Page 31 of His Unwanted Duchess (Regency Wedding Crashers #2)

One Year Later

“Happy birthday, Beatrice!” Anna shouted, louder than everybody else. “Blow out the candles and make a wish.”

“You don’t think I’m a little too old for this?” Beatrice laughed, obediently leaning forward. She blew out the candles in one breath, and there was a flurry of laughter and applause.

“You are never too old for birthday wishes,” Daphne spoke up seriously. Her twin sister sat beside her, clearly more excited about a slice of cake than any birthday wishes.

The party was a small one, but big enough for the people Beatrice cared for. Her parents were here, of course, as well as John. George and Harry were somewhere around, inspecting Stephen’s collection of portraits and paintings. Theodore and Anna were here, of course, as well as Anna’s mother, Octavia, whom Beatrice had not seen for so long. Theodosia was there, of course.

Anna and Theodore’s children, Kitty and baby Edmund, raced around between the chairs and tables set outside for the birthday luncheon. At least, Kitty raced, whereas Edmund toddled after her on fat, unsteady legs, his face full of adoration for his older sister.

“As Daphne so wisely says, you are never too old for a birthday wish,” Anna repeated with a laugh, wrapping her arm around Beatrice’s shoulder. “What do you say, Stephen?”

“I would not dare to contradict you, my dear,” Stephen said, chuckling.

He sat at the edge of the little circle, sprawled on a chair, his legs stretched out in front of him. It did not bother Beatrice that her husband was not at her side. It wasn’t his way, and he could not change his entire character in the space of a year. Besides, it didn’t matter, since she knew his eyes were following her every moment of the day. When their gazes met, a delicious shiver ran down her spine.

I love you, she thought, and she knew that Stephen would almost hear the thought, almost as if she’d said it aloud.

John sidled up to her.

“Mama’s in a funk,” he mumbled. “She wrote to Edward to invite him personally, and he did not even reply. I believe she’s worried about him. We all miss Jane, but it can’t do him any good to be cooped up in that old house all day.”

“No, I imagine not,” Beatrice murmured. She did worry about her brother-in-law, but so far, no solution presented itself. “But we will think about him another time. He is not forgotten.”

“Of course,” John said, grinning and nudging his sister. “Today is your birthday.”

“While the cake is being cut up,” Beatrice announced, getting to her feet, “I shall take a little walk. I fancy some air.”

“More air? We’re outside.” Theodosia laughed.

“Shall I come with you?” Anna asked.

Beatrice shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m going to go and think about my birthday wish if you don’t mind.”

Anna chuckled, shaking her head. When she looked away, Beatrice glanced at Stephen, whose eyebrows rose. She hoped the message was clear enough.

Stephen’s face was smooth and placid as always, but Beatrice was learning to read him a little better. She knew he’d understood.

She walked quickly away from the happy party, laughter ringing in her ears.

Happiness, it turned out, was the sort of thing that crept up on a person. Life was full of chaos and worry, and it was so easy to lurch from one anxiety, one problem, directly to the next. But if one could only slow down, take a breath, and look around, one might discover that happiness had been there all along.

After all, happy or not, life never promised to be easy. That wasn’t the deal and never would be.

She followed a gravel path past a cluster of trees, rounding a large fountain with a statue of Venus above it, and took a sharp turn into the woods.

She barely made it two steps into the darkness before a familiar, deep voice spoke, making her shiver.

“Fancy sneaking away from your birthday party. Tut-tut, my dear Duchess. Tut-tut.”

She turned to face her husband, leaning back against a tree trunk. “I can always go back there if you prefer,” she retorted, jutting her chin.

Stephen grinned wolfishly, inching closer to her. He braced one hand against the tree trunk, just beside her head, and pinched her chin with his free hand.

The familiar sensation of his warm fingertips on her skin sent pleasurable shivers through her, and she let her eyes close for a moment. His warm breath ghosted over her forehead, and she knew he was going to kiss her on the forehead before his lips landed on hers.

“You look beautiful,” Stephen murmured. “You always look beautiful, of course, but I think I like you best in green silk.”

“Why, thank you. It’s my favorite, too.”

He tilted up her chin, and Beatrice turned up her face for a kiss. It was a soft kiss, a warm and chaste one, heavy with the promise of something more, later.

She was briefly struck with the idea of hitching up her skirts and telling Stephen to take her right there and then, in the open and against the tree. They had done similar things in the past, and she was learning that her tastes were wide and varied, almost as wide and varied as those of Duke Blackheart himself.

That wasn’t the point, though. The point was to find out together.

There wasn’t time for any lovemaking, though.

“I didn’t lure you out here for that, by the way,” Beatrice remarked, in case Stephen was getting the wrong idea.

He chuckled, smiling fondly down at her. “I had a feeling you had something up your sleeve. Come on, then. Let’s hear it. I’m on the edge of my figurative seat to know what it is you have to tell me.”

Beatrice drew in a breath, smoothing down her bodice. She glanced up, looking him squarely in the eye. “I’m with child.”

He froze. “A… a child?”

She nodded. “I waited to be sure, but I am sure now. I visited a midwife yesterday, and she confirmed it. We’re going to have a baby, Stephen. You and I.”

He staggered backward, his eyes wide, and it occurred to Beatrice that this was the first time she’d ever seen her husband truly shocked.

“Stephen?” she asked cautiously. “Are you quite all right?”

“Yes, yes, I… I know we had decided that having children would not be the worst thing in the world, but I just… Well, I spent so long determined not to continue my line in any way. I don’t know what to say. I’m happy, but I’m terrified, and I am not sure I like that combination of feelings. And you, my dear, I know that you dread childbirth.”

“I do,” Beatrice admitted. “I am afraid. But I think that we would be foolish if we were not afraid. I have Anna, and I have a fine midwife, and I have… I have you, Stephen. When I think of the baby, the child we might have, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Both are happy reactions, by the way. I had to tell you before I told anyone else. Nobody knows yet, not even Anna.”

Stephen stepped back towards her, taking her in his arms.

“The idea of being a father terrifies me,” he admitted. “I don’t have the faintest idea of what to do. But with you as a mother, I know for sure that our child will be very lucky, indeed. And I do know what not to do—that feels like a good start.”

Beatrice smiled, resting her cheek against his chest. “It is a good start. I love you, Stephen, and I think that is the best start of all.”

He kissed the top of her head. “And I love you too, my dear Duchess. I love you, Beatrice.”

The End.