Chapter Twenty-Four

N orth blinked then blinked again. “You—you’re in love? As in lovers?”

The continued blinking made him look owlish to Luke, not something he’d ever dared think about his father before.

Then The Earl pushed. Gulping a swallow, he repeated, “In love? How can you be sure? You’ve barely lived.”

Luke snorted. “I believe our conversation just before Belle’s arrival should tell you otherwise.”

“And look at the choices you made,” his father snapped. Then immediately held up a hand. “I’m sorry. That was unkind. I’m trying to understand, and you’ve thrown a lot at me in the past hour.”

Luke ground his teeth. He was not ready to forgive anything, especially after that remark. Instead, he ground out, “Were you not a year younger when you married Mother?”

North’s gaze flew to his, and he nodded. “Yes.”

“When something is right, age does not matter.” Luke slid his glance sideways to Belle as he finished that retort.

Before she could react, North turned to her. “Wait, has something changed for you? I swore—no, you swore you’d never marry or leave London.”

A stab of fear shot through Luke at that question. His father had been alone up here for years now. Perhaps he was considering rekindling his affair with Belle on new terms if she was willing to come north, regardless of the fact that Luke had just proclaimed his love.

Belle’s voice seemed to hold the same fear, as she blushed and stammered, “I retired recently, with the goal of marriage. I thought it best to leave London behind given how everyone knew me there.”

North shook his head side to side. “I understand, but I hate that for you. They were all happy enough to fight over you...” With a glance at his son, he trailed off. “You should not have to leave a place you love because others feel you don’t deserve marriage.”

Luke gaped at his father, shocked at the supportive and understanding words. He pushed aside his twinge of jealousy to look at Belle.

She had tears in her eyes.

Luke fidgeted, unsure if she’d accept comfort from him and unwilling to be rejected in front of The Earl. Deciding his father’s reaction did not matter, he reached for her hand. It was long since time he stopped worrying about his father’s opinions, and Luke remained convinced he was Belle’s future.

However, Belle regained her composure, swiping at her eyes and lifting her chin. “What I may or may not deserve is not the point. Lu— my husband should not have to endure the snubs and gossip. In fact, I have decided to avoid members of the aristocracy altogether.”

“What if your husband does not care a whit what others think?” Luke interjected, his tone fierce.

“We’ve been over this. I care.”

“I am not sure the country squires are quite ready for you, my dear,” North murmured.

Still unwilling to believe in their support, she pushed the issue, deliberately choosing the vernacular of her youth. “Why? Because I was a flash moll?”

Both men flinched at that phrase. North frowned and near yelled, “No! Do not denigrate yourself or anyone else in your profession. You provided a valuable service to lonely men.”

Luke’s brows rose at his father’s words. Apparently, they agreed on this, at least. It was as good a starting point as any.

His father continued, calmer. “I said that because I remember you as a bee among flowers. You flitted from one to another as they needed pollen, with the ability to make honey or to sting. Beautiful with a whiff of dangerous, which was irresistible to so many of us.”

Belle bit her lip. Flashing a glance at Luke that he could not interpret, she lowered her gaze.

He hoped his father’s references to their liaison did not embarrass her. She must know he did not care. It was time to step in. He reached for her hand again and said, “Sir, we should continue our conversation from earlier at some point. For now, though, as Belle is here, I shall inform you that I plan to wed her. Well, to convince her and then wed her.”

The earl stared at Belle for a long moment, noting her hand sitting unresisting in Luke’s. When his gaze came to Luke, he returned the stare unflinchingly. One side of his father’s mouth curled in a half smile. But congratulations were too much to hope for. Instead, he quizzed, “You said you fell in love with her. How long ago did you meet?”

“I’m not sure I believe that you care—”

“Luke,” Belle hissed again.

He rolled his eyes at her but finished answering the question. “We met months ago through mutual friends. I was not yet ready to accept help. However, another acquaintance reintroduced us two months hence, and Belle agreed to help me make better choices. When I asked for her hand, she ousted me, and I’ve been gathering information for Free Your Spirits since then, from the London house.”

Belle’s mouth dropped open, and he sent her a smirk. He could smooth their story as needed. He hoped she recognized how that would help them in the future.

“So there has been time to separate your feelings from those of gratitude.” The Earl nodded. “What of you, Belle?”

“What of me?” she asked, eyes wide.

“What feelings do you have for Luke?”

“I... care for him a great deal. That is why I do not wish to harm his future by marrying him.”

Luke squeezed her hand with a smile.

His father nodded again. “What of children?”

Luke interjected again. “We both want them. Neither of us feels all that confident in our parenting ability, but together I believe we’d muddle through quite well.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose that brings us back to our earlier conversation, doesn’t it? I, too, was not confident in my parenting skills. Your mother, though, was a natural. I’ve never seen a person more nurturing, more able to find the balance between setting limits and offering love.” He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. “I’m afraid after her death, I was so heartbroken and afraid of failure, I thought it best for you to have other role models to learn from. That is why I sent you to boarding school.”

Angered at how easily The Earl explained the past away, Luke scoffed, “That doesn’t explain your lack of affection at school holidays, or the constant criticism when we did interact.”

North sat back and steepled his fingers, once again evaluating. This time, though, he seemed to reassess the effects of his behavior on a boy of twelve. He sighed and nodded. “You are right. That first year or two, it was all I could do to get through the holidays without your mother. After that, you had your own walls up. So I kept my questions to school and sports. I suppose in hindsight, you were acting out. We all did, as youths. But I knew you were capable of much more, so I tried to push you.”

