Chapter 19

The tension Anthony had been experiencing for the past couple of days faded. His body felt lighter, the pain in his ankle a little less pressing. He grabbed his cane, shut the carriage door, and offered Ada his arm. When she took it, joy burst through his veins as renewed hope surfaced.

All would be well. He was certain of it. Once he explained.

They started walking at a leisurely pace. The early morning light still retained a few hints of pink and purple, and while Hitchin was considered a town, it was more of a village compared with London. The air was fresher here, less bogged down by smoke and cloying fumes. He even noted that the street appeared wider and better maintained.

Up ahead, a gate served as the entrance to a small park. As they approached, Anthony saw it was only a twenty-by-twenty yard square, but it was pretty, with a fountain at the center and benches spread out along the periphery. A mixture of yellow, red, and white flowers filled the beds between the paved pathways.

“I should probably start by telling you that I am not engaged to Miss Starling.” It seemed like the most important part of this whole debacle, so Anthony was eager to address this first and get it out of the way.

Instead of the happiness he’d expected from Ada, she gave him a skeptical look as he steered her into the park. “That’s not what your sister told me. Are you telling me she was lying?”

“No.” He knit his brow and marshaled his thoughts. It was easy to get confused with all the mistruths floating about. He had to keep the facts in order.

Ada snorted. “Well you can’t both be right. You’re either engaged or you’re not.”

“I’m not, but Penny didn’t realize that, and in any case, she wasn’t speaking of Miss Starling when you questioned her about my intention to marry.”

“Oh.” Ada tugged her arm free and turned to face him. “There’s someone else then? Good lord. How many women have you been romancing?”

“There’s no one else. There’s just… Ada! Where are you going?”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” she said, already walking away.

“Ada, don’t…” He took a deep breath and gave up on the romantic proposal he’d had in mind. “There’s only you, Ada. You are the woman I want to marry.”

She stopped so abruptly it looked like she might pitch forward onto her face. Thankfully, she leaned back and turned. Her lips parted and there was a look of astonishment in her eyes – as though he’d just told her he lived on the moon and would like her to join him.

“But…” She shook her head as if hoping to make some sense of what he’d just said. “I saw the wedding invitation, and while I’ll grant you that wasn’t enough to convince me, the added weight of your sister’s words did. So forgive me, but I don’t understand, and I worry you might just be telling me what you believe will be to your advantage. Let’s be honest with each other for a moment, shall we? Dukes don’t marry penniless women without connections.”

“True,” he admitted, “but I plan to change that. First, however, it might be prudent of me to straighten out everything so it makes sense. Perhaps you’d like to sit?”

She glanced at one of the benches. “I think I’d rather remain in motion.”

“Very well.” He waited for her to start walking and fell into step beside her. “Let’s begin with Miss Starling. From what I’ve been able to piece together, she came to see you the day before last and arrived at your shop immediately after my sister. This, coupled with the shop being closed, was a stroke of fortune for her. It gave her the chance to prevent my sister from speaking with you directly as Miss Starling assured her she’d make sure the letter I’d written to you was delivered. My sister had no reason to doubt Miss Starling’s sincerity since she only knows her to be a respectable lady of impeccable character.”

“So you’re saying your sister gave the letter you’d written me to Miss Starling, who then decided not to deliver it?”

“Precisely.” He dropped a look in her direction and noted the way her eyes flashed with displeasure. “I wasn’t aware she’d also created a fake invitation until you just mentioned it, but that’s further proof of her scheming.”

“She told me she only wanted your title and that I was therefore free to keep seeing you on the side. In fact, she insisted she’d welcome such an arrangement and that she believed wives ought to be more supportive of their husbands’ mistresses since they can be beneficial to marriages of convenience.”

Anthony’s mouth had gone dry the moment she’d mentioned the awful proposal Miss Starling had made. His hands had fisted and the tension was back in his shoulders and spine. “She crossed the line by a huge margin, Ada. Please rest assured, I gave her a harsh dressing down and put her in her place. I very much doubt she’ll be bothering either of us in the future.”

“That is a relief.” She gave him a wary glance before saying, “I don’t usually like to speak ill of others, but I really don’t like that woman and hope to never see her again.”

