Page 25 of The Dark Duke’s Cinderella (The Untamed Ladies #1)
CHAPTER 25
Three Weeks Later
A nna reread the last paragraph of Helena’s manuscript for the third time, hoping this time the words would stick. That was not to say Helena’s novel was boring by any means. It was her attention that was lacking. Anna had been restless all day, waiting for Philip’s return from the War Office in town.
She groaned and set the handwritten manuscript aside. Her fingers flitted absently through the pages as she looked up at her surroundings.
Charleton Manor was quiet, now that Elinor had left for Delphi. Their goodbye, two days ago, still lingered in Anna’s mind. Like Philip, she had been reluctant to send Elinor off alone. But the marchioness had insisted that the liquidation of her late husband’s home was a task she had to undertake by herself.
When she returns, I will let her know how much she has been missed. Cotoneaster, Charleton… These old Wilmington houses are not the same without her.
Rising from her chaise-longue to check the time, Anna gasped when she heard the front door open and close. Rushing to her feet, she sprinted through the house in the direction of the stairs, stopping short as she saw Philip in the entrance hall. He took off his hat and dismissed the footman he had been addressing, marching up the stairs to greet her with a kiss that made her knees turn to jelly.
Anna laughed as he pulled her into a recess off the landing, not wanting to be spotted by the staff. He had revealed a new side to him over the last few weeks, affectionate and hungry, abandoning his dark moniker for good now that they could look toward the future unburdened by the past.
“Wellington accepted my conditions without argument,” Philip said, his fingers pressing into her waist. “I take it you have not changed your mind since this morning and still wish to accompany me.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I would have dueled Wellington if he hadn’t agreed to let me come.” Anna grinned so hard that it hurt, cupping his face in her hands. She thumbed the place where his scar met his cheek. “It’s all so exciting. An entire year in France…”
“Ample time to practice your French,” he murmured with a kiss. “And your music…” Then came another. “When I am otherwise busy playing diplomat.”
She pressed her fingers to his lips to stop him when he tried to kiss her again. He smiled against them.
“You’ll grow bored of me long before we leave, and will be grateful for the chance to get away from me,” she said.
“Hardly. Any moment not spent with you is a waste.” He kissed the tips of her fingers and closed his eyes. “You were right. Even if Wellington had not ordered me abroad, a break from England will do us good. Everything may be settled with your cousin, but there are so many memories here, in this town and this house… I shall be glad for the change of scenery.”
“Until George disembarks in Paris for a visit, or Elinor comes once she is done with Delphi.” Anna thought fondly of her cousin and her sister-in-law. “Then it won’t feel that much different from home.”
“I suppose not. Were you always this wise?”
“Yes. I was just too busy getting on your nerves for you to notice.”
* * *
Anna watched Philip from across the Almack’s ballroom, peering up at him over the rim of her goblet. She couldn’t take her eyes off him for more than a minute, counting down the seconds to the next dance, when they could slip away unnoticed.
He was entertaining his friends, Simon and George among them. It would be the last time they saw Philip before they departed for France.
Her own friends were comparing their dance cards nearby. Margaret was going down the list of Sophia’s conquests and evaluating their suitability. Lucy peered over her shoulder, pointing furiously at the card when she noticed they shared not two but three gentlemen.
Quietly, Helena sidled up to Anna and clinked their glasses together.
“At least now that you’re married, that’s one less person droning on ad nauseum about suitable gentlemen,” she moaned, nodding her head in Margaret’s direction. “This time last year, we all made a plan to remain fiercely independent. So much for The League of Untamed Hearts. What a joke that was.”
“Are you cross with me for going against our code?”
“It’s not like you had a choice.” Helena seemed to change her mind. “Then again, you might have avoided His Grace altogether from the start. But I see how happy he has made you. He’s like a different person when you look at him.”
Anna smiled. “Helena… has this inspired you to love?”
Her friend looked appalled. “Hardly not! I am still determined to become a writer and live out my days in blissful solitude. You will go down in history as the woman who reformed the Duke of Darkness, and I will be remembered as London’s most influential and outspoken female author.
“We have our different paths, but…” She sighed, shrugging. “One is not better than the other. Now, if only I can get the other girls to choose either singlehood or the marriage mart. All this back-and-forth is giving me a megrim.”
Anna scanned the room, spotting a small group of wallflowers clinging to the sidelines. Five young women, maybe a few years younger than them, chatting nervously as they glanced around at the dandies on display.
“You could recruit some fresh meat,” she suggested, gesturing in their direction. “Find a replacement for me once I leave for France.”
“A replacement for you?” Helena guffawed. “There could never be one.”
She pulled Anna into a quick side hug, then left her to join Margaret and the others.
The master of ceremonies called the next dance, and Anna took that as her cue to leave. She gave her drink to a passing footman, and like they were being pulled by a string, she and Philip traced a path toward the exit.
They walked quietly, the picture of innocence, through the main foyer. Philip nodded at a few passersby as they greeted him, quickening his pace as the stairs came into view. He grabbed Anna’s gloved hand and pulled her up them, settling on a balcony that was tucked out of sight, the strains of a quadrille traveling up from the assembly halls below.
“You look weary. Did George try to convince you to stay again?” Anna asked, leaning against the railing. The balcony windows were slightly ajar, and the air felt good against her back. “He’s a shockingly persuasive fellow.”
“Not persuasive enough to change my mind on this count.” Philip reached into his trouser pocket, and Anna expected him to pull out Graham’s snuffbox, but his hand remained there for a while. “And your friends?”
“They had to call a footman to come and mop up their tears,” she joked, smiling when he laughed. “They’ll be fine without me. Helena is devoted to her singlehood, and the others look more inclined to take husbands by the day.”
“Shall we place wagers on who marries first?”
“It’s bound to be Sophia.” Anna shook her head and turned toward the window, stretching toward the fresh air. She felt Philip come up behind her, sliding his hands down her arms. “She loves me, but she won’t stand for me being a duchess and outranking her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she set her eyes on a prince. Maybe Margaret will strike a love match. So many possibilities…”
“Your friends are a curious bunch.” His breath ghosted over the back of her neck. “And while I’m glad you will never be lonely for them, I am more glad that their creed did not rub off on you.”
“That my heart did not remain untamed?”
“Hmm.”
Philip pulled lightly on her arm, asking her to turn around. She straightened before him, expecting a kiss. Instead, her eyes fell on a small ring held between his thumb and forefinger.
“It’s a little late for a proposal.”
“Then consider this another gift to mark our marriage.” He twisted the ring in the candlelight. “This was Elinor’s ring, and Graham’s mother’s before her. I had never known such a happy couple, nor such a well-adjusted family as theirs. It was her wish— his wish—for you to have it. For me to give it to the woman I love. And I do love you, Anna. Try as I have not to fall madly for you, I love you.”
She had longed to hear those words for weeks. She had felt his love even when he hadn’t been brave enough to say it.
Her eyes welled with tears as Philip slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit snugly against her wedding band, like it had belonged there all along.
“I love you,” she said, though it hardly came as a surprise to him. “And I love this new adventure we’re embarking on. I love that we’re going together.”
“With many more adventures to come, Duchess. Now…” He turned her around again, holding her close. “Sing to me a little, while the night is still young.”