The Earl Takes A Bride. Kathryn Jensen

strength to make. “I’ve already deposited money into your checking account. And—” he rushed on “—please don’t make so much of this. You have no idea how insignificant a few thousand dollars is to His Majesty. Think of it as a fistful of pennies taken from Fort Knox.”

      Diane let out a deep breath. Viewed that way, she was probably being foolish to make such a fuss. “All right. But it’s just a loan.”

      “Agreed.” Thomas looked quietly pleased with the negotiations, though he didn’t risk setting her off with a full-blown smile. “Next of concern—your health and emotional well-being.”

      She laughed dryly. “Believe it or not, money can do nothing to repair a heart that’s been stomped flat.”

      “I suppose not,” he admitted, his huge dark eyes lingering compassionately on her face. “But a change of venue and a break from work might.”

      “You mean, a vacation?”

      “I think it’s time you visited your sister. She misses you, you know. It’s not as if a queen can dash halfway around the world whenever she feels homesick or wants to see her family.”

      Diane stared at him. “Fly to Europe? Talk about throwing away mon—”

      He reached across the table and laid his hand on top of hers. The heat of his strong fingers closing over hers silenced her. “Stop thinking about money. I told you, it’s nothing. You sound like your sister.”

      Diane couldn’t help smiling at that, just a little. “Our parents were very thrifty people. New Englanders generally are. Sorry.”

      “Nothing wrong with being sensible,” Thomas allowed. “But there are times when cash spent is wisely parted with.”

      She rolled her eyes. “I have a feeling this is going to cost Jacob more than the proverbial few pennies. Go on.”

      “I have arranged everything. All you need to do…is agree,” Thomas said with almost painful slowness, as if this was a difficult part he’d rehearsed. “Before I came to your house this morning, I contacted your parents in Florida.” Barreling onward, he paid no attention to her gasp of outrage. “They would be thrilled to have the children join them for the rest of the summer. I’ve arranged for Jacob’s private jet to take us to Vienna tomorrow night. From there, his helicopter will carry us to Elbia. I felt you might need a day to prepare and pack.”

      “Generous of you,” she commented, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. The nerve of the man! Taking her life into his hands as if he was planning one of Jacob’s diplomatic jaunts. “But I could never put my children on a plane and watch them fly off alone.”

      “That’s been taken care of. Allison told me you often employ a young lady named Elly Shapiro, three doors down the street from you. I’ve spoken with her mother about the possibility of her taking the position of nanny for the summer. In return she’ll receive a generous stipend for her college fund.”

      “And no doubt be thrilled with the chance to spend three months in Florida, away from her brothers and sisters,” Diane added. He seemed to have thought of everything. “And what am I supposed to do in Elbia for the whole summer?”

      “You’ll have the luxury of time to do anything that appeals to you…other than work. No responsibilities. No budgeting, cooking or laundry. Just time to visit with Allison and your niece and nephew, tour whatever parts of Europe appeal to you, shop for new clothes in the best boutiques, read—”

      “Eat!” Diane added, getting into the spirit of the moment, although she still had nagging reservations that she was doing the right thing. Maybe she would only be avoiding the inevitable by allowing Thomas to sweep her off to Europe. “I understand there are a few decent restaurants in Europe…perhaps even in Elbia.”

      Thomas’s eyes twinkled with appreciation for her humor. “So I’ve been told. Prepare to put on a few pounds…or burn them off as Allison does by including a vigorous, hour’s walk in your daily routine.”

      Admittedly, it did sound wonderful. Too wonderful?

      Life just isn’t this easy, Diane reasoned sadly. Solutions to problems don’t simply fall from the sky in the form of wealth and palaces. Yet…wouldn’t she be foolish not to let her sister and brother-in-law lend a hand, just to give her breathing room? Thomas was right, in a way. If she took a short break from life, she might be able to function more efficiently and figure out what she was going to do with her future.

      Besides, she mused, there was a secret part of her that had always yearned to break loose. To do something totally without consideration for what was proper or frugal. Sometimes she envisioned all the passion in her life stored up inside of her, waiting for a chance to gush forth like champagne from an uncorked bottle. Had she let Gary become the cork in her bottle? And now that he was gone…what sort of life would she live? A drab, uninteresting one? Or one that was adventurous and promised her new horizons? She imagined the next ten years flashing by as quickly and unremarkably as the first decade of her adult life.

      “I…I don’t know,” she said softly, blinking away a hot, prickly sensation behind her eyelids.

      “Don’t think about it,” Thomas growled impatiently. “Just say yes, and I’ll finalize the arrangements.” His hand found hers and closed over it, warm and reassuring. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”

      She was trembling and she didn’t know why. Reluctance to be separated from her children for so long? She didn’t think so. She knew they would be safe with Elly as an escort and deliriously happy with their grandparents.

      No, something else brought on the tremors. Something else terrified her. She met Thomas’s intense brown eyes and a shudder of realization raced through her. She wanted him to kiss her again. She wanted him to crush her in his massive arms and make her remember what it felt like to be a woman.

      Was that what she feared? That he would do all these things and more if she flew away with him? Then the summer would end and she’d be left with mere memories…and a lonely life back in Connecticut where she’d started.

      “Say yes,” he said, so low the words were a barely audible rumble across her kitchen.

      Diane looked up at the man who seemed to fill a good half of the room. His eyes were glistening obsidian, hard with determination. The muscles in his face had turned rigid. Taut ridges ran down the sides of his neck, into the starched, white collar of his shirt. He was an incredibly strong man. She had felt the muscles of his chest and arms when he’d held her. She imagined he would have a wealth of thick, richly textured hair across his chest that would be delightful to play with.

      Why in Heaven’s name was she thinking about a man’s body when she should be concentrating on her future!

      Diane drew herself up in her chair. Now or never…now or never, a persistent voice whispered through her mind. Take a chance. Grab the ring. Risk your heart. For once in your life, do what feels good!

      She couldn’t make her voice work for a full two minutes. “All right,” she said at last. “I’ll go.”

      Three

      There was more to packing Diane’s children off to their grandparents than Thomas had anticipated. All three had minds of their own, and each had specific ideas as to which clothing was “cool,” which favorite stuffed animals or toys they simply could not leave behind. In the end the three suitcases Diane had planned expanded to six. One each for clothing and a smaller one for beloved teddy bears, pillows and playthings.

      Elly arrived the morning of the trip flushed with excitement, her blond ponytail swinging like a metronome in time to the music playing through the earphones of her portable tape player. As lively as she was, she was a responsible girl, and Diane trusted her implicitly.

      “They are definitely going to exhaust my parents,” she said, laughing, as she waved all four of them through the boarding gate later that morning.

      “I