“While I agree and share that same hope, it might not be so simple. After all, she is a viscount’s daughter and will therefore be present at social events. Events I hope you’ll attend as my duchess.” He took her hand and did what he ought to have done as soon as he’d kissed her. Not caring if the dirt on the ground left a mark on his fawn-colored breeches, he dropped to one knee as best as he could with a still aching ankle, and gazed at her with all the love he felt in his heart. “Marry me, Ada. Be my wife, my life-long companion, closest confidante, and dearest friend. I love you, Ada, with all that I am. Please, say yes.”

Her eyes glistened and her lips trembled. A jerky nod made his heart beat a little bit faster. Gulping and with a distinctive crack to her voice she managed to get the words out. “Yes. A thousand times yes. But—”

He was back on his feet and kissing her fiercely before she could finish her sentence. Yes. That was all he needed to hear. One little word that made all the difference. It righted his world and brightened the day.

“How will we manage?” she asked moments later. “What will people say?”

“First of all,” he told her with a new sort of calm – the kind he’d not known since his father died. “I’ve realized something since the Axelby ball.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m a duke. So to hell with what others might think. You and I will get through it.”

“Your marrying down won’t affect your sisters?”

“I am not marrying down,” he informed her sternly while pulling her into a warm embrace. “Don’t ever think that. If anything, I’m marrying up, Ada, for you are by far the best woman the world has to offer. Becoming your husband will be an honor, and I intend to make sure everyone is aware of this fact.”

She grinned. “You’re very charming when you’re fighting for someone you care for. But I still fear your sisters might suffer.”

“They will be fine. As will we. The income I’ve received from the sale of a few unnecessary possessions is more impressive than I’d have expected. My plan is to set a portion aside for daily expenses and reinvest the rest so we can start growing our wealth. I realize it’s not a quick solution, but as long as we refrain from excessive spending, we ought to manage. Which was the other thing I realized.” His shoulders relaxed as the weight of the worries he’d carried for so very long slipped away. “Keeping up appearances may not be as important as I used to believe.”

“And once that brilliant book of yours sells, you and your friends will hopefully be rewarded with a small fortune.”

“Yes, but that will likely take time – longer than I’d imagined, at any rate. Until then, I’m selling a few additional paintings. I’ll also part with the pianoforte since no one ever plays it. There’s a clock that—”

“I love you,” Ada murmured, her smile broadening as she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him once more.

He kissed her right back, grinning a little because of the all-encompassing joy he felt. “I love you too.”

She chuckled as she withdrew and linked her arm firmly with his. “Uncle James will be thrilled.”

“I hope so.”

“You mustn’t forget he’s the reason we met. Quite a matchmaker, wouldn’t you say?”

“Without a doubt,” Anthony murmured, drawing her close to his side and dropping a kiss on top of her head.

* * *

Ada was in heaven. That truly was the best way to describe it. Fairytale land was another, she supposed, while snuggling up against Anthony in the carriage. The smile she’d been wearing since his proposal remained in place. Nothing in the world could make it falter.

Thank goodness she’d chosen to listen to him instead of relying solely on what she’d seen and heard. It was clear now she’d made a mistake, albeit an understandable one, but a mistake nonetheless.

“I’m sorry I thought the worst,” she told him, realizing she had yet to apologize for misjudging him. “You did well to use Pride and Prejudice as a means to make me stop and listen to you. Clever.”

“I was determined and rather desperate at that point. I’m also incredibly glad it worked or I might have been forced to hit you over the head with it.” He snatched up the book he’d brought with him and waved it at her. “As I recall, books have a history of falling on you when you’re meant to pay attention.”

“It only happened once.” She grinned, pushing into a more upright position.

“And a good thing it did or you and I might not have started talking.”

True. What a terrible thing that would have been. Smiling at him, she closed the distance between them and kissed him. Her sister had been appalled when they’d said they’d be travelling together without a chaperone present. But Anthony had assured everyone he would marry Ada, so what was the harm in ignoring propriety a little?

