by Dawn Brower
Chapter 8
The ball would start soon. Not that Adeline cared much, but it was important to her mother. That was the only reason she even bothered to prepare for it. Adeline’s heart was broken and nothing could heal it. She’d taken that risk and it hadn’t worked out as she would have liked. Now she had to live with that disappointment.
Adeline sat down and pulled her stockings up, then secured them in place. Her maid walked in at that moment. Usually Adeline like to do most of her dressing on her own. She enjoyed having a little independence, but the gown she had fashioned for the ball was not one she could slip into on her own. The corset alone would require a lot of attention. Everything made for the ball down to her undergarments was a brilliant scarlet. It didn’t have any elaborate decorations. The silk shimmered in the light and the lines were simple and elegant. Adeline felt pretty in the gown…at least she had when she’d worn it for her fittings. Now she would rather leave it in her armoire and stay in bed for the evening.
“Are you ready for the gown, my lady?” her maid Edith asked.
“I am,” Adeline replied. “Can you retrieve the gown so I can slip into it after my stays are laced.”
Edith went to the armoire and pulled the scarlet gown out, then placed it on the bed. With that task done, she came to help Adeline with her corset. “All right, let’s get your ribbons tied.” Edith laced the corset and then pulled it tight until it closed. She tied the end and tucked the loose ribbons underneath. “There, now it is time for the dress.”
“Indeed,” Adeline agreed, but there was no emotion in her voice as she spoke. She couldn’t muster up even a tiny bit of enthusiasm. “At least we already decorated the tree.” That normally was one of the things she looked forward to most, but this year there hadn’t been any joy in it.
Edith retrieved the dress and held it out. “All right, step in and I will pull it up.” Adeline did as Edith instructed. This was not anything new, but Edith always had to explain what she would do. It was a habit Adeline doubted Edith would break, and at the moment she was grateful for it. The normalcy of the routine helped her get through dressing for the ball. She prayed she wouldn’t fall apart. Perhaps she would bow out early and claim fatigue or a headache. Her mother wouldn’t argue with her over it. Both her parents were aware of Adeline’s misgivings about attending.
“There,” Edith said as she pulled the dress up. “Now time to fasten all those buttons. I’m glad you’re a patient young lady.”
“It’s the least I can do.” It wasn’t as if she had any reason to throw a fit or be demanding…most of the time. Edith didn’t have to do very much for her at all. “You help me when I need it.”
“I wish you needed it more.” Edith slipped a button through a hole. “You might attract a young gentleman if you care enough for your appearance.”
Adeline was tempted to laugh hysterically. She’d been on the verge of it for hours now. Edith didn’t know about Devon. If she had she would never have suggested that to her. Her maid meant well. She wanted Adeline to be happy and have a family of her own. That was unlikely to happen for her. Not after her night with Devon.
“There is no reason to bother with such things,” she told Edith. “No gentleman will want me either way.”
“That’s nonsense,” Edith said, then sighed. “You’re a beautiful woman and have an enormous dowry. Why wouldn’t a gentleman want you for his wife?”
Because she was ruined… She couldn’t say that to Edith though. It was better if her secret wasn’t shared with too many people. That way it was more likely to stay a secret. The problem was, she didn’t know what she could say for Edith to let it go. “Because I do not want them to.” Perhaps that would be enough…
“Nonsense,” Edith said, dismissing her statement. “You just have not found one that interests you enough to try is all.” She leaned down and straightened her skirts. “There you’re ready. Do me a favor and at least try to find a gentleman to dance with. This dress is too pretty to be hidden in a corner.” She lifted her hand and placed a finger under Adeline’s chin. “And you’re far too beautiful to hide from the world.”
“I cannot make any promises,” Adeline said. Especially since she didn’t intend to stay long at the ball. She would find a way to escape as soon as possible. Perhaps after the first dance… Someone would ask her. There was a lot of family at the ball, and one of them might take pity on her.
“All right, I suppose that’s all I will manage to get from you tonight. Try to smile. You’re so much prettier when you do.” Edith sighed. “I’ll leave you to finish. I’ll help with the dress when you’re done at the ball.” With those words, Edith left her alone.
Adeline sat at her vanity and stared at her reflection. The sadness didn’t seem as evident to her, but perhaps she didn’t know what to look for. Her hair was pulled back loose so her curls were hanging wildly around her. A strand had come loose and framed her face. She should fix it, but decided against it. Adeline didn’t want to be someone she wasn’t, especially tonight. The world would get her how she was whether they liked it or not. She didn’t owe any of them anything, and she would never let society’s rules bother her again. Maybe Edith was right. It was time to stop hiding and face the world. At least she could thank Devon for that much. One night with him had awakened her to all the possibilities. She might not have love, but then she didn’t think she needed it so much after all.
Devon shivered as he walked through the snow toward the Whitewood Estate. Surely it must be close by now. It seemed as if he had been walking forever and the bloody cold was not helping at all. He had to reach Addie. Once he told her he loved her and begged her to marry him, it would all be worth it.
