Page 32 of Her Lion of a Duke (Dukes & Beasts #3)

With everything that had happened, Cecilia was coming to realize that miracles did exist. In fact, she had witnessed several.

It had been three months since her return to Pridefield Manor. It had taken her some time to reacquaint herself with it, but it had come quickly enough. What surprised her, more than anything, was that Mrs. Herrington was the first to accept her again.

“I only wanted both of you to be happy,” the housekeeper had said. “If this matter has been resolved, then I’m glad.”

It was difficult to leave Clara in London, but Cecilia trusted that her aunt had learned her lesson about trying to force her daughter’s hand. There would be no more arrangements made.

When the social season ended with her cousin still unmarried, Cecilia heaved a sigh of relief, though she prayed that Clara would find the love she was looking for.

She thought of her as she played the pianoforte. She had never been very good at it, but each time she passed the one in the drawing room, it was as though it called to her.

She wanted to learn, and so she had been doing so in secret. Brutus lay beside her as she practiced, and slowly she was becoming rather good.

Unfortunately, she had incorrectly assumed that Leonard was not at home when she began her practice today. When she looked up and saw him in the doorway, her fingers slipped over the keys, making a few discordant notes.

“You are home!” she gasped.

“It is my home, so yes. I am here more often than not, no?”

“Yes,” she replied, laughing softly. “You were not supposed to see this, though.”

“Whyever not? You play beautifully for a lady who hates it.”

“I am an amateur at best,” she sighed. “I wish that I had tried before, so that I would not be behind other ladies.”

“Why do you care about that? You have never done so before.”

“I know, and in truth, I still don’t. But sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I had not been so insistent on hating what the other young ladies liked.”

“If you were like the other ladies, you would not be my Duchess. You would not have noticed me, for one. Even if you did, I do not think I would have married a lady who was exactly like the others.”

Cecilia laughed, her fingertip grazing one of the keys.

“Will you play for me?” Leonard asked. “Please? You sounded lovely before you noticed me.”

“I did not want you to hear. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“And believe me, I am surprised. Please continue.”

It would be fruitless to try to avoid it, so with a nervous smile, she resumed playing. Her nerves showed in the halting notes, but as she eased into it, she grew in confidence, and the notes flowed smoothly.

“Have you received word of Renshaw?” she asked as she played. “It is strange that all of this is taking so long.”

“Yes, well, his mother appeared to plead his case for him. She claimed that it could not have been her darling son, for he had been with her that night. It almost worked. Fortunately, enough gentlemen challenged her story. They had all seen him that night, and that tore her story apart.”

“I will never be such a horrible mother,” Cecilia scoffed. “I will protect our children, but I will never let them grow up so entitled, not to mention trying to find ways for them to escape justice.”

“She will face what is to come, for lying in a court of law is not taken lightly. The scandal will be dreadful.”

“And we will face it,” she said as the song came to an end. “I do not believe that we will be affected by it. If anything, this is the revenge you have long sought. They will all know of your innocence, Leonard.”

“As for whether or not they believe it…”

“They will,” she insisted. “I know that there have been doubts over the years, but Renshaw has confessed. He is guilty of murder, and he will live the rest of his days with everyone knowing that. He may not be ashamed of what he has done, but he will be ashamed of how he is perceived.”

“That is justice in and of itself,” he agreed. “I know that all of this is good. I know that it is what we have both wanted, but after so many years of scrutiny, I do not know what to think of what is to come.”

“Whatever happens,” she assured him, rising to her feet and kissing him on the cheek, “we will be prepared for it, and we shall handle matters together. You are not alone anymore.”

“I have not been for a long time.” He gave a tender smile. “Come, I do not want to think about this anymore. It is as you say—whatever happens, we will face it together. Until then, I would like to enjoy our lives as they are.”

They left for the village, Leonard needing time away from the manor. They liked to walk together when challenges arose because it gave them time to find clarity together.

Cecilia was aware that since they had begun to take walks together, Leonard’s visions grew less frequent. She had always assumed that his brother came to see him whenever he needed advice, and it soothed her to know that he was not relying on it as much.

“Do you miss him?” she asked as they walked by a lake. “Henry, I mean.”

“Every day. I wish I had tried to understand him better and form a deeper bond with him. I wish that I had more memories with him, but I do not regret the life we had together. There were more good times than bad, even if I do not make it seem that way.”

“You hardly ever talk about the good times,” Cecilia murmured. “Though I always assumed that there had been better moments.”

“Of course! He and I liked to spend time at this very lake, and we often played together as boys. It was only when we realized that there was an undeniable difference between us that things changed.”

Cecilia suddenly bristled, and she knew that he felt it because he nudged her.

“Something is troubling you,” he noted. “You do not need to keep it from me.”

“I know. I suppose that I am simply concerned about our children. What if we have two sons, or a son and a daughter, and the ton treats them differently?”

Leonard considered for a moment and then looked at her tenderly.

