“But this…” Louise stared at the letter she clasped as the script began to blur on account of the tears welling in her eyes. “Goodness gracious, Marcus, this is fantastic news.” She flung her arms around him and hugged him close. “I am so incredibly happy for you.”
“You know, the viscountcy never really mattered much to me until it was gone. It was something I never had to work for, a title that was always there to be taken for granted. This, however, fills me with pride, not because of the prestige, but because of what it stands for.” He buried his nose in the crook of her shoulder and breathed her in. “It’s like a trophy - a validation of my efforts. Of course, I’m also immensely glad to be able to make you a lady once more.”
Louise stepped back and gave her husband the most frank look she could manage. “You know that doesn’t matter to me.”
“I do, but it matters to me. To some degree. I never liked knowing I caused you to lose your honorary title instead of providing you with a better one.”
“Oh, Marcus.” She shook her head, then kissed him again in an effort to confirm her lack of regret. “Being Mrs. Berkly is all I’m interested in, but I shan’t complain about you becoming Sir Marcus. Really, we should celebrate. Once school is over, we’ll go out for dinner together. What do you think?”
“I heartily agree.” He held up the second letter. “Champagne may even be in order once you read this.”
“More good news?” She could scarcely believe it and quickly took the letter from him so she could read it.
Sir and Madam,
I am writing to inform you that your offer on Number Three Carver Street has been approved.
There was more - so much more - but rather than read it all now, Louise flung her arms around Marcus again and squealed in jubilation. “We’re getting our very own school.”
“Yourschool, my love,” he corrected, then kissed her and added a heartfelt, “Congratulations.”
Three days later, when Marcus and Louise returned home after finalizing their purchase of Number Three Carver Street, Hannah was waiting for them with an invitation from the Reddings. Louise had asked Marcus if they could keep the maid, and he had agreed, provided Hannah could help his own maid, Maggie, with the cleaning and cooking. To his satisfaction, the young woman had applied herself and had improved her culinary skills tremendously during the last few months.
Marcus took the invitation from Hannah and followed his wife into the parlor.
“The duke and duchess are hosting the first ball of the Season in two weeks,” he told Louise once he’d opened the envelope and retrieved the heavy gold embossed card from within. “They want us to attend.”
Louise crossed to the sideboard and began preparing two drinks. She glanced at him. “How do you feel about that?”
He stared at her. “I’m not sure. How doyoufeel about it?”
She shrugged one shoulder, picked up the glasses, and handed one to him. “I’m not the one who’s been actively avoiding social events for the past eight years. Although I’m sure I would have done so if I’d had the option.”
Marcus frowned and took a sip of his brandy while she drank her sherry. “I avoided it for good reason, Louise. Stepping out among my fellow peers for the sole purpose of being cut made little sense.”
“And yet, the first time we met was at a ball.”
How could he forget? “A serendipitous encounter to be sure. I only came for the music and the card play the duke promised me once the rest of the guests had gone home.”
“Somehow our paths managed to cross.”
“Only because I thought the terrace was empty.” He drank while holding her gaze. The spicy liquid slid down his throat and filled him with soothing contentment. “Instead, I had the honor of meeting the finest woman I’ve ever known.”
“So you see, something good can come from attending a ball.” She smiled at him wryly, set her glass aside, and approached. Within four steps she was in his arms, perfectly molded against his larger frame.
“I gather it’s your opinion we ought to accept the invitation then?”
Her eyes sparkled as she gazed back at him. His hold on her tightened, his chest expanding when he noted her response, a telltale flush to her cheeks. “What I think is that you are the most impressive man I’ve ever known. It would make me proud to show you off and to let the world know how much I love you.”
“The world can be a critical place,” he murmured while tracing her spine with the pad of his thumb.
The high color in her cheeks deepened. She looped her arms around his neck and leaned into his embrace. “No one knows this more than I, but if we hide away in our comfortable lair, the world wins, and I’m not all right with that, Marcus. Are you?”
He dropped his gaze to her tempting mouth. “Not anymore.”
The kiss that followed reminded him of a lightning display he’d once seen on the moors as a child. It singed his flesh while pouring energy through him. Nothing invigorated him like his wife. He loved and adored her, cherished her reasoning and her kindness, and would face every critic he’d run from these past eight years if that was what she wanted. With her by his side, he’d not have to do it alone, and that in itself made all the difference.
And yet, his stomach still turned over two weeks later when he and Louise arrived at Redding House. He took a deep breath and did his best to ignore the leap of his pulse as he stepped down from the carriage. Turning, he offered his wife his hand. She always looked gorgeous, but tonight she dazzled. Her eyes lit up the moment they met his, dismantling his every concern one by one, until only certainty prevailed.
