Page 39 of Matters of a Duke’s Heart

The Lovers’ Walk was dark by the time Felicity and Spencer finally wandered through it.

It had been two weeks since she had been brought back to Bluebell Manor, back to where her husband had finally poured his heart out to her, as he had done in her very twisted dream, and she had begun the process of settling with all the information.

Finally, she felt on stable footing.

“You know, I truly did always imagine experiencing something like this,” Felicity commented as they walked the pathway in the evening. Her arm was tucked into Spencer’s, and her pale pink gown whispered along the ground. “There is something rather special about returning to where we met.”

“Thank goodness it is only the location and not with the terrible brute who turned you down,” he teased. “I do wonder what would have happened that day had I gotten you back to your mother instead of leaving you.”

“Oh, I imagine she would have offered me up for your hand in marriage immediately as a thank you gift,” Felicity giggled.

“So, I do not think anything would have been much different except for the fact that I may have thought you less rude at the start of our marriage.” She frowned.

“Actually, no, I do not think that is possible.”

“You do love to tease me,” he laughed as they walked together. “I would have accepted the gift, though.”

“Truly?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am,” she admitted.

“I found you beautiful even back then,” he told her. “It is shallow of me, but I would have accepted based on that… and based on how we conversed on your journey back.”

“Ah, so if I had been terribly boring you would have refused?”

Spencer stopped short and cornered her against one of the stone statues that was nestled into a hedged alcove. “Felicity, my love, there is nothing boring about you.”

Lady Helena had instilled that worry in her, yet there was her husband, insistent that she was not boring, and Felicity could only tilt her face up to kiss him.

Shyly, she let the kiss deepen, knowing they were far enough from sight that nobody would disturb them or stumble across them at that time of the evening.

“I did not know you thought of such scandalous things like kissing so publicly,” he teased, letting his mouth trail over the curve of her jaw. Felicity shivered against him. “Perhaps I should verify these books of yours, for they are giving you wicked ideas.”

Felicity only giggled into another kiss before they continued their walk.

After a few moments, Spencer cleared his throat.

“I wanted to tell you that Rupert reported some interesting news. It appears that Lady Helena has been spreading more malicious rumors that have quickly been put to rest, and her family are sending her to the countryside to live with an aunt. She has been attempting to coerce other lords into offering their hand in marriage and has generally become slightly more vicious with her attempts.”

“Heavens,” Felicity muttered. Lady Helena was a wound Felicity had still not closed properly, but she was seeing now where her worries and insecurities had affected her relationship with Spencer.

She was learning to trust his word over her own doubt.

“I feel rather sorry for her that she has missed her chance to wed.”

“I do not,” Spencer answered. “She was pushy and insistent, and perhaps if she had been patient then a hand in marriage would have come more naturally. She was rather shallow.”

“Most ladies of the ton are,” Felicity pointed out.

“But not you,” he countered.

“And you are nothing like the Lord Radcliffes of the ton, either,” she noted.

Spencer gave a laugh that swept through her warmly. “I am most definitely not. The man has been apprehended for swindling and not paying his debts. He had some very unhappy lords waiting on investment payments. No doubt he will be chased out of every other respectable town in England.”

“Good. He deserves a far worse fate in my eyes.” She still couldn’t forget how scared Daphne had looked when Lord Radcliffe had caught hold of her, nor how it had felt to fall off that balcony, as well as worry about what his next move would have been.

Spencer looked at her admiringly. “Indeed, I agree.” He stopped suddenly. “Felicity, all I have ever wanted to do since we wed is to protect and take care of you. However, while I am not pushing for it anyway time soon… it is just that… well…”

He trailed off, surprising Felicity for she had never seen him so nervous before.

“I sired Alexander out of duty,” he told her, and her heart fluttered, guessing at what he was going to say.

“Of course, I love him, but at the same time, I did not get a chance to enjoy my marriage without the expectancy of a child. I did not get to decide whether I wanted one as well as needed one. I do hope that does not sound cruel. I have made incredible progress with Alexander, thanks to you, but I—I cannot help but think what a child of ours might look like. Not yet—I do not think either of us are ready, and I want more time with Alexander without the addition of another child. But… I have found myself thinking of you mothering a child of ours, too. One of your own.”

“My own,” she murmured. Her fingers laced through Spencer’s, squeezing.

“I confess I am coming to see Alexander as my own, but I do know what you mean. I want a full family, one that never goes without love. In time, I would like to have that with you. As you say, I also want to enjoy our marriage and spoiling Alexander with our time. He has gone without that for too long to introduce another child so soon.”

“Exactly,” he said. “And I never want him to feel pushed out for a child of ours, or that he is not as wanted for not being yours by blood.”

“He is mine as much as any child I might bear with you,” Felicity promised, her face heating up with the mention of bearing Spencer a child.

Her stomach fluttered with nerves she couldn’t quite control.

“The night of the Farriers’ ball, I invited you to my bed.

And I… I confess I had intended to do so before I posed it as a test. Perhaps I can blame it on the Lovers’ Walk, or simply us overcoming the separation two weeks ago, but I feel as though I am ready to invite you truly. Properly.”

Still blushing, Felicity stopped to gaze up at her husband.

“Then you may ask me,” he teased.

“Spencer, will you come to my chamber tonight?” she whispered, nerves making her voice crack.

Spencer smiled fondly as he leaned down to kiss her. “I shall be there before you even close the door upon retiring for the night.”

And she couldn’t help but laugh as they conveniently found a quicker exit out of the Vauxhall Gardens to return home.

THE END