“It’s not. I promise.” She tightened her hold on him. “Besides, I’m not ready to let you go.”
“Good. Because you won’t ever have to.” The love shining in his eyes caught her breath.
“Who knew a simple favor might result in this?” Eliza asked with a smile.
“Not I. But I knew I was in trouble the moment I agreed to your favor.”
Voices just outside the door suggested their time alone had come to an end.
“Aunt Frieda is going to be most displeased with me,” Eliza said with a glance at her ruined gown.
“I’ll tell her I’ll buy you another.” He cupped her cheek once more, his warm hand steadying her as nothing else could. “I love you, my dear.”
“And I love you. Always.”
Epilogue
Three years later...
“Idobelievewecan declare the evening a success,” Eliza said as she led the way into their bedroom.
The hour was late, and she was exhausted. Her shoes pinched her toes, the pins in her hair itched, and she couldn’t wait to remove her corset. But none of that mattered.
“A smashing success,” Philip replied as he closed the door behind them. “All thanks to you, my dear duchess.”
“Thanks to us,” Eliza countered with a smile as she turned to face him. “We raised more money than I could’ve guessed for the new orphanage.”
The musical performance at the museum featuring a French virtuoso violinist had gathered a surprising number of the nobility, all eager to offer donations to the charity. Of course, all the members of the literary league had been there as well.
“The care the children will receive will help put them on the path to a promising future.”
“And help families who choose to take them as their own. There is already a waiting list of those wanting to adopt.” She removed her earrings and placed them in the box on her dressing table, happiness swelling within her.
“We need only look at our own children to know how important family is,” Philip said.
“I looked in on Jonathan and Annabelle. They are sleeping soundly.” Just two years apart, their children were the light of her life. Both pregnancies had been easy. With luck, they would have a third child in the near future.
“No doubt that means they’ll be full of energy come morning.” He glanced at his pocket watch. “Which will be here sooner than we’d like.”
Eliza shared a smile with Philip as she walked to stand before him.
“Your aunt seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself,” Philip remarked as he tugged at his tie.
Eliza brushed aside his hands away to remove it herself. “She is quite taken with Mr. Coburn. We shall see where that leads.”
He unfastened the small hooks that held together the bodice of her gown. “Did I mention how beautiful you are, my duchess? Or how much I love you?”
“Once or twice.” She unbuttoned his waistcoat followed quickly by his shirt. “But I never grow weary of it.”
“Eliza, each time I think you’ve outdone yourself, you come up with a new idea to create interest in charities.”
“There’s nothing more effective than implying it’s fashionable to make significant donations.”
“My clever wife,” he said as he removed his cuff links, watching while she set aside the bodice and pulled the pins from her hair to place them on the dressing table. “Lord Oxley seems quite pleased with Lady Alice’s fiancé.”
“With first Constance and then Charlotte happily married, thanks to introductions you made, Alice is taking her time to journey to the altar.” She stood before him and ran her hands over the wiry hair of his chest revealed by his open shirt. “You never fail to surprise me, Philip.”
“Oh?” He turned his attention to the skirt, allowing the fabric to fall in a pool at her feet, before turning her to unlace her corset. “How so?”
