She had not known what he had planned to do, because he had not planned to do anything of the sort, but it was time. He had a lady that he loved more than anything, and if nothing else then he would at least have that.
He took her hand, leading her to the middle of the ballroom.
“Philip, it isn’t time for the dances yet!”
“I am not going to dance as yet,” he smirked. “It is time for our announcement, I believe.”
Her eyes sparkled when she smiled at him. The mere word that an announcement was to be made caused those in attendance to look directly at him, which he had not considered when the idea came to him.
“You all know me,” he began, “as a recluse, an elusive duke that lurks in shadows and refuses to see anyone about anything. That was true for far too long, and it is time for it to come to an end. I came to know Lady Jacqueline three months ago, when I had never felt worse, and she taught me what it meant to be truly happy, and truly in love. She and I are to be married, and the date cannot come soon enough.”
There was applause from the guests, and Philip hoped that the hosts would not be angry with him for distracting them fromtheir night. It had not been his intention, he simply adored his fiancée so much that he wanted everyone to know about it.
“How foolish of me!” he exclaimed dramatically. “It is a masquerade ball, and thus you do not even know who I am. Well, how about I bring my life in the shadows to a close, and reveal myself to you once and for all?”
Jackie’s eyes widened, but he gave her no time to protest before raising a hand to his mask and taking it off.
There were varied responses from the crowd, some applauding, some taking a step backwards, but he did not see any of them. All that he could see was Jackie, smiling brightly at him.
And that was the only thing he cared to see at all.
Epilogue
As a few months passed, Philip realized something very important, which was that the ton never forgets.
He thought that he would be affected far more by the people that were appalled by his appearance, that felt as though he should have remained hidden away, but as time went on, he never once felt that way. Quite simply, their opinion did not matter to him, though he was grateful for those that congratulated him for his efforts and considered him brave.
He wanted to say that he was not brave, that anyone else would have done the same thing, but he also wished to revel a little. After all, it had taken him long enough to get that far.
They had not heard from Ophelia since the ball, which he could only consider a blessing. In fact, hardly anybody could say anything about her at all, which was strange given the way she seemed to exist as the center of attention. Again, however, he had bigger things to concern himself with.
Lucien also stayed away since that night, and seemed bitter on the odd occasion that they did cross paths. Philip was sad that their friendship ended so terribly, given their history, but he knew that he could not compromise his happiness for his friend’s selfishness. He also never apologized, which Philip had to admit that he might even have accepted had he done so, because they truly had been such good friends.
Fortunately, Jackie did not blame herself for that for too long. Philip worried that she would consider herself responsible for all that had transpired, when in fact she had dealt with it all perfectly. He couldn’t have asked for more from her.
Philip also realized, while Jackie was at her family’s home settling matters before the wedding, that he had made a fatal error.
He had not proposed.
He hadn’t thought of it for a long time, but then he remembered that she simply began wearing the ring one morning and nobody questioned it. She had never mentioned it to him, but he knew it was the right thing to do, given that she would only be married once, and so it was only fair that she received at least one proposal. It was easy enough to find a musician to accompany him to Somerset as a surprise, and the following day they arrived.
“Oh!” she gasped upon seeing him. “Philip, I wasn’t expecting you!”
“Might you find some time away from your usual duties to accompany me to a hall?”
“Well, I have settled all of our financial matters, but I do still have my sister’s engagement to help with.”
It had taken some time, but at last Lord Greene’s parents had relented and allowed him to marry Elizabeth. Philip wondered if they had finally decided that they wanted an heir for their son, so they had no choice but to give in. Regardless, they were at last able to marry, and he couldn’t have been happier for the two of them.
“My engagement is going perfectly well,” Elizabeth called from nearby. “So do not let that stop you!”
“Thank you, Elizabeth!” Philip called back. “Come along. You will love it, I assure you.”
There was a dinner arranged, and in the corner of the room stood a pianoforte, the musician already sitting at it and playing. He watched as Jackie tried to decipher which piece it was, though he knew she couldn’t.
“Is this one of the musician’s pieces?” she asked. “It is beautiful, and so happy too. I always like when music communicates emotions other than sadness, especially the pianoforte.”
“This piece is about a man that realizes he is in love, and doesn’t know how to say it with words. It was written for his fiancée, though she was not his fiancée at the time.”
