To her dismay, the sheriff escorted her forcibly to the green room and shoved her down onto a chaise longue beside the gentleman already seated there.

Scrambling upright, Julienne scarcely heard the sheriff take his leave and shut the door behind him. Instead she froze, stunned, to meet Dare's emerald gaze.

The raw anger in those breathtaking eyes was unmistakable, and yet she saw a hint of uncertainty as well.

"Do you seriously intend to have me arrested for theft?" she demanded, taking the offensive. "I didn't steal anything."

"You did," Dare answered, his tone clipped.

"I suppose I took your clothing-"

"That isn't all you took-but let us set that issue aside for the moment. I want to know why you left me like that. Did you think to humiliate me? Was that your way of bringing me to my knees?"

A hot-cold flush spread over her cheeks in response to his smoldering gaze. "In part. I hoped to put a public end to our wager."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to be done with the games. There is no point in keeping up the charade. With Caliban dead, you no longer have any need of me, except perhaps physically."

The stormy hue of his eyes softened. "You couldn't be more wrong, Julienne."

Feeling the sting of renewed tears, she averted her gaze. "I couldn't endure being your mistress, Dare."

"That suits me well, because I don't want you for my mistress. I want you for my wife."

Her breath faltered, and her gaze flew back to his.

When she remained speechless, Dare ran a hand roughly through his hair. "I should have told you sooner, I know. But I didn't know how to begin. I was terrified you would refuse my proposal. I've been trying to get up the courage to ask you since we returned from Paris."

Julienne stared. She saw vulnerability in Dare's eyes, and fear. His apprehension tore at her heart, but she shook her head gravely. "Dare, I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself for me out of guilt."

"Marrying you won't be a sacrifice. Why the devil would you think so?"

"I know you feel guilty because of what Ivers did, because of what your grandfather did."

"My feelings have nothing whatsoever to do with guilt. I want to marry you because I can't live without you. It is as simple as that."

He reached forward to take her hand. "I love you, Julienne. Surely you realize that by now. I never stopped loving you."

At her shocked silence, his mouth curved, his smile one of misery. "What am I supposed to do without you if you leave me, tell me that? How will I go on? I've spent the last seven years longing for you. You spoiled me for any other woman, Jewel. After you, I never allowed myself to love anyone, to get close. I didn't dare risk the kind of pain I felt after losing you. I shielded myself so I wouldn't be left hurting in the end. But my case was hopeless once I found you again."

His voice, already low and ragged, took on a desolate edge. "I couldn't bear to lose you now. Do you really mean to condemn me to agony for the rest of my life?"

Longing caught in Julienne's chest, but she forced it away. "I can't possibly be your wife, Dare. I am an actress. I can never move in the same circles that you do. You will be utterly ridiculed if you wed me. Not only will society refuse to accept me, but you will be universally condemned for defying all the rules."

"Do you think I give a damn what society thinks?" His fingers tightened around hers, the gesture supplicating. "And I'm not so certain they'll refuse to accept you. You're a heroine at the moment. All London is singing your praises. And you have Prinny's support."

"That hardly makes me respectable. Nor will it endow me with a pristine reputation."

"But it will go a long way toward influencing opinions. Beyond that, title and wealth are all that really matter when it comes to being accepted, and you will have both when you're my wife."

"But, Dare… I've told you, I have had other lovers…"

"I don't give a bloody hell how many men you've taken to your bed, as long as I am the last. As long as I'm your husband."

Julienne still couldn't let herself believe in the future Dare was envisioning. Couldn't dismiss the fear she'd always felt of earning his lifelong resentment by tying him to her.

Her heart wrenching with turmoil, she searched his face. "How can you be certain you truly love me, Dare? I think it much more likely that you've mistaken your feelings. Eventually-perhaps even a few months from now-you will come to your senses and realize that you want me only for your carnal gratification."

"No." He held her gaze, his eyes stunningly bright. "I know better than anyone what carnal gratification is, Julienne. It's basic, selfish lust of the flesh. It involves the body. It has nothing to do with the mind or heart. What I feel for you goes far, far beyond the carnal."

