Page 36 of A Duchess in Ten Days (Icy Dukes #2)

Months Later...

" S o, if you could, Your Grace...would you trade the dukedom for a simple life in the countryside as a farmer?" Lavinia asked Solomon.

Solomon smiled faintly and tilted his head to the side. "That's an impossible question. I'm afraid I don't know how to answer that."

The grand chandeliers of the Montcliffe ballroom sparkled like a thousand tiny stars in the sky.

Music swelled in the background, the lively strains of a waltz filling the space as couples twirled gracefully across the marble floor.

Lavinia stood at the foot of the staircase, talking to Solomon, one of Andrew's closest friends.

"So you do like the dukedom," she commented. "Even though you were not born into it."

Solomon, a tall man with sharp features and a presence that commanded attention, let out a low chuckle. He was the only other friend Andrew had besides Victor, Alice's husband. Solomon was obviously different from the men in the ton .

"It is more of a game to me at the moment. A rather exhausting one," he answered.

Lavinia studied him as he leaned against the pillar and scanned the crowd.

In the few months that she had known him, she could tell that he was nonchalant about many things that most gentlemen thought to be important.

Solomon had not been raised for the high society life he lived.

His mannerisms were rougher, his speech more direct than most of the noble men.

..but there was a certain intelligence about him, a calculating awareness that suggested he understood the rules of the game better than he let on.

Lavinia parted her lips to respond, but just then, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure entering the ballroom.

Lavinia turned back to Solomon with an apologetic smile. "If you will kindly excuse me, Your Grace, I see someone I must greet."

Solomon inclined his head. "Of course, Your Grace. I will go and find your husband to occupy myself until this...theatre is over."

Lavinia chuckled, shaking her head as she stepped away. She hurriedly made her way across the room and stopped by Emma's side, playfully poking her on the shoulder.

Emma turned around swiftly and beamed. "I was just looking for you!"

"You're late," Lavinia whispered. "The ball started long ago."

"I apologize. I was with Alice until this morning," Emma explained, giving Lavinia an affectionate squeeze. "She wanted to come, truly, but she is so close to her time now that even a short carriage ride is too much."

Lavinia's expression softened. "How is she?" she questioned. "She must be due to give birth any time now."

Emma sighed dramatically. "She insists she is fine, but I caught her wincing more than once. I suspect the baby will come any day now. I would have stayed longer and missed this ball, but my sister's here, so I must keep an eye on her."

Lavinia's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then we must visit her soon. I would not forgive myself if I did not see her before she gives birth."

Emma nodded eagerly. "Yes, I told her we would come. She misses you dearly and is quite sad that she has to hear all the drama surrounding your marriage from me."

Lavinia's shoulders drooped. "I feel awful about it too. I'm tired of exchanging letters, but Andrew refuses to let me out of his sight. I didn't know love changes people this much, but apparently, it does."

Emma giggled. "Oh, come on. Tell me all about it."

Lavinia playfully rolled her eyes to mask the shift in the color of her cheeks. "Where do I start?"

Emma looped her arm through Lavinia's and grinned. "Tell me everything I don't already know. How did you manage to turn the infamous Duke of Hargrove into a besotted husband who refuses to let you out of his sight?"

Lavinia giggled. "Besotted?"

"Indeed he is." Emma nodded. "I cannot tell where he is currently in this room, but if I were to guess, he would have his eyes following you."

Lavinia sighed. "It still feels rather surreal, if I am to be honest," she started. "He is truly putting in the effort he said he would, and that just makes me fall more and more in love with him every day. He barely leaves my side, and most mornings, I wake up to him staring at me while I sleep."

Emma sighed dreamily. "That sounds utterly romantic. I never imagined Andrew to be the sort to dote on his wife."

Lavinia smirked. "Neither did I. Yet here we are."

"Where are we exactly?"

Lavinia turned to find Andrew standing there. He leaned forward and hugged her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulders.

Emma grinned. "Ah, Your Grace, just in time. Your wife was just telling me how utterly besotted she is with you."

Lavinia gasped and swatted Emma's arm playfully. "Emma!"

Andrew let out a soft chuckle. "Hello Lady Emma," he greeted her too. "I hate to interrupt, but I need to steal your dear friend for a moment. I cannot promise I will be quick, but I will try to get her back to you."

Emma chuckled. "I shall leave you two to it, Your Grace. My sister should be around here somewhere and I must find her." With a knowing look, she strolled away, giggling and shaking her head.

Before Lavinia could protest, Andrew tugged her gently, guiding her through the grand doors leading out to the balcony. The cool night air wrapped around them as he pulled her into a secluded corner, away from prying eyes.

"Andrew, we are in public. What would people think if they see us all alone here?" Lavinia whispered.

"Since when did you start caring what people think?" he asked, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I thought we were past that."

Lavinia mellowed, smiling sheepishly. They truly were past that.

These days, the stares of the other ladies, those familiar sideways glances that once would have made her shrink with self-doubt, seemed to not bother her anymore.

Now, she felt nothing but assured in her own skin.

She had grown into herself, no longer bothered by the judgments of others.

She no longer sought validation from anyone but herself.

Andrew's lips brushed against hers once more, his kiss slow and tender, as if savoring the moment.

When he pulled back, his gaze softened, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"We should return home soon," he murmured, his voice filled with warmth and affection.

"I can't wait to have you all to myself.

Lavinia's cheeks burned as she caught the heat in his gaze. Her heart raced, but there was something deliciously thrilling in his words. She tilted her head slightly, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Is that all you want?" she teased.

Andrew shook his head. "We should start working on having a child, don't you think? Or rather, I know we've been working, but perhaps we need to double our efforts."

Lavinia playfully tapped his arm as her cheeks flushed a deep pink at his words, her heart fluttering with both excitement and the sweetness of his intention. "What are the things that cross your mind every day, Andrew?"

"Oh, I don't think this is the appropriate place to tell you all of it," he teased again.

Lavinia rolled her eyes. "You're impossible," she said and sighed. "But you are also right. Perhaps it's best we go home. Emma will understand. I am keen on hearing these thoughts you claim are not appropriate for this place."

Andrew chuckled, his hand gently cupping her cheek. "Don't worry, my love. There will be plenty of time for me to explain everything, every detail, just how I've been imagining it."

"I'm sure you've been imagining quite a lot." She couldn't help but smile, even as the flush on her cheeks deepened.

"Well, you do have a way of making a man dream," Andrew replied.

Lavinia shook her head, her smile widening. "You're impossible," she said.

With that, they exchanged a look that spoke volumes, one filled with unspoken promises and a future waiting to unfold. Andrew's fingers brushed against hers, sending a thrill through her as he gently took her hand, guiding her toward the exit.

The evening's chatter and the attention of others faded into the background and as they stepped into the cool night air, Lavinia couldn't help but smile to herself. Her dream had finally become reality.

It was something she was starting to believe only happened in books. She was starting to get comfortable in her new reality and everything they had faced, everything that had brought them to this moment, had only made the wait for what was coming next worth it.

The End?