The Earl stood and sat next to Luke. The proximity startled him. Never in recent memory had his sire attempted any affectionate gestures.

Twisting to face him, North said, “I love you more than words can say. It has always been difficult to express my feelings in words. It annoyed your mother to no end. But I hoped sending you to the best schools, prodding you to make the most of your experiences there, and supporting you financially would show you that through actions. I wish—for many reasons, but perhaps for this one most of all—your mother was still alive. She balanced my gruffness with warmth. I am sorry I did not make my affection, my love, clearer to you these past years. But please, never doubt it. You are my son. Drunk or sober. Success or wastrel. You can always come to me for help.”

Luke was silent, unable to form a coherent response. Belle was sniffling, but his emotions were scattered. Part of him wanted to sneer. The other part wanted to throw himself in his father’s arms. The rest remained a lost boy in a man’s body.

Finally he gave a short nod. “Thank you for those words. I need some time to consider this new information.”

His father’s face fell, but he nodded his acceptance.

Luke tried to find a reason to excuse both Belle and himself from his father’s presence so they might have a private conversation. He could not think of one.

The earl turned to Belle. “I see why you thought it might be necessary to intervene.”

She answered, “I was wrong, however.”

Luke snapped his gaze to her.

She continued. “Luke is more than capable of speaking for himself. Whilst I adapted to your stoic nature, it hurt a twelve-year-old boy. He came here of his own volition despite that. So I am very glad you both can see the past differently. I hope that your connection will grow from here.”

Luke’s throat closed. She continued to support him, and she’d come all this way. He was sure she cared for him, he just needed to convince her that marriage was their best option.

“And what of your sentiments for my son?”

Perfect, his father’s question would help his quest. Unless—but no, the earl’s face and tone did not show jealousy. Luke turned to Belle, hopeful.

“As I said, I care enough for your son that I refuse to sully his reputation and his family’s, present and future, by marrying him.”

“That does not answer the question.” Luke and his father spoke at the same time, exchanging an amused glance. Luke couldn’t recall the last time he’d shared humor with his father, much less been on the same side of a debate.

Belle arched a brow. “’Tis all I have.”

“What of children?” the earl asked again. “Luke said you both want them?”

She shrugged. “Not that it matters, since I have no plans to wed your son, but yes. I want children—not heirs, children whom I can love.”

His father smiled. “You’ll be a wonderful mother. If you can handle my ‘strong and silent’ attitude and Luke, you can handle anything.”

“Now see here...” Luke said, only half in jest.

Belle and his father chuckled, and Luke realized he’d begun to see past the profile of “The Earl.”

“What do you think of Northumberland?” the earl asked her.

Luke leaned forward to hear her response.

“’Tis deuced cold, but the people in town were lovely. I suppose their warmth makes up for some of the outside temperature. And I imagine it is quite pretty on nice days, overlooking the sea.”

“See? All that fuss about life outside London, and you were missing this picturesque area for years.”

It was time to intervene. He did not like the other two walking down memory lane for too long. Belle was his. “I imagine she might not have seen it the same way before now, just as I wouldn’t have. So much of one’s view of the external depends on their internal experiences.”

“Well said,” Belle agreed, nodding.

His father sat back. “Luke, I confess I invited you here for two purposes. I of course wanted to spend the holidays with you if you were amenable—”

“Ha.” Luke couldn’t contain his snort of disbelief. “You ordered me here.”

“Yes, well, I did not trust that you’d come of your own volition... never mind, it does not matter. I was wrong to do that, and I’m sorry.”

Belle smiled encouragingly at his father.

Luke merely nodded. “Thank you. What was the second reason?”

His father opened and closed his mouth twice, blushing.

Luke had never seen him at a loss for words. He was astonished.

North took a breath and said in a rush, “I met a widow in Old Shoreston, and we’ve grown closer. I’d like to introduce you to her.”

Luke’s brows shot to his hairline. Well, apparently the earl was not jealous of Belle, at least. But introducing him to an untitled widow seemed superfluous, unless...

The earl continued. “I know it may seem sudden, but we’ve spent a lot of time together over the past year. We’d talked about a Christmas wedding but I was not sure how you’d react to it all, so we did not plan much.”

“A wedding ?” Luke’s voice betrayed his shock.

Belle murmured, “Congratulations, North. I hope I may meet her, if circumstances allow.”

“That would be lovely. Now, we’ve discussed many issues today. Perhaps I should leave you with your guest and time to think about it all, and we can speak again at supper?”

He’d been eager to spend time alone with Belle, and while that hadn’t changed, his father’s announcement had distracted him. The offer returned him to the most important issue. “Yes, thank you.”

The earl stood and held his hand to Belle. “Walk me to the door, my dear?”

She glanced at Luke before nodding and allowing him to tug her upright.

Luke’s gaze narrowed on them hovering by the portal.

His father leaned in, speaking in low tones. Nonetheless, Luke heard every word. “Belle. Thank you again for helping Luke. I can see his affection for you, and I think you harbor feelings for him, too. I’ve always thought of our time together fondly, and I can’t think of a more wonderful match for him. If you care for him as he does you, I encourage you to reconsider your decision on matrimony. You have my blessing, if that was a concern.”

Belle started to cry, and North took a step toward her as though to comfort her.

Luke paced forward. “Thank you, Father. I’ll handle this.”

Without waiting for his father to depart, he tugged Belle around and encircled her with his arms, hugging her tight against him.

“I missed you, wench.”