Page 25 of The Burdened Duke (Willenshires #4)

William felt vaguely sick. He was sure that if he had anything for breakfast, he would likely have brought it up by now.

Riding the stallion was not at all like riding the mild-mannered Cinnamon. He had watched one of the grooms saddle up the horse, who watched him closely but made no move to bite or kick.

Perhaps it was just my father he wanted to bite and kick. I cannot say I blame him.

He hauled himself up into the saddle before he could think twice.

Pretend it is only Cinnamon. Just sweet, mild Cinnamon. Just Cin…

At that moment, the stallion lurched forward. He did not bother with a walk, or even a trot. He broke out into a gallop, leaving William with no time to cry out or do anything at all besides clutch onto the reins and lean forward.

He could hear various shouts coming from behind him. There was panicked yelling from the butler, and slightly more encouraging noises from the grooms. He wanted to turn around and look, but that seemed like a poor idea.

The stallion had galloped without slowing, heading down the correct road at just the tiniest touch of the reins. William forced himself to breathe, careful not to grip too hard with his legs in case the horse should imagine that he wanted it to go faster.

The scenery flew by, the road blurring underneath, and William gritted his teeth and held on.

It felt only minutes later that he saw the carriage. They had already almost passed it by the time he managed to tug on the reins, willing the stallion to slow down.

The horse skidded to a halt, its rump going down, and William managed to turn it around and face it towards the carriage.

The coachman hauled on the reins, face red, and the carriage lurched to a halt.

“What are you about?” the man yelled, waving his whip. “Get out of the way!”

“I can’t,” William responded, his voice shaking. “I need to speak to somebody inside the carriage.”

“Certainly not. Move!”

Anger flared. “I cannot move. I need to speak to her!”

The shouted exchange went on, until William heard the slam of a carriage door.

Slowly, tentatively, Lavinia came towards him. She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads.

After a long pause, she glanced up at the coachman. “I’ll have a word with him, Michael. If you don’t mind.”

The coachman sighed. “As you like, Miss Brookford. I’ll check on the family inside the carriage, make sure everybody is quite alright.”

Lavinia nodded without looking at him. The two of them kept their eyes fixed on the other as the coachman lumbered down from his post and went around the other side of the carriage.

Summoning his courage, William slid down from the stallion’s back. His legs felt like jelly, and he didn’t trust himself to go over to Lavinia just yet.

“You’re riding Sapphire,” she said, after a pause.

“Sapphire?”

She nodded at the stallion. “You said I could name him, didn’t you?”

William paused, nodding. “I did. Lavinia, I’m here to apologise. And, before I say a single word, I must give you this.”

He reached into his pocket with a shaking hand, holding out the locket. He saw her face tighten when she saw it. At once, she darted forward and snatched it out of his hand. He stepped back, letting her have a moment with the locket.

She stared down at the necklace, cupped in her palm, and stroked her thumb over the pendant. After a moment, she opened it up, and he saw her smile down at the picture inside.

“It’s good to see you again, Hugh,” she said, voice quiet. She closed up the pendant and slipped it carefully into her pocket.

“You might want to repair the clasp,” William said, after a pause.

“I will. Why are you here, William?”

“Aside from the apology, and to return your locket?” He smiled wryly. “I let you walk away from the stables, Lavinia, because I believed that you needed time to cool down. My old friend, Timothy, told me to go after you, but I didn’t listen. I wish I had.”

She only looked at him, her expression unreadable. “And Miss Bainbridge? Your betrothed?”

He swallowed hard. “I have used Miss Bainbridge badly. She did not deserve any of this. She… She has given up, Lavinia. She visited me and released me from our betrothal. I’m not sure that I deserved her kindness, or any understanding at all.”

Lavinia’s shoulders lowered. “You… you made a mistake. Nobody would hold it against you.”

He shook his head. “I did wrong. I know that. But the truth is, the simple truth is that I love you, Lavinia. You. Not Miss Bainbridge. I wanted to marry her because she seemed perfectly suitable, but I know now that it would never work. I would not make her happy, and I would not make myself happy. I’m glad that she saw that in the end, and that I saw it, too. I want to marry you, Lavinia Brookford.”

She flinched, swallowing hard. “I am a spinster.”

“I am older than you.”

“I have no money.”

He breathed in. “Neither do I.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Forgive me if I don’t entirely believe you.”

“The truth is…” he steeled himself and continued. “My father left a singular type of will. None of us can inherit our share of the Willenshire fortune until we marry. We have one year from the reading of the will to qualify.”

She sucked in a breath. “Truly? How awful for you all.”

He shrugged. “My siblings are happy. They have married people they loved. For me, marriage was a necessity. The Duke of Dunleigh can’t be penniless, after all. I never for a moment imagined that I would fall in love. My father never did. I thought Miss Bainbridge would suit, and so did she, I think. And then I met you.”

Lavinia swallowed. “I see.”

“I love you, Lavinia. I loved you from the moment we first met, when I did not even know your name. Perhaps that is why I held onto the locket, and why I tried so hard to find you and return it. I overstepped the mark, I know that. I stepped over with large, unwieldy steps. And then I kept the truth from you, because I suppose… Oh, I think I thought it would all be over then. I wanted to keep you with me, selfishly.”

“You are not selfish,” Lavinia said, voice hushed. “You have never been selfish.”

“I have been foolish, though.”

She gave a short laugh, coming closer towards him. On impulse, he reached out his hand, and she put hers in it.

“I won’t argue with you about that,” she said, smiling. “And the answer, by the way, is yes.”

His smile widened. “You will marry me? Penniless as I am?”

She gave a dramatic sigh and grinned up at him. “Somebody must, I suppose. And, unfortunately, I love you too, William Willenshire.”

The carriage door opened again, and Lord Brennon came tumbling out.

“What on earth is…” he paused, seeing William standing there, hand in hand with Lavinia. His eyes bulged.

“Oh,” he managed. “ Oh .”