Page 17 of Secrets of a Duke’s Heart (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #25)

EPILOGUE

C larissa had always believed in the saying marry in haste, repent at leisure. In the end, there was no putting it off. Theirs would already be a seven-month baby, when it was born. Waiting any longer would have shamed the family name, and Jude wouldn’t stand for that.

On a bright, brisk day in October, they were married in the family chapel at Acton Heath. Estelle served as her flower girl. Harriet was unable to attend, being pregnant and living in France, but she sent a sweet gift of fine lace which Clarissa proudly wore on her wedding gown. Nathaniel and her entire family attended the ceremony, and the huge dining room was so full during the wedding breakfast that they had to scramble to find extra chairs.

Pamela and her four sons, however, ensured the day wasn’t perfect. Unlike the illegitimate daughter she scorned, Pamela was self-centered and clearly thrived on male attention, which she did not receive enough of on her brother’s wedding day. She pouted and preened, attempting to upstage Clarissa at every opportunity. Even the gown she chose to wear to the occasion was designed to command male attention.

Clarissa came away from their interactions with the conclusion that in a sad way, Harriet had been lucky not to be raised by Pamela. Her Uncle Monty had been far more of a parent to her than her birth mother.

Apart from dealing with her new sister-in-law, being a duchess wasn’t nearly as taxing as she had feared.

Yes, the scrutiny from the scandal rags and speculation about how a woman of her advanced age and humble origins had managed to ensnare England’s most desirable duke grew tiresome, but mostly, she had the luxury of largely ignoring them.

Once the guests were gone and the house had settled back into a semblance of normality, she made preparing for their baby her topmost priority. To keep her mind busy and get out into the countryside for beneficial exercise, she began a survey of land management projects underway and planned at the estate. Thus, by sheer coincidence, she found herself lying on a settee in Jude’s massive library, one hand absently on her rounded stomach, reading about land management.

The couch and the library were different, and her morning dress was certainly an upgrade from the shabby pink one she had worn last summer when Lord Montague burst into Nathaniel’s library. Otherwise, she was in almost the identical pose when her husband barged loudly into the library and disturbed her reading. Again.

“Why did you save the hedgerow?” he demanded.

“Is that what has you in such a huff?” She placed the ribbon in her book and awkwardly got up.

“No, stay put. You look very comfortable. I did order that confounded maze to be removed.”

“But I have such happy memories of it.” She stretched out one hand and wiggled her fingers. Grumpily, he took her hand and let her pull him down onto the sofa beside her. He took up almost all the available space. The scent of fresh snow clung to his hair. She ran her fingers gently through the soft strands. He laid his head on her stomach and closed his eyes.

“The maze is a liability. I instructed it to be torn out and replanted for spring.”

“I did contradict you. Are you angry?”

“I was, for a moment. I’m not anymore.” He kissed the bulge of her stomach and lifted his gaze to meet hers. “They are only plants, after all.”

This was how most of their disagreements ended: with Jude distracted by his soon-to-arrive heir. She stroked his hair fondly.

“You know,” he said thoughtfully, “I never thought I’d be here.”

“In the library?” Clarissa teased, continuing to stroke his hair.

“No.” Jude sat up, his expression serious. “Married to a woman who challenges me. A woman who countermands my orders to the gardeners.”

“Oh.” Her smile faltered. “I didn’t mean to overstep. If you really want it gone, I’ll tell them to proceed.”

“Not yet,” he said quickly, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. “I worry that the hedgerow thorns will be a problem for a reckless toddler. I was musing about how grateful I am to have you. Even before I inherited the title, I was raised to expect obedience. And then I met you.”

Clarissa felt a flutter beneath her ribs that had nothing to do with the baby. “I’ve never been particularly good at obedience.”

“Except when you choose to give it.” He traced circles on her palm with the pad of his thumb. His knowing smirk sent warmth pooling between her thighs.

“I do delight in provoking you.”

“The most arrogant duke in England,” he grinned. “Who had the audacity to propose to you as if he were doing you a great service.”

“You were rather high-handed,” she agreed, unable to keep the smile from her lips.

“I was a fool.” Jude’s hand moved to rest over hers on her stomach. “A fool who nearly lost everything that mattered because of pride.”

The baby kicked then, as if in agreement, and they both laughed.

“Our child already has opinions,” Clarissa said.

“Like mother, like child.” Jude’s expression grew tender. “I’ve had a letter from London. The scandal sheets have finally moved on to fresher gossip—apparently Lord Huppence’s niece has eloped with her drawing master.”

“How deliciously scandalous.” Clarissa’s eyes twinkled. “I’m almost disappointed to be displaced as the subject of drawing room speculation. Especially by a lord whose name reminds me of hiccups.”

“I thought you hated the attention.”

“I did. I do.” She sighed. “But there was something rather exhilarating about being discussed in households across England. The spinster who ensnared a duke.”

Jude brought her hand to his lips. “It is I who remain your willing captive.”

A comfortable silence settled between them. Outside, snow had begun to fall, dusting the landscape with white. Clarissa watched the flakes dance past the window, thinking of all the twists and turns that had led her here.

“What are you thinking about?” Jude asked, his voice low.

“That life is rather like your maze,” she replied. “Full of unexpected turns and dead ends. Moments when you think you’re lost forever.”