He tripped over a fallen tree branch in the road and hit the ground hard. Devon cursed under his breath and fumbled around trying to get a foothold. He slipped again, and his face hit the snow this time. He spat the stuff that had gotten into his mouth out and shuddered. This was hell. Not the burning inferno people claimed it was, but this. Cold, wet, white flakes of torment…that was what he considered to be hell. He would much rather have a hot summer day.
Devon pulled himself up and managed to stay on his feet. Every inch of him was soaked through, and he might catch his death on his way to the manor. What was worse…he had nothing to change into. All his clothes were back at the inn. It would all be worth it though once he reached Addie. He needed his pretty little minx. Devon never should have left her.
He pushed himself to keep moving by sheer will alone. Finally, he reached the entrance to the drive. He blinked several times to clear his vision and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank heavens he’d arrived. Now he just had to find Addie. He ran to the door and opened it up. With all the guests arriving, no one would question his entrance. At least not at first… If the duke saw him before he found Addie, he would have a fight on his hands.
“What the blazes are you doing back here?”
Devon closed his eyes and internally cursed his luck. Had he conjured the duke by thinking about him? “I came for Addie.”
“Have you now?” The duke raised an eyebrow. “That’s too bad. You can’t have her. You made your decision clear when you ran away. Now you best go the way you came before I gut you as I promised.”
“I am not leaving. Not without her.” His breathing was ragged. “I will never be separated from her again.”
“Fancy words,” the duke drawled. “But I don’t believe you. You’re weak, and my daughter deserves better than the likes of you. If you won’t leave willingly, then so be it.” He took off his coat and set it on a nearby chair. He started to roll up his sleeves. “Good of you to make it interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve pummeled a man. Gutting is too good for you now that I think about it. I’d much rather you live in agony…knowing Adeline will never have anything to do with you.”
He refused to believe that would be his future. “I don’t want to fight with you.” Devon hoped to marry Addie, and having any
discord with her father would not help his cause. “Please don’t do this. Just let me talk to her.”
“That is not going to happen.” The duke took a step forward. “You do not deserve her and I will not have you hurting her again.”
Devon took a step back and fell to the floor. The duke loomed over him, and he had no doubts he intended on hitting him. Devon closed his eyes and braced for the duke’s fist to slam into his face, but the hit never landed.
“You would have let me hit you,” the duke said, then sighed. Devon opened his eyes and met his gaze. The duke held out his hand for him. “Come on. If you’re that determined, I suppose I’ll let you talk to her. But if she asks you to leave, I expect you to honor her wishes.”
Devon hadn’t expected that… He stood next to the duke and frowned. “I am confused.”
“I’m not surprised, the duke said. You’re an idiot. I’d expect nothing less from you.” He slid his sleeves back down and then picked up his jacket. “What are you waiting for? Go find her.”
Devon didn’t have to be told twice. He also didn’t want the duke to actually hit him. Explaining why they were in the midst of fisticuffs in the middle of the foyer would not go over well…with anyone. Devon rushed toward the ballroom and flung open the doors. He didn’t see her immediately and his heart sunk. Where was she? He scanned the ballroom, but she wasn’t anywhere inside. Did she go somewhere else? Where would she be?
The library…
That was her favorite room. She would go there for some solitude. It was the one place he had known she’d go, but would she go there now? It was also where he’d seduced her and broke her heart. He had to check. He would search the entire house if necessary, but he would find her.
He paused outside the library door and took a deep breath, then pushed it open. Devon stopped short, unable to breathe properly. Addie stood under the mistletoe in a red gown. Her blond hair framed her beautiful face, but she had a haunted expression on her face. He’d done that to her. She turned toward him and met his gaze. “You’re here,” she said softly.
“I’m here,” he repeated her words. His voice was hoarse with emotion. “I should never have left.”
A tear slipped from her eye and trailed down her cheek. “Why did you come back?”
He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “I love you. I thought I could walk away, but I was a fool. Even if I could why would I want to.” He wiped the tear from her cheek. “I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I don’t know if I should.”
Devon nodded. “I wouldn’t blame you if you told me to leave.” He went to his knees. “But please. I’m begging you…marry me.”
“Did someone make you do this?” She took a step back. “I don’t want a forced marriage. I want one that starts with love.”
Devon didn’t know what he could do to reassure her. He wanted her to marry him and he’d wait as long as it took for her to say yes. “No one made me come here. I walked from town in a snowstorm because I couldn’t wait a moment longer. I. Love. You.” He had to make her understand. “If I didn’t, nothing could force me to be here.”
“I want to believe you.” She turned away from him and stared out the window. The snow was coming down hard now, and there was no visibility. “You actually walked in that?”
