Roses and Lace
Chapter 10
After Edith had left them alone in the foyer, Margaret couldn't keep herself from watching John, meeting his eyes as if neither of them should ever look away. Those brown eyes she had been afraid she would never see again. That smile she thought she would never see.
"I know it has only been a few hours," Margaret said, "but I feel as if we have already been waiting for many months."
Those eyes leaving hers only to trace the contours of her mouth before returning to meet her gaze.
That soft, gentle smile. "It has been many months. It's been more than a year since I first fell in love with you. I'm afraid it won't be real, the moment I leave you," he said.
"I feel the same," she answered. "But you will be back for dinner." His eyes were on her mouth again. "And then you'll sweep me off to Scotland for a hasty marriage," she continued coyly, "and then we shall both return to Milton to reopen Marlborough Mills."
"You're a temptress," he muttered.
And then he had pulled her into his arms again, his mouth pressing against her mouth, and that warmth building inside of her, like stoking a fire.
"I never want to be parted from you, John," she whispered.
He breathed heavily, his forehead pressed to hers. "Nor I from you." Finally he pulled back. "But at least I shall be back for dinner."
And with a final smile, he walked out the door.
Margaret pressed her hand to her cheek. She felt warmth there, and warmth deep in her belly, a tingling all over her skin.
It didn't feel real, but it was real.
In a few hours, she would see him again.
In a few weeks, she would be his wife.