Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

As Winston led Mattie towards her family’s cottage, he tried to recall the speech he had rehearsed in his head countless times. He knew that Mattie cared for him; she had said as much. But his feelings went far deeper. He loved her with everything he was and everything he would be.

Despite his best efforts to recall his speech, he found himself at a loss for words, something he was not accustomed to. Mattie glanced over at him and smiled, making him remember what he was fighting for.

He stopped and gently turned Mattie to face him. “I know this might not be the ideal time to say such things, but I cannot remain silent any longer,” he said, his voice steady with determination. “I need to tell you how I feel about you.”

“I am listening,” Mattie responded, her eyes encouraging him to continue.

Winston took a deep breath before saying, “When we were growing up, I despised you. You were always underfoot, and I used to hide from you. The more I got to know you, the more I was sure that you would always be my nemesis.”

“Well, that is good to know,” Mattie muttered.

“But it all changed when we kissed,” Winston admitted, his voice softening. “Everything I thought I knew changed in a blink of an eye, and I realized that there was a fine line between love and hate. And I crossed that line.”

Mattie’s eyes widened slightly. “What are you saying, Winston?”

Winston reached for her hand. “I love you, Mattie,” he said. “Even when I thought I hated you, I loved you. I have tried to fight it, but I miscalculated my feelings for you. My whole life is you, and I know that now.”

“You love me?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I do,” Winston confirmed.

Mattie grew quiet, her gaze thoughtful. “Are you not worried about how different we are? We fight constantly.”

Winston grinned. “I don’t want normal and simple and easy. I just want you,” he said. “Do you think you could come to love me?”

She lowered her gaze to the lapels of his jacket, and he feared that he had gone too far in his questioning. However, in a soft voice, she said, “I love you.”

He brought his finger under her chin and lifted it until their gazes met. “Do you truly mean it?”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Like you, my heart started turning the moment you kissed me. I tried to fight it, but you claimed my heart that night.”

Winston moved his hand to cup her right cheek. “You should know that I am not a rich man. I intend to stop working as a barrister and focus on my sheep farm. That means we will have to live in a cottage that has a leaky roof, at least for now.”

A small smile came to Mattie’s lips. “I do not mind a little water.”

“I intend to work hard and give you a home that you deserve,” Winston said.

Mattie’s smile widened. “I do not need a home like Brockhall Manor. I just want a place where we can raise our children and be happy.”

“I promise that I will be the man that will always make you smile,” he asserted.

“And I promise that I will always love you, even when you say the most idiotic things,” Mattie joked, her eyes sparkling.

Winston lifted his brow in amusement. “You are a minx.”

“That is not the worst thing that you have called me,” she retorted.

“No, it is not,” Winston said. “But I do believe our days of name calling are over. I would prefer it if I called you ‘my love.’”

Mattie seemed to consider his words. “I will allow it.”

“There is only one more thing that I have to do,” Winston said as he lowered himself down onto one knee. “Miss Mattie Bawden, will you do me the grand honor of marrying me?”

“Yes!” Mattie exclaimed.

Winston jumped up and pulled her into his arms. “You have made me the happiest of men,” he said. “But there is one more thing that we must do.”

“Kiss on it?” Mattie suggested with a playful smile.

He chuckled. “I was going to say that I need to speak to your father, but I like what you proposed as well.”

Mattie shifted in his arms and looked up at him, her eyes warm and inviting. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, making everything seem right in the world. Mattie was his; he existed for her. And nothing would compare with this kiss, knowing that his love would last forever.

Winston was so engrossed in the moment that he barely registered the loud clearing of a throat behind him.

Mattie broke the kiss and turned her head. “Father!” she said, taking a step back from Winston, her cheeks flushed.

Lord Wythburn glared at Winston. “What is going on here?” he demanded.

Winston met the lord’s gaze and replied with as much composure as he could muster, “I offered for Mattie, and she accepted.”

“Without speaking to me first?” Lord Wythburn asked. “That surely is an oversight. Is it not?”

“It is, my lord,” Winston replied, his tone respectful but resolute. “My apologies. I’m afraid the moment just got away from me.”

Lord Wythburn shifted his gaze towards Mattie, his expression softening slightly. “We have been so worried about you since we received Lady Dallington’s letter. I am glad to see that you are well and unharmed.”

With a grateful glance at Winston, Mattie responded, “Winston saved me.”

