Page 24 of The Undesirable Duke (Christmas in London #2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

T he cold air blew lightly at Lillian as she and her parents, along with Timothy, stepped out of the Abbey after the service on Christmas morning. The Colborne family had attended the service together, which was not a common occurrence, but given the events of late, the family had grown closer. Some might think that such scandalous things would tear a family apart, but their tolerance for one another was impressive. Luckily, Lord Welsford was rather skilled at being the peacemaker in the family. Even Lillian and her mother had spent much time speaking to one another, and things were well between them.

They were dressed warmly in winter coats, and Lillian’s hands were wrapped in her favorite fur muff, keeping the cold at bay. After the family greeted acquaintances, they made their way to their coach, as they did not wish to engage in any gossip. They had certainly had a more than large enough share of gossip to last them the rest of the year and well into Spring.

“Lillian, I was under the impression that the Duke would join us this morning,” Lady Welsford said with a questioning glance, although there was nothing malicious about her statement.

Much to Lillian and everyone else’s surprise, Lady Welsford had warmed up to the Duke over the past few days, and it was such a relief to Lillian. She could not have borne it if her mother had continued to disapprove of the man who courted her, and who she was smitten with. Of course, the Duke had done his part to impress her mother, and he continued to flatter her for the tiniest of things, which Lady Welsford found most enjoyable. Any woman would feel flattered and flustered if a man such as the Duke were to hand out so many compliments. Of course, these compliments were all sincere, which made it even more endearing to Lillian who had previously worried that her mother would never truly accept the Duke. She was pleasantly surprised by how rapidly her mother had progressed from barely tolerating the Duke for the sake of Timothy, to growing fond of him, and more so with every day that passed.

As they walked to their coach, Lillian gazed at her mother.

“His Grace informed me that he had an errand to run this morning and will be joining us shortly.”

“An errand on Christmas Day? Whatever was more important than Morning Service at the Abbey?” Lady Welsford asked.

“I am certain that it was important to His Grace, Mother.”

“Indeed. The Duke is aware of what is important and what is not. The man has his priorities in order,” Lord Welsford agreed.

Of course, her father had not a bad word to say about the Duke. The two men got along swimmingly and discussed various topics, from politics to business and everything in between. The Duke was particularly enthralled by Lord Welsford’s stories of his travels when he was a young man. Of course, he had not travelled after he married Lady Welsford, and after the children were born. Yarmouth would spend hours listening to the tales of Lord Welsford’s travels and, he had told her, had hopes of traveling one day, hopefully with Lillian by his side.

Timothy nudged Lillian and grinned.

“Speaking of Yarmouth, here he is now.”

Lillian’s heart instantly sped up as she noticed the Duke approaching her. Dressed in light-colored breeches, boots, and a bottle-green double-breasted long-tail coat with a crisp white cravat, the Duke was utterly dashing. And quite coincidentally, the shade of his coat matched Lillian’s dress perfectly, as though they were made for one another.

His handsome face caused heat to rise inside her body, and her cheeks flushed at the mere sight of him. A playful grin appeared on his lips, and his eyes lit up when he saw her.

“Lillian, we shall wait in the coach for you,” Lady Welsford whispered as she touched Lillian’s shoulder, allowing Lillian and the Duke a moment alone.

“I am fairly certain that Lillian will be riding with the Duke in his coach,” Lord Welsford whispered to her in return. “We will see you at home, my darling daughter.”

Lillian nodded gratefully.

“Thank you, Father.”

As she watched Lord and Lady Welsford, along with Timothy, walk to their coach, the intoxicating scent of the Duke drew nearer.

“Good morrow, Your Grace.”

“A good morrow to you as well, Lady Lillian. My sincerest apologies for not attending Service with you and your family. I had an important matter which I had to attend to.”

“I hope that everything is well.”

The Duke nodded.

“Indeed. There is nothing to fret over.”

As the Colborne coach slowly went past, Lillian gave a small wave to her mother and father inside.

“Did you not wish to ride with your family?” the Duke inquired.

“Are you not also part of the family, Your Grace?”

The Duke chuckled.

“Indeed. Shall we?”

Lillian followed the Duke to his coach, and they climbed inside. She welcomed the warmth inside the coach with a happy sigh and slid her hands from her fur muff.

“I must admit, I was rather distracted during Service because of your absence.”

“I am here now.”

“Indeed, you are.”

The Duke cleared his throat and sat closer to her.

“There is something I wish to discuss with you.”

“What is the matter? Did something happen?”

The Duke chuckled in amusement.

“Nothing is the matter. I apologize for causing you to worry.”

“What do you wish to discuss with me?”

“After Lord Bertram caused damage to my study, I was assisting Mrs. Hall and the maids to put things in order, including reorganizing my desk. Inside a compartment in one of the drawers, I found something rather valuable. It was a gift from my mother many years ago, and frankly, I had forgotten it was there. It has been in my family for several generations, and I had been keeping it safe until the time was right.”

Lillian sat quietly in the moving coach, waiting for the Duke to continue. He retrieved a small velvet pouch from his breast pocket and slowly opened it, then reached inside to retrieve whatever it contained.

