Chapter 19

Daphne remained in a perpetual state of delirious happiness while she snuggled up in Victor's arms. After they had confessed their love and admitted their feelings to one another, she felt as though a huge weight had lifted off her chest, and her heart was able to beat unencumbered once more.

He loved her. The only difference being that, at this point in time, it was no longer pretense.

Victor really loved her.

And those letters he had written her… they were so beautiful. She would have never imagined that he would do such a thing for her.

Victor was playing with the curls that had come loose from her chignon.

"Daphne," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"Mmhm?" she hummed, reveling in the affection.

"Look at me, darling."

She sat up on the sofa, facing him. Victor ran a hand across her cheek and grinned.

"My dear Lady Daphne, I cannot bear to spend another moment without you by my side. So, to spare an old fool like me from such torment, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked.

Daphne's heart almost burst with joy as she cried out, "Yes. Yes, of course, I will!"

She swore she could see Victor's eyes glisten with tears but all her thoughts vanished when he seized her body back into his arms and kissed her.

In that fleeting instant, time seemed to stand still as she melted into his embrace. The world around her faded into insignificance, and his touch became her whole world.

The kiss was a symphony of emotions — love, longing, and unbridled desire, intertwining in a dance as old as time itself. Each touch, and each caress spoke volumes, conveying the depth of their connection in a language that transcended mere words.

As they finally broke apart, breathless and flushed with ardor, Daphne felt as though she was floating on air. She gazed into Victor's blue eyes. In that moment, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that their love was destined to endure, unyielding and eternal.

"I might be the happiest man in the world right now," he chuckled, and kissed her cheek.

Her eyes fell on the window. The sun was slowly descending, and soon, Daphne descended back to reality.

"We need to speak to my father. And Percy, he'll?—"

"Shh, it's alright. I will take care of that, don't you worry," he reassured her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You really know how to make a lady feel relaxed," she told him and he smirked.

"Oh darling, I can make you more than relaxed. But let's focus on the task at hand now," he said, desire glimmering in his dark eyes.

The memory of his tongue between her legs made her body tingle with anticipation. God, it had been too long since she'd felt him like that.

But he was right. They had to take care of other matters now.

She stood up, and arm-in-arm, they walked out of the library together.

* * *

The wedding breakfast had barely finished, but Amelia and Harry had allowed everyone to stay the night at the manor since they were going to be leaving at the end of the day for their honeymoon.

Daphne had to ask one of the servants about her father's whereabouts, and the footman had eyed her from head to toe, focusing particularly on her arm, which was around Victor's.

Ordinarily, she'd never be so boldly open with him — they were somewhat like that during their fake courtship, but this display was now real — though now she did not care.

The footman informed them that some of the guests and her family were enjoying the last bit of sun at the lake next to the manor, so Daphne and Victor wasted no more time in the house.

As Daphne and Victor approached the serene lake where Daphne's parents were seated, the tension in the air was palpable. The Earl of Wallace sat with a contemplative expression, while Percy lingered nearby, his demeanor tense with anticipation.

Victor took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, before stepping forward to address the earl. "My lord," he began, his voice steady and resolute, "I have come to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

The earl's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Marriage? But Daphne is already engaged to Percy."

Victor met the earl's gaze with unwavering determination. "With all due respect, my lord, I believe I can offer your daughter a future filled with happiness and security. I am a duke, and I vow to cherish and protect her for the rest of my days."

The earl regarded Victor for a moment, his expression thoughtful, before turning to Daphne with a questioning look. Daphne met her father's gaze, her heart pounding with uncertainty. But then she looked at Victor, and in his eyes, she found the strength to speak.

"I want to marry Victor, Father," she declared.

The earl's eyes softened with understanding, but he remained hesitant. "I… I do not know, Your Grace. This is quite sudden. And Percy…"

Before he could finish, Daphne's mother, Lady Wallace, intervened, her voice gentle but persuasive. "Darling, can't you see? His Grace is offering Daphne a chance at true happiness. He's a duke, after all, with wealth and status. Surely, that counts for something."

The earl glanced at his wife, his expression conflicted. "But what about Percy?"

Daphne's mother spoke up once again, "It is clear that Daphne's heart belongs to the duke. And, after everything that has happened, I believe it's time we put her happiness first."

The earl hesitated for a moment longer, weighing his options, before finally nodding in reluctant agreement. "Very well," he said with a sigh. "If this is what you truly want, Daphne, then you have my blessing."

Daphne smiled. Her father could be headstrong, but his Achilles' Heel had always been her mother and in this moment, she was quite grateful for that fact.

Daphne was startled by the sound of a chair falling over and turned to see Percy prowling towards them, his face like thunder.