“And you rewarded him with a kiss?” Lord Wythburn asked, his words holding censure.

Mattie tilted her chin defiantly. “It is perfectly acceptable since we are engaged to be married,” she insisted.

Lord Wythburn frowned. “I should have seen this coming,” he muttered. “Come along, I need to speak to Lord Winston privately.”

As they followed Lord Wythburn to the cottage, Mattie asked, “Out of curiosity, what was in the note that you delivered to my sister?”

“I confessed my feelings and I offered for you,” Winston admitted.

“Did you offer for me because of your feelings or because it was the honorable thing to do?” Mattie asked, her eyes searching his.

Winston shrugged one shoulder. “A little of both, I suppose.”

“And now?” Mattie pressed, her gaze intent.

With a curious look, Winston said, “If you are asking me if I am marrying you because it is the honorable thing to do, you would be wrong. I am marrying you because I love you and I do not want to go another day without you by my side.”

A mischievous glint came into Mattie’s eyes. “That was a good answer.”

“I do not know why you sound so surprised,” Winston remarked.

Mattie reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers.

Winston arched an eyebrow. “Are you not worried about upsetting your father more?”

“I love you, Winston,” Mattie replied. “And I do not care who knows it. I am the happiest I have ever been.”

They reached the front steps of the cottage and Lord Wythburn turned to face them, his stern expression unchanged. “Lord Winston, a word with you inside,” he said, gesturing towards the door.

Winston squeezed Mattie’s hand before releasing it. “I will be right back,” he promised.

Inside, Lord Wythburn led Winston to the study and closed the door behind them. “I need to understand your intentions clearly,” he began, his tone measured.

Winston stood tall, his expression sincere. “My lord, I have loved Mattie for longer than I realized. My intentions are to marry her, cherish her and build a life together. I know I should have come to you first, but my feelings got the better of me.”

Lord Wythburn studied him for a long moment before nodding slowly. “Very well. I see that you are earnest in your intentions. But you must understand, Mattie’s happiness is paramount to me.”

“And it is to me as well,” Winston replied. “I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make her happy.”

Lord Wythburn sighed as he sat down behind the desk. “I hope you are true to your word. For now, we have much to discuss.” He gestured towards a seat. “Let’s begin with her dowry.”

Mattie watched as Winston followed her father inside, and her heart pounded with a mixture of anxiety and hope. She believed in Winston, in his love for her, and she hoped her father would come to see it as well.

The door creaked open and Emma stepped outside, curiosity etched on her face. “Why is Lord Winston speaking to Father in the study?”

“He is asking for Father’s permission for us to marry,” Mattie replied, seeing no reason to keep the truth from her sister.

Emma’s lips pursed into a pout. “That is hardly fair,” she muttered. “Why do you get to marry a lord?”

Mattie frowned, her frustration barely concealed. “It hardly matters to me that Winston is a lord. I love him, and I would have married him regardless.”

“Yes, but Lord Winston is the son of a marquess,” Emma insisted. “At least my chances to secure a lord have been elevated by your advantageous marriage.”

“Wonderful,” Mattie remarked dryly. Why was it that her sister only seemed to think of herself, especially at a moment like this?

Emma stepped closer, her expression softening slightly. “I am glad that you are happy, Sister.”

“Thank you.” Mattie paused, taking a deep breath as she prepared to broach a delicate subject. “Winston informed me that he gave you a letter about a year ago with instructions to deliver it to me. Do you recall that letter?”

Emma grew silent, her face growing pale. “I do.”

“Dare I ask why you didn’t deliver that letter to me?” Mattie asked, her voice tinged with accusation.

With hesitation, Emma responded, “I didn’t want you to marry Lord Winston. ”

Mattie reared back. “Whyever not?”

Emma sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. “I knew if you married Lord Winston, you would leave me, and I wasn’t ready for that,” she confessed.

“So you made the decision for me?” Mattie asked, her voice rising with incredulity.

“I didn’t think Lord Winston was the right man for you,” Emma insisted, a defensive edge creeping into her tone. “After all, you two fought all the time.”

Mattie tried to keep the frustration out of her voice, but she was failing miserably. “People can change.”

“Yes, but Lord Winston was always kind to me,” Emma said. “I thought we would be a better match than you two.”

Her brow shot up in surprise. “You wanted Winston for yourself?”

