Anna froze on the spot while the meaning of his words blossomed in her mind. "Beaumont," she whispered. "Where is he? Which way did they go?" The baker pointed with a floury hand. Anna left her basket of loaves on the counter and ran onto the street.
A few curious glances from the passers-by forced her to collect herself. She drew herself up, brushed an imaginary speck of dust from a glove, and hurried along in the direction the baker had pointed.
On her way, she passed a pair of bailiffs inspecting a house with a listing wall. Evidently, renovations were to take place all over Loxton.
The Duke of Beaumont's carriage was unmistakable. Even if she somehow missed the gilded coat of arms on the side, it would have been impossible to draw her gaze from the man leaning against it.
Beaumont was standing outside the run down old Town Hall, which had stood disused for many years. He was eyeing it over with a rather proprietorial air, shading his eyes against the sun.
Anna felt the familiar rush of warmth as her eyes traced his languid pose, the shadow of a beard along his jaw, the handsome line of his profile. How could she ever have believed she would not fall in love with him? He looked as though he had stepped out of her dreams. Even when he thought no-one was watching, he exuded power and strength.
She had no idea what she was going to say to him.
"Yes, that will do nicely for the residential ward," came her father's voice, rescuing her from the task of greeting her own fiancé. To her amazement, he stepped out of the Town Hall with Lady Cecily on his arm. "If you think we can buy the land behind it, we might set aside space for a little garden so that the patients can take some exercise. Ah! Anna!" He waved enthusiastically. "Come and listen to our plans, my dear!"
Beaumont jerked upright at the sound of Anna's name. He turned around in time to catch her staring at him.
A slow smile quirked his lips. Anna felt something inside her begin to melt.
"Anna! Your father has just been inspecting the building with me," said Cecily, running forward to take her arm. "We both agree that it will be the perfect place." She stretched out her arms, blocking out a space above the doorway with her fingers. "The Duchess of Beaumont Free Hospital. Your father has graciously agreed to run it, and I will be one of the patrons. I can't take any credit for the idea, of course." She nodded to Beaumont. "I hate to give a gentleman credit for anything, but in this case I must."
"A free hospital?" Anna repeated. Her father nodded, a glow of happiness illuminating the worn lines of his face.
"It is exactly what I have always said Loxton needed. But we won't be limited only to the townspeople, of course! We'll be able to take in patients from all the villages." He beamed. "The funding will even extend to send Mr Floyd to Cambridge to complete his training. We'll need many more doctors, of course, but I told Lady Cecily I won't do without Mr Floyd."
"That's wonderful!" Anna gasped. "It's everything he's always dreamed of!"
"I was rather hoping all this was something you had dreamed of, too," Beaumont remarked somewhat laconically. Anna turned to him at last.
"This was your idea?"
"I couldn’t possibly say. This is the Duke of Loxwell's land, and he will be the chief patron."
Cecily gave a delicate little cough. "All the same, we are quite settled on the name."
The words Cecily had spoken earlier suddenly struck Anna with their full meaning. She frowned. "You... you are going to name it after your mother? That's very sweet."
Beaumont's lips made an ironical twist. She realised that he was on the point of laughing at her. "My mother was Duchess of Beaumont, yes, but she is long dead. I was rather hoping to name this institution after my wife." He took Anna's hand. "After all, it is being founded in the place of her birth, which she loves so much."
He spoke so confidently that Anna knew the question in his eyes was for her alone to see. “Will you forgive me?” he murmured. “Is it enough? This is not all I intend to do, by a long way, but I hope it proves that you have wrought a lasting change in me.”
Anna could only nod. There were too many things she wanted to say to him, and none of it could be said in front of Cecily and her father.
Beaumont understood her implicitly. "Then you are mine," he said softly. Anna let him interlace his fingers with hers. Beaumont's expression was full of a fierce joy. It was too much for her to take in at once. Only the pressure of his hand kept her grounded in reality.
"Dr Hawkins," said Beaumont, "might I prevail upon you and Anna to come back to Scarcliffe Hall with me? It is high time we officially announced our engagement."
"Beaumont, you are so thoughtless!" cried Cecily. "You cannot present Anna to the marquess in a workday dress. I won't allow it. No, I will write Lady Lilistone a note this evening. Between us, we will throw an engagement party that you will never forget!"
"Shall we invite Miss Clayton?" asked Anna teasingly. "After all, she did so much to bring us together."
"I think the poor girl would be happier at home," said Cecily decisively. "At any rate, she will never receive another invitation from me." She hopped up into her own carriage. "Look out for my invitation!" she called out. "And Anna, you must meet me and Isabella at the dressmaker's tomorrow afternoon. You will have so many new things to buy!"
Anna wondered whether she ought to be worried at that last comment as she waved Cecily off. She could only hope that Isabella's sensible instincts reigned in Cecily's grand ideas.
"A lift home, then?" Beaumont offered, opening his carriage door for the doctor. Dr Hawkins moved towards it, then glanced at Anna with a knowing smile.
