ellie-love, aren’t you going to answer me?”
Ellie couldn’t see him for tears, but she could feel him and she flung herself into his arms and kissed him fiercely. “Oh, Daniel, Daniel, yes, of course I’ll marry you! I love you so much it hurts!”
* * *
“The sergeant lied,” Daniel explained some time later, an arm around both Ellie and Amy. “The silly clunch thought he was rescuing me from a designing hussy. He’d started to wonder if he’d made a mistake—apparently you just about gave him frostbite when he offered you money—but he thought it would be better to get me out of your clutches and recover my memory before I made any decisions.”
He grinned and kissed Ellie again. “So, having regained my memory, I’ve brought myself straight back to your clutches. And what very nice clutches they are, too, my dear,” he leered in a growly voice and both Ellie and Amy giggled.
“So you remember everything, now?”
“Indeed I do. The moment I arrived back at Rothbury, it all came back to me.
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