by Brianna York
Matthew was watching the odd scene play out before his eyes with something that bordered on morbid fascination. Feeling that it was time for him to leave, he rose slowly. “I shall leave you two alone.”
Alex appeared not to have heard him as she stared in apprehension at Forrest, but, as he slipped by her en route to the door, she caught his hand. She looked away from the other man in the room for the first time then to stare up at her brother in silent appeal. He merely shook his head at her, hating himself for denying her his support in her time of need. It was a rare day indeed when Alex pleaded with anyone, and Matthew knew that better than anyone else. However, he knew that his presence would only hamper and prevent Forrest and Alex from negotiating some amicable peace between them and he could not knowingly do something that would, in the long run, hurt his sister only more.
“I shall see you later,” he told her softly, squeezing her long fingers gently. She looked like she wanted to protest, but her mind was of as practical a mold as her brother’s, and she ducked her head then and nodded slightly. She released her brother’s hand and watched him leave the room. She stared at the closed door in silence, trying to pull herself together. She had never realized until now how much of love was stepping without reservation into the unknown. Sighing with a bit of a shudder, she turned and looked at Forrest once again.
“Well?” she asked, feeling much better once she had spoken. She even managed to slip around the chair and perch tensely on the edge of it.
Forrest stepped away from the window and paced a few steps toward her. He watched her fiddle with her skirts, appearing to arrange them neatly, but he knew that she was only attempting to keep her hands busy. “Your brother is a very persuasive man, Alex.”
Alex’s hands stopped moving so suddenly that Forrest nearly started. Her expression was no longer full of apprehension. Now he saw it fill with a wary kind of suspicion. Cursing himself for miss-stepping so grievously and with the very first words out of his mouth, he sat down in the chair opposite hers. “Before you arrived, he told me that you were very much in love with me. Is he correct?”
She hesitated for a moment, her wary eyes searching his face before she managed a tight nod. “He is correct.”
Forrest’s lip quirked wryly at that. “Trust Matthew to know more about the situation than I.”
“Part of the trouble here is due to the fact that Matthew has more money than you do, is it not?” Alex said abruptly, her eyes narrowed.
Forrest looked angry again and frustrated. “Well that is something that is usually taken into consideration when two people are contemplating marriage. How can I possibly provide for you in the same fashion that you are used to, Alex? I barely have the income to ensure a fond greeting at Almack’s for goodness sakes! Most of society suffers my presence only because I am friends with Matthew. Be honest with me, Alex. What am I really without Matthew?”
Alex laughed softly at that. “For such an intelligent person you can be unbelievably short-sighted, Forrest. Do you honestly think that you would not be the same man that I love without Matthew’s presence in both of our lives? Must you really be so very hard on yourself? Listen to me, Forrest. I want to marry you, not your title and not your money.”
Forrest’s expression softened at that, and he had to chuckle lightly. “I am afraid that I must be that hard on myself Alex. I wish to earn you on equal footing.”
Alex tilted her head to one side in some confusion. “This trouble between us has never been about me or my love for you, has it?” she inquired suddenly.
Forrest glanced at her, then turned away. Her question made the situation look entirely ludicrous to him for the first time. “Not entirely, no. However, Alex, credit me with knowing you well enough to be certain of the fact that you love your freedom more than you will ever love another person.”
She smiled ruefully. “I must admit that I have always fought the idea of loving anyone because I assumed that I would be forced to relinquish control of my life in so many ways if I did so.” She paused for a moment, the smile still in place on her faultless lips. “However, having thought about the situation for the past two days, I realize that one can throw away much of one’s life attempting to hold onto the present too tightly. I must have a future as well, and I find the prospect of one spent with you quite delightful, Forrest.” She was beaming at him now, a smile that spoke of her own confidence in the rectitude of her decision and all that it implied. She slid from her chair and knelt gracefully at his feet.
