“You know I don’t put much stock in gossip,” Mrs Ward countered. “But I figured somethin’ must have happened or you wouldn’t be here instead of there, and a miserable sop to boot. So, I’m guessing you got it in your head you could be a fine lady, his fine lady, and made a right fool of yourself.”
“I loved him, Ma,” Ella moaned. “I do love him.”
“Oh, my poor girl,” Mrs Ward said, encircling her daughter in her arms. “Come, now, you know there’s no place for us in their world. What a silly fish to fall for a bird.”
“But he did love me too,” Ella sniffed. “Or at least I think he did. He said he did,” she rambled a bit.
She could feel her mother shake her head.
“Great men like that, they don’t think like that about our kind, no matter how wonderful the girl is.”
Ella knew her mother was trying to make her feel better, but it was only making her feel worse.
“You learned a lesson. A hard lesson, to be sure. But you know now that your place is here.”
“It is neither here nor there,” Ella lamented as she straightened up out of her mother’s embrace.
“What are you goin’ on about?”
“I can’t possibly stay,” Ella stated with a heavy sigh that let out the last of her sorrow. “I won't ruin your shop right along with my reputation. I’ll find a place far away, where no one knows me. I’ll send money home when I can…”
“I’m not asking you to do that,” Mrs Ward countered.
“I know. But it’s what will be best for all.”
Mrs Ward sat in silence as she thought the matter over.
“Alright,” she finally said. “You’re a grown woman and I can’t stop you. We’ll find you a place first. Rose’s got an aunt out in Bath. We can write and see if she can find something for you. Once I sell the shop, I can join you there.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Ma,” Ella replied.
“You didn’t. But I will, just the same.”
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Rose’s voice drew their attention to the parted curtain. “The Duke of Winthrope is here, and he is asking to see Ella. What should I tell him?”
Chapter 29
The Duke followed silently behind the shop girl. He didn’t blame her for insisting she take him to the back of the shop outside instead of passing through the large crowd of gossiping ladies. He couldn’t believe how wild things had gotten in a mere two weeks.
Jones, his regular driver, had stayed behind in London while he was away, and had used the drive to the dress shop to fill him in on every minute detail that took place during his absence.
By the time the Duke arrived at the shop, he was nearly sick with rage. He couldn’t even imagine what Ella had been forced to endure in his absence. He wouldn’t blame her one bit if she hated him and everyone else in what he had once considered polite society.
If she had any sense at all, she would refuse to see him and never associate with his family ever again. He hoped that despite knowing she was a very smart miss, in at least this respect, she would lack proper judgment.
He was relieved when the shop girl returned and informed him that Ella was willing to speak with him if he would make his way to the back of the store. Already people were flocking from the main road simply to stare at him standing in the front of the shop.
“I should get back to the front, Your Grace,” the girl said, leaving him in front of a well-worn door.
“Of course, thank you for showing me the way,” he responded.
He stood staring at the door for a nervous second. He patted his hair, hoping it wasn’t too wild, though he knew he had been nervously running his hands through it the whole way here. Knowing he couldn’t stand there all day leaving Ella waiting, he raised his hand and knocked.
He wasn’t at all surprised to see the humble apartment that Ella and her mother shared. It was nothing more than a single room that served as a kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and work station by the looks of things.
It didn’t take long for his eyes to reach Ella. The Duke could tell she had been crying very recently. He would have liked to wrap her up in his arms, beg her for forgiveness, and whisk her away in that very second. However, he had enough sense to stand his ground and notice the second figure still in the room.
“Mrs Ward, I don’t think we have ever properly met,” he said, bowing politely.
The older women resembled her daughter very closely, right down to the sceptical, judgmental curve of her brow.
“I must beg your forgiveness for any upset I may have caused you. It was never intentional. If I have caused you financial loss, I would be happy to compensate.”
“It’s not always about money, Your Grace. Some problems can’t just be bought away.”
Mrs Ward folded her arms as she eyed him. He saw Ella look at her pleadingly.
He knew she wanted to say this whole disaster was no more his fault than her own. He wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. He had been waiting for some glorious romantic, memorable moment to ask for her hand in marriage. Instead, he should have just made his promises to her before stealing another single kiss.