“We will simply not allow them to think that it is their fault. That is what happened with Henry and me. We were allowed to see each other in the way we did, and if that were to happen with our own children, we would put a stop to it. I will not treat them differently, and I know that you will not either.”

“Not at all. They shall all be little miracles. Despite everything, I find myself rather eager to start a family. Once this Renshaw matter is done with, we can begin the next chapter of our lives, and I cannot wait for it.”

“Nor can I. It will be a nice ending to it all. Have you told your friends of our plans yet?”

“Not yet, but they are going to visit tomorrow. They will not let me hear the end of it, I am quite certain. I have changed so much!”

“You have, but you have been yourself the entire time. You should also know that I have loved every version of you.”

Cecilia smiled, and they continued on their way.

The following day, she looked at her three friends sitting around her, their teacups in their hands, and wondered how she was going to explain herself.

She had been the same for years: determined not to marry, with no intentions of falling in love or having children or any of the wonderful things that she had decided she wanted after all.

“You seem different,” Beatrice said softly. “I am happy that the two of you were able to overcome your differences.”

“I cannot believe that you all knew about it!”

“Our husbands, like yours, tell us everything,” Emma snorted. “And whatever we know, we tell Beatrice too.”

The ladies laughed, but Cecilia could see the sadness in Beatrice’s eyes.

She wished that Beatrice could see herself the way they all did, but there was no changing it. Beatrice saw herself as the very opposite of beauty, and in her eyes, she was not worthy of what she so desperately wanted.

“You are next,” Dorothy told her. “If the three of us have found love, it will be easy for you. You are the kindest of us, and you can bake exquisite cakes that we can only dream of.”

“I, for one,” Cecilia chimed in, “shall be devastated on your wedding day, for it will mean that you have a man to bake for instead of me. I will miss your cakes terribly.”

They all burst into more laughter, but it did not seem to help.

Cecilia sighed, knowing that the only way her friend would have any luck on the marriage mart was if she had faith in herself and truly believed that she was worthy of love.

“I have some news for you all,” she spoke, in an attempt to give Beatrice a respite.

“You and your husband will be moving to Scotland?” Dorothy asked, laughing incredulously. “I never know when it comes to you. It could be anything.”

“That’s a good guess.” Cecilia chuckled. “You see, when I married Leonard, he told me that I could spin his globe and choose a country, and we would visit it. We have, at last, done that. We are to visit Greece!”

The ladies squealed, happy for her.

“How wonderful.” Emma clapped her hands excitedly. “When will you leave?”

“Within the month. We hope to return in time for the next Season, so that we can help with—so that we can help Clara.”

Beatrice blushed, but nobody questioned it.

“I thought that Clara had taken a liking to Lord Thompson?” Dorothy asked.

“She has, but after what happened with Lord Renshaw, my aunt is not as eager to marry her off to any gentleman who arrives and asks. Lord Thompson is happy to wait, so all is well.”

“I suppose that you want the scandal to die down,” Emma said. “She will make a beautiful bride when the time comes.”

“Time is a very important thing,” Cecilia agreed. “I have been thinking about this a lot, with everything that has changed. I am very different now, as I am certain you have all noticed.”

“Indeed, we have,” Beatrice affirmed. “It has been strange, for you have always been the same, but you seem happier now than you ever were before.”

“And that is because I stopped rejecting things simply because ladies like them,” Cecilia revealed.

“As it turns out, I rather enjoy playing the pianoforte and embroidering flowers and taking long walks on my husband’s arm.

I have been enjoying those mundane little moments, and I never thought that would happen. ”

“I did.” Emma grinned. “I knew that you would change your mind and that you would fall victim to love in the same way I did. It changes your very being.”

“And I have been wholly changed,” Cecilia agreed. “Which is why, once we return from Greece, Leonard and I will start a family.”

Her friends were astonished, applauding and crying at the same time. The conversation quickly veered to baby names and how their children would be best friends. O

nce more, Cecilia worried for Beatrice, but there was no need. Beatrice was just as enthusiastic as the others, and Cecilia admired her for that. She hoped that her friend would find the happiness she had.

“They seemed happy when they left,” Leonard remarked over dinner. “They liked the news, then?”

“Indeed. They did not even mock me once. They are so happy for us.”

“I did not expect any less. They will miss you greatly while we are away.”

“And I will miss them, but I will not pretend that I like the wait. I hope the month passes quickly!”

“As do I.” He smiled. “You will love Greece. It is one of my favorite destinations. The people there are wonderful, and everything is so different. It will surprise you at first, but I know you will adjust quickly.”

“Of course I will. I enjoy change, it would seem.”

Leonard chuckled.

After their meal, they shared a drink and then retired for bed early. Cecilia followed him as she did every night, entering his bedchambers and lying beside him in the dark and smiling about how blissfully happy she was.

She would have been happy with Leonard anywhere, but she was even happier that they would spend time together in such a beautiful place.

She drifted off to sleep, dreaming of beautiful buildings and flowers.

All the while, his heart beat steadily beneath her cheek.

The End?