Taming the Rebel Tycoon. Ally Blake

around Tina, for a while they ambled along, heading south through pleasant undulating parkland.

      After they had gone some half a mile, in response to Jupiter’s urging, Richard gave the beast his head and, making light of his load, the big horse broke into an easy canter.

      It was exhilarating and Tina laughed aloud with the sheer joy of it. In response to such spontaneous gladness, Richard’s arm tightened around her.

      When a shallow stream came into view, unwilling to overtax the horse, he reined him in and they ambled down to the water’s edge.

      There, where the grass was still green and lush and the trees made a dappled shade, he slid to the ground and, having lifted Tina down, looped the reins over a low branch.

      Then, leaving the horse to graze peacefully, they took off their riding hats and went to sit on a fallen tree trunk by the fast-flowing stream.

      Held in the crook of Richard’s arm, Tina watched the glittering water as it ran leaping and chuckling over its stony bed and knew what perfect happiness and contentment felt like.

      After a while he broke the silence to say, ‘I’d like us to be married as soon as possible.’

      When something in his tone, a kind of tension, made her glance up at him, he added almost roughly, ‘I sound impatient, I know, but I just can’t wait to make you mine.’

      Her heart fluttered and swelled with gratitude that he should feel so strongly about her.

      ‘If you were hoping for a big wedding with dozens of guests and all the trimmings,’ he went on, ‘we can always have a second ceremony later.’

      Nestling against him, she said simply, ‘I don’t need a big wedding and all the trimmings,’ and heard his quick sigh of relief.

      ‘That’s my girl.’ His arm tightened round her. ‘So shall we say tomorrow morning?’

      Thinking he was joking, she laughed and said, ‘Why not? Except that it can’t be done so quickly.’

      ‘As we have our own priest and our own chapel, all we need to do is warn the Reverend Peter and arrange for two witnesses.’

      Realising he wasn’t joking after all, she said breathlessly, ‘B-but surely we need a…a licence of some kind?’

      ‘I have a special licence lined up.’

      Through lips gone suddenly stiff, she said, ‘Then you must have intended it for someone else.’

      ‘You are the only woman I’ve ever wanted to marry.’ His green-gold eyes on her face, he added, ‘I told you earlier that the first time I saw you I knew you were the one I’d been waiting for.’

      She half shook her head. ‘I realise that being who you are, you must have quite a pull. But, even with your own chapel and your own family priest, I don’t believe you could have got a licence in the time. You hadn’t set eyes on me until Friday…’

      ‘That’s where you’re wrong,’ he told her quietly.