He gave the boy a stern stare, but Patrick only stood taller. “It’s true. I wanted to help. You both are so kind to me, I wanted to show you by helping. And I never complain, or I try not to.”
A smile played on Richard’s lips, but Abigail could see he was trying hard not to laugh. “I understand that you wish to remain with us.” The boy nodded and Richard continued. “Well, you realize that we are returning to Stockbridge. That’s very far from here. Not as far as Brampton, but still far from Brighton. Are you willing to relocate?”
“Yes, Sir…Your Grace,” Patrick replied. “I can work there, too. I’ll bet there’s lots of work in a castle, so there should be many chores I can do. And you don’t need to pay me, either. I will work for…” He glanced at Abigail. “what did you call it? Room and…?”
“Room and board,” she answered. It was as difficult for her to maintain her serious stance as it was for Richard. The boy was just so precious, and they had yet to explain what his place would be in the household.
“Yeah, room and board.”
“No,” Richard said as he rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. “You are much too young to work.”
Patrick’s face dropped but he pursed his lips as if putting on a brave countenance.
Richard continued. “However, you must receive a reward for all you have done for us. I could buy you a horse. I know you said you did not wish to receive pay, but I could give you money for what you have done thus far.” He shook his head. “No, I have a far better idea.”
This made Patrick perk up, but when Richard did not elaborate on his thoughts, the boy seemed to panic. “Your Grace?”
Richard appeared to be deep in thought again. “Yes, I believe that will be best.” He turned to Abigail. “What do you think, Duchess?”
“Oh, I could not agree with you more,” she replied.
“What?” Patrick demanded before covering his mouth with his hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to speak out like that.” He gave an awkward bow. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior, I do!”
Richard chuckled. “And I believe you. What we would like is to raise you as our son. Would you…?”
However, before Richard could complete the question, Patrick had thrown his arms around Richard’s legs in a tight embrace. “Oh, yes, Sir!” he cried as tears ran down his cheeks.
Richard pulled the boy from the floor and into his arms, and Abigail joined them in a tight hug.
“But you cannot go around calling me Sir,” Richard said with a firm tone.
Patrick pulled away and lowered his head reverently. “Yes, Your Grace.”
Richard gave a hearty laugh. “No, that will not do.” He returned to the thoughtful rubbing of his chin. “We really must come up with something more appropriate.”
With a shy smile, Patrick said, “May I call you Father?” he asked in a quiet voice before turning to Abigail and adding, “and Mother?”
“Yes, my son,” Richard replied. “You may.”
Epilogue
Standing in the doorway to the office, Abigail smiled. Patrick sat beside Richard on the couch before the roaring fire, a book on his lap.
“‘Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old’,” read Patrick with practiced ease from his book. Then he looked up at Richard. “I don’t want to grow old,” he said with a frown. “I want to be able to run outside and play and to climb trees whenever I please.”
“Do you believe me to be old?” Richard asked with clear amusement. “I may not run as well as I once had, but I still help you climb trees.”
Patrick shook his head adamantly. “Oh, no, Father, not you. You will always be young, I think.”
Richard smiled. “Well then, I believe I can only agree with you and Mr. Swift in your assessment of life.”
It had been nearly two years since that fateful day on their honeymoon, and Patrick not only learned to read and write, but he excelled in all his studies. At night before he went to sleep, the boy would join Richard, and together they would read. Sometimes they silently read a book of their own choosing while, at other times, they read a book together. Despite what choice they made, it had become a beloved ritual that was not adhered to only when Richard was called away for business, which was rare, and even then, Patrick read alone in that same chair where he sat now.
Abigail smiled again, holding the roundness of her stomach. Soon, another child would join their family, and the love they had shared during their time together would be extended to someone new.
However, it was the love she had for Richard—one that he returned to her sevenfold, if that were possible—that she cherished most. It was the sort of love that made a woman stand beside her husband in the most difficult of times. It was the love that a man, hurt that his wife did not love him in the same manner he loved her, reached out consistently and never gave up. It was a love stronger than any books could have depicted.
Two years before, Abigail had needed rescuing from a life she did not want, and she learned that she was not the only person in need of that rescuing. Richard, as well, suffered as she had. Therefore, if truth be told, they had rescued one another and found a love that would last for eternity, for they shared it with their son now and soon they would share it with the son or daughter that was to soon be born.
Both of their mothers had been surprised when they returned home with a new son, but once they heard the story, they opened their arms, and their hearts, to him readily. Now, they were ecstatic at the coming of their new grandchild. Of course, they had offered up suggestions for names for the baby, but Richard had stood his ground.
“We will be naming our child,” he said firmly. “This is to be our decision and our decision alone.”
For the first time, neither parent argued, and Abigail had been amazed at the new man who stood beside her. The pride she had felt that day had not diminished in any way, but instead it had grown every day since, and would continue to grow for the remainder of their lives together.
As Richard continued to read with Patrick, Abigail hid in the shadow and watched them. Plenty of love existed in the world that could be shared with so many, though she wondered how many people were too afraid to speak it. It was a lesson both she and Richard had learned. One they would never repeat again.
Rescued by the Duke: Delicate Hearts Book 2 Page 18