"I hope you're not too unhappy about that." She was smiling at him now.
"No," he assured her. "My heart is wiser than my head. My heart knew what I needed when it came to you. And for the first timein my life, I am following my heart. I think it's the wisest choice I've ever made in my life."
"I'm so glad you've decided on this," Victoria said. "You've been an awful fool."
"I really have. I can't believe I almost ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life by being too afraid to reach for it. Can you ever forgive me?"
"I'll work on it," she said. Her smile gave her away—James knew that he was already forgiven. He could also see that she intended to make him put in work for the foreseeable future making up for his mistakes.
He was only too happy to do it. He would grovel at her feet for the rest of their lives if only she would let him remain by her side.
James rose to his feet, took her hands, and pulled her up with him. "I haven't got a ring yet," he said.
"That's all right," she assured him. "I don't need a ring."
"Oh, you'll have a ring. And it will be the most beautiful thing you could imagine," he said. "I'll find the perfect ring for you. After all, you're going to be my duchess now."
He emphasized the wordmy, just slightly, and her face lit up at it. James knew she had understood the point he was making.She was already a duchess, of course. But the difference was that now she would behis.
"Cressida isn't going to believe this," she whispered.
James laughed. "I have a feeling everyone we know saw this coming," he told her. "I doubt anyone is going to be surprised. We're the only ones who didn't have the sense to see what was right in front of our faces."
He pulled her to her feet and into his arms, reveling in the feeling of holding her—her body, small and warm, against his. He never wanted to let her go.
And when he bent to kiss her, it felt like the first time.
He allowed himself to become lost in the scent of her and the feel of her lips on his, excitement and satisfaction coursing through him at the realization that this kiss was the first of many.
This would be the shape of the rest of his life. And though he questioned his worthiness, he wouldn't have given it up for anything.
EPILOGUE
"Victoria, I must tell you," her father said, "I never believed I would see this day."
Victoria laughed. "You've already seen this day, Father," she pointed out. "You were present at my first wedding."
"It's true—and yet, this one feels different," her father said. "I don't think I fully understood just how unhappy you were in that first marriage, Victoria. But seeing you today, one can't help but notice the difference. You're truly radiant, my dear. Positively glowing. It's wonderful to see you look this overjoyed."
"Well, I feel overjoyed," Victoria said. "You're right. I don't know when I've been so happy. James is a perfect match for me, and I can't imagine anything better."
"Allow me to present Lady Belvedere," her father said, drawing a middle-aged lady forward. She was gray-haired and dignified, but with a kind smile, which she now bestowed upon Victoria.
"Lady Belvedere," Victoria said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is entirely mine, Victoria. Your father has told me a great deal about you." Lady Belvedere's smile widened. "I'm so glad that I was able to be present for such an important occasion."
"We're glad you could join us as well." Though Victoria's father hadn't said so, Victoria and Cressida speculated that he and Lady Belvedere might be courting. They knew that Lady Belvedere had been widowed for many years. If they were right, Victoria was happy about it—it was good to see her father engaging in the world once more. It pleased her to know that he would be taken care of in the years to come, assuming this relationship worked out. And now that she was meeting Lady Belvedere, she believed that it would. Lady Belvedere seemed kind and easy to get along with, exactly the sort of thing Victoria would have wished for her father.
"The ceremony was positively beautiful," Lady Belvedere said. "You made a lovely bride, Victoria. I think the duke is a very fortunate man."
Victoria beamed. "Thank you," she said. "I feel as though I'm the fortunate one, to be marrying the man I love!"
"Well, I won't deny that's a bit of luck," Lady Belvedere agreed. "So few people find love in this lifetime. I know that I didn't, with my first husband. He was a decent man, but it was a marriage of convenience—there was never any real affection between the two of us." She glanced at Victoria's father. "If I marry again,"she said, "I'm determined that things will be different. I won't marry again unless it's for love."
Victoria heard her loud and clear—she was saying that she felt something for Victoria's father, that it wasn't just a courtship based on the hope of social advancement. That pleased Victoria greatly, and she couldn't wait to share the news with her sister.
"We ought to move along," her father said. "You have other guests to greet."
