Her heart was racing. Might someone be watching them from down the long corridor? The heat in her cheeks intensified and she whispered, “We should go before someone sees us.”
He stared into her eyes before breaking away and helping her walk toward the front door of Thornbeck Castle. As she held on to him and leaned against his side, she couldn’t seem to stop sighing. Or smiling. Or reliving his kisses.
He stopped her halfway down the corridor and kissed her again.
How had she not always known she loved Jorgen Hartman? And how had God worked everything out so she could marry him? After all she had done—poaching the deer that it was his job to protect, deceiving him, and after her uncle had spurned him because he was a forester—to be ordered by the margrave to marry Jorgen seemed the greatest of ironies . . . and miracles.
Jorgen helped Odette down from the horse. She was so focused on him that she was surprised to see Mathis standing just behind Jorgen.
“Odette,” he said quickly, “I know your uncle is in the dungeon, but I assure you I am working to get him out as soon as possible.”
“That is not necessary, Mathis. Lord Thornbeck has already agreed to set him free.”
“Oh. That is very good.” Mathis stepped closer to her, but so did Jorgen, putting himself between them. Mathis glanced up at Jorgen but then kept talking to Odette. “I still want to marry you, no matter what the margrave says or does—”
“The margrave has taken my uncle’s house and will turn it into an orphanage. And he has ordered you to repay Uncle Rutger’s goods that you stole, double, with interest.”
Mathis blanched and clutched at his throat. “But I . . . It was only a joke. I was going to give it back to him.”
“The margrave was not amused.”
Mathis stammered, “I . . . I . . . but I—”
“And the margrave also knows about the little joke you played on Jorgen and me when you tricked him into thinking another woman was me.”
Mathis, still pale, just stared at her with his mouth open.
“I will not marry you, Mathis. But Lord Thornbeck has approved my marriage to Jorgen Hartman. And now you may go. I do not wish to see you again.”
Odette grabbed Jorgen’s hand and led him inside her house—soon to be the orphanage—without saying another word.
Once inside Odette’s former house, Jorgen said, “You certainly set Mathis Papendorp straight. I almost felt sorry for him.”
She slipped her arms around his back. The invitation in her eyes was too much to resist. Pulling her closer, he kissed her.
Oh, but she was sweet and mysterious and almost too good to be earthly. He had to rein himself in and cut the kiss short. After all, they had a lot of planning to do, a lot of moving, and a lot of decisions to make. He couldn’t spend all day kissing her, no matter how much he wanted to.
She nestled against his chest in the sweetest way, making his breath hitch in his throat. He hugged her close, brushing his cheek against her silky hair.
“When can we marry?” She sounded breathless.
Was she so eager? His breath hitched again. “The margrave said I should take my lawless young woman to wife as soon as possible.”
He squeezed her tighter and she laughed, a soft sound.
“Are you sure you are able to keep me from being lawless?” She pulled away and looked up at him.
“I believe I am.”
There was a dangerous glint in her eye. “I hope you do not start talking like the margrave now that you’ll be working so closely with him. ‘Take to wife this lawless woman,’ ” she mimicked in an approximation of Lord Thornbeck’s gruff voice.
“No wife of mine is allowed to mock the lord of the land.” Jorgen looked down at her, trying to feign a stern expression.
She grinned and pulled his head down for another long, satisfying kiss.
Marriage. Yes, how soon could they marry? “I suppose it will take three weeks to cry the banns.”
“Three weeks,” she breathed, then pushed him away. “You had better go see the priest, then.”
He touched her cheek, then squeezed her shoulder. “I will leave one horse here, in case you need it.”
He leaned down and kissed her, harder than he meant to, and when he pulled away, her eyes were still closed, as if she hadn’t wanted the kiss to end. His heart skipped.
Three weeks. Just three more weeks.
32
AFTER TWO WEEKS, Jorgen was pleased to report to Lord Thornbeck that Odette already had a dozen children living in the former Menkels home. Their cook had stayed on, and Kathryn had also moved in to help and seemed to enjoy taking care of the younger children. His own mother was helping, and she had never seemed happier, as she now had many children to care for.