Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

S amuel was pleased with the way that Lady Lillian’s face lit up as he stepped into the drawing-room, but he still noticed the puffiness under her eyes. The young lady had been crying, and he wished to fix that immediately. He felt rather nervous as both Lord and Lady Welsford were present, as well as Lord Timothy, but it was a relief to him as well. He finally had the opportunity to say what was in his heart with everyone present.

“My sincerest apologies for the abrupt intrusion, my Lord and my Lady.”

“According to my knowledge, were you not supposed to be on your way back to Cornwall?” Lord Timothy inquired as he approached Samuel and shook his hand with a content smile on his face.

“I had planned to be, but there were too many things left unsaid, and I wished to rectify that.”

Samuel briefly glanced at Lady Lillian before he turned to Lord and Lady Welsford.

“Say what you wish to say, Your Grace,” Lord Welsford nodded.

Samuel smiled gratefully and stepped forward, clasping his hands together.

“For the longest time, I felt isolated, as if I never truly belonged anywhere. The untimely death of my parents certainly did not do me any favors either. I was alone at my home in Cornwall, and my life was bleak. Until I arrived back in London.” Samuel turned to gaze at Lady Lillian as her eyes sparkled, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Of course, I was here for an entirely different reason, but a young lady fell into my arms and I caught her, and I was, thereafter, unable to focus my attention on anything else. She occupied my thoughts, and I could not stop myself from ordering my carriage to drive past her home.”

“Your Grace-”

“I have not finished, my Lord,” Samuel interrupted. “I am certain that you are all aware that Lord Bertram was behind the rumors which threatened to permanently ruin my reputation, forcing me back to Cornwall. But I will not allow him to do whatever he wishes. As a matter of fact, I believe that I am the one with the upper hand, as I have now had a very long conversation with the Marquess, who, as a result, understands the error of his ways.”

“Your Grace spoke with Lord Bertram?” Lady Welsford inquired.

“Indeed. And I am quite happy to say that he has made a very public gesture of apology in this morning’s newspaper.”

Samuel handed the newspaper to Lord Welsford and pointed to the article. Lord and Lady Welsford quietly read the public apology written by Lord Bertram, and their eyes widened.

“He made a public apology, retracting everything which he had written previously?”

Lord Timothy gasped and approached his father, seeking to read the paper.

“Indeed,” Samuel nodded.

“How on earth did you manage that?” Lord Timothy asked.

“I was rather persuasive,” Samuel grinned and briefly looked at Lady Lillian.

Her smile warmed his heart, and he winked at her. Lady Lillian’s cheeks colored slightly, and she lowered her gaze.

“That is wonderful, Your Grace. I still do not understand why you are still here in London.”

“A few reasons. First of all, Lord Timothy invited me to spend Christmas with your family, and I felt that it would be most rude of me if I were to leave prematurely. Despite the rumors, Lord Timothy was still a very good friend to me and was confident in my innocence. As was Lady Lillian. She even offered to assist me in restoring my reputation, which I declined, not by any fault of your daughter. She is a wonderful young woman, and I would have gladly enlisted her assistance if it had not held the risk of bringing any harm to her. That was why I declined her offer. I did not wish for her to be harmed in any way.”

“That is very noble of you, Your Grace.”

“I had come to London looking for the man who was set on ruining me, but my journey here has set new things in my path. Things that I never expected, but I am most delighted to experience.” Lady Lillian’s quiet smile was enough to cause Samuel’s heart to pound wildly in his chest, as his love for Lady Lillian was far too magnificent to contain. “And lastly, I could not bear to leave London, as I would be denying myself something which I had never anticipated I would feel. And that is love.”

Lady Lillian’s eyes widened, and her lips parted.

“Love, Your Grace?” Lord Welsford inquired.

“Indeed, my Lord. The only emotion that has the strength to make heroes of men and change the world for the better. My Lord, my Lady, I am in love with your daughter, and I cannot ignore my feelings. I wish to ask your permission to court your daughter, as the thought of leaving, of being away from her, is truly unbearable to me.”

Lord Timothy smiled and stepped away from his parents. He approached Samuel and stared at him.

“I am certainly not the man of the house, but I see no problem with granting the Duke his request. What say you, Father?”

Lord Welsford cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“While I certainly appreciate that Your Grace came here and asked for my permission in person, I believe that you have forgotten something rather important.”

Samuel’s brow furrowed, and his hands dropped to his sides.

“And what might that be, my Lord?”

“My daughter’s permission,” Lord Welsford answered. “My only wish for my daughter is that she is happy, and I do believe that, a short while ago, she expressed herself very clearly regarding her feelings for Your Grace.”

Samuel’s brows shot up, and he turned to Lady Lillian.

“Is that so?”

“Indeed,” Lillian nodded and slowly approached Samuel.

“And in what manner did you express yourself so very clearly?”

Lady Lillian smiled, and Samuel held out his hand to her. She took it, and he squeezed her hand gently.

