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"Exactly hoould have felt if Inspector Fellows had let you go to the gallows or back to the asylum," Beth said softly

"I never understood before It’s like fear and hope, both warether"

"I know"

He cupped his hands around her face "But I don’t want to hurt you I never, ever want to hurt you"

"Ian, you aren’t your father Fro like him You left Sally rather than hurt her You protected Hart fro Lily Everything you’ve done is to try to help people, not har whether to believe her "I have the rage inside me"

"Which you kno to control He didn’t That’s the difference"

"Can I ever be sure?"

"I’ll make you sure You said yourself he caused you too much misery and that you and your brothers need to be done with hio"

Ian closed his eyes Beth watched emotions flicker across his face, the uncertainty, the stubbornness, the raw pain he’d lived with for so long He didn’t always kno to express his emotions, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel theaze directly to Beth’s His golden eyes shiaze steadily, not blinking or shifting away

"I love you," he said

Beth caught her breath, and sudden tears blurred her vision

"Love you," Ian repeated His gaze bore into hers harder than Hart’s ever could hope to "Love you, love you, love you, love you, love you love you love you"

"Ian" Beth laughed

"Love you," he ainst the curve of her neck "Love you" "I love you, too Are you going to say it all night?"

"I’ll say it until I’m in you so hard I can’t speak" "I suppose I’ll have to put up with that Itout"

He paused "Are you joking?"

Beth laughed until she slid out of the seat, but when she landed on the floor, Ian was right beside her "Yes I was joking" She caught lan’s lapels in her hands "I believe carnality is definitely called for Perhaps we should send for Curry to pull out the bed"

Ian got to his feet, tossed the cushions onto the other bench, and unlatched the hooks that unrolled the seat into a bed "I don’t want Curry"

"I see"

Ian yanked the bed into place, then lifted Beth and laid her on it He unlaced her boots with quick jerks, then unbuckled and unfastened every bit of her brand-new traveling clothes