Carol’s eyes lit up. “Really? Do you seriously think we might be able to get something started for the other children?”
“I don’t see why not. It might take a little while to get it all together, but this is something I’d really love to be part of.” I paused a beat and then went on. “I tend to be slightly outspoken when it comes to my love for plants and growing things, and for keeping the earth healthy. I might be a little, ah, militant about sustainability. But I really think the best way to change the world is by educating the next generation.” I patted Natasha’s back. “If we can get enough young people like Natasha excited about growing food and teach them how to do it without destroying our ecosystems, this old earth might actually stand a chance.”
Robin spoke up. “We love these gardens and the opportunity they give all of us to grow fresh food and to be neighborly. But a lot of us have been thinking we might want more.” He hooked his thumb behind him. “Sam over there—he’s a champ at the compost, but the rest of us would like to learn how to do it. Another lady knows all about pest management—what plants to grow which attract natural predators, to keep the bad bugs away. We all want to know how to do that, too.”
Now I was truly getting excited. “So maybe there could be some teaching plots and perhaps some classes that meet outside the garden, too. If we could eventually add a few lessons for the kids, too, so that they grow up educated in how to garden in a sustainable way, that would be amazing.”
“Do you really think this is possible, Ms. Duncan?” Carol’s face was filled with cautious hope. “I mean, I know Petey has his hands full already. This is a labor of love for him, and he doesn’t make much in the way of salary.”
“I think it’s eminently possible.” I grinned at her, though what I wanted to do was dance around the fields. The idea that maybe my royal platform could be about digging in the soil was completely wild. And yet, it made sense. This was something that could benefit hundreds of people, and at the same time ... it was also something that made me happy and fed my soul.
Who said you can’t have it all?
“DO YOU REALIZE THAT BYthis time, in seven short days, we will actually be married? Man and wife? Prince and Princess? Duke and Duchess?”
When I didn’t answer right away, Nicky nudged me. “Darling wife-to-be, what are you reading that’s keeping you from paying attention to me and my very important announcements?”
With a sigh, I turned off my phone and dropped it onto the bed next to me. “If you must know, I was reading in Debrett’s about what happens with dormant peerages. It’s pretty interesting.”
“Oh, really?” Nicky raised up on one arm, leaning over me. “Why in the hell are you reading Debrett’s, unless it’s to put you to sleep?”
“I’m reading it because Lady Marjorie suggested that it might be helpful for me to get a sense for all the peers I’ll be encountering in the days leading up to and at the wedding itself. And I thought it would be dry, too, but actually, it turns out to be more history than anything else. And since I find history fascinating, that works for me.” Lifting up, I kissed Nicky’s jaw, just below his chin. “Did you know that there is an earldom in Scotland that went dormant in 1995? And then everyone thought the line would continue through some relative of his who died in Florida, but it turned out no one could find any of that man’s descendants, until an amateur genealogist hunted down his great-grandson, who lived in Hungary and drove a cab! Now he might actually claim the title. Can you believe it?”
“That’s fascinating, Ky. But I can’t say I understand why that cab driver in Hungary would want to give up a life of freedom to take on an earldom in Scotland. If I were him, I’d tell them thanks, but no thanks.”
I frowned up at him. “If you could give up your title and position, Nicky, would you really?”
He exhaled long and used the tip of one finger to trace my cheekbone. “That’s a totally different situation, sweetheart. Giving up something I’ve known my whole life, something I was raised to be and do, something in which my family is intrinsically involved, is not the same as choosing to avoid that lifestyle altogether.”
“I guess.” I hummed a little as Nicky’s fingers continued to stroke my face. “But that doesn’t exactly answer my question. Would you ever give it up?”
He didn’t answer me right away. Instead, he brushed his hand down to where the neckline of my nightshirt exposed the skin just above my breasts.
“Do you know how beautiful you are? How absolutely ... sexy? Sometimes when we’re sitting together downstairs, with both of us reading or watching television, I glance over at you and can’t believe that you’re mine. I can’t believe that you agreed to marry into this craziness that is my life.”
I caught his hand and raised it to my lips, kissing the palm. “But I did. And you are a real sweet-talker, Nicholas Windsor. But you still didn’t answer me.”
“I did, in a way.” Dipping his head, he kissed me, his lips firm and ardent. “I grew up, as we all have in this family, with the shadow of my grandmother’s uncle, the Duke of Windsor, looming over me. When he abdicated, giving up the throne for the love of a woman, he fractured the family and the monarchy. Some thought it might never recover, but thanks to Granny and to her father, George VI, it did. Still, Uncle David remained a painful lesson for the rest of us. The idea of leaving the family, of giving up our titles—that would never happen. None of us would do that to the people we love.
“But even so, when you left me that day in November and I thought we were over, I gave the idea of renouncing my title some serious thought. I talked about it with Alex. I told her that if I knew it would give us another chance, if I knew we would have a future, I’d renounce my title and my place in the succession.”
Tears of surprise and love filled my eyes. I had no idea Nicky had ever considered giving up everything for me.
“What did Alex say?” I whispered.
“She was very kind.” He settled onto his side, facing me, his hand still resting on my hip. “I expected her to tell me that I was being ridiculous and foolish, to stop talking like a lovesick boy. But she didn’t. She said that I had to consider what giving up a piece of my own identity for someone else’s happiness might mean both to me and to the other person. She said it wouldn’t be fair to do that. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right.”
“Anyone who would ask you to give that up—anyone who would expect that—wouldn’t be worth your sacrifice.” I framed his face and pulled him down to me. “I wouldn’t ever have married you for your title or position or fame or money, Nicky, but neither would I ever ask you to stop being who you are.”
“I know that.” He touched his lips to a sensitive spot just below my ear lobe. “So that’s the answer to your question. Would I ever give it up? My darling love, if I wouldn’t give up something for you, you can trust that I wouldn’t give it up for anyone or anything else.”
I caught my lower lip between my teeth. “Nicky, my love, those are the most beautiful words you’ve ever said to me. If that was all you said next week when we stand together in front of God, the bishop, our families and the world, it would be more than enough.” I slipped my arms around his neck and tugged him close. “I love you, Nicky. So much. So very much.”
“My Ky, I will love you as long as we both shall live.” He pressed a kiss to the crook of my neck. “Let me show exactly how ...”
And he did.
I had heard from friends who’d gotten married after college or during grad school that the week leading into the wedding day always passed in a blur of activity and emotion. Those weddings might have been very grand and elaborate, but none of them were royal.
