about?"
Charles herded her back into the room. "Get dressed."
Izzy frowned. "Excuse me? We spent the night doing, you know, and this is how you speak to me?"
Charles stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
Izzy nuzzled her face in Charles' neck. "You're forgiven. I know you weren't trying to be rude."
Charles hugged her tighter. "Thank you. However, I was apologizing for something much larger than my comment."
Izzy pulled away and peered up at him. "What do you mean? Do you regret—"
"No! Never. But it does pain me that I allowed this to happen without making an honest woman of you first."
"Then what?"
Charles sighed and led her to the bed. Izzy raised her eyebrows. "Now? Again?"
He seemed to realize where they stood. "Oh, no. Not as if I wouldn't like to… Here, have a seat."
She huffed out a breath. What was going on? "Well?"
Charles paced in front of her. Back and forth. Back and forth. He rubbed his hand down his face. Izzy recognized his gesture of frustration but didn't understand the cause.
"Charles?"
He stopped pacing and knelt before her. Taking her hand, he kissed her palm. "There's something you don't understand."
She ruffled his hair with her other hand. "Then please, enlighten me, all right?"
He nodded. "I know things must be vastly different where you come from, but here and now, there are shall we say, consequences to one's actions."
Izzy widened her eyes. She hadn't even thought about birth control. That's what she got for letting her hormones take over. "Oh, Charles, what if I'm pregnant?"
"Darling, yes, we need to think of the possibility, but that's not all."
Izzy frowned. "Well, where I come from, there are concerns of certain, uh, diseases."
He jerked his head up and stared at her. " No . It's not a concern, I assure you."
She shrugged "That's good to know. And, not for me either. It's been so long since… well anyway, you were saying…"
"Yes, here, another consequence of having relations before marriage is losing one's reputation. A lady must consider this."
"Oh, is that all?" She flipped her hand through the air. "I'm not worried about it. Believe me, it's not a big concern where I come from."
"But here, it is."
"What are you saying?"
He gazed down at her hand, which rested in his. "What I'm saying, Isabella, is, we must marry."
"What?" She stood up so fast Charles tumbled backward and landed on his backside. Now she was the one who paced. "How ridiculous. That kind of thinking went out with the—" She swung around and stared at him. He was standing again, his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. Now she got it. "Oh."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Now you understand why Uncle Sebastian was so demanding of me meeting him in the den."
Izzy sat down on the bed, suddenly feeling if she didn't her legs would buckle. Now would not be a good time for another panic attack. "But, I planned on going back to my time in America anyway. So what does it matter?"
He sat next to her on the bed. "I wish you would reconsider." He took her in his arms and pulled her close.
"Why? I thought you understood I had to go back."
"Because I love you."
Tears rushed from her eyes. He loved her? She pulled away enough to see into his eyes. Yes, it was there. She could see it in the way he caressed her face with his gaze. He loved her! "Oh, Charles. I love you, too."
His body relaxed, as if he'd held in a breath and released it. "You have made me so happy."
"But I'm going home."
"But you love me."
She rubbed her fingers across his bare shoulders. "Yes, I do love you. That's why this is so hard."
Charles frowned. "I don't understand. I thought—"
"You thought I could stay here and we would get married?"
"Yes."
"But I still have my dream of being independent. To prove my father wrong."
Charles swallowed, nodded, and stood. "As you wish. You can leave to pursue your dream." He walked to the door. Pivoting toward her once more, he tilted his head. "But you
Charles herded her back into the room. "Get dressed."
Izzy frowned. "Excuse me? We spent the night doing, you know, and this is how you speak to me?"
Charles stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
Izzy nuzzled her face in Charles' neck. "You're forgiven. I know you weren't trying to be rude."
Charles hugged her tighter. "Thank you. However, I was apologizing for something much larger than my comment."
Izzy pulled away and peered up at him. "What do you mean? Do you regret—"
"No! Never. But it does pain me that I allowed this to happen without making an honest woman of you first."
"Then what?"
Charles sighed and led her to the bed. Izzy raised her eyebrows. "Now? Again?"
He seemed to realize where they stood. "Oh, no. Not as if I wouldn't like to… Here, have a seat."
She huffed out a breath. What was going on? "Well?"
Charles paced in front of her. Back and forth. Back and forth. He rubbed his hand down his face. Izzy recognized his gesture of frustration but didn't understand the cause.
"Charles?"
He stopped pacing and knelt before her. Taking her hand, he kissed her palm. "There's something you don't understand."
She ruffled his hair with her other hand. "Then please, enlighten me, all right?"
He nodded. "I know things must be vastly different where you come from, but here and now, there are shall we say, consequences to one's actions."
Izzy widened her eyes. She hadn't even thought about birth control. That's what she got for letting her hormones take over. "Oh, Charles, what if I'm pregnant?"
"Darling, yes, we need to think of the possibility, but that's not all."
Izzy frowned. "Well, where I come from, there are concerns of certain, uh, diseases."
He jerked his head up and stared at her. " No . It's not a concern, I assure you."
She shrugged "That's good to know. And, not for me either. It's been so long since… well anyway, you were saying…"
"Yes, here, another consequence of having relations before marriage is losing one's reputation. A lady must consider this."
"Oh, is that all?" She flipped her hand through the air. "I'm not worried about it. Believe me, it's not a big concern where I come from."
"But here, it is."
"What are you saying?"
He gazed down at her hand, which rested in his. "What I'm saying, Isabella, is, we must marry."
"What?" She stood up so fast Charles tumbled backward and landed on his backside. Now she was the one who paced. "How ridiculous. That kind of thinking went out with the—" She swung around and stared at him. He was standing again, his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. Now she got it. "Oh."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Now you understand why Uncle Sebastian was so demanding of me meeting him in the den."
Izzy sat down on the bed, suddenly feeling if she didn't her legs would buckle. Now would not be a good time for another panic attack. "But, I planned on going back to my time in America anyway. So what does it matter?"
He sat next to her on the bed. "I wish you would reconsider." He took her in his arms and pulled her close.
"Why? I thought you understood I had to go back."
"Because I love you."
Tears rushed from her eyes. He loved her? She pulled away enough to see into his eyes. Yes, it was there. She could see it in the way he caressed her face with his gaze. He loved her! "Oh, Charles. I love you, too."
His body relaxed, as if he'd held in a breath and released it. "You have made me so happy."
"But I'm going home."
"But you love me."
She rubbed her fingers across his bare shoulders. "Yes, I do love you. That's why this is so hard."
Charles frowned. "I don't understand. I thought—"
"You thought I could stay here and we would get married?"
"Yes."
"But I still have my dream of being independent. To prove my father wrong."
Charles swallowed, nodded, and stood. "As you wish. You can leave to pursue your dream." He walked to the door. Pivoting toward her once more, he tilted his head. "But you
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