“You are correct, Mrs Ward. I suppose there is nothing I can offer to fix the situation beyond my sincerest apology.”
“I suppose it will have to do, Your Grace,” she spoke in her steely tone.
“I wonder if I might have a moment to speak with Miss Ward,” he asked.
“I have no doubt that’s why you came. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll just sit right here,” Mrs Ward said as she walked over and seated herself at the wooden table.
She picked up a project that had been left behind.
“I’m sure you can understand why I would rather not leave you alone in the room with my daughter,” she finished when the Duke didn’t respond.
“Ma,” Ella snapped at her mother.
“No, she’s right,” the Duke responded.
A few moments of silence passed as Mrs Ward settled to her work.
“I just wanted to come here in person,” he said taking a step closer to Ella, “and apologize. If I had known what Lady Clarissa did, if I had known it was her that day that saw us,” his eyes darted to Mrs Ward to his left, “kissing,” he made sure to clarify, “I would have come straight home. I would never leave you to deal with this on your own. We would have faced it together.”
He took another tentative step closer.
“There is nothing to apologize for,” Ella said. He could tell she was mustering all her courage to stand tall despite how she felt inwardly. “You were as much a victim as I was. Lady Clarissa was just as cruel to you as she was to me.”
“I fear the scale was tipped more in your direction. Nevertheless, I will ensure that Lady Clarissa pays for the pain her senseless rumours have caused.”
He could see the wheels turning in her head as she considered what he could be referring to. He didn’t want to dwell on that, however. He had come for one singular purpose.
“If you are sure that you can forgive me and look past this fault embedded in the world I live in,” he took another step forward, “I wonder if I might ask a favour of you?”
He did his best to suppress a smile that was fighting to spread across his face. He had half expected to be turned away or at the very least told she wanted nothing to do with him or his world.
She gave a small nod, though she still looked sorrowful.
“If you think you could bear it,” he spoke as he reached into his pocket. He produced his grandmother’s ring and held it out for Ella to see. “I was hoping you would still consent to be my wife. Unfortunately, you have recently found out that a connection to me may not always be pleasant. And I know sometimes I can be a bit…”
“Beastly?” Ella offered.
He let a whoosh of relief rush out of him as her face lit in a teasing smile.
“Monstrous, really,” he corrected. “But I promise you, if you could stand it, I would do everythi
ng in my power for the rest of my life to love you with every ounce of my sewn-together heart.”
Her light faded as quickly as it came.
“I can’t accept, Your Grace,” she said just barely above a whisper.
“Yes, you can,” he encouraged her, closing the last of the space between them.
He didn’t care anymore if her mother was just behind him. He needed to be near Ella. He needed to show her that his love for her was stronger than anything the world would throw at them.
He cupped her cheek with his free hand and relished the softness as she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. It may have only been two weeks, but already it had felt like a lifetime without her, something he was sure would kill him if he was forced to experience it again.
“I love you, Ella,” he whispered softly to her.
Her eyes opened, and two large blue pools looked at him imploringly.
“Please don’t say that,” she moaned. “Can’t you see how this will ruin you? The House of Lords…and, and…what about Lady Pamala? I can’t sacrifice her future for one of my own. I won’t cause so much hurt simply because I fell in love with you.”
He chuckled, “So, you do still love me?”
“Of course, I do. Don’t be silly, Winthrope,” Ella scolded.
He brushed his thumb against her bottom lip. Already he had forgotten how soft it was.
“That’s all that matters to me, to Pammy. Even to my mother.”
Ella lifted a sceptical brow.
“Your suggesting your mother is completely fine with you marrying a shop-girl rumoured to be carrying an illegitimate child?” Ella scoffed.
“I told you, I’ll make it right,” he said softly. “And as for my mother, she knows it's not ideal, but she accepts my choice, and knows that you are more than strong enough to be the Duchess of Winthrope.
“All you need to do is say yes,” he finished.
He wasn’t sure if it sounded like pleading, but he felt like it was. He refused to be without her. He would be willing to do whatever it took to convince her that they were meant to be together.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He watched as tears spilt down her cheeks. He was certain they were happy tears.
