Chapter 29

The People Who Once Were

"Excuse me for a moment," the Duke said as they left the dance floor. "I need to check on your father."

"And I need to talk to Margaret. She has been giving me questioning looks ever since we returned from our walk, and I know it will make her day better if she knows what has become of us. Oh, should I tell her, or are we supposed to keep this a secret?"

"The world deserves to know," the Duke declared, his voice filled with conviction. "You may tell anyone you wish, for I will be doing the same. We are in love, and that is a beautiful thing. Please, go and spend some time with your sister, and I shall come and find you soon."

Bridget smiled, and the small dimples in her cheeks popped. The Duke had to stop himself from leaning in and kissing her on the edge of the dance floor. She was so beautiful that it made his heart ache, and it made his heart ache even more to be away from her, even if it was for a short while, but he needed to do things properly.

The Duke took her hand and squeezed it before kissing the back of it. He let her hand go and smiled at her one more time before walking toward his uncle Albert, who had not yet danced, and who the Duke needed if he were to talk with Lord Lincoln alone.

"Ah, Uncle Albert, how are you enjoying the celebrations?" Nicholas asked.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Albert replied.

"I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything for you, Your Grace," Albert replied.

"The bride's mother loves to dance, but her husband seems to have injured himself and cannot partner with her. It would be an injustice for the mother of the bride not to dance at her daughter's wedding, and I have always admired your dancing."

"Ah, say no more," Albert replied, tapping his nose. "Point me in her direction, and I will dazzle her on the dance floor."

"Thank you, Uncle Albert. Come with me, and I shall take you to her."

Albert got up from his table and followed the Duke to the head table.

"Lady Lincoln, it is wonderful to see you again," the Duke greeted.

"And you, Your Grace," Penelope replied.

"I thought you might like to dance. My uncle does not have a partner, and since Lord Lincoln is injured, the two of you might like to dance together."

Penelope looked at her husband and then at Albert. "Yes, I would enjoy that very much," she said seriously. "Thank you for thinking of me."

"I would dance if I could," Ralph muttered.

"Another time," the Duke said.

He offered his hand to help Penelope up and then handed her to his uncle. Both he and Ralph watched them make their way to the dance floor.

"Oscar. William," the Duke called. "You have done a stellar job, so far. You both deserve to reward yourselves with some food and glasses of champagne. Return to your posts in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Oscar said, his eyes wide.

The Duke sat down at the head table with Ralph, pushing away the glass of wine that Penelope had been drinking.

"You do not have to have them watch me like a child," Ralph complained.

"But I do," the Duke asserted. "We both know that you can't be trusted, and I don't say that to insult you, Sir. It is the truth. Still, I know the man you used to be, and he was a very different man from the one who sits before me today. If he were still around, he would not be a man I pity but a man I respect."

"You taunt me with your words, Your Grace. Please, leave me be and go and enjoy the festivities. One of us should."

"No, not yet," the Duke insisted. "You were not able to witness your youngest daughter being wed, but I hope you will be around to witness your oldest on her wedding day."

"What are you saying, Your Grace? This is good news."

The Duke studied the man before him, and he could see the gears turning in his mind. The Earl was dreaming about how he could use the situation to his advantage and how much money he could gain from having a duke as a son-in-law.

"Sir, I wish to do things properly. I want to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

"And you have it," Ralph said quickly. "You have my blessing."

"I don't want your blessing," the Duke stated.

"Then what do you want?"

"Let me rephrase what I meant to say. I wish to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage, but from the man you used to be—from the man you can become again. It is important to me, and I know it is important to Lady Bridget that we do things right. If you can become half the man you once were, I will come to you for your daughter's hand, and I will also give you a generous token of my appreciation, Sir. I shall pay off all your gambling debts, and the slate shall be wiped clean."

"I… I don't know if it is possible," Ralph admitted.

"There are things I thought impossible once, but not anymore. I have turned my life around, and I believe any man with conviction will do the same. I will wed your daughter, but I wish to ask for her hand first. If that happens, it will depend on you. You can still help your family."

"No." Ralph shook his head. "What sort of man have I become? I cannot help my family. You will be the one who helps my family because you pity me."

"No, I don't pity you. I do this out of love for your daughter. She deserves the best in life, and I will give that to her. You are no less of a man for accepting the help of others. If you can do this, you will help your family. You are the one who will make the choice, even if I am the one who will fix the problems. You are still a man, and men can do great things. I don't believe you will ever get another chance like this. It is up to you, whether you step up or not."

"Perhaps a glass of brandy will help make the decision easier," Ralph begged.