"I trust you will not find me too unconventional, my dear, if I decide to walk home alone? I know I am not always as attentive to propriety as I ought to be, but I think I can allow you to ride in a town coach with your fiancé. He is such a very great man that I would not like to cross him." He nodded to Beaumont, blew a kiss to Anna, and set off whistling down the street.
Beaumont was still holding the door open. "Well? I would walk with you, but I'm afraid I wounded my leg defending a lady's honour."
"I suppose you can be forgiven for that," Anna smiled, getting into the carriage. "If it was for a lady."
"Some might even say it was rather dashing of me to do it."
"What, and risk making you far too pleased with yourself?"
"No man on earth is half as pleased with himself as I am now," said Beaumont with a grin. He pulled the curtain across the carriage window and took Anna into his arms. "Kiss me, before I die from longing."
"How can I resist helping a soul in need?" asked Anna, and did as he asked.
Epilogue
London, 1821
As the lavishly-furnished town coach bumped and rattled its way through the streets of London, Anna felt a pang of homesickness overwhelm her. Compared to these cobblestones, the dirt roads around Scarcliffe Hall were as smooth as glass. She clung to her seat for balance, telling her stomach to behave itself. All the padded seats and velvet cushions in the world could not soften the bouncing enough to make her comfortable.
Beaumont was lounging across the opposite seat with as much ease as if he were on a chaise longue in their own sitting room. Seeing Anna’s face turn green, he rapped sharply on the window and called to the driver.
“Slow down a little! We’re not in any rush.”
“It’s the nerves,” Anna said, touching a hand to her queasy stomach. Beaumont leaned forward and pressed his own hand over hers.
“You have nothing to be nervous about anymore! You were magnificent!”
Anna glanced down at the enormous hooped skirt she was wearing. It took up most of the inside of the carriage. Beaumont had taken the opportunity to stretch his long legs out over the seat, which Anna would usually have frowned upon. Today, the sight of his boots on the jacquard upholstery only made her smile. It was somehow fitting that he refused to comport himself with aristocratic dignity, even on the day she was presented at Court.
“I felt very stupid when the princess spoke to me. I had no idea what to say.”
“Oh, she never says anything very interesting herself. But you did everything perfectly.” Beaumont grinned his most roguish grin. “And now, all we have to do is celebrate.”
“Now we have to host a party, Beaumont! And I have to spend the entire evening in this ridiculous dress!”
Beaumont ran an ironic eye over the billowing fabric. “It’s a trifle old-fashioned, but that’s the Court for you. Rest assured that you wear it better than any other woman I’ve seen. In fact…” He pushed the hoop aside, reaching for Anna’s waist. “I am utterly entranced by you today, my duchess.”
“Beaumont!” Anna protested through her laughter. “You will rumple me!”
“Can’t you bear to be a little rumpled?”
She relented, as he must have known she would when he gave her that look. “There will be time for that later. After the party.”
Beaumont sat back regretfully. “I suppose it’s for the best. I don’t want to distract you from your surprise, after all.”
Anna touched the diamond necklace he had fastened about her neck that morning. “I thought you already gave me my present?”
“This isn’t a present, exactly. Ah, here we are.” Beaumont fought his way past the dress to escape the carriage. He gave Anna his hand to help her down. She managed to extricate herself with tolerable grace, but kept hold of him as they negotiated the steps outside their town house.
The front door had barely opened when Anna’s ears were assaulted by a shriek of delight.
“Anna, my darling! You look wonderful!”
Cecily came down the spiral staircase and threw her arms around Anna’s neck. At least, she tried to. The old-fashioned hoop skirt which Anna’s dressmaker had insisted was the only thing to wear to Court kept getting in the way of Cecily’s round, pregnant stomach.
Anna finally caught her friend by the arms in lieu of an embrace. “Cecily! When did you get here?”
“We arrived in London last night. Beaumont made me promise not to tell you!” Cecily squeezed Anna’s hands tightly. “Did we manage to surprise you?”
“Yes, very much! I’m so delighted! But please tell me you didn’t come all this way in your condition just for my party?”
“Not only for your party,” Cecily admitted. “Now that my time is near, Robert insisted we follow your father’s recommendation for the best doctor to deal with twins, and all the experts seem to live in London. We took a very leisurely journey down from Scarcliffe Hall – I declare I didn’t spend more than a couple of hours in the carriage each day!” She laid a hand half-consciously on her stomach. “I’m glad we made the journey when we did – it was absolutely the last moment I could have managed it!”
“Lady Scarcliffe,” smiled Beaumont, bowing and kissing Cecily’s hand. “You are as lovely as ever.”
“And I see Anna has not yet cured you of being a flirt,” sighed Cecily. Beaumont answered her with a roguish wink.
“Come and sit with me,” said Anna. “We have a few hours yet before the guests arrive, and I want to hear all your news. Where is Robert?”
“He is inspecting Lord Lilistone’s house – he insisted that I mustn’t set a foot in it until he is certain that the servants have aired it out properly.” Cecily linked her arm companionably through Anna’s as they went into the drawing room. “But my news is nothing compared to your adventure today, Anna! How was your presentation?”
