The Honorable Choice (Victorian Love Book 2)

by M. A. Nichols

  Throughout the speech, Lucas’s brows rose and rose, those mental cogs churning through the possibilities.

  “A gentleman with a little ready cash could do well there,” added Conrad. Though he wanted to extract an oath that Lucas would never bother Ruby or their child again, there was no mistaking the undertone of what he wanted his brother to do; to state it outright would present Lucas with a challenge he wouldn’t leave alone.

  With his message delivered, there was no more to say. Conrad rose to his feet but paused at Lucas’s words.

  “You were always jealous of me.” With half-lidded eyes, Lucas watched his brother. “For as long as I can remember, you have resented my place as the eldest son and have worked to replace me. It seems that you are to be successful at last.”

  Standing beside his seat, Conrad rested his hands on the backrest and watched Lucas’s expression. His brother’s posture was rigid, but otherwise, there was little emotion to read there. Turning his gaze to his hands, Conrad gripped the rough wood, his limbs and chest filling with a weight—or perhaps gravity had decided to strengthen its hold—but he felt as though the last of his reserves had been tapped, leaving him struggling to keep himself upright.

  “I don’t know if you truly believe that or if you have spouted that lie so many times it has become the truth as you see it, but I am not jealous of you. I pity you, Lucas. You have a family who loves you beyond all reason and the talent and ability to go far in the world, yet you squander it. I have only ever wanted you to be the man I know you can be and not the selfish creature you are.”

  He did not look at Lucas, but he felt the tightening of Lucas’s muscles before he retorted, “I do not need your pity, Conrad, and I do not need our heartless parents.”

  Nodding, Conrad gave the chairback a final squeeze and turned away from his brother as Lucas took the tickets in hand and tucked them into his breast pocket.

  ***

  The afternoon sun hung bright in the sky, making the world look deceptively warm. Without clouds, the air was brisk and biting, but that did not detract from the beauty of the day. With Ruby’s arm woven through Conrad’s, the couple strolled through Greater Edgerton and towards the riverside.

  Conrad’s heart was filled with a strange mixture of joy and pain. He’d longed to see his parents confront Lucas, but he ached for them. He and his brother had never been close, and Lucas’s behavior made it impossible for Conrad to like the fellow, but their parents adored their children without exception and loved Lucas still. Conrad wished it had not come to this, but neither was he upset at the thought of his brother leaving their shores for good.

  Glancing at Ruby, he saw the fretful pull of her features.

  “It is not your fault,” said Conrad.

  Ruby glanced in his direction but did not look appeased. “If not for me—”

  “You helped me show Mother and Father something that needed changing. Nothing more,” said Conrad. “The rest lies on Lucas’s head. It was his decision to reject my parents’ offer.”

  Turning a corner, the waterfront came into view, and Conrad smiled at the children skating along River Dennick. Some had proper blades latched to their boots, but many simply slipped and slid along on their shoes. When the couple reached halfway across the old stone bridge arching over the water, Ruby pulled him to a stop and watched the children at play. But Conrad’s gaze was on her. Her cheeks were bright like cherries, and her face was alight with joy, as though she was at peace with her world.

  Ruby glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

  “I love you,” he murmured, and a blush deepened the red of her cheeks, though her smile broadened. Tucking herself closer into his side, whispered the words in return.

  “Are you certain you wish to stay here?” he asked.

  Turning to face him, she met his question with a raise of her brow. “Certainly. Don’t you?”

  He opened his mouth to reply, but his throat tightened, choking out the words as his heart thumped against his ribs. Giving himself a moment, Conrad tried again. “My love for my parents and the mill kept me here, but no matter how I hoped he would, I don’t think I ever expected Father to name me as his heir. I am still astonished at what has passed.”

  Conrad paused to consider that. He’d carried around that false hope for so long that its weight had become an ever-present part of his heart, but now, it was gone. Bringing Ruby’s hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss to her glove.

  “My life is about as perfect as I could’ve dreamt of,” he whispered.

  Cocking her head to the side, Ruby replied with an arched brow, “We have no home.”

  Conrad chuckled and grinned at her. “True, but that is only temporary. We will rebuild our home and our mill.”

  Patting his pocket, he reached in and retrieved a small box, holding it in his palm as he began, “I had thought to do this in a more appropriately romantic venue, but I don’t think I can hold onto this another moment.”

  Conrad pulled his arm free of Ruby and opened the box. On the velvet cushion sat a ring, and he felt a fleeting prick of worry as he stared at the simple piece fashioned from silver. It was not what so many other ladies preferred, but it felt perfect for his Ruby.

  “A fede ring?” she asked. Conrad didn’t know if the tone was appreciative or merely commentary, but he forged ahead.

  He tugged his glove off, shoved it in his pocket, and pulled out the interlocking bands that formed clasping hands. “One for me,” he said, sliding aside the top band with the single hand, “and one for you.”

  When he slid aside the second band, the final band could be seen with the heart that was hidden beneath. Conrad shifted the bands back into place, the hands coming together to clasp in front of the heart.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, and Conrad met her eyes to see them shining.

  Reaching for her left hand, Conrad gently removed her glove and old wedding band. “I gave you that ring out of duty, but as we stand on the threshold of this new life together, you deserve something that comes from my heart.”

  Conrad slid the fede ring onto her finger and pressed a kiss to it—a simple movement that held far more than could be expressed with words. His heart was so full of all the goodness that had come from this beautiful woman, and no amount of expounding would ever convey the depth of his gratitude and feeling for her.

