The Aristocrat's Lady (Love Inspired Historical)

by Moore, Mary

  She laid her head back on his chest and relaxed against him before she spoke. “I know, Jared.” She put her arm up around his neck. “You must not upset yourself. She treated you abominably, I know.”

  “Nicole, do you not see—that is my point. I gave up any notion of happiness because of that. You have changed everything. The word marriage no longer even means what it once did to me.” His frustration was palpable. He had to make her understand. “Nicole, I know I ruined our relationship on that day we were to go to Richmond, but I love you enough for both of us. I believe you might truly come to love me as I love you. It will grow in our time together. Please give me that chance.”

  She sighed. “It is not because I do not love you enough that I must refuse you. I never realized the power that loving someone else had over your life. I think I have loved you from that first night…on the terrace.”

  “Nicole.” He let out the breath he did not realize he had been holding. He put his fingers under her chin to raise her lips to his, but she put her fingers on his mouth.

  “Jared, wait.” She kept her eyes level with his, as if she could see him as clearly as he saw her. “I love you too much to marry you.”

  “What?”

  “My vow never said anything about not falling in love. I knew that to be beyond my control.” She spoke softly and lovingly. “I knew I could never be a burden to anyone. That is why I vowed never to marry.” She paused, then continued, “You see, you teased, but I will always need Toby. That is his one purpose. You have too many other important obligations.”

  She felt his shock physically even before he spoke it. “Do you believe I see you as a burden?”

  “Of course not, Jared. I could refuse you easier if I did.”

  “Then why?”

  “Jared, with my family and friends at home, I am not a burden. I love them too much. I taught myself not to be a hardship on them, and with Toby’s help I live a relatively normal life. Not the one I would have chosen, but if it is God’s plan, it is the only one I will accept.

  “You, my darling friend, are an entirely different matter.” Her voice choked back tears. “You do not see me as a burden because you have not felt the burden. You have only been with me as a person who could see.”

  “Nicole, please say you know me better than that. Quickly, before I believe you.”

  “Jared, it was not a criticism. My own family and friends took years to come to grips with it, and even now on occasion treat me differently. It is a simple fact that you have no idea what you would be taking on. I, on the other hand, know very well and would not ask it of you.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I could only hinder a man with so much power at his fingertips, right in the heart of the government. You will need to travel, entertain Society’s most elite, and…you must have heirs. You already know my fear of crowds. How would I handle even the basics of what would be required in the woman you marry?”

  He said one word. “Together.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “We will handle them together.” A new strength came over him. “Nicole, all I require is you. The happiness I have known as your friend alone is more than I have ever shared with anyone else.”

  “It is that way for me, too, Jared, but…”

  “No ‘buts.’ Now you will listen to me.” Devlin was terrified she meant to stand firm out of some misdirected sense of honor. He realized the most important speech of his life would not be one given in Parliament!

  “Nicole, if you are so bent on my feelings and what is best for me, then listen and I will tell you. I contend that you have only been with me while I was ignorant of your blindness. You have no notion how I would respond to your needs. But I tell you now: I will do everything in my power to prove to you that your physical incapacities mean nothing to me. We will share each and every hurdle, every joy, every disappointment, every success and anything else God brings into our lives. All married couples face trials, sweetheart.” He whispered the last. “The love we feel for each other is beyond the physical.”

  He did not know if he was getting through to her, and he tried one last-ditch effort to keep her from making them both miserable. “Where is your faith, Nicole?”

  She sat up straight, tense and agitated. “I do not know what you mean.”

  “I think you do. I thought your faith, and now mine, would be what we depended on. You could certainly not depend on me for everything, and I could not depend on you for everything. Circumstances will arise beyond our control. I have learned that the hard way! But my understanding, quite new I grant you, is that we must put our faith in God on a daily basis, blind or not.”

  He found it very hard to convey his full meaning when he was not totally sure of it himself. Yet he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he must convince her she was wrong. “I have heard you say many times that you believe God’s plan for you is in helping your neighbors and tenants, either alone or married to that no-good doctor. Is it possible that is not God’s plan at all?” He growled, “I do not know how to word this.” He set her a little away from him, squeezing her upper arms, trying to make her understand. “Could it be that this has all come about because of God’s plan for my life…for our lives?”

