The governess cleared her throat then, and Arthur looked up to find her in the doorway. He bid them both farewell then descended the stairs with a light step. In the foyer, he helped himself to a yellow rosebud from the arrangement on the table and fitted it to his buttonhole. He nodded to Stevens as he left the house, then stood on the steps and surveyed Berkley Square.
It was a fine day for a walk, in Arthur’s view, and not so very far to Golden Square.
He could not help but hope that Patience could be persuaded to give him a second chance.
* * *
“A caller for you, ma’am,”Wentworth said as he opened the door to the library.
Patience was there with her father, the cats now curled together upon a small settee that was graced by a sunbeam. She had confided the entire tale to her father and they had reviewed every pertinent detail. As she had hoped, once he knew of her regard for her husband, her father was determined to set all to rights.
She spun to find Arthur entering the room, a welcome glimmer of mischief in his eyes that made her heart skip. Perhaps he had realized that she loved him, regardless of his finances.
“Arthur!” she said and hastened to him, reaching to kiss his uninjured cheek. Then she frowned. “Or should I call you Charles?”
He smiled. “I have been called Arthur for so long that I should think you summoned another if you called me Charles.”
“Then Arthur it will be,” she said. She might have drawn him toward her father but he claimed her hand and placed it upon his chest, his eyes glimmering all the while. There was something secreted in his jacket, something that crinkled when she moved her fingers.
No!
He bent and put his lips to her ear, setting her afire with the low murmur of his voice even before she heard his words. “Amelia was very critical of my choice of hiding place. She is very interested in becoming a spy, but finds my inclinations sadly lacking.”
He had retrieved the funds. Truly, Patience could not have imagined a better resolution.
“They are yours,” he continued. “To fulfill the pledge I made to you.”
“Arthur!” she whispered and stretched to brush her lips across his. “But I have a better solution,” she said. Patience put her hand through his elbow and led him to her father. The men greeted each other with welcome pleasure. “We have conferred, as you advised, and have contrived a solution.”
“Indeed?”
Her father gestured to the various books opened on his desk. “I have been consulting various references, and it seems that you and Patience might yet be legally wed. Marriage is the sole sacrament that does not require the service of a priest, as I am certain you know, but there is always the question of legal clarity, and in the case of offspring, I believe it might be prudent to have witnesses of your union…”
“But the lady may not wish to have me,” Arthur said and Patience nudged him.
“I will have no other,” she vowed, watching him smile. “The vicar is coming within the hour,” she informed him. “We sent for him immediately that he might arrive once you were here.” She watched as Arthur began to smile. His eyes lit in the way she loved, a sparkle lighting in their depths. It was wondrous to watch him realize she wanted him for his own sake, and that even penniless , she would have willingly put her hand in his forever. “If you would repeat our vows.”
“I should be honored.” He lowered his voice. “Are you certain, though, that you would see your life bound to a man who did not surrender his truth to you immediately?”
“I am,” Patience said, her gaze locked with his. “For I love you, independent of what your name might be. And I know that situation to have been an exception, not a rule.”
“You are correct in that, Patience.” His eyes darkened with a satisfaction that made her heart skip, then he brushed his lips across her mouth. It was a tantalizing reminder of how they would celebrate this nuptial night and Patience flushed to her toes, knowing that he watched her closely.
Her father cleared his throat. “I also have taken the liberty of inviting Patience to return to this house, along with you, sir, and to resume her former responsibilities in managing the household. As a widower with only one daughter remaining unwed, I have considered the prospect of shortening my hours at Carruthers & Carruthers, that I might indulge more regularly in reading. My brother would like to bring in his sons as apprentices to the trade, and I thought that having you and Patience in residence here would be ideal.”
Patience had the satisfaction of seeing Arthur astonished. “That is most generous of you, sir,” he said, his voice husky. “I would be delighted, if Patience finds the situation acceptable.”
“I do,” she said. “Which is why the house is in uproar, for we shall have the room that was formerly my mother’s.”
“There is only a small dressing room adjacent,” her father informed Arthur. “With insufficient room for a bed of the dimensions you undoubtedly find customary. I could move from my chamber…”
“No, Papa, there is no need.” Patience smiled at Arthur. “I was hoping that you might not mind sharing my chamber as a matter of routine.”
“There is another sizable chamber down the corridor,” her father interjected, but Arthur was already smiling.
“I cede to your arrangements, Patience, with great pleasure.” His eyes fairly glowed as he looked down at her and she could not believe how much she adored this man.
That he loved her as well was more than she could ever have hoped.
