Page 65 of The Wicked Duke's Convenient Bride
The carriage slowed, and Matthew glanced out the window. He furrowed his brow, his playfulness giving way to apprehension. “Matthew?” Tabitha asked quietly.
He hummed.
“Elaine will be delighted that you have come to see her.”
“Why would you say that?”
Tabitha shrugged. “You always look so nervous when we come to visit Lady Haywood and Elaine. She loves you, you know. Every time you see her, she looks happier and happier.”
It was true that they had only seen Elaine on a handful of occasions, but their first meeting had gone well. Elaine had been delighted to see her missing father at last, and although she seemed distraught to learn about her mother’s lies, it was difficult to have a strong attachment to a woman who had never really spent time with her. Elaine could not even remember Rosemary, and although there were some letters, they were sparse.
There were conversations about Elaine joining them during the summer and possibly at their country estate during the fall and winter months. Lady Haywood was also considering joining them.
It seemed as though Matthew would have his larger family, after all. Although there was some hesitancy around Lady Haywood, she could not be more different from Rosemary. Lady Haywood was kind and charming, concerned only with Elaine’s future.
“She is an amazing girl,” Tabitha said. “She will be an amazing sister to our child.”
“Yes,” Matthew said, smiling. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He took her hand in his and lightly kissed her knuckles. Tabitha shivered in delight. Even Matthew’s smallest show of affection sent a little thrill through her. He had her feeling like a princess.
“I wish I had opened myself up to the possibility of loving you sooner,” Matthew said, his face softening. “Think of all the time we might have missed together. We might already have an heir if I had known you much sooner. You might be a mother and pursuing all those lovely causes that I heard you mention to Bridgette.”
“I can still pursue my causes,” Tabitha said, amused. “I do not think the Abolitionist Society will collapse if they wait a few months for my patronage. We have years and years ahead of us. I would rather think about that and encourage you to do the same.”
The carriage door opened, and Tabitha, giving her husband a final and loving look, descended from the steps. Her shoes struck the familiar pathway, and she stood aside, waiting for Matthew. Once he emerged from the carriage, he offered his arm.
She took it, her shoulder brushing his. The country estate spread before them, beautiful and green. Red and orange flowers lined the path, broken with swaths of sweeping grass that gently waved in the breeze.
“You are wise, as always,” Matthew said. “I shall think about the many years ahead and all the wonderful things I may do with my Duchess of Hillsburgh.”
“And I with my Duke of Hillsburgh,” Tabitha said, grinning.
Matthew squeezed her hand. They ascended the steps leading to the entrance of the manor. They would spend a week at the country estate, better acquainting themselves with Elaine and Lady Haywood. Tabitha felt a flutter of anxiety herself. While she had reassured Matthew only moments before, she could not deny that the situation was strange. It was not unheard of for a previously married man to have children from another marriage, but it was less likely for said man not to know his daughter himself.
Tabitha took a steadying breath as the butler greeted them. It would all end for the best; she truly did believe that. When she was with Matthew, things seldom ended the way she expected them to, but they always ended for the best.
Her marriage to Matthew, once a hollow marriage of convenience and a means to avoid scandal, had blossomed into true love. And Tabitha could not have been happier. She had everything she had ever wanted.
THE END?