When she didn't reply, he leaned closer, the earnestness in his eyes growing even more intense. "I know I don't deserve your love, but I intend to change. I mean to make something of myself, to someday prove myself worthy of you."

"Worthy of me?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes, dammit." His mouth twisted in a faint smile. "Why the devil do you think I'm taking up my seat in Parliament? So I can show you I'm not the worthless fribble you've always thought me."

Julienne stared fixedly at Dare. It staggered her to realize his sincerity, and that he considered himself unworthy of her. "Dare, I never thought you a fribble… certainly not since meeting you again."

"Then you'll give me a chance?"

"Dare…"

When she didn't answer his question at once, he stood abruptly and pulled her to her feet, then strode out of the green room, drawing Julienne behind him.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked rather breathlessly.

"The stage."

To her utter amazement, he dragged her out on stage, interrupting the play and scattering the other actors. Positioning her in the exact center in front of the footlights, Dare sank to his knees before her and took her hand, the very picture of an avid suitor. The rumble of surprise from the audience died down so the spectators could hear his every word.

"Several months ago in London we made a wager, Miss Laurent. You vowed you could ensnare my heart and bring me to my knees. Well, I'm on my knees to you. I'm declaring you the victor. You've won, Julienne. Utterly and completely. My heart is yours. You have the absolute power to break it, as you will."

At his public declaration, Julienne wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Dare was showing the world he loved her; he was showing her he loved her.

He clenched her hand hard. "Julienne…" His voice had gone beyond strained and sat on the cutting edge of pain. "Tell me honestly that you don't love me-that you can never love me-and I'll let you go. It will probably kill me, but I want you to be happy."

She couldn't bear the desperate entreaty in his eyes.

"Oh, Dare, of course I love you. I've always loved you."

With a raw sound, he rose to his feet and hauled her into his arms. His kiss was fierce, fervent. He twisted his hand in her hair and held her still for the hungry plundering of her mouth.

Julienne could scarcely hear the wild cheers of the audience over the pounding of her heart.

When Dare finally released her, it was only to envelop her in a smothering embrace. "You drive me to madness, do you know that?" he said raggedly.

"I could say the same of you."

He held her tighter, his shoulder absorbing her sigh. He wanted to tell Julienne of his profound relief. How utterly alone he had always been without her. How he ached with the intense need to bury himself inside her. But that would keep. For now he only wanted her promise to wed him.

"You have to marry me now," he murmured against her hair. "I won't allow you any other choice. You stole my heart, Julienne, and your only hope to avoid imprisonment is to wed me."

He could feel her surprise, sense her smile. "Is that why you brought the sheriff here? To accuse me of theft? So you could intimidate me into accepting you? No, you don't need to answer," she said, exasperated laughter lacing her voice. "It is just the sort of outrageous scheme you would think of."

"That was the only way I could be sure you would hear me out. But now that you have… I'm never letting you go, Julienne. I intend to bind you to me in every way possible."

She drew back, uncertainty shadowing her beautiful features. "You may come to tire of me someday."

"No, never. Never." Reaching up, Dare cradled her face in his hands. He would never tire of her. Her sensuality and intelligence would keep him forever tantalized. He couldn't possibly feel this way for any other woman. Couldn't desire anyone else the way he desired her.

His thumbs stroked her cheekbones, her lips. "Will you be my wife, my precious Jewel?"

Shouts of encouragement came from the audience- "Say aye!" "Marry the bloke!"-but Julienne spoke clearly over the din.

"Yes, Dare. Yes. I will."

Elation, fierce as fire, swept through him. With a fervent prayer of thanks to the heavens, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her offstage to the thunderous sound of applause, away from prying eyes.

In the shadows of the wings, he set her down and wrapped Julienne in his arms again, his face nestled in her hair.

"I only hope," she murmured, "that you don't come to regret this."

"My sole regret is all the wasted years between us. We have a great deal of time to make up for, Julienne. I can only try to atone for all the pain you suffered. I swear I will do my damnedest. And I'll show you I can be a different man, that I can be better."