“I did,” he said. “But to be fair, it wasn’t that bad. I could see where I was walking.” Devon wanted to always be honest with her. “I was afraid of what I felt for you. Love is a foreign emotion to me. I didn’t experience it with my parents, and they sure as hell didn’t have anything remotely resembling that with each other. I believed I had nothing to offer a woman. I thought I was protecting you.” He took a deep breath then continued, “I realize now I was a coward. You are right. Love is a risk and if you are lucky enough to have it, you should fight for it. I hope I’m not too late.” He crossed over to her. “So please, believe me when I say this. From the moment I met you, it has been one wonderful moment after the next. I cannot imagine not living the rest of my life with you by my side. Please marry me and ensure that we’ll have the grandest of adventures together, and I promise, I’ll love you every second of it.”
She placed her hands on his cheeks. “I love you so much it hurts. I made a wish the night before the house party started. I wanted someone to love me, truly love me, for who I was and not who they thought I’d be. I never expected it to unfold as it did. You didn’t know I was a lady, and that changed the dynamics between us. If I was a lowly maid, would you still want to marry me?”
He wanted to say yes, but he didn’t know the answer. “In another lifetime social status wouldn’t matter. You’re not a maid and your question is moot. Maybe I would have, or maybe I’d have left you. I’d like to believe I’d have been more honorable, but I’ve not always been a good man.”
She smiled. “Kiss me.”
Addie still hadn’t agree to marry him, but he wasn’t going to tell her no. He wanted to kiss her. Devon craved it. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers and his body came alive as it did every time he touched her. He deepened the kiss, and she moaned. Devon wanted to strip that provocative gown off of her and make love to her again, but instead he broke the kiss and stepped back. His breathing was ragged. “I can’t keep kissing you or this will go farther than either of us want it to.”
Her lips tilted upward into a wanton smile. “My love,” she said. “Who said that I didn’t want more than a kiss? I’ll always want more.”
He shook his head. “Not unless we’re married. I rather like breathing, and if we make love again outside of the bonds of matrimony, I’m certain your father will murder me.”
“He might,” she said and then chuckled. “It’s lucky then that I’m going to marry you isn’t it.” She wiggled her finger to him. “I’m standing under the bough of holly. It’s against tradition not to kiss me.”
Devon grinned. “I wouldn’t want to break tradition.” He closed the distance between them. “Will you dance with me?”
“A waltz without music?” Addie lifted a brow. “My favorite kind.”
He pulled her into his arms and swirled her around the floor in something resembling a waltz, but it was more swaying and kissing that happened between them than anything else. He’d won the heart of his Christmas minx. This was the best Christmas he could ever hope for. Devon couldn’t wait to marry her…
Epilogue
Six months later…
Devon had wanted to court Adeline properly. Even though they’d already made love and she’d agreed to marry him. Adeline deserved to be treated like the proper lady she was. So he spent the months after they met taking her to the theater, or out for a drive, and dancing with her at balls. He especially loved dancing with her.
They announced their betrothal in the Times and had the bans read at her grandfather, the Duke of Weston’s, chapel. They were to be married there amongst her family and friends. He certainly didn’t have any family to invite, but his closest friends would be there. Merrifield would be by his side the entire time.
Now, finally, he was going to marry her. Addie would be his minx forever, and he couldn’t be happier. In a short time they would say their vows and then their adventure together would begin in truth.
“Are you ready for this?” Merrifield asked. He buttoned his waistcoat and then slipped on his jacket. “After this there is no going back. You’ll have that bloody duke as a father-in-law.”
“The duke isn’t as awful as you make him out to be.” Devon grinned. “He’s been pleasant since Addie agreed to marry me.”
“Before that he was a bloody arse,” Merrifield said and shook his head. “I saw how he treated you in the foyer. Well…I saw the end. But you know what I mean.”
Devon had been unaware of anyone else being there, but his focus had been on finding Addie. So it was no surprise he hadn’t been aware Merrifield had witnessed his embarrassment. “He had every right to be angry with me. I did ruin his dau
ghter and run away. I would have done the same to any man who treated my daughter so carelessly.” Devon believed the duke had actually shown a great deal of restraint. If he was blessed with a daughter, he’d never allow a man to treat her the way he had treated Addie. “I was the one who was the true arse. I’m glad I realized my mistake and came back for her. I do love her and I am happy that we’re about to be married.”
“Then it’s time we went to the altar and waited for your bride.”
Devon chuckled. “Lead the way, my friend.”
They walked out of Weston Manor and strolled toward the chapel. It was near the cliffs the estate had been built upon. The chapel was large enough to hold all the guests that had been invited to the ceremony. The wedding breakfast would be much larger in attendance, and the ball later that night would be packed. It wasn’t every day the daughter of the Duke of Whitewood and granddaughter of the Duke of Weston got married. It was one of the season’s premiere events. It would be grand, and Devon was grateful they waited long enough to plan it properly.
Devon stood at the altar and waited for Addie to join him. When the chapel doors opened and revealed her his breath caught in his throat. She wore a dress the color of blush pink that almost matched her skin tone. She seemed almost…naked. His minx was making a statement of some sort, but he didn’t know what it was. All Devon knew with certainty was she was lovely and he loved her.