"You may regret that, as I have little to no experience of dancing it," she said.
"It will be fine." Aldingbourne said as he expertly navigated her across the dance floor.
"I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for Kit over the years," Mira said. "You seem to have been his rock."
"It is gratifying to see that he has found the happy ending he deserves. I know of no man who has gone through such devastating mental and emotional hardship as he has. It has not been easy for him to adapt to this new life. He deserves to be happy now."
"And you, Your Grace?" Mira dared to ask. "Will you also have a happy ending?"
Aldingbourne's smile was bleak. "Hardly. But then, I never experienced the epic love story that you and Atherton had. You were always meant to be together, weren't you?"
"We were childhood sweethearts," Mira confirmed. "Kit first proposed to me when he was thirteen and I was ten. Then he repeated his proposal every year on my birthday, until Miss Pearson finally gave in and said yes on my eighteenth. That was nine proposals in all. You know the rest of the story."
"It is rather surprising of Atherton, whom one would consider not to have a single romantic bone in his body. As for me, alas, there was never any romance in my life. My marriage was a typical one, arranged by two families. I saw my bride exactly once before our wedding day. On that occasion she was weeping." Aldingbourne frowned. "She did not love me. I certainly did not love her."
Mira stumbled, but he held her up with a firm grip of his hands. "Oh."
"My wife died eight years ago. And that was that." It sounded so matter of fact, as if he'd long accepted this, but there was a sadness in his eyes that seemed to belie his words.
"You are a good man. You will find your happiness yet, Your Grace," she said quietly. "I firmly believe that."
"You are an incurable romantic, my lady." The duke bowed as the waltz came to an end.
A second waltz immediately followed the first.
Kit stepped up to Mira and bowed. She looked up at him, happiness rushing through her.
He held out his hand, and there was a smile in his eyes as he said, "My lady, will you dance?"
ChapterTwenty
August 1814,Highcourt Abbey
"Now that thishorrible war is over, it will be quite pleasant to be able to travel to the Continent again," Evie declared. It was late summer, and she and her brother, the Duke of Aldingbourne, were visiting Highcourt Abbey before they left for their trip to Vienna.
"As much as I am looking forward to it, I fear I shall be awfully homesick and miss you all terribly. I wish you could come with me," Evie fretted.
"So do I, Evie, especially as I have not seen much outside of England. I would like to travel someday," Mirabel said.
"Then why don't you come and visit us in Vienna? It would be so lovely! We could spend Christmas together. They say it is particularly beautiful then."
"I am sure it is, but I do not think it will be possible any time soon."
"Oh, Mira, come along, do!" Evie shook her arm. "I must finally meet Hartenberg, you know, the man I'm engaged to. He is at least twice my age, and he's an old military officer in the Austrian army. I shall die of boredom! I should like to have you with me to tell me that everything will turn out all right."
"But you have Aldingbourne with you, and Lindenstein too, right? How can anything be boring with him around?"
"Oh him." Evie huffed. "There's something strange about him too. Haven't you noticed? Nobody really knows anything about him, he just comes and goes. Suddenly he's in England, then back in Vienna, and he never tells one anything. Neither does Aldingbourne. Disobliging creature. I can't rely on him to take me out in society. Aldingbourne will be far too busy with this congress. It would be so much more enjoyable if you could be there with me."
"I'd like to go, Evie. I really would. But I really cannot."
Clare came skipping into the room. "How do you do? Did you know I shall have a brother or sister soon?" she trumpeted into the entire salon. Her teeth had grown back, much to her relief. "Isn't that fabulous?"
Evie stared. Then she squealed.
Mira blushed.
"Oh! So this is why you can't travel. This is wonderful. Simply, simply wonderful!" She hugged Mira. "My sincerest felicitations."