Forrest looked down at her upturned face, stunned. He slowly started to smile then; a warmly intimate smile that Alex was greatly relieved to behold. “All right, Alex. I shall accept your proposal. However, I thought that the man was supposed to propose to his bride, not the other way around.”
Alex laughed brightly. “Why should we start being conventional now? That would ruin all the fun. Shall we tell my brother?”
Forrest shook his head and pulled her into his lap. “Not quite yet.”
Seventeen
M
atthew straightened the stickpin in his snowy cravat, and pulled at his shirt points. He took his gloves off the dressing table and slowly pulled them on, still staring at his reflection intently. He wanted to look his very best. Leaning closer to the mirror, he swiped at his green lapels to remove any dust from their well-pressed surface.
“I assure you that nothing is amiss with your appearance, Your Grace” Dobbs said. His voice held tolerant amusement. He had never seen his employer so nervous.
Matthew tweaked his stickpin to the left, decided against that, and returned it to its original position before replying, “I want everything to be better than perfect for today, Dobbs.”
Dobbs smiled a bit. “It appears so.”
Matthew glared at his valet’s reflection in the mirror, then turned around to leave. “I will be back in time for tea, Dobbs.”
“I shall wait expectantly,” Dobbs replied, something in his tone making Matthew’s self-conscious scowl deepen. Dobbs watched his employer hunch his large shoulders and leave the room in a disgruntled hurry. Dobbs thanked the heavens above that he had never had the insane urge to marry. It seemed like a bloody waste of energy to him. Sighing, he set about putting the room to rights again. He hoped that Miss Dartmoor did not mind clutter since Matthew was so good at creating it.
∞∞∞
Matthew pulled his chestnuts to a halt in front of Tess’s door, and sat in the wan morning light for a long, contemplative moment. He had felt like this when he had been a boy, learning to jump fences with his horse. There was a moment of intense anxiety mixed with happy expectation that preceded the jumping of a large hurdle which was quickly followed by the exuberant, intoxicating thrill of having succeeded when one landed on the other side. He hoped that his hesitance and vague doubts would be put to rest by the pure joy of success, but he could not be sure in this instance. Unlike riding a horse over obstacles, he had less positive experiences with regard to marriage.
Gathering his courage, he jumped from his perch and handed his horses to the boy that scurried over. He took the time to straighten his coat and make sure that his boots were clean before he climbed the steps and used the heavy brass knocker to announce his presence.
The butler knew him on sight by now, and so, in contrast to Matthew’s first visit, he nodded at Matthew and allowed him in without comment. He waved Matthew towards the parlor, and Matthew divested himself of his gloves as he made his way toward the room. He sat down in one of the chairs and pulled again at his lapels. Taking out his pocket watch, he checked the time. Perfectly on time. Hopefully he would not have to wait too long. He wasn’t sure if his nerves could tolerate too much more suspense.
Upstairs, Tess eyed herself critically in the mirror, checking her reflection from all angles. She glanced down at the light green skirts of her morning dress and sighed. The dress was certainly a few seasons out of style, but she supposed that it would have to do. The color was an exc
ellent complement to her complexion, however, making her skin look translucent and tinging her changeable hazel eyes with a forest green hue.
“Miss Dartmoor?” The sonorous voice belonging to the butler broke into her reverie so suddenly that she started.
“Yes?” she called, knowing that Matthew must have arrived.
“His Grace, the Duke of Dunsenay awaits you in the sitting room,” the butler answered her in the same tonelessly prim voice.
Tess sucked in a deep breath, her eyes on her reflection again. “Thank you, James,” she replied quietly, her voice abstracted. She heard the butler walk away down the hall, and she rose slowly, gathering her confidence to her almost like a cloak. She thought that she knew the purpose of Matthew’s visit, but she was afraid almost to hope. She padded on silent feet to the door, reaching out a slender hand and resting it on the knob. She drew her shoulders back abruptly and tilted up her chin defiantly, then turned the knob with more force than was required and stepped confidently into the hall.