“If you must know, I shared a piece of my heart with my family. I have never known such feelings, prior to meeting you. Even when I did not know who you were, outside the modiste’s, there was something about you that spoke to me. Your kind eyes, the warmth of your touch, and the ease of your presence made our first meeting very unforgettable. And it made you very unforgettable.”

“Your words are kind, Lady Lillian,” Samuel smiled and lowered his gaze.

“They are truthful, Your Grace. I have not met a man who could compete with you. I have thought of you incessantly from the moment that we met, and the times we spent together were truly delightful. And you are a wonderful dancer, despite not thinking so.”

Samuel smiled happily and took both of Lady Lillian’s hands in his. He tenderly stroked her soft skin and gazed deeply into her eyes.

“Lady Lillian, I wish to court you, if you allow me to.”

Lady Lillian briefly gazed at her parents and Lord Timothy, who smiled with encouragement and reassurance. Their support meant a great deal to Lady Lillian, Samuel could see, and she nodded.

Turning her attention back to Samuel, she drew in a deep breath.

“I would very much like that, Your Grace.”

Samuel squeezed her hand lightly, and his smile widened even more.

“I am delighted to hear that, Lady Lillian”

“Now you truly are part of the family, Yarmouth.”

Samuel’s brow furrowed, and he turned to Lord Timothy.

“I was under the impression I already was.”

Lord Timothy chuckled as Lord Welsford came to stand in front of Samuel.

“Your Grace.”

“Lord Welsford. I must apologize for the disruption which I have caused your family,” Samuel uttered. “It was most certainly not my intention.”

Lord Welsford shook his head.

“Please, do not apologize, Your Grace. Winters are dreary as it is, and you simply brought some excitement to it. I am certainly not complaining, and I am most grateful that it was an eventful time.”

“Eventful is not the word I would use,” Lady Welsford pointed out.

Samuel turned to Lady Welsford and nodded apologetically.

“Lady Welsford, I do feel as though I owe you an apology as well. I am well aware that you only wish for your daughter’s happiness, but I can assure you that I do as well. And I apologize for any discomfort or ill feelings I have caused during my stay in London.”

“That is alright, Your Grace. Perhaps I judged you rather hastily and acted rashly because of my fear for Lillian’s reputation. As well as the reputation of my family,” Lady Welsford spoke with care. “I do hope that Your Grace understands why I acted the way that I did, although I must apologize if I offended Your Grace in any manner.”

Samuel smiled and shifted his weight from one side to the other.

“My Lady, all is well. You were protecting your family, and anyone in your position would have done the same. I do not place any blame on you at all. It showed me that you love your family so much that you are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect them. That is a wonderful trait to have, my Lady. And I am in awe of you. That is certainly where we are similar. I am also willing to do anything for the people I love.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Lady Welsford smiled gratefully. “And I am sorry for the things that I said to you, and the way that I treated you.”

“Do not fret. All is well, my Lady. I am merely thankful that this terrible situation is now behind us, and we can move forward to a better time, and one assuredly more joyous.”

“Indeed,” Lord Timothy agreed.

“You are not upset, my friend, that I have feelings for your sister?” Samuel inquired.

Lord Timothy gazed at him, a perplexed expression on his face.

“Why on earth would I be upset?”

“You and I have been friends a long while, and we promised one another that we would not allow anything to influence our friendship. Even through the years where we were apart and only able to keep in contact with letters, our friendship remained perfectly intact, as though we had never been apart from one another.”

“Yarmouth, there is no one on this earth who I trust more than you. It is true; we have been friends for a long while. We stood by one another’s side at Oxford and have done so ever since. You are the best person I know, and I wish only for your happiness. I see the way that Lillian gazes upon you, and ever since you met her, there has been a sparkle in your eyes that I have never seen before. But it gladdens my heart to see you happy, and please believe me when I say this. There is no better man for my sister than you, and there is no better woman for you than my sister.”

Samuel grinned happily, touched deeply by his best friend’s words. He had never been praised as highly as Lord Timothy had just praised him, and he was truly grateful that he had a friend like Lord Timothy in his life.

“Your words mean the world to me, Colborne.”

“And I trust that I will not be required to keep you in line.”

“You will not. Your sister will gladly do that on everyone’s behalf.”

“Your Grace?”

The sound of Lady Lillian’s voice immediately caught Samuel’s attention, and he turned towards her.

“Lady Lillian.”

Her smile was bright and intoxicating, and Samuel could not stop himself from gazing upon her with awe and love.

“Does this mean that you will not be returning to Cornwall?” she asked with bright eyes.

“Not for the time being, Lady Lillian. As planned, I look forward to spending Christmas with you and your family.”

Lillian’s face lit up with joy, and he took her hand, squeezing it lightly.

Upon his arrival in London a fortnight ago, he would have never anticipated that, even as he went about finding the writer of the derogatory article, he would also find the love of his life.