Chapter One
Lady Eleanor, Duchess of Smythington
I sat at the mahogany table at Smythington House in London. Thirty of my closest friends and family were in attendance for our commemorative dinner in the grand dining room with its rich burgundy walls and polished brass gaslight chandelier.
Everyone was gathered to celebrate our twentieth anniversary. The wine flowed freely, and I took another sip from my glass, my head in a pleasant place. After months of planning, I was free to enjoy the fruits of my labors.
“I would like to propose a toast to Lady Eleanor and Lord Rex, the Duke and Duchess of Smythington.” Lord Flynn, Earl of Larsson, lifted his glass and flashed me a charming smile. “Twenty years ago today, I stood at the front of this very table and toasted my best friend and his beautiful bride. I stand here to say I love and admire them as much today as I did then.” He lifted the glass high and drank deeply. “To the duke and duchess.”
“To the duke and duchess,” the guests said in unison. Following Flynn’s lead, everyone drank their champagne.
Both Flynn and Rex had courted me at the same time. Flynn had been—and as a widower still was—a rake. Rex carried a quiet assurance that appealed to my more reserved nature. I had beentorn between the two men until my father took the decision out of my hands.
“To my duchess.” Rex offered me an affectionate grin, the laugh lines around his striking green eyes making an appearance. Squeezing my hand, he lifted his glass and clinked it against mine. I wasn’t expecting the gesture, and my glass tilted dangerously, the champagne nearly bubbling over the rim. With a quick hand, he clasped my wrist, stopping the mishap from happening.
Our eyes locked, and my chest swelled with love for him. “Thank you.”
Rex stood to address the guests. A rarity for him. While he had to speak to dignitaries daily, he wasn’t outgoing and preferred to stay private. “Although twenty years have passed, every time I look at Eleanor, I am reminded of the first time I met her at a ball. She disappeared at the stroke of midnight, and I...” He grinned at me. “Oh wait, that was Cinderella. Eleanor and I danced until dawn, and I knew exactly who she was. The woman I love.”
“Anne is fond of saying our marriage reads like her favorite fairytale,” I explained to our guests. His kind words warmed my heart, and I wished I could spend more time with him like this. However, he was gone more often than he was home, and when he was home, our son, Harry, was his top priority.
“I can see how Eleanor might be a princess, but Rex...” Flynn shrugged, holding his glass between his fingertips. “Well, Rex is definitely the frog prince.”
“Let’s put your theory to the test.” Rex leaned down and bestowed a kiss to my lips, much to the delight of those gathered. The gentle press of his mouth against mine sparked my dormant desires, and I longed to capture the passion we shared in abundance when we first wed.
Conscious of being watched, I broke the kiss and turned to look at Flynn. At seventeen, I was uncertain whom to choose between the two high-profile gentlemen. I had been leaning toward Rex because there was something about him that appealed to my soul. He had a way of reading my thoughts, and his kisses incited my passions. Flynn’s strong frame, rakish air, and cutting wit excited me at the time. He had asked for my hand first but my father turned down his offer and accepted Rex’s. Although he couldn’t truly have forced me to marry Rex, I agreed because, deep down, it was what I had wanted. “I believe you are wrong. Rex is still a man without a wart in sight.”
“Papa isn’t a frog, Uncle Flynn,” Harry said, his voice breaking through the laughter that erupted during our teasing.
“No, I am not a frog, my son.” Rex nodded, a devoted father to our youngest who had challenges. The responsibilities of raising a family and serving the crown took precedence over romance, turning our fairytale love story into an illusion. Perhaps my days of romance were behind me, and I could find solace in the happiness of others. Everything inside of me screamed foul. I smiled at the people staring at us with expectation when inside, I felt like crying.
“Indeed, the mystery has been solved.” Flynn leaned back in his seat, affection for Rex in his regard. Tall with broad shoulders and a commanding air, Flynn was on the cusp of his fortieth year. Although there was silver at his temples, he had the same dynamic energy of his youth. I had made him promise me he wouldn’t tell Rex about his proposal so many years ago, thus saving us more drama.
“Will you join me to say a few words?” Rex held out his hand to me, and I laid my gloved palm on his.
“Of course.” I stood and moved to his side. My head carried a pleasant glow from the wine, and I locked my knees to keep from swaying. “Thank you for celebrating with us tonight. Whilemuch has changed over the past twenty years, the constant in my life is Rex, my beloved children Atticus, Anne, and Harry, as well as our friendship with Lord Flynn and my dear friend Lady Olivia.”
Olivia married Flynn’s brother the same year he married Mary. Mary and I had been inseparable since childhood, and I missed her every day. Since her death, Olivia and I grew closer.
“Any words of advice?” Olivia’s son called out, his handsome face similar to his uncle’s. Nigel had been waiting for his eighteenth year to ask for my daughter’s hand. The match had been foretold by fate the second both children were born. Rex and I never pressured Anne to marry Nigel. The two of them had been bonded by a hand greater than ours.
“My words of advice to everyone are to close your mouth and open your ears.” Rex curled his fingers into mine, a mischievous tilt to his lips.
If he would simply take his own words to heart. I shut down the cynical thought. This was a time of celebration, not a time to dwell on my grievances. I had been feeling lost lately and I vacillated between resentment and self-pity. It was very unlike me and I wished I could shake the adverse emotions, but they seemed to be growing stronger.
“Well said, well said,” Olivia replied.
“My advice to you, in particular, is to never upset your future father-in-law,” Rex said to Nigel.
Nigel blushed but laughed with the guests nonetheless. “What is the duchess’s advice?”
I considered my words with care. Everyone was watching us and I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. There was one point I wanted to get across. I kept my gaze locked on those gathered, hoping Rex might take my words to heart. He might be pulled in all different directions, but so was I. “Be grateful for what you have and never take each other for granted.”
“Here, here. Well said, well said,” Flynn cheered. From the gleam in his gaze, I wasn’t the only one inebriated.
“I want to thank my dear friend Flynn for his kind words. As you all can hear, the music has commenced. I recommend we move to the ballroom to continue the festivities,” I said, the walls seeming to close in on me. Overwhelmed didn’t begin to describe my emotional turmoil. Soon, Harry would be at Knutchester boarding school for the first time, Atticus at Oxford University for the next round of classes, and I expected Anne would be married before the year was out. The house would be empty without them. What would my life be like with an absent husband and an empty nest?
Rex looped my hand through his arm, and we began to leave the dining room. “I believe I owe you a dance.”