Ada saw none. She was just glad to have smoothed things out with the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. His proposal, while not exactly as he had planned it, he insisted, had been perfect. She’d always look back on that moment with fondness.

Noting the lap desk he’d placed on the opposite bench, she asked, “How’s the ending of your book coming along?”

“It’s proven a challenge,” he confessed. “I tried to write on my way to your sister’s, but worrying over our relationship proved a hindrance. Now that the mess between us has been untangled and you are to be my wife, it might be easier for me to write a happy ending.”

She smiled at that thought and bit her lip, her gaze still on the lap desk. If she were to lean across the distance and lift the lid, she had no doubt she’d find the latest pages tucked away inside.

Her fingers twitched with increased curiosity. “May I?”

A warm chuckle filled the air. “By all means.”

Delighted to have his permission, she opened the lap desk and pulled out a thick stack of pages. This wasn’t just the ending he’d most recently been working on. It was the part of the book he’d written in its entirety – the first third of the novel. And since it was to be the beginning, she decided to tuck away his attempt at the ending and start the proof-read she’d promised.

“Do you have a pencil I can use?” she asked a bit later. He handed one to her, saying nothing as she proceeded to cross out a couple of unnecessary words. She continued, jotting down the occasional comment as she read. “Miss Foley’s eyes were likened to a clear summer sky a bit earlier, but they’re now described as green.”

“Really?” Anthony leaned closer as though to get a better look at his mistake. “Not sure how that happened. They’re supposed to be blue.”

She made a note of that in the margin and moved on. The carriage bumped along the dirt road, jostling her and making it difficult for her to keep her hand steady.

“Here.” Anthony placed the lap desk in her lap. “A solid surface might help.”

She lifted her gaze toward his and smiled in response to the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you.”

He answered her with a kiss to her cheek before leaning back and letting her resume her edits. The next hour or more was passed in silence, making it easy for Ada to fully immerse herself in the story. She caught herself laughing from time to time in response to Anthony’s dry wit. At other instances, the writing made her worry on the hero and heroine’s behalves.

“This is excellent,” she murmured when she reached the end of chapter five and decided to take a break. “It’s wonderfully engaging. So much better than your initial attempt.”

His brows dipped with a hint of uncertainty. “Do you honestly think so?”

“Absolutely.” She returned the manuscript to the safety of the lap desk’s interior, along with the pencil, and placed it on the opposite bench. “If the rest of the book is as good as this, readers will gobble it up from start to finish.”

Wonder filled his gaze. The look he gave her was so full of happiness Ada’s heart leapt with infinite joy. “I for one am extremely glad we met.”

“Me too,” she told him, weaving her fingers together with his. She raised their joined hands and pressed a series of kisses to each of his knuckles. “You’re unassuming, fair, and incredibly dashing. My own prince charming in the flesh.”

“And you,” he said, his voice low and intimate, “are kind, selfless, and stunning. You’ll make an exemplary duchess.”

“I may stumble during a curtsey.”

“Thankfully, you needn’t worry about that unless we’re at court. It’s everyone else who must curtsey to you.”

“What if I trip while dancing?”

“You’ll only dance with me, unless you choose otherwise, and I shall be there to catch you.”

“And if I say the wrong thing or—”

“I refer you to what I said earlier. You’ll be a duchess, so to hell with what others might think.”

She laughed and shook her head, delighted as always by his playful humor. Leaning in, she kissed him boldly, without holding back. Her hands raked his hair and clutched at his shoulders, igniting a passion inside her that heated her blood. She gasped with the pleasure he wrought with no more than his mouth. It was inconceivable that such delight could be found in a kiss.

“What’s so funny?” Anthony asked against her lips when she laughed.

She shook her head, bumping her nose against his. “Just that I never imagined Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy behaving like this once the book ended, but I suppose they must have.”

He grinned. “I love that you are referring to them as though they are real people.”

“Well, they do exist, even if it’s only within the pages of a book.”

Drawing her closer, he kissed her again with increased fervor while she did her best not to swoon. Having dreamed of a romance like this for so long, she could hardly believe one was actually coming true for her. As it turned out, happy ever afters did happen outside of novels, and she was thrilled to have found hers, in the arms of her very own duke.