“Really?” he asked with a chuckle.
She laughed as well and she nodded her head. He leaned in to give her a kiss and suddenly stopped, remembering Mrs Ward was still there.
He took a step back and turned to face Mrs Ward. He still wasn’t ready to sever their touch, though, so he ensured to interlock Ella’s hand in his as he turned.
Mrs Ward must have been expecting it as she had set aside her work and stood up to face both of them.
“Ma, say you’ll be happy for me,” Ella encouraged when Mrs Ward said nothing.
“I can’t say I agree with this choice when I don’t, but as I said you’re a grown woman now. It’s not for me to say what you should or shouldn’t do. I’ll leave you to celebrate with your bride properly, Your Grace,” she said as she curtsied to the Duke.
She moved across the room and to the curtain that separated the shop from the back. She paused for just a moment at the curtain before turning. She looked at her daughter with loving eyes.
“I was just trying to be a good mother,” she explained, her voice heavy with emotion. “It’s not that I thought you didn’t deserve the stars. It was just…I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”
“I know, Ma,” Ella assured her mother before Mrs Ward slipped through the curtain.
“What did that mean? Reach for the stars? What stars?” the Duke asked.
Ella giggled and turned to her betrothed. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. She felt his own chuckle bubble up as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeper.
“You, my love,” Ella said, pulling back from his embrace after a long, satisfying kiss. “You are the stars.”
The Duke still didn’t quite understand what she meant, and perhaps he never would. He didn’t care, though. He had finally found the woman he was meant to be with for the rest of his life. He had plenty of time to figure out her silly riddle later.
Right now, all he wanted to do was memorize the way it felt to kiss her over and over again.
And that’s precisely what he did.
Epilogue
Ella walked hand and hand with her Duke along the winding path of the botanical gardens. She breathed in the sweet aroma that surrounded them as they strolled in the moonlight.
“Are you chilled, my dear? We can go back into the dance hall,” the Duke asked as he brushed his fingers against the gentle flesh exposed on her arm between her cap sleeve and her silk gloves.
Though the heat of the summer day had cooled with the light breeze, it was still relatively comfortable to walk around outside in her pale green gown. She suspected he knew that and was just looking for an excuse to send little tingles through her body as he always did with his touch.
“I’m fine. In fact, I would suggest that it has been unseasonably warm the last few days, Your Grace,” Ella sent him a teasing look.
“Oh, perhaps you’re right,” he responded with a wink.
“I expect we should return soon, however,” Ella commented. “We got enough questioning looks when we entered the ball, who knows what will be said if we stay out here on the dark paths alone much longer.”
The Duke paused in their progression and gave a tug on the hand he had been holding. She didn’t resist. Instead, she quickly moulded herself against his tall frame.
“Well, I suppose I am already ruined, so what's a few more minutes,” she teased.
He tsked, not liking when she said such things.
“You are not ruined. I told you, I have a plan to fix it.”
“Yes, but that is all you have said on the matter, Your Grace.”
He kissed the tip of her nose affectionately.
“I suppose you will just have to trust me.”
She gave a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes.
She only let him kiss her briefly before she gently pushed on his chest and insisted they go back to the ball. Reluctantly, the Duke agreed.
It wasn’t long before they found the rest of their party. Lady Pamala had a momentary break between dance partners. Lord Melvin had just arrived with his parents, who were happily chatting away with the Dowager Duchess.
Ella could see why this ball was a pivotal event of the Season. Not only were so many people there that it was nearly impossible to walk through a room without accidentally bumping into someone else, but it was also a wonderful sight to behold.
The hall was decorated with just as many flowers as the outside walkways. If Ella could have taken a peek at the Garden of Eden, she suspected it looked very much like this botanical hall.
Along with the flowers, there was a cornucopia of fruits and desserts on every table in nearly every room. Wine seemed to be flowing like rivers, a bit too much in Ella’s opinion, and everyone from Dukes and Duchesses to the lowest of militia officers seemed to be enjoying themselves and mingling together.
Mending the Duke's Heart: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 27