Odette’s heart was in her throat as the margrave stared down at the parchment in his hands.
“Jorgen has some donors already secured from among our wealthier citizens. You have done a good job with this proposal.” He raised his brows approvingly at Jorgen. “I do believe that Rutger Menkels’s house, which is not far from the city center, will serve well as a home for orphans. What do you say, Odette?”
“Y-yes, my lord. I believe it would.”
“And as I have acquired Rutger’s storehouse near the north gate, I believe it may serve as a place for young widows to learn to work and earn money while their children are being cared for. What do you think, Jorgen?”
“Yes, my lord, I think you are right.”
The margrave cleared his throat and frowned. “Jorgen may have told you, Odette, that I discovered it was my chancellor, Ulrich, who had been trying to kill him. It is fortunate he is not as good with a longbow as you are.” Again, he looked pointedly at Odette. “Therefore, I have sent Ulrich to the dungeon and am in need of a new chancellor. Jorgen has shown that he is a man capable of great organization. He is intelligent and hardworking, as well as honest and trustworthy. Welcome to your new position, Jorgen.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Odette sucked in a breath. She reached out and squeezed Jorgen’s hand, smiling up at him.
“Now that you will be my new chancellor, I shall wish to have you living nearer to me. And since I have taken back the chancellor’s property, I would like to bestow upon you the manor house on Red Stag Hill, which you can see from this window.”
“My lord, I am grateful.” Jorgen bowed.
“A new husband and wife need a home. And now I insist you take to wife this lawless young woman as quickly as may be.”
Odette and Jorgen replied, “Thank you, my lord.”
Jorgen looked across at her, a glint in his eye.
How their fortunes had reversed. She had thought his position too far beneath hers a few days ago. Now she was poor, stripped of her home and her security, and Jorgen was the new chancellor of Thornbeck, the owner of a beautiful manor house, and the advisor to the margrave. Just minutes before, marrying Mathis seemed her only choice, and now she found herself being ordered to marry Jorgen. But somehow she didn’t mind.
“Jorgen,” the margrave said, “come back tomorrow when we can discuss your new duties, and think about who you might choose to replace you as forester. In the next few weeks we will have a lot of work to do to implement your plans for the orphanage and workhouse. Odette may also come and give her input, if she wishes. But for now, you both may go.”
Jorgen clasped her hand and they walked out of the margrave’s library. As soon as they were out of sight of the margrave, she turned to him in the dimly lit corridor, slipped her arms around his neck, and before she could close her eyes, he was kissing her.
31
JORGEN KISSED HER like a man dying of thirst and she was the only source of water. He took her breath away. Odette was transported to a place that was above the earth, above the clouds, floating higher and higher.
She was marrying Jorgen Hartman.
When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes, then kissed her again, as if he needed one more sip. But then he needed another, and another, his hands coming up to cradle her face. Soon she was quite dizzy. She held on tighter, choosing not to tell him she needed to sit down until her knees stopped shaking.
He eventually stopped kissing her and pulled her close, her cheek against his shoulder and his arms encircling her. There seemed to be so much to say, so much to take in, so much she could hardly believe. They stood still, their hearts beating close together, not speaking, waiting for their rapid breathing to slow.
As the dizziness subsided, she squeezed him tighter, breathing in the smell of pennyroyal mint coming from his freshly washed shirt, filling her senses with Jorgen. “Thank you for wanting to help the children, and for your plans to start an orphanage and to help the poor.”
He buried his hand in her hair and bent until his forehead touched hers. “I hoped it would please you.”
“It does. Very much.” His nearness, his touch, his smell, and the lingering feeling of his lips on hers all combined to make her heart soar. How was it possible to feel so free when she was about to be married, to belong to someone forever?
“Odette,” he breathed. The masculine rumble of his voice sent a shiver across her shoulders.
“Are you sure you want to marry me?” Odette asked.
He tilted her face up and kissed her again. “Yes.”