Leaning forward, he took captive of her lips, his fingers burying themselves in the mass of her fiery red hair.

He closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of her skin against his, the warmth of her lips, the softness of her kisses, the feeling of her hands as it ran down the his arm, and the scent of her skin. He ran his hands down the length of her body, drawing her further against himself.

“I love you, Ethan,” she breathed against his lips. “I love you so much.”

In that second, Ethan felt his heart stop. His eyes locked with hers and he saw the truth in her words, reflecting in her brown eyes —she didn't love his wealth. She didn't marry him for his manor. She didn't have to be forced or cajoled into marrying him. She didn't run off on him. She showed great kindness to his child. She was his wife!

He touched her face, as if seeing her for the first time —she was his wife, not just in the literal sense of things, but she was the woman who controlled his heart; it was Gretchen's love that he responded to. It was the rhythm of her heartbeat his heart responded to. She was the only woman who could stop his heart.

Ethan knew that Gretchen was nothing like Juliet. And while he knew that he was still attracted to Juliet, he was convinced he didn't love her. No —he shook his head— the woman he loved was here, right now, in his arms, and loving him the way he loved her.

“I love you, Gretchen.” He said, knowing from the depth of his heart, that he meant every word.

Chapter Thirty Six

The fact that Ethan refused to even look at Juliet since the kiss they shared a week ago, infuriated her immensely. It didn't matter how much she willed him to look at her, he wouldn't. Juliet tried several times to meet privately with him as the days progressed, but with the annoyingly present butler constantly guarding Ethan, it was simply impossible.

Gretchen and Ethan had also seemed to get closer. When Juliet first arrived at the castle, the two, while married, hadn't really shown their affection toward each other in her presence, and although Juliet understood that the reason for it was because Ethan was too much of a perfect gentleman to kiss his wife in public, thing had changed quickly. It almost seemed to Juliet that her kiss had somehow reawakened Ethan to the Gretchen's presence, resulting in his new found disregard for Juliet.

Infuriated by the new development, she had worked up a plan and when the opportunity to execute it presented itself, she casually pointed out Elizabeth's need for new dresses to Gretchen.