Fox’s chuckle rumbled under her cheek. “No, as a matter of fact. Our darling girl is currently sitting with the duchess, regaling Her Grace with tales of Mr. Dandy’s naughtiness.”
Leah pulled back at that, astonishment and relief causing tears to well once more. When would thegreitingcease?
“Are they going to take her then?”
Fox shook his head. “As it turns out, the duke’s iron will is matched by that of his granddaughter.” He told Leah what had happened. “Madeline insisted she would hold her breath over and over until we were all allowed to live with the duke and duchess. Their Graces decided to negotiate a truce.”
Mr. Dandy rubbed himself on Fox’s leg, brushing Leah’s skirts.
“Do you hear that, Cat?” Fox looked down at him. “You’re a weesleekitbastard, but somehow, you saved the day. I suppose I shall have to be kinder to you now.”
Mr. Dandy meowed his agreement, sat on his haunches, and promptly began to lick his front paw.
“What happened then?” Leah asked.
“We reached a compromise. Madelineshouldhave a relationship with her grandparents. That is only right. But the duke and duchess finally acknowledged that Madeline also needs a true family. That she will thrive more readily under the care of a mother and father. Therefore, our sweet girl will remain with us the bulk of the time. But for three months of the year, she will visit her grandparents, learning how to be a fine lady and, I am sure, eating far too many sweets. Madeline agreed to leave Mr. Dandy behind on those visits. So it is rather all settled. I asked the duke if my guardianship of Madeline could be drawn up in a formal agreement. He said he will have his solicitor draft it immediately. Dennis has said he has no interest in knowing Madeline, and honestly, both His Grace and I would like to ensure that remains the case.”
Leah sagged against Fox, relief a warm balm to her soul. “We get to keep her? We will remain a family?”
“That we will.”
Fox kissed her gently and then cradled her head in his palms, running his thumbs over her cheekbones. Leah clutched his wrists.
“And ye came straightaway tae find me, to tell me,” she almost whispered.
“Of course. I’ll always come for you, my heart.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Finding you is the easiest thing I’ll ever do. Because when I’m with you, I’m home. However, I have neglected to mention one very important thing.”
“Ye have?”
“Aye, Leah, I have. And it’s this: I love you.” He said the words softly, almost reverently. “I should have told you long ago, but . . . I hope to make up for that lack in the future. For now, know that I love the little pucker between your eyes when you concentrate on a task. I love the hint of a dimple in your left cheek when you smile. I love how easily you love Madeline and myself, how free you are with your heart. I hope—” His voice cracked. “I hope that one day we might be blessed with another child. My child.Ourchild.”
Leah kissed him at that, whisperingyesinto his skin.
Fox responded in kind, thrilling her with hungry kisses, his hands moving down to hold her tightly.
After a few moments, Leah pressed her lips against the scar beneath his ear.
“I hate this scar,” she murmured, “not because it is disfiguring but because it serves as a reminder of your suffering, of how close ye came tae not being here at all.”
“But I am here.”
“Aye.” She pulled back to look him in the eye. “But if ye had never been wounded, ye would have married your fair Honoria and—”
“Enough.” He placed a finger over her lips. “I fear that you think I might have been happier with Honoria, or that you are my second—and somehow, lesser—choice. I can assure you, that is not the case.”
She planted a soft kiss on his fingertip. “Perhaps, but I hate that ye are here with me only because ye suffered so. That ye would have never requested my hand in marriage otherwise.”
Fox laughed at that, as if her words were impossibly funny. “Ah, my darling Leah. Would I have noticed you in my uninjured state before Coorg? Perhaps not. That is the honest truth. But that is not due to any fault in yourself. I didn’t have tobecomedamaged goods in order to stoop to your level, as I think you are seeing this. No, my heart. It is precisely theopposite. My hardships enabled me to understand what was most important. To see that friends like Lord Dennis Battleton were not friends in truth. To understand that a woman like Miss Honoria Hampstead would never view a man as more than an accessory on her arm. In short, I needed to grow up and stop being such an arse. Suffering injury and then facing my own demons, loss and grief . . . all these things carved me into a man who would finally be worthy of your brilliant, bright heart. I would live it all again as long as it brought me to you in the end.”
“Oh, Fox.”
Her tears fell once more.
But this time, Leah welcomed them. Embraced the rush of joy filling her chest, the hope spilling through her.
“I love ye,” she said. “I thought I loved ye all those years ago, but that was a girlish imitation of what I feel now. My heart vibrates with adoration. I feel like I shall need fifty years of marriage—of sleeping every night at your side, nursing your bairns, sharing your joy and pain— to properly communicate how much I love ye.”
“Well then, wife, what are we waiting for?” Fox pressed his forehead to hers. “Let’s begin that life right now.”
