Page 31 of An Unforeseen Kiss (Captivating Kisses #4)

H e had been an utter clot.

Val silently berated himself as he followed the others into the house. The girls still chattered about the assembly, Eden following them. He paused in the foyer, wanting to put some space between them.

In her sweet naivety, she had misunderstood his behavior this evening, thinking him arrogant and a boor—when he was merely jealous of the attention Arden had paid to her.

He had wanted to kiss her. Whisper words of love to her.

Yet everything had gone to the devil in mere seconds, and he was as distant from her now as he ever had been.

He felt so lonely. So isolated. In a short amount of time, Eden had not only become the woman he loved, but she was also his best friend.

He wanted to talk over his problems, but he had no one to listen to him at Millvale.

Suddenly, the urge to talk with Mama swept through him.

True, they had never been close, but if he were to make amends with Eden and bring her into the family as his duchess, Val would need to speak to his mother about it.

Knowing she liked to stay up late and read, he made his way toward her rooms.

He decided to enter without knocking, crossing through the small siting room designated for the duchess. Then he knocked gently on the door leading to her bedchamber, not wishing to wake her if she were sleeping.

“Come,” she called, and he pushed open the door, seeing she was in her dressing gown, sitting in a chair by the window, a book opened in her lap.

“Millbrooke. Do come closer.” She closed the book and placed it on the table, indicating for him to take the seat opposite her. “What brings you to me so late?”

He sat, raking his hands through his hair in frustration.

Before he could form a sentence, Mama said, “It is Miss Snow, isn’t it?”

Startled, he asked, “How did you know?”

“We may not be close, but I gave birth to you. I know you better than you may know yourself after having watched you all these years. Are you planning to offer for her?”

“I may have ruined my chance of doing so,” he admitted.

“Tell me,” she urged. “You are my son—and a duke. Any woman would be thrilled to accept you as their husband.”

“I have been drawn to her from the first,” he began. “Yes, at first, it was because of her beauty, but beneath that lies a beautiful soul. She is caring. Compassionate. Intelligent. Supportive. We used to spend an hour together every day in the gardens.”

“I know,” she said. “I have seen you both go there.” Her gaze intent on him, she asked, “Are you in love with her?”

Val nodded. “Hopelessly. And I have yet to tell her that.”

“Then why not do so?” she encouraged.

“You would approve if I did so? Ask a governess to wed a duke?”

“My approval is not needed in this matter, Val,” she said, addressing him for the first time by his given name since he had claimed his father’s title.

“What matters most is that you care for her. Now, do I believe Miss Snow would make for a good duchess? I do. From what I have seen of her, she not only carries herself with grace, but she has a quiet authority about her. Agnes told me that Miss Snow is the daughter of Viscount Brownley, so it is not as if she is someone with unknown bloodlines.”

“I do love her, Mama. And I made an arse of myself tonight.”

He told her how he had seethed with jealousy, watching Eden dancing with Lord Arden. How he had interrupted them and claimed her for a set.

“She was not happy with me,” he confided. “She dressed me down as if I were a schoolboy. Said that I was rude. I wanted to tell her this evening of my feelings for her, but my ill-mannered behavior made that impossible. I fear she will never give me a chance.”

Val left out the part about them kissing, too embarrassed to provide that detail to his mother.

“I envy you,” Mama said. “First Ariadne, and now you. You have both found love. The road to love is not an easy one, my son. I am not one of those fortunate enough to ever have experienced it. But if Miss Snow is meant for you, it will come to pass.” She hesitated and then said, “I think you need to give her two things you may be reluctant to give. Time—and distance.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is a line from a poem I once read which stayed with me . Absence doth sharpen love . Perhaps if you are not so readily available, Miss Snow would come to realize just how much she misses you. You have mentioned previously about visiting the other estates you have inherited. This might be the time to do so.”

“But I could be gone a month or longer, Mama,” Val protested. “I would miss all that time with Eden.”

“If she is keeping you at arm’s length now, you would not be spending time with her anyway.

I know you have ended your daily conversations in the garden.

You have no other time to be alone with her.

Why not do your duty and go see your properties?

Make certain they are in good working order.

It will give your Miss Snow time to think. Time to miss you.”

He could see her reasoning held water. At this point, Eden wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He would get nowhere if he kept pushing her—and would most likely push her even further away if he continued along the same course.

“You are right, Mama. Your advice is sound. I will leave in the morning.” He thought a moment. “Of course, there is the fete coming up in June.”

“Haven’t you already put the majority of the planning in the capable hands of your future duchess?” she asked, smiling.

“I will leave a note for her, telling her to continue with the preparations. That I will return by the day of the fete.”

He stood, leaning over and brushing a kiss against her cheek. “Thank you. And I give you permission to talk this over with Aunt Agnes.”

She chuckled. “Oh, Agnes and I have already talked this to death,” she revealed. “The girls may not have noticed, but Agnes and I both have. In fact, she is the one who first noted the spark between the two of you. You may not recall, but Agnes and George were a love match.”

“I was not aware of that. I remember how jovial Uncle George was. It is even more tragic to think she lost him so early.”

“Agnes will never wed again. George was the love of her life. Go, Millbrooke. Write your letter to Miss Snow. I will check on her every now and then as to the plans. The fete will come off as promised. It will be something good for the area. Goodnight, my darling boy.”

