Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
I flipped to the next page.
“Nobody can touch this land for the next one-hundred-and-fifty years. The only way this contract can be terminated is with a majority vote from the tenants, not just the committee. There is no break clause for the estate of the Duke of Hanbury.”
“What does that…” The lump in my throat returned. “What does this mean?”
He brushed his nose against my cheek, holding me tighter against him. “It means this land is safeguarded for as long as I could make it so. Nobody will be able to take it away from you again. There are maintenance clauses, of course, and you do have to upkeep the land and not use it for anything other than its intended purpose, but this was the best way.”
We had never had stewardship of it before. It’d always just been a rental agreement, and the estate had always been responsible for maintenance. That’d always been the big difference, even though the previous duke had never actually had to do anything other than replace a few fences after a storm.
“You… You signed this?”
“Mhmm.” Oliver nodded, his cheek pressed against mine. “It just needs the signature of the chairman of the committee—or chairwoman, as it is.”
“A pen, sir.” Isa reappeared with a pen in her hand.
Where the fuck was she coming from?
Oliver took the pen from her and set it into mine, wrapping our fingers around it together. “I wanted to give you the land, but this was safer.”
“What?” I jumped out of his arms, sending the contract fluttering to the ground. He still had hold of my hand even as I turned around, and I stared at him. “You wanted to do what? Are you fucking insane?”
His lips pulled to one side. “What can I say? You’ve been rubbing off on me, princess.”
“You can’t just gift someone land! My Christ, you have got too much money.”
The spark came back to his eyes, and he pulled my hand up to his mouth, brushing his lips over my fingers. “That’s what my lawyer said. He also said that if you owned it, there was a chance we could end up back at square one one day, so this was a bit safer to guarantee the longevity of it. I figured it was fine, because I’ll just give you a chunk of the gardens at Hanbury House.”
“What are you—” My words caught in my throat at the softness in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Rose. I’m sorry I ever tried to tear this place away from you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when I changed my mind. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I wanted to do. I’m sorry I created a situation where you could misunderstand my intentions. I’m sorry I didn’t get there last night until you’d already gone. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I’m sorry if I made you cry.”
I turned my face away from him as tears filled my eyes. “I don’t cry.”
“Yeah?” He ran his thumb under my eye. “What’s this, then?”
“Hay fever. It’s back.” I swiped at my cheek, but he stepped into me. His warm hands cupped my face, and he leant down, kissing each spot where a tear was falling.
One, two, three, four, five tiny kisses were dotted over my cheeks, wiping away any trace of my sadness.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his lips hovering over mine, asking for permission.
“You should be,” I said back. “You should have told me.”
“I know. I should have. I thought you might have guessed. How could I sell this place when it means so much to you?”
“It means so much to all of us.”
“Yeah, but Rose, I didn’t change my mind because of everyone else.” He pulled back slightly, meeting my gaze. A hint of a smile crossed his handsome face. “I didn’t change all my plans for these people, as lovely as they are. I didn’t do all of this for them. I did it for you, princess. You wanted to save this place, to make me change my mind, and you did. But not because of a newspaper article or a protest or a craft fair. You made me fall in love with you.”
Oh.
My heart thundered against my chest.
He said it.
He really said it.
“Oli—”
“I love you, Rose. The thought of hurting you for even a second kills me. How could I take this place away from you, knowing what it means to you? Knowing how much you love it here? This is where you’re happiest. It’s where your heart is. If I take that away from you…” He shook his head, lowering his forehead to touch mine. “I can’t do that. I once told you that the feelings of everyone here are none of my business, and that still stands true, but not for you. Your feelings are the most important thing in the world to me. And I’m not saying this because I want you to say the same thing. I understand if you truly do never want to have anything else to do with me again, so know that this agreement isn’t contingent on that. I just want to be honest with you. I love you, and I want you to be happy.”