She swept down the hallway, moving with almost unnatural poise, and started briskly down the stairs. Driven by her sudden urgent momentum, she swept up to the closed doors of the sitting room and pushed them open in one swift movement. From the look on Matthew’s face, it was apparent that he had not heard her approach. She saw the sudden surprise on his face turn to an almost wondering pleasure at the sight of her, and she felt warmed as if by the sun. Breathless from the intimacy of his frank gaze, she half-turned and closed the sitting room doors behind her.
“Tess,” he said gently, rising in one smooth, athletically contained movement. He held out his hands to her in welcome and she smiled brilliantly at him before crossing the room to take his outstretched hands and allow him to draw her over to the sofa. “How are you today?” he inquired dutifully, his eyes never leaving her face as if he were afraid that, should he look away, she would disappear.
She smiled with gentle radiance at him and reached up with one hand to press her palm to the smooth plane of one of his cheeks. “I am well now,” she replied with characteristic honesty.
Matthew’s eyes glowed at her as he turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm. “Your candor is a great honor,” he said to her, his voice low and rough with some emotion that she could not quite name. “It is your noble candor, amongst so many charms that prompted this visit.” Tess suppressed a twinge of guilt at the thought of her own secret treachery. She attempted to bolster her confidence with the thought that she truly loved Matthew, in spite of the circumstances of their acquaintance.
Matthew reached into his pocket and drew out a small, square jewelry box. He held it out to her and smiled warmly. “Open it.”
She reached out and took the box with a steady hand that was totally at odds with the shaky feeling that tightened her throat and made it hard to breathe. It took all of her confidence to open the box and acknowledge that the shining band of gold inside was meant for her.
He raised her chin so that she could see his face. “Tess, if you had not already guessed by now, I have loved you from the first moment that I saw you. These past weeks have been far too long for my taste, but, with it behind us and the limitless future ahead of us, will you marry me?”
She looked like she might cry, then suddenly, she gave a delighted squeal and threw herself into his arms to hug him hard. “Of course I will, Matthew! Oh I am so happy!”
He laughed and extracted himself from her tight embrace. “The ring is pretty in the box, but it is more impressive when it is put to use.” He pulled the narrow golden band from the box. It was a very simple piece of jewelry, but more beautiful for the sheer cleanliness of its lines. He slid it onto her finger, then sat back and let her look at it.
“Your seal,” she breathed out in a whisper, fingering the ornate ‘D’ that was the only decoration that broke the smoothness of the simple band. “That makes it rather official does it not?”
Matthew nodded. “That it does.”
There were tears of joy streaking her cheeks when she returned her gaze to Matthew’s face. Matthew found to his surprise that he felt like crying as well. “Oh Matthew,” she breathed out, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly. “I thought that the things that one always wanted to happen were not ever to be expected, and yet, this is really happening.”
Matthew shook his head and reached out a hand to tuck an errant curl behind her ear. “I can assure you that this is not a dream.” He found himself kissing her almost before he knew he meant to do it.
“Tess?” The voice was Gregory Dartmoor’s, causing both of them to start and pull sharply away from each other guiltily. The incongruity of the situation occurred to both of them at the same time, and they smiled at each other like children sharing a secret.
“We can stop feeling guilty,” Matthew whispered, pressing a kiss to her brow.
“Tess?” Dartmoor sounded like he was beginning to get impatient, and Matthew nodded to his betrothed.
“Come in brother,” She called out in her clear, sweet voice.
The doors swung open and Dartmoor surveyed the scene before him critically. Matthew and Tess were sitting a respectable distance apart, but he noted that their fingertips were touching on the sofa. “Well?” he said casually, stepping into the room. He noticed the flush on his sister’s delicate face, and recognized the hallmark of one well-kissed. His gaze went to the Duke then, but all he saw around the over-bright smile was the calm self-assurance that was the ever-present impression the Duke conveyed. He found himself liking the man less and less. “Is it final?”
Tess glanced quickly at Matthew, then back to her brother. “When you give us your blessing, it shall be.”