Daphne scrambled out of the way. The man looked like he would destroy everything in his path simply to appease his anger.

He swiftly moved to the spot where her parents sat and stopped when he was in front of them.

"Why would you agree for Daphne to be married to that degenerate duke? Why? You promised her to me. Me!" He said sticking a stiff finger to his chest, his tall frame shaking with barely leashed violence.

"Son," her father began in a calm tone "I can't presume to know my daughter's mind. I am just her father. I am not afraid to admit that it was very wrong of me to promise you marriage to her without seeking her opinion. I am sorry if I hurt you with my arrogance."

"If you hurt me, you say!" Percy replied fuming. Daphne decided she wouldn't be surprised if he started to foam at the mouth with the force of his anger.

"I have been with her since childhood, caring for her and protecting her, but what do I get in return? A broken engagement and her getting married to another man right beneath my nose. Why did you allow it? Hmm? Is it because he is a duke? And you fancied a social tie would be better with a duke than a future viscount. Right?"

"I would warn you to mind your tongue, son. Before you say something you will definitely regret," her father said his face contorting in growing anger.

"Well, I will not allow myself to be cheated and insulted by you all simply because you all prefer that degenerate duke! It is unfair that I have to be the one who does all the work to win the lady's hand only to lose it to a far less worthy man. I will not allow the lot of you to turn me into a laughingstock of the ton. I will not allow it," he said waving his finger angrily in her father's face.

"I would advise you to stop waving a hand at the earl. You are most likely to accidentally blind him that way," Victor interjected.

"Also, Daphne is a fully grown woman, who is capable of making her own decisions," Victor said raising a hand to stop Percy when he attempted to speak. "Besides I understand your plight. Yes, you have courted her for years, but I have it on good authority that you were otherwise busy during those years, dallying with every maid you could find and sending them away. With the way you went through them, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a whole litter of children scattered all over the countryside of London. You made sure the maids always got dismissed and invented offences simply to cover your crime. I must say it was quite ingenious of you, in fact."

Daphne's eyes widened in surprise. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense.

Over the past two years, they'd had a few incidents where young maids she had known since childhood were accused of stealing something from the household. It had never made sense to her because she knew some of them and could vouch that they wouldn't do something of that nature. But they had all admitted to the crimes, so her efforts were always useless.

And considering Percy's inclinations… the duke was most likely right.

Percy reddened further, getting even angrier, if that was even possible.

"It seems to me that you weren't satisfied with simply stealing my bride. You would also tarnish my good name," he said shaking furiously. "I demand my honor to be respected! You will meet me at dawn. I challenge you to a duel."

"Very well," he replied a smug smile curving his lips.

Daphne was about to protest that assertion when she saw movement behind Percy.

Percy, noticing her distraction, followed her line of sight and looked behind him to see Melanie and Amelia standing on either side of him, their faces like thunder about to strike him down. The man involuntarily took a step backward, and forgetting he was standing right beside the lake, he toppled over and fell in.

"Why, Percy," Harry, who had appeared by Amelia's side soon after, started in a taunt making no attempt to help him out.

"I don't think you are in any position to fight a duel if you are this jumpy. You will be dead before the first shots are fired."

Everyone laughed and Daphne didn't envy Percy at all for being the source of entertainment for her family this morning. But considering all he had done, he deserved everything he suffered.

* * *

After Percy had left with his tail between his legs and drenched to the bone, Daphne looked around at everyone who'd continued in laughter and games ignoring the scene that had just happened. She'd feared ruination and scandal if it came out that she ended her engagement to Percy to marry the duke, but no one seemed to care about anything.

She watched Victor smile with her family, beaming at her mother as they played cards. Satisfaction brimmed inside her as she realized that this was the life she wanted for herself. Her entire family was together, happy and well.

And now she'd be able to build such a life with Victor by her side. He smiled at her then, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"What is it?" she asked smiling up at him when he neared her.

"Nothing." He smiled back. "You're just so beautiful it's almost hard to believe you're mine."

She blushed shyly, "I feel the same way, too."

"Do you want to go and sit by the lake?" he asked looking into the distance.

"I would love to."

They strolled arm-in-arm and she watched her lady's maid stroll some distance behind them for propriety's sake.

Sitting by the lake, they sat close, but not too close. She had to bear this distance from him, even though she wanted to lean into him. She settled for keeping her hand in his as they stared out across the water.

"I might not always be the perfect man you want me to be, but I will do my best to make you happy," he said suddenly, not meeting her eyes.

She took in his posture, noting the vulnerability behind his words.

"I do not need you to be a perfect man," she told him, squeezing his hand. "And you already make me perfectly happy."

"What then would you require of me?" he asked, finally looking into her eyes.

"Only that you keep looking at me as you do now."