“Alec,” I laughed, still confused, but not fighting him as he wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t understand. I thought I didn’t have a choice—that you needed me to marry the duke. The hotel—”
“The Prince of Wales made me an offer I can’t refuse.” He smiled, his gaze slipping down to my lips again. “He said that he wants an invitation to our wedding, and he insists we hold it in Newport, at our hotel, where he intends to stay. After that, he said he will go to New York and stay in one of our hotels there.”
“He told you that?” Excitement started to race through me.
“He did, indeed.” Alec smiled. “You charmed him, just like you’ve charmed me and everyone else, and he would do anything for you. Keira, you can’t imagine what that will do for our hotels. Everyone will want to stay where the Prince of Wales stayed.” He chuckled. “And he’s insisting that we rename our Newport hotel The Prince of Wales, in his honor, to remind people for years to come that he graced it with his presence.”
My grin could not be contained. My father was giving me the greatest gift of my life. He was giving me the opportunity to marry the person I loved, something that had been denied to him. And Alec wasn’t even questioning why.
“So,” Alec said, lowering his forehead to mine, “what do you say, Miss Keira O’Day? Will you marry me?”
I wrapped my arms around him, unable to hold back my love any longer. “I will marry you, Mr. Paxton, and love you with every breath God gives me.”
He kissed me then, his arms around me, and this time, he held nothing back.
I was going to become Alec’s bride, a thought that made me happier than I’d ever been before.
The only thing hindering my joy was the knowledge that I would need to tell the duke…and then Aunt Maude.
24
When Alec and I reentered the ballroom, the duke was standing near the wall, scanning the room. The moment he saw me, relief briefly filled his face, and then his mask of indifference appeared again.
Dread filled my heart at the thought of turning down his proposal. He’d gone to all the trouble and expense to have the ball, and he fully expected my agreement. My only consolation was that there were several other American heiresses in London, looking for a duke, and he would have no trouble finding one who would be his wife.
The duke approached and I glanced at Alec. He offered me an encouraging smile, and I was certain that if he could be there to help me through the difficult conversation, he would be. Unfortunately, I would need to speak to the duke alone. I owed him that much.
“I believe I have this next dance, Miss Hill,” he said, hardly looking in Alec’s direction.
The Duke of Severton was single-minded. I would give him credit for that. He knew what he wanted, and he was willing torisk everything to get it. Did he really want to marry me, or was he simply set on taking any wife who would give him financial freedom?
I smiled and nodded, though my nerves were making me shake.
When the orchestra ended their current song, the duke offered me his hand. “Shall we?”
Taking the hand he offered, he led me onto the dance floor as we waited for the orchestra to begin.
It felt like an interminable amount of time passed as we waited. Finally, the strains of the next song filled the room, and he took me into his arms.
He was stiff and unyielding, though he was a good dancer. We waltzed around the dance floor, passing others, who watched us with keen interest—Aunt Maude and Lady Mandeville included.
What would they say when they learned I turned down the duke after all their hard work? It was yet another difficult situation Alec and I would have to maneuver through, though we would do it together.
For now, the duke was my problem alone.
“What is bothering you, Miss Hill?” he asked. “Beyond the obvious issue of our impending betrothal.”
He was also straightforward and unafraid to address issues, another quality in his favor.
“Would you like to talk about it here, Your Grace? Or wait until we are alone?”
After a moment, he said, “Let’s discuss it now. I do not like to wait.”
Just as before, the noise from the music and shuffling of feet drowned out the words of the dancers. I could not hear what others were saying, so it was safe to believe they couldn’t hear us, either.
I took a deep breath and plunged ahead, knowing there would be no easy way to start. “About the betrothal. I do not want to presume you are going to ask me—”
“It’s obvious I am. I would not have gone to the trouble of having this ball if I weren’t.” The scar across his cheek tightened as he spoke and his dark eyes focused. “What about the betrothal?”
