“But when you told me the news, I heard the tremor of your voice, saw the tremble in your hands. Before me stood a woman fearful, but determined, to set her own course. At once, I knew I would move heaven and earth to see you free to pursue the life you wanted, not the one imposed on you by an unhappy marriage.”
“Even if it meant helping me divorce your son.”
“Percy was . . .ismy son, but you, my dear, are my daughter.”
Wind sharp with the last remnants of winter gusted across the rooftop, and Olivia closed her eyes, allowing the Duke’s words to surround her in warmth and love. As a newlywed, she’d come into his house, and he’d accepted her like a long lost daughter.
The feeling, however, was short-lived when he cleared his throat and said, “Now, getting back to that one pesky word,courage.”
Her eyes flew open, and she steeled herself.
“It takes a good bit of courage to pursue a free and happy life. I thought you understood that.”
A hot, shamed blush flared across her skin, pinpricks of perspiration pushing to its surface.
“May I be bold?”
“Please,” she replied, bracing herself against the shifting sand of this conversation.
“St. Alban is no Percy. Percy was a boy, not yet formed into a man. In fact, I haven’t the faintest clue what sort of Percy will someday find his way back to London. But St. Alban is very much a man who can be depended upon. The sort of man who will make an excellent viscount and an even better husband. According to Lucretia, quite a few chits have set their caps at him.”
“I’m sure they have. Perhaps one will even convince Jake to fall in love with her.”
“Love?” the Duke scoffed. “How many unions of our class have naught to do with love?Jake”—She heard the emphasis on the word, understanding at once that she’d given herself away—“knows his responsibility and won’t shirk it. He will marry for reasons other than love, if he must.”
“I’m not certain how much you’ve gathered about my relations withLord St. Alban”—It appeared more than a bit—“but a future between us is impossible. His daughter needs a stepmother of impeccable reputation and social standing.”
“And you think you can’t be that stepmother?”
“I know it.”
“Well, I agree with you on that front, but I think you’re viewing the matter from the wrong angle,” the Duke said. “I met the young lady in question yesterday at Lucretia’s manse. She’s a remarkable girl, but an unconventional girl, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Most definitely.”
Her mind traveled back to the night of the Duke’s ball. Of the way she’d found Mina in the study with Hugh, after she’d called him a simpleton. How Olivia wished she could’ve seen the impact of that word on his face.
“So what sort of stepmother does Miss Radclyffe need?” the Duke continued. “One who would render her into an unoriginal copy of a thousand other young ladies?”
Olivia remained silent, even as butterflies began fluttering in her stomach. What was he getting at?
“Would she be happy with the life a conventional stepmother would impose upon her?”
“I . . . I,” Olivia stammered, “I can’t imagine.”
“What Miss Radclyffe needs is a stepmother who will nurture and reinforce the remarkable young lady she is. One unafraid of the unconventional and extraordinary. Viewed from this angle, the stepmother Miss Radclyffe needs is—”
Olivia interrupted the Duke without a single, staying thought. “Me.”
Chapter 30
“Iam the right stepmother for Mina,” Olivia said for good measure, the idea gaining traction with each word she spoke. The strong maternal feeling she’d experienced for the girl was no fluke. She was exactly the correct stepmother for Mina. The concept sank in with the uncomplicated weight of truth.
The Duke smiled. “I do believe you are.”
Long unused muscles stretched across Olivia’s face. She was smiling, possibly like a madwoman, but smiling nonetheless. “Which means”—Now that the words had begun flowing, she couldn’t hold them in. There were truths that would see light—“I’m the right wife for Jake. My feelings for him weren’t wrong. A woman could give herself fully to a man like him without fear. In fact, she would be a fool not to.”
Another truth would be spoken.