“Goodnight, Mama.”

Val left her to go to his study. Removing fresh parchment, he paused, not knowing how to begin.

If he opened the letter using Eden, she might be so angry that she might not read it.

Also, if someone else saw it, they would question him addressing a governess in so familiar a fashion.

She was so concerned about her reputation that he knew he could not begin the letter that way.

Simply saying Miss Snow seemed so cold, though. So sterile. He wanted somehow to convey his feelings for her without saying it outright. Val finally decided upon how to address her and dipped his pen into the ink.

My dear Miss Snow–

I have been remiss in not visiting the other estates which I inherited upon my father’s death.

I did want to make certain that I first settled in at Millvale since this is my country seat.

Now that I am comfortable with the workings of the estate, I can trust my steward to continue with plans we have made together, allowing me the freedom to travel to my other properties throughout England.

This will mean you will shoulder the bulk of planning for the fete.

For that, I am sorry. We both know, however, that you are incredibly efficient.

You will have the help of my sisters and cousins, and Mama has assured me she would check with you on a regular basis to ensure things are going as planned.

You will also be granted use of my carriage, as I know you will be calling upon many people in order to secure judges for our various contests and booths to fill the lawn.

I have four estates to visit, along with the time traveling between them. I will be gone for several weeks, but I promise you I will be home in time to take my hosting duties seriously regarding the fete and greet the guests to Millvale.

I would say if you had any questions to take them to Her Grace, but you are both bright and creative, and I know you will come to whatever solution is needed all on your own. Thank you for taking on this task, along with your governessing duties. I remain in your debt.

Millbrooke

Val read through the letter three times, seeing nothing needed to be added.

He let the ink dry before sealing it and scrawling her name across the front.

Taking the letter to the library, he left it on one of the tables, knowing she was always the first to appear in the room in order to ready lessons for Verina and Justina.

She would find it tomorrow morning—after he was gone.

He retired to his bedchamber, Fisham assisting him from his clothes. He informed the valet they would leave after breakfast tomorrow morning, traveling about England to visit his various properties.

“I will have everything packed and ready for you, Your Grace,” Fisham assured him. “Do you have an idea how long we might be gone from Millvale?”

“It will depend upon what I find at each estate and how long I must stay at that particular one,” he replied. “I do plan for us to be back in time for the fete, however.”

“Well, you should, Your Grace. You’re hosting it. It would be a bit odd for you not to attend.”

“Have I told you how much I appreciate your honesty, Fisham?”

The valet gave him a toothy grin. “You have, Your Grace, but I appreciate hearing it, all the same.”

Surprisingly, Val dropped off to sleep quickly.

When he awoke, Fisham was already in his bedchamber, quietly packing his things.

The valet helped Val to shave and dress, and he went downstairs to breakfast. He was the last to arrive and glad all four girls were present so that he might say his goodbyes to them at the same time.

Taking a sip of coffee to fortify himself, he said, “I will be leaving this morning.”

Immediately, they began peppering him with questions, and he held up a hand to silence them.

“It is time for me to go to my other estates. I have gotten my feet wet studying everything at Millvale, but it is important to me to have an active hand in my other properties.”

“But what about the fete?” Tia asked. “You could be traveling and miss it.”

“I am leaving the planning of it in Miss Snow’s capable hands. She will need a good deal of assistance, though, from the four of you. Do not let the entire burden rest upon her shoulders.”

“We are glad to help Miss Snow,” Lia told him. “You will have nothing to worry about. Between Miss Snow and the four of us, the fete will be a tremendous success.”

“People were so excited to hear of it last night,” Verina shared.

“And they are already hoping it will become an annual tradition,” Justina added.

“Then that makes it doubly important that the first one held come off flawlessly.” He gazed about the table. “I am counting on all of you.”

“We will not let you down, Val,” Lia assured him.

He finished his breakfast and asked that the second carriage be readied for him before summoning the Quigbys, telling them of his plans to be absent from Millvale for the next several weeks.

“You are not taking the ducal carriage with you, Your Grace?” asked the butler, clearly puzzled.

“No, the other carriage is smaller and faster. It will get me to where I am going with no problems. Besides, I wish to leave the regular carriage so that Her Grace and my family may move in comfort about the countryside. A lot of planning will need to occur regarding the fete, and I want the two of you to understand that Miss Snow has full authority in my absence.”

Mrs. Quigby’s hand flew to her mouth in surprise.

“If Miss Snow has need of the carriage, it is to be available to her. My sisters and nieces will most likely be accompanying her on the various errands she will be running. Do you have any questions?” he asked, his tone brokering no response was necessary.

Fisham came through the front door. “Your trunk has been loaded into the carriage, Your Grace. We are ready when you are.”

“Then this is goodbye,” Val said, following Fisham out the door.

Beside the carriage stood one of the grooms, a favorite of his. He had asked Fisham to send for the groom and now moved toward him.

“Rollo, in my absence, you will serve as coachman for my family. Look after them.”

The groom’s eyes lit with surprise, and he beamed at Val. “Certainly, Your Grace. Thank you for having the confidence in me.”

Fisham climbed up next to the coachman, while Val entered the vehicle. He used his cane to rap on the roof, and the carriage began its journey.

He glanced back at the house, hoping he was doing the right thing in separating from Eden.

And when he returned to Millvale, he would tell her of his love—and ask her to be his duchess.