“I hardly know! I was terrified from start to finish.”
“But not even I could have guessed it by looking at you,” said Beaumont. He gestured to summon the butler’s attention. “Some refreshments for Lady Scarcliffe and the duchess, I think.”
“Very good, Your Grace.” The butler bowed and glided away as though on wheels.
Anna had to admit that she was growing accustomed to the benefits of Beaumont’s wealth and status. He employed a small country’s worth of people, it seemed, and all of them received ample salaries and extensive training. Each of his households ran as smoothly as expert management could allow.
“You tell me how it went, then,” said Cecily, lowering herself slowly onto a sofa and turning to Beaumont with eager eyes. “I always knew Anna would be perfection in the highest circles!”
“You are both flattering me,” Anna laughed. “If you are not careful, I shall start thinking far too much of myself!”
“But at least your nerves are forgotten,” said Beaumont, with a wink. Anna realised that he was right. Now that she had Cecily at her side, the prospect of hosting a party for London’s elite was not nearly as intimidating.
“You know me too well,” she smiled. Beaumont held her eyes for a moment, a hint of smoulder in his dark gaze.
“I should hope so,” he murmured. “Ladies, I will leave you. Don’t worry about the party another moment, my dearest one. You have made enough preparations. I shall see that they are carried out.”
As soon as he was gone, Cecily clasped Anna’s hands in delight. “Beaumont seems to adore you more with every passing day. I am so happy for you!”
“He has been a blessing in every way,” said Anna, thinking with satisfaction of her success in London. “I am beginning to find my way as duchess now, and it is all thanks to him.”
“Remember what Isabella always says. He has as much to learn from you as you do from him!” Cecily lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Though it is plain to see that Beaumont is already a reformed character! He writes the most wonderful letters to my cousin Alexander, full of wisdom and guidance on how to run the estates. I never would have thought Beaumont could be so – so virtuous! Your influence on him has been wonderful.”
“I don’t think I had any hand in it,” said Anna. “If he has changed, it has come from within. I simply saw his potential.”
“You are too modest, my dear! But enough about men! I expect you will want all the news of the Free Hospital.”
“Yes, please! My father’s letters are always too short.”
The two women had so much to say to one another that Anna’s maid was forced to come downstairs and request her presence most urgently in the dressing room, lest the guests arrive before the duchess’s hair had been freshened up.
Anna and Cecily went upstairs arm in arm, parting on the landing. Cecily had brought her own lady’s maid and made use of one of the guest rooms, at Beaumont’s invitation.
“I will be at your side tonight, Anna,” Cecily promised her. “But you will not need me. The party will be a success, I promise you!”
Anna paused on the landing to watch the footmen carrying candelabra across the hallway into the ballroom. A thousand small tasks she had meant to perform before the party flurried through her mind, but she set her worries aside. Beaumont had promised to take care of everything, and she trusted him to see that it was all perfect.
She was sitting at her dressing table with the maid fussing over her elaborate hair when there was a soft knock at the door.
“A moment, if you would,” said Beaumont, sending the maid scurrying out. He closed the door after her and came to stand behind Anna, his hands on her shoulders.
“Will I do?” asked Anna, turning her head gently from side to side. The curls had been twisted up so tightly that it was almost painful. She preferred simpler fashions herself, but the occasion called for something much more decorative. Eight diamond pins reflected fire from her red curls.
Beaumont traced his finger slowly up the bare nape of her neck. “I wish I did not have to share you tonight. I want you all to myself.”
Anna caught his hand and tugged it to press against her lips. “Later. I promised you.”
Beaumont sank to his knees to bring his face level with hers. “And I trust you to keep that promise. But I am not a patient man…”
He kissed her so deeply that Anna forgot everything about the upcoming party, the myriads of candles being lit downstairs, the soup she had chosen to complement t
he fish course, and her lady’s maid waiting patiently outside.
“Beaumont,” she murmured, when they finally broke apart. He gazed at her face for a moment, then pressed one final, chaste kiss to her forehead.
“I adore you, my duchess.”
The maid tapped nervously on the door. “Excuse me, Your Grace. There is a carriage arriving outside.Your guests are here.”
Beaumont lifted Anna’s chin with his finger. “Will you accompany me downstairs, Anna?”
“I would be delighted to, Beaumont.”
He offered her his arm, and they went out of the room and down the spiral staircase together. Even the enormous hooped skirt could not dampen the sensation that she was walking on air.
Anna knew the party would be a success. She knew that her presentation at Court, and the conversation she had shared with the princess, would be the admiration of London.
She knew, moreover, that she had many more important things than parties or princesses or social acclaim. She loved a good man, and he loved her in return.
It was all that she could ask for and more.
THE END
Also by Gemma Blackwood
How did Robert and Cecily fall in love? Why was there a book of love poetry hidden in the stable? How did Cecily escape the highwaymen?
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Two warring families. One forbidden love.
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The Duke's Hidden Desire (Scandals of Scarcliffe Hall Book 2) Page 20