Page 18 of The Truth about the Duke (Whispers of the Ton #5)
Epilogue
“ I know what it is that I want to do.”
Henry strode through the door of Lord and Lady Hampshire’s drawing room, heedless to who else was present in the room.
“Your… Your Grace!” Lady Lydia practically leaped to her feet, though Lady Markham –there to take tea with her friend – smiled and rose to her feet before walking quietly out of the room.
“I know what I want to do, Lydia,” Henry told her, filled with that strange and sudden determination that had flooded him from the very moment he had awoken this morning. “I have decided.” Coming closer to her, he took both of her hands in his, his heart thumping wildly.
“About the heirlooms?” Lady Lydia blinked, her eyes round as she gazed up at him. “Or Lord Dunford?”
A smile touched the edge of his mouth. “I have decided on that, yes, though that is not what I am speaking of at present,” he told her, trying to speak a little more gently now. “I have realized something. I awoke this morning without that burden upon my shoulders, without the wonderings about the heirlooms sitting in my mind and that has brought me such clarity, it is as though I am seeing everything in a new light!”
She blinked again but said nothing, her lips in a small circle of surprise.
“The heirlooms were important to me,” Henry continued, quickly, “but now that I know what happened to them and where they have gone, I do not have to worry about that any longer. There is nothing I can do to recover them and nothing I can bring upon Lord Dunford by way of consequence.” Lifting one shoulder lightly, he pressed her hands. “It is not right what he did, of course, but there is no recourse. A letter came from him this morning and I have his apology – his profuse apology – and his promise to make some sort of reparation but I have come to see that such a thing is not of great value or importance to me. Having the diamonds returned would have brought me contentment, yes, but it would not have brought me joy.” Leaning down just a little, he looked keenly into her eyes. “You do.”
Watching her expression carefully, Henry waited for her response. When he had woken this morning, he had realized, in a single moment, that the only thing he cared about now was whether or not Lady Lydia might continue in their acquaintance… and just how much he wanted her to be by his side. His heart, now free of the questions and concerns over the heirlooms, had laid out his emotions quite plainly, showing him just how much of an affection and desire he had for Lady Lydia.
He could only pray that she felt something similar.
“I do not quite know what to say, Melrose.” Her voice was quiet, her words halting. “This is all so extraordinary that I am quite overwhelmed.”
Henry pressed his lips together, his spirits sinking just a little. “I do not mean to overpower you. It is my determination that makes me speak so.”
“Determination?” She looked up at him now, questions in her eyes. “What does your determination want?”
This question made Henry smile, the answer already on his lips. “I want to court you, Lydia. I want to consider engagement and matrimony for, through all of this, I have come to see that though the jewels were valuable, what I have in you is all the more precious. You are extraordinary! You have made me reconsider my own views, have made me see my own arrogance and, despite that, I have been given nothing but compassion, understanding, and more! You have, willingly, given me your time and your energy, showing me that you have more ability and knowledge than I had ever thought to credit you with. I have learned so much from being in your company, Lydia, and I do not want our connection now to come to an end.”
She nodded slowly, though there was no smile on her lips. “Thank you for saying such things.”
“You… you do not appear to be happy.” Henry frowned now, his hands gentling on hers. “Is there something wrong?”
Closing her eyes, Lady Lydia blew out a breath before nodding to herself, as if finding the courage to speak. “Yes, there is. Though I value your words and appreciate your compliments, I confess that my heart holds more for you than just that.” Opening her eyes, she looked back at him, a gentle glistening of tears there. “I think I have come to care for you, Melrose. The beginnings of love are playing about my heart and though I do not require you to have the same within your heart, I want you to know what it is that I feel.”
Astonishment hit Henry right between the eyes, making him take a step back. She cared for him? He could hardly dare to believe it! Shaking his head, he let out a quiet laugh. He saw her frown and, upon seeing that, pulled her quickly into his arms.
She gasped.
“My dear Lydia, you must forgive me for my foolishness.” Whispering now, he lifted one hand and brushed it lightly down her cheek. “When I came to London, I had a list of requirements that any lady of my consideration must meet before I would even think about courtship. But then, I met you.” His thumb touched the edges of her lips and desire kicked in him, hard. “I did not think that I would ever fall in love with a bluestocking, but now I confess to you that I have done so. I did not use the right words, did not express to you the depths of my heart but you but I swear to you, Lydia, that all you feel for me is just as I feel for you.”
She softened in his arms, her eyes searching his face as if desperate to find the truth.
“I spoke of how much I value you, how much I admire you but I did not tell you how much I have come to care for you,” he finished, lowering his head just a little. “You speak of the beginnings of love and that is precisely what I feel. I want to court you, want to engage myself to you and, in the end, marry you for I do not think that I could be a day without you, Lydia. You are my diamond, you are my treasure. You are all that matters to me.”
A gentle sigh broke from her lips as she lifted one hand and settled it against his heart, the other going around his neck. “Then it seems that we are both in agreement, Melrose,” she murmured, as his head began to lower. “Though can you abide courting and marrying a bluestocking?”
A quiet chuckle broke from his lips as he clasped her to him all the more tightly. “I look forward to it,” he whispered, before gently bringing his lips to hers.