“This ring was my mother’s,” he announced, uncurling his fingers to reveal it.

Lillian gasped at the sheer beauty of the ring, the ruby sparkling in the light which shone through the window.

“It is exquisite.”

“An exquisite ring for an exquisite young woman.”

Lillian’s brows shot up, and her jaw dropped in disbelief.

“You wish to give that to me?”

“There is no person I would rather give this to than you.”

“Are you certain?”

Lillian’s heart raced as the Duke took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes.

“I have never been as certain of anything before in my entire life. I love you, Lillian, and I wish to spend the rest of my life with you, if you will have me.”

Lillian pursed her lips, and her eyes filled with tears of joy.

“Your Grace…”

“Samuel, if you please.”

“Samuel,” Lillian tested his name for the very first time, and it was the most natural thing in the world. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“Indeed I am. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”

“Nothing would make me happier, Samuel.”

The Duke’s smile broadened, and his eyes flickered with pure joy. Still holding her hand, he slipped the ruby ring onto her finger and leaned closer to her.

Her heart pounded in her chest as their lips touched in a tender moment which was truly magnificent. She had dreamed of that moment ever since she’d first met the Duke, not even knowing who he was. Even then, she’d been unable to rid the memory of him from her mind. Lillian could not believe that she was so lucky as to have such a kind and wonderful man in her life, a man who would soon be her husband.

As they arrived at Welsford House, they joined Lillian’s family in the dining room, where a delightful Christmas dinner awaited. In the center of the table was the head of a pig, turkey, vegetables, and rich potatoes. The dessert table was laden with plum pudding, marchpane, and gingerbread, and the aromas of the different foods were alluring.

As the family sat around the table, Lord Welsford rose to his feet and smiled happily at his family.

“As I gaze around me, I consider myself a very fortunate man, as I have all of my loved ones at the table to celebrate Christmas. It is a time for family, for spending time together, and for enjoying the company of the people closest to me. The people I see before me at this moment mean the world to me, and without them, I am nothing. I also wish to welcome His Grace to the table and the family. It is an honor to have you with us this day.”

“Thank you, my Lord,” the Duke said gratefully, and rose to his feet since he was expected to say a few words as well. “I wish to thank Lord and Lady Welsford for being the most gracious hosts and allowing me to be a part of this wonderful celebration. It means the world to me that I can sit at this table and spend this Christmas with you. I truly am grateful for your hospitality, despite our differences at the start of my visit here.”

“Let us not allow the past to place a damper on our celebration, Your Grace,” Lord Welsford grinned. “It is a privilege to have you at our table, especially given the recent events of your courtship to Lillian.”

“Indeed, and what a delightful courtship it has been thus far.”

“You speak of it as though it has been weeks and months, Your Grace,” Lillian chuckled.

“With you, forever would not be long enough, my dearest.”

Lillian rested her hands on her lap, and a smile appeared on her lips as she gazed at the man she loved.

“I have one last announcement I wish to make before we enjoy this delightful meal,” the Duke said and gazed at Lillian. “After the untimely death of my father, followed by my mother’s passing, I felt utterly alone in a world that was uncaring and relentless. Life continued, but it felt as though I stood still, unable to move lest I shatter everything around me. And although I was surrounded by people, I felt truly alone. I felt out of place as if I did not have a place in the world. I kept to myself, as I was convinced it was safer. Then, I traveled to London, and things changed. First for the worst, and later for the better. I have found a place in this world, and the perfect person who I wish to stand beside me in that world. Which is why I would like to announce that the lovely Lady Lillian -

“Just Lillian, please,” Lillian politely interrupted.

“My sincerest apologies,” the Duke chuckled and nodded knowingly. “The lovely Lillian has agreed to marry me.”

Lillian giggled as her entire family gasped, and she held her left hand up for all to see.

“To mark the occasion, His Grace has given me this ring, which is a family heirloom.”

“What lovely news!” Lord Welsford exclaimed.

“How wonderful,” Lady Welsford beamed.

“I believe that congratulations are in order, Yarmouth and sister.”

“Thank you,” the Duke and Lillian answered at the same time, and that caused them to chuckle in amusement.

“You are already speaking in unison. It is certainly a perfect match if ever I saw one.”

“Indeed. And those are so very rare,” Lady Welsford smiled at Lord Welsford.

Lord Welsford squeezed his wife’s hand, and Lady Welsford turned to Lillian.

“I could not be prouder, my dearest daughter,” Lady Welsford beamed at Lillian. “You have found your love match, just as I have, and I am truly delighted for you.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

It warmed Lillian’s heart that her mother was happy for her and, of course, proud that she had found a good man. A better man Lillian would never find, she knew. She was also proud of the Duke, as he seemed to flourish as a member of their family. Not only had he been able to restore his reputation after the scandalous things that Lord Bertram had written about him, but he had found true happiness with Lillian and a family who made him feel at home, for the first time in a long while.

And that was all she ever wanted for him. To be happy, and now, for him to be happy with her.

It was certainly a Christmas that the entire family would never forget.

I am so glad they were able to be together. Lillian’s mother was certainly difficult to please, but she wanted the best for her daughter!

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