"No, not today," the Duke told him. "You will have nothing to drink at this wedding. What you do tomorrow is on your own shoulders, but this day is for my brother and his wife, and you shall not ruin that."

"I won't," Ralph pleaded.

"Better to be safe than sorry. I shall sit with you until my footmen return, and then I shall go and join the festivities. We will speak some more over the coming weeks. You have done some awful things, Lord Lincoln. Yet, there is always a chance for salvation."

* * *

Bridget sat huddled with her sister and mother at one of the tables on the far side of the hall. There were many who would like to join them, but they gave the family space on their special day.

"Say that again," Margaret begged.

"Please don't make me say it again," Bridget huffed.

"Please!" Margaret pouted. "It is my wedding day, after all."

"I am glad you only have one wedding day," Bridget muttered.

"Just say it."

"Alright. I am in love with His Grace, and he is in love with me," Bridget said.

Margaret squealed and rubbed her hands together. "Oh, my goodness! Mother, can you believe it?"

"I am very happy for you, Bridget. I still don't understand what happened between you and His Grace, but we will have a lot of time after today to discuss it. Are we to plan another wedding?"

"Not yet, but I hope His Grace will ask me to marry him soon."

"I always knew," Margaret claimed. "From the moment they first met, I knew they were destined to be together. Oh, how exciting! We will be wed to brothers! And our children will be the same age. We will both become pregnant fast, won't we?"

"We don't have to talk about such things right now," Bridget said.

"I am a little nervous about tonight," Margaret admitted. "I am in love with Michael, but I am still more nervous than I have ever been."

"You will be fine," Bridget assured her.

"And you will be fine on your wedding night." Margaret giggled. "We will have dinner parties, and balls, and picnics. Oh, do you think we will all live here on the estate?"

Bridget was caught up in her sister's joy, but she also noticed her mother constantly looking over at Ralph. Her father looked like he was waiting for the footmen to leave so he could make his escape.

Bridget placed her hand on her mother's arm. "It is a good thing he is here," she whispered as Margaret continued to talk about all the things they would do together. "His Grace has done well to ensure he causes no fuss."

"He is hurting," Penelope mumbled.

Bridget squeezed her mother's arm.

"Oh, my love, you are here," Margaret said, looking up. She blushed upon seeing Lord Michael and looked down at her feet.

Bridget also placed her hand on her sister's arm. It was fine to be nervous, and she knew Lord Michael would care for her sister.

"Do you mind if we join you, my love?" Michael asked. He was flanked by his brother and mother.

"Oh, please do," Margaret enthused. "Is it not wonderful how everything has… worked out?"

Margaret needn't have worried about letting the cat out of the bag. The Duke walked around the table to Bridget and kissed her on the temple before squeezing in beside her. Michael sat beside Margaret, and Penelope moved around the table a little to be closer to Rebecca.

"It took him some time to come to his senses, but he finally got there," Rebecca said, shaking her head.

"It took some words of wisdom," Nicholas admitted, smiling at her.

"It is wonderful we are all here together," Rebecca announced. "I have one son who is married and another who has fallen in love. I feel as if the past is slipping away from my family, and I could not be more proud."

"Yes," Penelope murmured, looking at Ralph again.

The Earl cut a solemn figure on the other side of the table, sitting alone with two footmen watching him. Still, he had brought it upon himself, and they could feel both pity and anger toward him. Bridget knew it would not be right to invite him over to the table. She did not know if he would ever be welcome at their table. It depended on what came next and the choices he made.

"I believe we need a toast," the Duke boomed.

Bridget turned away from her father to face the man she loved. He was looking at her with compassion. He must have seen her staring at her father and decided it was not the time to wallow in sadness.

Bridget nodded at him.

"This is one of the best days I have ever experienced," the Duke continued.

"What day could have been better than this?" Michael asked with a grin.

"I don't know if I can talk about that day with this company," the Duke said, grinning back.

That earned him an elbow to the ribs.

"I am joking, of course," the Duke added. "My brother is correct. If I truly think about it, I cannot think of a better day for our family than this one. My brother is married today, and he has found a wonderful woman. I know they will treasure each other for the rest of their lives, and I can't wait to watch their family grow."

"Thank you," Michael mouthed, holding up his glass.

"He will be a good father, and even though I am the eldest, I aspire to be more like him every day. He is a gentleman. Yet, this toast is not dedicated solely to my brother. It is for us all. It is something we have all experienced in our lives, and something we will experience more of, whether it be romantic or familial, as our two families grow together." The Duke raised his glass. "I ask you all to raise your glasses in a toast to the greatest experience any of us can have. To love."

"To love!"