  But wanting to give Ruby so much more, Conrad seized upon the words his heart begged him to speak. “I choose you. Not from obligation or necessity, but because I cannot imagine a life without you.”

  *

  Ruby struggled to know what to say, but what words could be offered in response to such sentiment? She stared at the ring resting on her finger, and she could not imagine anything finer. The winter’s frost fled from her, and she beamed like a midsummer’s sun. Her heart gave no frantic beat or leap from her chest, but that was because it blended with Conrad’s pulse, matching his as though they were two parts of one whole.

  Casting a glance around them, Ruby saw that no one paid them any mind. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled her husband close and pressed her lips to his. Short months ago, she would never have dreamt of finding such peace and joy. Such love. Her heart was filled to the brim with it, and Ruby tried to explain with her touch what she could not express in words.

  Conrad held her tight, and what began as a little display grew deeper. It was no frenzied thing that threatened to consume them in a mindless passion. It was a tender declaration of all she felt. He was her home. Her heart. Her life.

  Fate had altered her world in ways Ruby had never anticipated, molding it into something more beautiful than the pale fantasies her former dull life had constructed. In Conrad’s embrace, she saw their future together. Of all the little nothings and grand somethings. Years filled with happiness and work, love and ofttimes tears. It was no perfect thing. It was far better—for it was real.

  And it was theirs.

  Epilogue

 
Four Months Later

  “Oh, he is precious.” Mother cooed, rocking her little bundle as Father leaned close to brush a finger against the tiny fist. Conrad sat in a chair at Ruby’s bedside, holding her hand. For all the effort she’d expended, she felt oddly invigorated as she watched her son. She fought against the prickle of tears exhaustion and the joy of the moment threatened to pull from her, but there was no hiding the great beaming smile filling her face.

  “Alexander is a fine name,” said Father.

  “That is not what you said when I suggested we name Conrad that,” said Mother with a narrowed look.

  But he met that with a raise of his brows. “It has grown on me. And I did not object that strongly, as you recall, or we would not have given it to him as a middle name.”

  Mother made a noncommittal sound that held more than a dash of disbelief, but she smiled at her husband as he rested a hand at her back.

  “I’ve had word from Dottie that she plans to visit to meet the newest additions to the family,” said Mother. “And Vincent and Cleo will stop by as soon as you are able.”

  Father fairly snorted. “You should take that as a great honor. The newlyweds hardly leave their home.”

  “Ambrose!” gaped Mother, her cheeks coloring, and Ruby’s eyes widened at the insinuation, though Conrad joined his father in chortling.

  Mother leveled a gimlet eye on her husband. “You are incorrigible.” Then she turned her attention back to the babe in her arms. “But you, sir, are adorable. Do not follow your grandfather’s poor example.”

  “We will leave you to rest,” she said, handing Conrad the baby and giving both Ruby and the child a kiss on their foreheads. Father did the same and gave Conrad a hearty pat on the shoulder before the pair slipped out of the bedchamber.

  *

  Conrad stared at the child in his arms. Alexander was so light—hardly heavier than the linens wrapped around him. Little lips pursed and suckled, though his eyes were firmly shut, and Conrad wondered how it was that he could love someone so deeply in an instant.

  Ruby shifted in bed, and Conrad fumbled to help with her pillows while holding Alexander in one arm. As loath as he was to relinquish the babe, Conrad placed him in his mother’s arms, and with a few quick movements, he had the pillows and blankets around her adjusted.

  Propped up, Ruby stared at their child, one hand brushing gently against Alexander’s cheek.

  “He is so beautiful,” she whispered.

  Conrad moved to the other side of the bed and lay down beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as she leaned into him.

  “I am so proud of you, Ruby,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. In truth, he felt like collapsing and sleeping for another year after the strain of the past few hours. Every minute spent waiting as she’d struggled to bring Alexander into the world had strained Conrad’s nerves, but staring at his perfect little boy and his glowing wife, Conrad knew the worry and effort were worth it.

  Ruby turned her gaze to Conrad, and he was awed by her beauty. With her braid messy and sticking to her temple and neck and her cheeks still flushed from her efforts, she would likely laugh at his feelings, but Ruby radiated such wholehearted contentment that Conrad was hard-pressed to think of a lovelier creature.

  Leaning close, he pressed his lips to hers, but Alexander stirred and squawked, drawing their attention back to him. Ruby rested her head on Conrad’s shoulder as he took his son’s hand in his. Truly, there never was a man more blessed than he.

  Thank you for reading The Honorable Choice!

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  Books by M.A. Nichols

  Regency Love Series

  Flame and Ember

  A True Gentleman

  The Shameless Flirt

  Honor and Redemption

  Victorian Love Series

  A Stolen Kiss

  The Honorable Choice

  Hearts Entwined

  The Villainy Consultant Series

  Geoffrey P. Ward’s Guide to Villainy

  Geoffrey P. Ward’s Guide to Questing

  Magic Slippers: A Novella

  The Shadow Army Trilogy

  Smoke and Shadow

  Blood Magic

  A Dark Destiny

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  About the Author

  Born and raised in Anchorage, M.A. Nichols is a lifelong Alaskan with a love of the outdoors. As a child she despised reading but through the love and persistence of her mother was taught the error of her ways and has had a deep, abiding relationship with it ever since.

  She graduated with a bachelor's degree in landscape management from Brigham Young University and a master's in landscape architecture from Utah State University, neither of which has anything to do with why she became a writer but is a fun little tidbit nonetheless. And no, she doesn't have any idea what type of plant you should put in that shady spot out by your deck. She's not that kind of landscape architect. Stop asking.

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