Free Dusky Duke and the Gypsy Pirate Princess by Kya Lind Page B

in her sleep. Greyson smiled back. He knew one thing for certain, Honesty was his future.
    ♣♣♣
     
    After church services, Greyson sought Honesty out again. He caught her coming out of the nursery. Laughing he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him, ignoring her protest and inquiries. After he had dragged her down several long hallways and three flights of stairs, he finally pulled her into a large room with floor to ceiling windows and walls covered with books.
    “What?” Honesty’s eyes widened and she gasped. Her mouth moved up and down with no words.
    “Impressed?” Greyson grinned. “My grandfather had a habit of collecting books.”
    “But, why isn’t everyone in here?”
    Greyson looked at her in puzzlement.
    “If the others know about this room, why aren’t they in here reading and learning?”
    “You like it then?”
    “Like it! . . . I have died and gone to heaven. Can I read one?”
    “Certainly, you may read all of them you want.”
    “Oh, thank you, thank you.” She clapped her hands in delight. “I promise to take the best care of the ones I touch.”
    Greyson smiled pleased with himself. She acted like he had given her the moon instead of just showing her room full of dusty old books.
    He pulled her across the room and sat her down on one of the cushioned window seats. “That is just part of the surprise I have for you.”
    Honesty watched him in curiosity as he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a silver chain attached to a silver heart locket with a large, dark green emerald in the center.
    Greyson’s smile widened as she exclaimed, “It’s beautiful,” in an awed voice. He moved to stand behind her and went to drape the chain around her throat, but Honesty grabbed the chain and stopped him. “Wait, what are you doing? I don’t understand. I can’t wear this.”
    Greyson tilted his head toward her in confusion. She spun around to face him.
    “You can’t mean to give me this?”
    “Well, why not?” Greyson frowned.
    “I . . . . I can’t accept jewelry from a man. It is just not done. I mean. . . and this,” Honesty held the necklace up to show him, “This is a very valuable piece. You can’t just give it to me.”
    “Why not?”
    “Grey, men don’t just give girls expensive jewelry without wanting something in return.”
    “Balderdash, men give their wives jewelry all the time.”
    She looked at him in confusion.
    “So, we are not married yet, but I can give it to you beforehand if I want too.”
    Honesty’s look of confusion turned to a look of complete shock. “Married?” she croaked.
    Greyson scowled, all he had wanted to do was give her a necklace. This wasn’t going at all the way he had planned. “Don’t look so shocked, you said I could court you – where did you think this was going?”
    “But just because you wanted a chance to get to know me, doesn’t automatically mean we would get married. And I am sure that once you know me you will change your mind. Besides, we have only known each other two weeks. Two weeks!”
    Greyson blinked. Surely it had been longer than two weeks. “It has been three weeks.” He stated. He wouldn’t let her discount the week of hell he had spent trying to find her again.
    “And you can’t just give me expensive necklaces,” her face looked concerned, “It’s not a family heirloom, is it?”
    “No, I bought it for you in London the day before I found you in the park.”
    Her eyes widened again, “Why would you buy me a necklace before you found me?”
    Greyson let the defensiveness in his voice drop away, “Because I had been tearing the city apart looking for you. From the moment you left me at the masque, I could think of nothing else but finding you again.”
    “That is insane.”
    Greyson grimaced. He pulled her hands into his, holding the necklace between them. “Honesty, you have held my heart from the first second I saw you.”
    “Don’t say things like that,” his head jerked up at the