A Duke’s Overlooked Spinster (The Courting Season #1)

Chapter 25

Robert burst into the room, his heart racing, his blood pounding in his veins. He had delayed going down to breakfast so that he might dress carefully to meet with Miss Brooke. He had chosen his best velvet tailcoat in a blue color that Victoria always said enhanced his eyes. He had brushed his hair and then re-brushed it. He had tied his cravat three times. He had been about to go down when he had heard Henry’s voice raised in the next room. He had listened at the door and what he had heard sent raw emotion coursing through his veins.

He turned to face her, holding her gaze with his own.

Miss Brooke stood up from beside the bed. Her face was white, her eyes huge.

“Your Grace,” she said in a small, formal voice that constricted his heart, shutting him out in the way he feared most. “It is preferable, is it not, to avoid contact with you and your son...?”

Robert stared at her, rooted to the ground in shock. What had happened? His brain raced.

“No. No,” he said at once, his thoughts racing. He had offended her somehow. He must have. The kiss! He must have scared her. “That is not what I meant,” he added as swiftly as the thought occurred to him. “Allow me to apologise.”

“Apologise?” Miss Brooke frowned at him, seeming utterly confused.

“Yes. I, um...did not mean to, well, confuse you.”

“Confuse me?” Miss Brooke gaped at him. “You did not confuse me. It is clear that you do not wish me to visit you and your son.” Her tone ached. Robert gasped.

“No. I did not mean that. I meant that visits will not be necessary. Because...” He trailed off. He had intended to declare how he felt, but now he was not sure how she felt, and he went red. “Because I do not want you merely to be a visitor,” he concluded shyly.

“What do you mean?” Miss Brooke gaped.

“I mean, well...I mean...I think Henry would like it to, if you, um...if you were part of our lives,” he said quickly. “Not just a visitor. Someone we see every day. Someone close to us. Someone we love,” he gabbled, trying to make himself say it.

He completed his sentence, sweat beading on his palms and his heart racing. He was almost afraid to look at her, to see the stiff, cold rejection he expected to see written on her face. He steeled himself, lifting his eyes to look at her. He gaped. The expression on her face was entirely different to anything he could have foreseen.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth forming a little “o” shape of astonishment. She stared at him, not being able to speak, for a few moments. Her hands gripped one another, the fingers lacing through each other as though she clung onto her own grasp for strength. Robert cleared his throat awkwardly, not sure how to interpret what he was seeing or what she might say next. As he did so, she took an uncertain step forward. She gazed into his eyes.

“Your Grace?” she whispered. “You mean...you mean that you...you love me?” the words were a whisper, pure amazement tightening her throat.

“Yes,” Robert said, and the word was a relief. He felt lighter, saying it. Her amazement was a little hard to interpret, but he did not care. All he wanted was to tell her, for the burden of keeping it a secret to be lightened. He had to tell her. “Yes, I love you.”

Miss Brooke gazed up at him. She smiled. A slow, sweet smile of pure joy spread across her face. His heart lit, soaring at the sight of something so beautiful.

“I can scarcely credit it,” she exclaimed, her voice imbued with deep emotion. “I love you as well. I believe I have harboured this sentiment for some time—since the Baths, or perhaps even earlier. I love you.”

She was crying, tears running slowly down her cheek. Robert reached out and touched her skin, pressing his finger against the slow track of the teardrop. He reached in his pocket.

“Here,” he said gently, passing her his handkerchief. “It’s clean. I promise.”

Miss Brooke let out a small, happy giggle of laughter. “I shouldn’t take it,” she said with a giggle. “I already have one. You gave me one at the ball.”

“I assure you; I can bear the loss of one of my handkerchiefs,” he said with a small, shaky chuckle. “I’m glad you have it.”

“As am I,” Miss Brooke said, taking the handkerchief from his fingers and using it to dab at her face.

Robert gazed into her eyes. She stared back at him. He reached out slowly, tentatively. He tucked a strand of her soft chestnut hair behind her one ear, where it had come loose from the bun that held it. She sighed and reached up to touch his hand.

A small bark from the floor made Robert look down. Buttons, evidently confused by the lack of talking, was pawing at Miss Brooke’s dress, making small urgent sounds. Miss Brooke’s face lit with a grin.

“Buttons! I am sorry. I ignored you. Henry?”

Robert blushed. He had almost forgotten that his son was in the room. He turned around to see Henry standing on the bed, watching them with a rapt expression on his face. Robert flushed. He had meant to tell his feelings to Miss Brooke. He had not intended to confess them to his son. Henry was watching them fixedly and Robert cleared his throat, feeling self-conscious.

“Henry?” he said cautiously. “Is it...acceptable to you? What we have said, I mean?” He had not thought too far about the ramifications for his son. Would Henry accept Miss Brooke as occupying the position that his mother once occupied? He clearly loved Miss Brooke, but that was a big step for a child, and Robert had intended to discuss it with him before letting him know. His son gazed at him.

“You’re not doing it properly. You should kiss her!”

Robert gaped at his son. He looked over at Miss Brooke, but she was staring at Henry in open-mouthed surprise. Robert chuckled, and then Miss Brooke burst out into peals of delighted laughter.

“You’re right, Henry,” Robert said with a chuckle.

He leaned forward, gazing into Miss Brooke’s eyes. She stared back. Then he put his hands on her shoulders, leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Miss Brooke’s eyes widened in astonishment and Robert wrapped his arms around her, leaning back and gazing at her with love undisguised in his stare.

“I love you, Miss Brooke,” he said with a grin.

“I love you, too.”

“Hooray!” said Henry.

Buttons barked.

Their world was full of joy.

