“You will marry me, will you not?”
Releasing her hands, Lord Surrey ran gentle fingers across her cheek, his eyes soft with tenderness. The rest of the world fell away as Beatrice looked back into his eyes, holding his gaze steadily as she smiled at him. “I would not have endured so much strife and confusion if my heart were not your own,” she murmured, as he smiled. “You will have to get the permission of my brother, but I do not think he will refuse you.”
Lord Surrey chuckled, his gaze darting over her shoulder and then, with a rueful smile, turning so that they might walk together. “I do not think he will either, but given the sharp look he sent in my direction, it seems that we must behave quite properly at the present moment.” His hand settled on hers as they walked. “If we were alone, if I dared pull you away, then I would kiss you again, for I have been longing to hold you in my arms again.”
The rush of heat in Beatrice’s frame made her blush, but she did not pull away from him. Instead, she leaned in as best she could as they walked, arm in arm. “I yearn for that moment,” she said honestly, her blush increasing with her bold words. “I have never forgotten our first kiss, Lord Surrey. I have never forgotten those whispered words in my ear.”
“I say them with an even greater strength than I did then,” he replied, as they followed the path together. “I am desperately in love with you, Beatrice. And I want nothing more than to make you my bride.”
Six weeks later.
“How happy I am for you!”
Beatrice, laughing with joy, embraced Lady Norah before leaning back and catching her hands. “I thank you, my dearsister… though I suppose I am not to call you that until a fortnight from now, when you yourself are wed!”
Lady Norah smiled, her gaze darting towards Lord Warwickshire, who stood to Beatrice’s right. “It is not too long to wait now.”
“Then you shall have the very same joy as I experience in this moment,” Beatrice assured her, glancing at her brother. “To stand up in church and to make one’s vows is one of the most joyous moments in life, I am sure!”
“I look forward to experiencing that very same joy,” Lady Norah replied, “but if you wish to call me sister before then, then I shall gladly accept!”
Beatrice hugged her tightly again, her heart overflowing. Their wedding ceremony had only just come to an end, the signing of the register now completed, and thus, she was now ready to start her new life as the Countess of Surrey. To be called his wife brought such happiness to her that she could hardly bear it, feeling it burning through her veins as she stepped back from Lady Norah. “We shall visit each other very regularly indeed,” she said firmly, a slight catch in her voice. “We shall not often be apart for long.”
“Indeed.” Lady Norah blinked quickly, tears in her eyes even though she smiled. “How glad I am that you have found such happiness, Beatrice! Lord Neath’s wicked endeavors have come to naught.”
“Yes, they most certainly have,” her brother agreed, coming near to them both. “He is, last I heard, hidden away at his own estate, unwelcome in all and any societal gathering… and a little afraid, also, according to the local gossip.”
Beatrice frowned. “Afraid?”
“That someone will come to call him out, and he will be forced into a duel,” Lord Warwickshire explained, with a small shrug. “It seems that it is not just Lord Surrey and LordTurnhill that he attempted to coerce. There are some others involved in various schemes of his, and thus, he now lives with nothing but concern that he will be found by one of them and a duel demanded. It seems to me that he has a good deal less confidence and determination now that everything has fallen away.”
“I am only glad that none of it came to violence,” Beatrice responded with a shudder. “I understand that to be called out was what ought to be done, but all the same, I dreaded to think of it.”
Lady Norah smiled. “And you need not think of it any longer – especially not on a day like this!” she exclaimed. “All is well – and I have even heard that Miss Burnley is now engaged!”
“That is true. To Lord Montrose.”
A voice that made Beatrice’s heart squeeze with joy came from behind her, and, turning, she smiled up at her husband. “You knew of this?”
“I have only just been informed,” he replied, one arm going around her waist as he looked down into her eyes. “I was very glad to hear it.”
“I am too,” she replied, thinking to herself that there could be nothing more wonderful than the joyous satisfaction of knowing that everything had worked out well for those pulled into such a nefarious scheme. “I am very glad for her.”
Lord Surrey smiled gently. “Your heart has always held such a great compassion, my love,” he replied, dropping his head and kissing her temple. “Now, before I make a fool of myself by kissing you in front of this gathered crowd and having them whisper about how improper I am, might we go to the carriage?”
Beatrice, flushed with delight and happiness, nodded and, with a smile for her brother and Lady Norah, allowed her husband to lead her to the carriage.
“We are to take our leave and return home for the wedding breakfast!” Lord Surrey declared to the well-wishers. “Thank you all for coming to share in our joy.”
With a smile clinging to her lips, Beatrice stepped inside the carriage, anticipation curling in her stomach. It would not be a long carriage ride since her brother’s estate was only a short distance away and the wedding breakfast held there, but all the same, she was quite sure that these few minutes alone with her husband would be wonderful ones indeed. Lord Surrey’s eyes fastened to hers the moment he climbed in beside her, sitting down as close to her as he could, one arm going around her shoulders as the carriage door was closed behind him.
“We must wave farewell,” he murmured, as she leaned into him. “Then, we will finally be alone.”
Beatrice sighed contentedly but then forced her gaze away from him, waving and smiling at the well-wishers who stood there to watch the carriage pull away. When it did at last, she dropped her hand to her lap, looked up at her husband, and waited.
Lord Surrey lowered his head and kissed her gently, making her heart pound wildly as her fingers came up to cling to his lapel, holding onto him as he slanted his head a little. The heat in her frame became greater and greater, but Lord Surrey broke the kiss soon thereafter, his own breathing ragged.
“Beatrice,” he said, grazing the curve of her cheek with his hand. “I love you.”
She smiled up at him. “I love you, Surrey. I cannot quite believe that, after all this time – nearly two years now – we are finally husband and wife.”
“It has been a long journey towards happiness,” he agreed, a solemnity coming into his voice and his expression. “There was a long time when I feared that you were lost to me forever. Indeed, I was quite sure that you had already married anothergentleman, so to come to London and discover that you were still unattached… well, that brought up all manner of feelings and confusion for me.”
Thinking back to the first moment she had seen him again in London after their shared kiss, Beatrice’s lips curved into a wry smile. “I was frustrated with myself for feeling so very much when I did not want to,” she told him. “I wanted to forget you and to set you aside, but I simply could not.” Her hand settled on his shoulder. “I could not push you out of my heart, Surrey. You remained there and remain there still.”
The tenderness in his eyes warmed her right through. “Just as I have your heart, you have mine,” he said, as she held his gaze. “We are twined together, you and I, unable to be separated.” Dropping his head, he kissed her again, but this time, only lightly. “I took each vow I made with the greatest seriousness and consideration, Beatrice. I meant each and every word, and I shall love you with every part of my heart and my being until my very last breath.”
Beatrice shifted in her seat, pushing herself up just a little so that their lips met once more. After so long apart, with so much difficulty, trouble, and trial, they had finally found their way back to each other and finally could follow the path of love.