“And then?”

“And then sometimes, when you least expect it, you find exactly where you’re meant to be.”

He shifted to face her, his expression suddenly serious. “Are you happy, Clarissa? Truly?”

The question caught her off guard. Not because she didn’t know the answer, but because she could see in his eyes how much her answer mattered to him. This powerful man, this duke who commanded respect wherever he went, was looking at her with such vulnerability it made her heart ache.

“I never imagined I could be this happy,” she said truthfully. “I had resigned myself to a different life entirely. A quiet life of independence, yes, but lonely too.”

“And now?”

“Now I have you. And soon, this little one.” She placed her hand over his on her stomach. “Thanks to you, I have a family, Jude. Something I never thought I’d have.”

His shoulders relaxed, and she realized he had been holding his breath. “Even with Pamela as a sister-in-law?”

Clarissa laughed. “Even with Pamela. Though I intend to continue avoiding her as much as possible.”

“I cannot imagine why. She is difficult, vain, and selfish.”

“You’re unusually harsh on your sister.”

“Because I know what a truly remarkable woman looks like.” His gaze was steady on hers. “I married her.”

The blush that rose to Clarissa’s cheeks made her feel like a girl again. How did he still have this effect on her? After months of marriage, after the intimacies they had shared, how could he still make her heart race with just a look?

“Your Grace,” she said playfully, “I do believe you’re trying to seduce me.”

“Is it working?” He leaned closer.

“Perhaps.” She tilted her head, pretending to consider. “Though I should warn you, I am not easily swayed by flattery.”

“No?” His lips were a breath away from hers now. “What are you swayed by, then, Duchess?”

“Actions,” she whispered against his mouth. “Not words.”

He needed no further invitation. His kiss was tender at first, then deepened with a passion that still surprised her. For all his aristocratic restraint in public, Jude had never been anything but ardent in private. It was one of the many contradictions about him that she had come to cherish.

When they finally parted, breathless, Clarissa caught sight of the falling snow again. “It’s getting heavier,” she observed. “We might be snowed in by morning.”

“What a terrible fate,” Jude murmured against her neck. “Trapped in this enormous house with nothing to do but keep each other warm.”

“Scandalous,” she agreed, threading her fingers through his hair.

“Speaking of scandalous...” He hesitated, then reached into his coat pocket. “I have something for you. An early Christmas gift.”

He produced a small velvet box. Inside was a delicate gold locket, oval-shaped and engraved with intertwining vines.

“Jude, it’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“Open it.”

Inside was a miniature painting—not of Jude as she had expected, but a tiny seascape of Cavalier Cove.

“So you’ll always remember where our story truly began,” he said softly.

Tears pricked at Clarissa’s eyes. “I thought dukes didn’t make romantic gestures.”

“This duke makes exceptions.” He fastened the locket around her neck. “For his duchess.”

The baby kicked again, more insistently this time.

“I think someone feels left out,” Clarissa laughed, placing his hand back on her stomach.

“Perhaps a bit squished,” Jude promised, addressing her belly. “I have terrible news for you, young one. It will only get worse.”

Clarissa laughed. “That’s my grumpy duke. Ever the optimist.”

As twilight deepened outside the library windows and the snow continued to fall, Clarissa found she could laugh at herself for fearing this. She had worried about losing her independence, about being unable to live up to society’s expectations, about marrying in haste only to repent at leisure.

Instead, she had found a partner who valued her mind as much as her heart. A man who had given her not just his name and protection, but his respect and his love. The title? That was an afterthought. She knew she had given him the same sense of security and contentment. It wasn’t easy for a man who had lost so much to take a risk on love, but he had done it.

The fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room. Jude had moved to sit beside her, one arm around her shoulders as they watched the snow transform the gardens into a wonderland of white.

“I love you,” she said suddenly, the words escaping before she could consider them.

He turned to her, surprise flickering across his features. It was the first time she had said the words so plainly. She smiled and touched his lip with her forefinger.

“Especially then,” he agreed, kissing her forehead.

And as the snow fell outside and the baby stirred within her, Clarissa knew with absolute certainty that she had found her place in the world. Not as a duke’s wife, not as a mother-to-be, but as herself—Clarissa, who had followed her own path and found happiness on her own terms.

She had married in haste, yes.

But she would never, ever repent at leisure.

* * *

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Next in the Wayward Dukes series:

A Duke For The Taking (Wayward Dukes' Alliance)

by Meara Platt

Upon her brother's passing, Harriet Comeford seeks out the Duke of Pendrake for help in finding a secure position for herself as a companion or as a governess in a respectable household. Harriet's brother assured her that he and the duke were soldiers in arms and brothers on the battlefield, so the duke will protect her as though she were his own sister. With her brother now gone, what does Harriet have to lose now that she is all alone in the world?

Maximillian, Duke of Pendrake, remembers Harriet's brother fondly and is not about to forsake his duty to a fallen friend. However, Harriet has arrived at his home just as a house party is about to get underway. Maximillian is in search of a wife, and every ton diamond present at his week-long party is hoping to catch his eye. But it is shy Harriet, who is staying on as his guest and doing her utmost to keep out of his way, that he cannot seem to get out of his thoughts. What if the best position he can secure for her is as his wife?

* * *

Read an excerpt from The Pirate’s Stolen Bride .