***

Later, Robert walked around the grounds with Miss Brooke. Mrs. Wellman had returned from the breakfast room with food for Henry, and then all of them—Mrs. Wellman, Buttons and Henry—had followed Robert and Miss Brooke down to the garden for a stroll. Mrs. Wellman kept an eye on the little boy and the small puppy as they gamboled on the lawn. Robert took the chance for a moment alone with Miss Brooke and guided her down the path towards the bench that overlooked the distant landscape.

“I have wanted to tell you for a long while how I feel,” he confessed as they walked side-by-side together. “I think that, from the moment I saw you, I knew there was something special about you. I wanted to know you better.”

Beside him, Miss Brooke blushed. “As did I, Your Grace.”

Robert stopped. He had been walking at her side, but he turned to look at her, holding her gaze firmly with his own.

“Robert,” he said levelly. “Please. Call me by my Christian name.”

Miss Brooke inclined her head. “Robert,” she said in a soft, musical way that set him on fire. “But,” she added, tilting her head teasingly to one side. “You will have to do me the like favour. Please call me likewise by my name.”

“Sarah,” he breathed. In that one word was all the longing, all the love he had kept hidden for so long.

She blushed.

“Robert,” she repeated, and giggled. “It feels so pleasant to use your name.”

“I am of the like opinion,” he said with a grin. Sarah smiled up at him.

“It is a very fine, upstanding name,” she told him. He chuckled.

“Thank you. You have a lovely name, too. All the more beautiful for being unusual.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

Robert stood opposite her, gazing into her eyes. “I am more grateful than I can say that I heard you talking to Henry. If I had not, you might have run away this very morning.”

Sarah shook her head a little sadly. “It was foolish of me,” she murmured. “But your mama...and the whole of society, too...What they thought of it, of me was something I could not face. I could not bear to hurt Henry like that.”

Robert gaped at her. “You could never hurt him,” he said instantly. “He adores you. You must have noticed?”

Sarah smiled. “I know he is fond of me,” she said carefully. “But, well...what your mother said is true. I could hurt him.”

“What my mother said?” Robert gaped.

“She told me that I would only hurt Henry. That I should leave your family alone. She said that I would ruin your son’s reputation.”

“What?” Robert demanded. He knew that Sarah’s father had not been particularly well known in society. He had not inquired at all as to whether she had—or could, by law—inherit anything, but that did not matter at all. His dukedom was prosperous, and he had no need of any dowry or inheritance to add to his wealth. Henry’s reputation and status in society would not be tainted by his marrying a peer—the longer he thought about it, the more he knew that. His mother simply disapproved of Sarah because she was not manipulable. “Did she truly make such a statement?”

“She came and found me at the party,” Sarah said. “The party yesterday. That was why I left early. I do not know if you noticed?”

“Of course, I noticed!” Robert said a little crossly. “I had been looking forward to seeing you all morning! I wondered why you had done that.” He swallowed hard, seeing her sorrowful expression and realizing that, while he was incredulous, she was simply hurt. “I am so sorry that my mother did that to you,” he said quickly.

“There is no need to be,” Sarah said quickly. “You did not make her do it.”

Robert chuckled at the slight grin that lifted her mouth, though her eyes still looked troubled.

They both stood quietly for a moment. Robert’s mind reeled. The first thing he wanted to do was to rush off and confront his mother, but a second of reflection made him realize that it made little sense to do so. He needed to reassure Sarah more than he needed to reprimand his mother. She could have caused immense trouble, but it had not happened, and he could ignore his rage for the moment. Talking to Sarah was more important.

“I am deeply sorry for what she said,” he said slowly. “But, as it is, I do not believe there is any impediment to us being together.” He paused as her eyes lit up. “Henry is my son, and my heir, and nothing can change that. You are a peer. My own family reputation should be able to weather a little bit of an unusual story,” he added with a smile. “And you are unusual, Sarah. I think that only adds to your allure.”

To his amazement, she started sobbing.

“You...” she gazed up at him, her eyes shining. “You really mean that, don’t you,” she breathed. “You mean that you...that you don’t mind my unusual past? My strange introduction into society?”

“Of course not,” Robert said instantly. “It rather adds to you. A certain amount of talk in society is no bad thing. My father always said that if one drew a certain amount of gossip, that meant people were interested. And that can never be bad.” He chuckled.

Sarah gaped at him. “You mean it?”

“Of course.”

He drew a breath. He had decided what he wanted weeks ago, but it took some effort to find words to say it. He decided simply to be brave. “Sarah,” he breathed. “My sweetest Sarah. Will you do me the honour of becoming my duchess?”

Sarah gaped again. This time, her eyes were wet with tears. She lifted her hands to her cheeks, her eyes wide and shining with teardrops that he guessed must be of happiness, because a big grin split her face as she tried to form words.

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “Yes. I will.”

Robert let out a breath as he stared at her. It was his turn to look surprised. Somehow, he had never really entertained the idea that she would say yes. It took him by such surprise that he had no idea what to say.

He chuckled—a delighted, warm chuckle that arose from deep within, letting out all the joy and surprise and delight that her answer called up.

“I am so happy,” he said softly.

“I am, too,” Sarah said, a big grin lifting her lips at the corners.

Robert reached for her and drew her into his arms, and she leaned against him, her weight pressing against him in a firm, real, delightful embrace that nourished his soul.

He pressed his lips against hers and they kissed.

A lark flew overhead, singing the purest notes he could imagine and he without needing further thought, he knew that somewhere infinitely far above them, in another place, Elizabeth was smiling and that all was well.

He wrapped his arm around Sarah’s shoulders, and they walked the short distance across the lawn to where his son played with her puppy on the grass. They had a lot of good news. And they could not wait to tell it to them.