Emma had the decency to look ashamed. “At the time, yes, but I have since realized that I can marry someone higher-ranking than a younger son of a marquess now that Father is a viscount.”

Mattie walked over to the bench and sat down. She was trying to find the right words to say because she was growing increasingly upset with each passing word that came out of Emma’s mouth.

“I can’t believe you didn’t deliver the letter to me. I never thought you would do something so awful,” Mattie said. “I almost lost Winston because of it.”

“Regardless, you got precisely what you wanted.”

“That is beside the point. All you seem to care about is having an advantageous marriage,” Mattie declared.

Emma shrugged her shoulders, seemingly unperturbed. “If I want to be anything in life, I must make a brilliant match.”

Mattie stared at her sister in disbelief. “You can be more than that.”

“Says the woman who is marrying a son of a marquess,” Emma remarked as she came to sit down next to her.

“I am marrying Winston because I love him,” Mattie said. “He is not rich, and we will live in a small cottage at his sheep farm for now.”

Emma looked at her with disbelief. “That sounds awful.”

“Does it?” Mattie asked, a wistful smile on her lips. “Because to me, it sounds perfect.”

In a soft voice, Emma said, “I am sorry for keeping that letter from you. It was unfair of me to do so.”

Mattie knew it had taken a lot for her sister to apologize since she was not one to do so, but she wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. In time she would, but not now. The betrayal was too raw. “Thank you for saying so, but I am still angry with you. It is time for you to grow up, Emma, and start caring about others.”

Emma grew contrite. “You are right. I will try to be better.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Are you sure you would rather live in a cottage than Darlington Abbey?”

“It doesn’t matter where I live, as long as I am with Winston,” Mattie admitted.

The door opened once more and Mrs. Watson stepped out with a look of relief on her face. “Thank heavens you have returned home, Child!” she declared. “We were fraught with worry about you.”

Mattie rose and embraced Mrs. Watson warmly. “Thank you, but Lord Winston saved me.”

“To think that terrible man dined with you and your family,” Mrs. Watson declared, shaking her head in disbelief. “Mr. Blythe seemed like such a pleasant man.”

“It was all an act,” Mattie replied.

“Well, I hope he is on his way to Newgate right now,” Mrs. Watson said.

Mattie grimaced. “I am afraid he is dead.”

Mrs. Watson’s eyes widened before saying, “Well, I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but good riddance.” She smiled. “I do notice that Lord Winston is speaking to your father. Is he asking for your hand?”

“He is,” Mattie confirmed, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Clasping her hands together, Mrs. Watson declared, “What wonderful news!”

“We will be residing at his sheep farm,” Mattie said. “Which means I won’t be too far to come and visit you.”

Mrs. Watson beamed. “That makes me so happy to hear.”

As she uttered her words, her father and Winston stepped outside, their expressions solemn. Mattie’s heart pounded in her chest as she looked at them expectantly.

“Mattie,” her father began, “Winston has assured me of his love and commitment to you. You have my blessing.”

Tears of joy welled in her eyes as she rushed forward to embrace her father. “Thank you, Father,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Winston stepped closer, taking Mattie’s hand once more. “Thank you, my lord,” he said sincerely. “May I have a word with my betrothed?”

Her father gave him a curt nod. “Yes, but make it quick.”

“I will,” Winston promised.

Hand in hand, Mattie and Winston walked a short distance away. He broke the silence by asking, “Are you happy, Mattie?”

“Blissfully so,” she replied.

“Good, because that was the easy part,” Winston said, a teasing smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Now we have to tell my family.”

Mattie laughed, feeling lighter and freer than she ever had. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Winston shuddered dramatically. “It will not be for the faint of heart. I assure you.”

“Together, we can do anything,” Mattie encouraged, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Bringing her hand up to his lips, Winston kissed it gently. “Together… I quite like the sound of that.”

“Oh, I did speak to my sister about the letter,” Mattie began, her tone growing serious. “I’m afraid her reasonings were entirely selfish.”

Winston nodded. “My only regret is that I didn’t ask you sooner about the letter.”

Mattie stepped closer to him. “To be honest, I don’t know if I would have been ready then, but I am ready now,” she said earnestly. “With all my heart, and all my soul, I will love you forever, and even then it doesn’t seem long enough.”

“I love you, Mattie,” Winston murmured, his voice holding a promise.