Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The moment the duke left the office, the anxiety grabbed William hard. He had not really planned this conversation. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing. If Robert had not visited him today with the news about the Marquess of Fairbridge, then he would still be moping in his office, wondering when this pain was going to come to an end.

But William was here now. He had Lady Katherine in front of him, they were alone with permission of her father. The moment of truth was upon them, whether he was ready for it now or not. He had to buckle down and hope that everything worked out well.

The first part of the plan had worked out fine. He had managed to convey the information about the Marquess of Fairbridge well, and the duke had believed him instantly. It seemed that Lady Katherine's father had never been the biggest fan of the marquess's character, he was simply trying to do the best for his daughter, which of course, William respected.

"Lady Katherine Langley." William reached out and took her hand. Relief flooded him when she did not pull away. His eyes locked with Lady Katherine's as a little pinkness stained her cheeks. "I am so terribly sorry for everything that has happened between us ever since we met. I am also terribly sorry that I have come today with bad news."

William was acutely aware that the news would likely hurt Lady Katherine. It had to be dreadful to know that she was only being used for her hand in marriage so the marquess could get his hands on her dowry. It would probably not even be enough money to give them a good life. It would simply get that man out of debt and leave them with nothing else.

He watched intently as her eyes flickered with confusion. "Bad news? You have come with wonderful news. I did not wish to be engaged to the Marquess of Fairbridge. That was all done without my control. I have been feeling trapped in a terrible situation that I did not wish for. Your information has freed me. I am glad to be away from that gentleman. The only issue now is what my father will do to Douglas. I think he shall have to face a lot of trouble. My father looks very unimpressed."

She giggled sweetly, which made William join in despite his nerves. This was one of the things that William really loved about Lady Katherine, that he felt comfortable around her no matter what they were doing. Even now, in this tense and confusing moment, they were still finding a way to laugh. Thank goodness he had found his way back to her.

"He should deserve it. I am very upset with him for his cruel intentions," William insisted. "It is dreadful. And yet I am the one who has a terrible reputation, a roguish reputation, but I would never do anything like that. I would have much more respect."

"Yes." William did not know what to make of Lady Katherine's nodding. "I have been told about your reputation, but only from my brother. Although everything he told me was not exactly the truth. He did state that it was in the scandal sheets..."

William sighed heavily. "I have not been worried about what the ton thinks about me for a very long time. For the past six years, in fact, after I had my heart broken. I thought that there was no point in following the rules."

"You had your heart broken?" Instead of pulling away, Lady Katherine grasped onto William tighter. "I did not know."

"I asked for a Lady's hand in marriage. Lady Gillian, but I was laughed at, made fun of. I was made to feel like I would never be marriage material, which weighed down on me. It made me shut down from the idea of love ever again. I did not want to feel that way once more, so I could not get hurt again. I assumed it was because my father had passed away, or people only saw me as a fool, I did not think I would ever be good enough for another lady, so I suppose I gave up. I no longer wanted to try."

Lady Katherine gasped in horror. She certainly did not seem to think that this was amusing like other people had, like everyone seemed to at the time. Spilling this out to her made him feel so much better than he thought it might. Perhaps he should have been honest sooner. He would not have been so weighed down for such a long time if he had simply been open and truthful.

They had both suffered rejection, brutal rejection, actually. A rejection that the ton had used for gossip to make them feel better about their own lives. William had always felt alone in his sadness, but now he saw that he was not. What Lady Katherine had been through was probably even worse because she'd suffered physical pain also.

She was strong, just as Robert suggested, and that made him wish to be strong also. For Lady Katherine, and also for himself. He had suffered long enough.

"I did not think that I would ever fall in love again, so I did not think it mattered how I behaved," William continued, deciding that it was finally time to let it all out. One man had already lied to Lady Katherine, he would not be another, even if the truth was not a pretty one. "I did carry on in an unacceptable manner. I was roguish through my sadness. I wish now that I could change it. The moment I met you, I immediately wished that I could change it. Perhaps even from the moment I saw you in the carriage accident."

Silence fell over the room. This was the first moment in which William had fully addressed that he was there the night she crashed and it had created a real tension around them. Lady Katherine stiffened at first as this bolted through her, but after a couple of moments, she started to relax. He hoped this proved to her that he would never use her leg as an excuse to treat her badly. She would not have to worry about the sort of rejection she had suffered in the past.

If William was given a chance with Lady Katherine he would spend every single day letting her know just how beautiful and precious she was, how much he loved her, how wonderful a person he thought her to be. There would never be any question as to how much he adored her, she would not have to worry about losing his interest no matter what.

"I have made you wish to change?" she rasped. "I do not want you to have regrets. Especially not because of me."

"My only regrets are that I was not focusing on being the best man I could be for you. You see, now that I do have a reputation, I am troubled. I would not want to affect the way that London sees you, too. I have never wanted that."

Lady Katherine smiled and shook her head, looking bemused by his statement. "I am not seen in a better manner. I am a cripple, do not forget. I had a fiancé who broke things off with me after the accident, then came back to me, just for things to end once more. Who knows what my father is going to say to the marquess? Enough to cause quite the stir, I am sure. I believe you might be the one who is affected by the gossip surrounding me!"

Wow, William could not believe that she had said that. She really meant it as well; she was not just saying it to make him feel better. The pair of them had been plagued by rumors, by people talking about them even without learning the truth about their situation, so they equally understood how terrible it was. But at the same time, they could bond over it.

With the duke, and hopefully, the duchess rooting for them, it might not even matter than Jonathan was so annoyed.