Dartmoor smiled thinly. “Consider it given.”
Tess’s words were for her brother, but here eyes were on Matthew’s face as she said, “Thank you.”
“Have you decided on a date yet?” Dartmoor asked then.
“I am afraid not, Dartmoor,” he replied respectfully, his golden eyes intent on the other man’s face.
“Well, once you two have sorted out such details, let me know.” Dartmoor smiled frigidly again. “I shall leave you two to discuss the wedding,” he informed them, before turning and leaving the room.
“Perhaps my brother will learn to be gracious about sharing me,” Tess said ruefully once her brother had left the room.
Matthew laughed out loud at that, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. Tess had never seen him laugh with such ease, and she thought that all men should be able to laugh as Matthew just had. “And perhaps pigs will fly,” he said wryly.
Tess giggled at that, her eyes glowing at Matthew from beneath the fringes of her thick, dark lashes. Finding her too appealing to ignore with that look of gaiety on her face, Matthew caught her face between his hands and kissed her again.
“I think that we should perhaps discuss a marriage date sometime in the near future,” she murmured to him as he trailed kisses down her throat.
Matthew chuckled in the back of his throat. “Agreed. A week? That would give me time to announce it in the papers and allow everyone to speculate, gossip and fuss themselves up properly.” He pulled away from her regretfully, and waited for her reply.
Tess nodded. “A week would be perfect.” Her face clouded over suddenly, and she caught Matthew’s hand as he began to rise from the sofa. “You do not want a public wedding do you, Matthew?” she inquired, her voice carefully neutral.
Matthew cocked a brow at her. “I take that question to mean that you do not wish a large wedding for us?”
She colored slightly and looked down at their clasped hands as she answered him. “Naturally I want whatever is proper for us, Matthew. I have no idea how a duke is to be married.”
Chuckling, Matthew sat back down on the sofa. Reaching out with one long finger, he brought her chin up so that he could look her in the eye. “This duke doesn’t give a good damn what society expects of him. What kind of wedding would you like, Tes
s?”
She smiled slowly, the flush fading from her cheeks as her confidence returned to her. “A small ceremony with family and friends would suit me very well, Matthew,” she informed him.
He grinned at her. “You are a pearl beyond price,” he announced, kissing her one last time before rising to his feet and drawing her with him. The last of his apprehensions about marrying her lifted like a weight from his shoulders and the dark memories of white flowers and church hallways fled his mind. “I shall make the arrangements for a family ceremony to be held at my house.”
She nodded, smiling almost shyly at him. “Thank you, Matthew.” He grinned at her again, then started to leave the room. “Wait!” she cried before he could step around her. Halting, he turned a quizzical gaze on her for the brief moment before she flung herself into his arms again, hugging him tight to herself as if she thought he would disappear forever if she let him leave. Chuckling, Matthew hugged her back, pressed a kiss to her silky hair, then gently set her away from him.
“Don’t worry,” he told her, kissing her nose. “I shall not vanish into thin air when I leave this house.”
She laughed softly, and smiled bashfully up at him. “I suppose that you won’t. A week is such a very long time, however,” she reminded him.
He smiled fondly at her for a moment. “It is not so very long to have to wait with forever ahead of us.”
“When you put it that way it sounds much more appealing,” she replied.
“I knew that it would. Oh!” he said abruptly, “I almost forgot; I shall be sending my sister around tomorrow to take you shopping for clothes. You will need a much more expansive wardrobe when you are a Duchess than the one that you have now.”
Tess felt a thrill of pleasure at his words. “I shall look forward eagerly to Lady Alexandra’s visit,” she answered, a contented smile on her full lips.
“Would you like to go for another ride with me?” he asked her. Her eager nod made him laugh yet again. “I shall take that for an enthusiastic yes. Day after tomorrow then?” Tess nodded again, as if she were at a loss for words, or as if, should she speak, she would awaken from a wonderful dream. Matthew dropped a last gentle kiss on her lips, then left her.