Forever My Love (Historical Romance) by Constance O'Banyon Read Free Book Online

"Let us just say that by becoming your guardian, I am repaying an overdue debt to your father."
    "What debt?" she asked curiously.
    "My father came to the Colonies with your parents, but he had little money. It was your father who loaned him the money to buy land and build Swanhouse Plantation."
    "I didn't know that. My father never told me."
    "I can assure you 'tis true. Your father settled in Savannah, and my father chose country living, but they remained good friends. Shall I tell you a secret about your mother?"
    Her eyes held a light of eagerness, for she knew so little about her mother. "Yes, please do."
    "When I was a lad, I was in love with her. She was very lovely, and I suspect most of the gentlemen of Savannah admired her, but she loved only your father. In my mind she has always been the ideal woman. She once told me—I must have been about six years old—that if she had not married your father, she would have waited for me."
    Royal eyed him admiringly. "Everyone in Chatham County is aware of how women flock around you."
    Damon's laughter was deep. "You are an impudent little baggage. You should not repeat such rumors."
    She curled her legs up under her, looking very like a little girl. "Surely you are aware that half the women in Savannah are in love with you?" she said seriously.
    He arched an eyebrow at her. "Only half?"
    "The other half are either married or too old. But I suspect some of them may be in love with you anyway."
    Damon was aware of Alba's shocked gasp. He tilted up his head and pretended seriousness. "Keeping women attentive is a great responsibility for a man of my age."
    "How old are you?" Royal inquired.
    His smile was warm. "I am twenty-five, Royal."
    He was not as old as she had thought, but old all the same to a fourteen-year-old girl's way of thinking. She was reflective for a moment. "At your age, you should be married."
    "Well, little imp," he said, amused by her bold statement, "if you are to be believed, if I marry, I would break the hearts of half the women of Savannah. That would never do."
    When she nodded in agreement, her face set in a serious expression, he resisted the urge to ruffle her golden curls. "Has anyone ever told you that you are precocious, Royal? You must have been a great source of amusement to your father."
    She sighed wearily, and her tongue flicked out to lick her dry lips. "My father was my best friend." Her eyes clouded with unshed tears. "He will always be my best friend." Royal lowered her eyes, hoping to hide her tears. "It is sometimes painful to think about him."
    Damon was suddenly stricken with tender feelings for this fragile little girl. His jaw tightened, but he softened his voice. "I can promise you that the time will come when you will smile when you remember your father."
    Then he knelt beside her and took her small hand in his. "Will you allow me to be your friend, Royal?"
    "Yes," she said. "We will be friends as our fathers were."
    "Good." A half smile curved his lips. "Then feel comforted by the plans that have been made for your future. And don't forget that when you get to England, you will be closer to your aunt Arabella. She has assured me that she will visit you often."
    Royal laid her free hand on his. "Must I leave? I am afraid of going to England."
    "I thought you trusted me."
    "I do, but—"
    "I know you cannot imagine you will ever be happy again, but you will. What I do now is in accordance with your father's wishes, and I have no alternative."
    "I don't suppose you would allow me to come and live with you at Swanhouse?" she asked hopefully, thinking that after all, living at the plantation would be better than leaving Georgia altogether.
    Damon glanced up at Alba, and her eyes sparked with a warning. "No, little one. It would not be proper for you to live in a bachelor's household."
    Suddenly Royal felt sad at the thought of being parted from her new friend, and with her usual honesty she said, "I shall miss you, Mr. Routhland."
    He