"Lady Katherine." William took in a deep breath, trying to steady himself before speaking out once more. "I am in love with you. I meant what I said before…madly in love with you. I cannot stop thinking about you. You have become everything to me."

"Are you serious?" Lady Katherine giggled, blushing adorably once again. William absolutely loved the sheer joy dancing in her piercing green eyes. Again, he was struck by how much of a fool the Marquess of Fairbridge was. But the foolishness of another man might well work out for him. "I cannot believe that you are in love with me. It is utterly unbelievable."

"It is very much the truth. I cannot believe it has taken me so long to tell you," William insisted. "I also must tell you that nothing would make me happier than to have you as my wife. I do not know if I have the right to ask that of you..."

"I am in love with you, too," Lady Katherine gushed before William could get too carried away with his self-doubt. "That is why I have been so upset about the idea of marrying another man. I knew I would not be happy with him, and that was without knowing his real intentions. It had very little to do with him and everything to do with you. I want to be your wife. I would like nothing more."

William's chest could have burst with happiness. This was exactly what he wanted. This was even more than what he wanted. He certainly did not start the day thinking that he would end up with a fiancée as beautiful as Lady Katherine.

"Wait, are you my fiancée now?" he asked her as if she could read his mind. "Are we going to get married, Lady Katherine? I have never had a fiancée before. I have to say it feels rather nice."

"We most certainly are, she laughed back. "And please, if we are to get married, then you must call me Kate. I have always preferred the shorter version of my name with those I am closest to."

"Kate." He loved the way her nickname felt on his tongue. It honestly brought them that much closer together, he even laced his fingers through hers and held them a little tighter. "Well I cannot wait to be your husband, Kate."

He had tried to stop himself from daydreaming about the possibility of a life lived with love. He had been telling himself over and over again that love was not for him, that it was never going to happen. If he had known that he would end up in a happy-ever-after situation, he would not have worried quite so much. He would have simply been anxious to get to this moment.

"Oh, William," Kate cooed while running her fingers softly down his cheeks. The sensation of her touching his skin was utterly electrifying. He had never felt so overwhelmed with emotion in his life. "Thank you so much for saving me."

"It is you who has saved me," he immediately replied. "I do not know where I would end up without you. It is you who has made me want to be the best man that I can be. With you as my wife, I will always be a better man."

He leaned in then, unable to keep away from Kate any longer, and he gently brushed his lips against hers. This was not the illicit kiss that he had shared with her a while ago outside the ball, but the excitement level was just the same. It might have even been more intense because this was a kiss that could lead somewhere, that would lead somewhere. Down the aisle, to be precise. He could just envision it now, the love of his life walking to him, ready to say her wedding vows.

Kate's fingers continued to cup William's cheek as the passion of the kiss deepened. His heart began to pound; he reached forward and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her close. In that moment, William was grateful for everything that had come before, for all the bad times that he had encountered, because it had all led him to this very moment. With the love of his life in his arms and a promise for the pair of them to be married. They had a future to look forward to.

William did not want to wait. He would have married Kate right away, given half the chance, but he supposed he was going to have to for a little while to give the duke time to call things off with the Marquess of Fairbridge. Kate was correct; that certainly was going to create a lot of gossip, but he truly did not mind. Even if he featured in the scandal sheets once more. As long as he had this wonderful woman by his side, nothing else mattered. His life was going to be wonderful from here on out, he could just feel it.

"My mother shall be so pleased," Kate gushed as she pulled away, ever so slightly. "She has wanted me to be excited about wedding planning, and now I will be."

"She will not mind the change of groom?" William felt compelled to ask. "I am not quite the Marquess of Fairbridge now, am I? The Earl of Embleton is not quite the same thing."

Kate giggled once more. "My mother is already aware of my love for you and my wish to be with you. She will be pleased for me."

"And your brother?" William did not want to bring him up, but he thought it best. They could not ignore that little issue forever.

"My brother knows that I am a grown woman who can make my own choices. He will simply have to deal with it."

But Kate bristled, and William could see that this upset her somewhat. She was obviously very close with her brother, and likely always had been. He did not wish to be the man causing a rift between the siblings.

"I shall find a way to win him around," William reassured her. "It might take some time because, as proven by today, he is not exactly very taken with me at the moment, but I am sure I can change that."

William had never considered himself a man of charm, not like some of his friends, but he would do whatever it took. He had already promised himself that he would do anything for Kate, no matter how challenging, and that included this.

"I am sure you will." Kate grinned, her eyes shining with joy. She had never looked quite so beautiful as she did in this moment. "There is no way that he will not eventually fall in love with you, just like the rest of my family has. Once he sees how good you are for me and how your reputation has no bearing on anything. It might take some time, but I am not too worried."

"He loves you very much."

"Which is why I know he will eventually give you a chance," Kate reassured him. "He will do it if I ask it of him. But first, we should go and confirm the news of our engagement to my parents. They shall be happy to know. Although we may have to keep it a secret from the rest of the world until things smooth over with the marquess."

"And my family, too." Excitement bloomed in William. "While they are here. My mother and Imogen are normally in Bath, but they have been here for my birthday celebration. I know you met them at the ball, but I would love to formally introduce you to them as my fiancée as well."

"I would love nothing more." Just before they left the duke's office, hand in hand, to share the news, Kate paused to kiss William lightly one final time. "I do love you so."

"And I love you, too," William repeated, knowing with utter certainty that he would never tire of hearing those words or saying them either. "I cannot wait for you to be my wife at long last."

"We really will have a fairy-tale love," Kate giggled. "I have always wanted that."

"And they loved happily ever after," William teased, knowing with utter certainty that they absolutely would.

Everything from here was going to be perfect.