  “Jared?” she asked, perplexed.

  “I know, you will say I am arrogant to the last, but during the long, lonely nights sitting beside your bed, I felt that mayhap everything we have both been through has brought us to where we are now. Could it not have been to prepare us for this moment? Perhaps we could not know a love so strong if not for so many obstacles, if not for the friendship we shared first.” He paused pointedly. “Perhaps we would not have the strength to handle what lies ahead separately. Conversely, we would have each other to share in the joys that lie ahead.”

  Devlin could have sworn she could see him at that moment. Her eyes clearly showed the thoughts running through her head, from doubt to surprise to joy! He had known those eyes, seeing or not, would be windows into her soul.

  She surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck in a hold much stronger than someone who had been abed a week should have been capable of. It did not, however, stop him from returning the embrace.

  “Jared, could it be so?” She whispered the question directly into his ear. “I should be so afraid you will be sorry someday when it becomes too much to bear. That would hurt me more than refusing you.”

  “Then do not think of it, sweetheart. Has your family ever complained about you being a burden? Of course they have not, their love is unconditional. Can you let yourself believe that I am capable of that kind of love? Even more than that…I believe our love is a miracle. It is a miraculous love that will survive any hardship. It has been given to us by the miracle maker Himself.”

  She sighed so poignantly into his ear that it spoke volumes.

  He slowly loosened her arms from around his neck, and with his hand guiding her chin, he lowered his lips to hers in the most intimate, loving kiss either of them had ever felt. He knew he would always need to express his emotions to her in ways that she could not see. He saw a lifetime ahead of a love only God could have given them.

  Nicole drew away first, her forehead resting against his in her shyness. “I believe I shall pray for many more terrace miracles in our lives, Lord Devlin. It seems all of our firsts have occurred on one. And having found my soul mate tonight on this one, I do believe that with such miracles we can weather any storm. Perhaps it was God’s expected end all along.”

  Nicole wrapped her arms around Devlin’s neck and put her head on his shoulder as he carried her inside. She smiled as she realized that though her vision was impaired, she could clearly see a future ahead filled with laughter, love and God’s promises.

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed the story of Devlin and Nicole. They have become personal friends of mine, and characters who I hope have spoken to you and inspired you.

  As you may have surmised, one of my favorite passages in Scriptur
e is Jeremiah 29:11-12. I have relied on its strength through some of my own struggles, and I wanted it to permeate the story, especially in regards to Nicole. She began to claim verse 11 after the accident that left her virtually blind, but without the context of the verses that followed, she saw only a glimpse of God’s goodness. Verse 11 told her that He had a plan for her life and she held on to it like a lifeline. But she was convinced that God had only one plan. Oddly enough, it wasn’t until Devlin’s own revelation that she received the full blessing of verse 12—not only a plan, but a future filled with hope. I know I want God planning my future!

  There were so many precious insights God gave me as I wrote this story, and I pray that you found something to touch your heart, as well. If so, I pray that God receives all of the glory. I hope, too, that you began a love for the Regency era that will last a lifetime.

  Thank you for taking the time to read The Aristocrat’s Lady. I would love to hear from you. Visit my website at marymooreauthor.vpweb.com and drop me a note.

  God bless you,

  Mary Moore

  Questions for Discussion

  Did you become emotionally involved in any one character’s story? Why?

  Regency London, while elegant and romantic, had strict codes of conduct. Devlin and Nicole flouted Society by becoming friends of different genders. But in the end, their love was stronger for being the best of friends first. Do you believe people today take seriously the importance of marrying their best friend?

  Nicole believed God had only one plan for her life, because the one time she deviated from that, she was hurt again. Have you ever restricted God by doing whatever was easiest?

  Nicole’s inner fears of rejection also played a large part in her decision not to tell Devlin the truth. Has the fear of rejection ever played a part in your decisions? How?

  Devlin’s grandmother devoted her life to protecting and caring for him, especially in terms of praying for his salvation. Is there someone you have been praying for many years to trust in Jesus? Talk about the process and where it stands now.

  Devlin also had a special bond with his grandmother that influenced him his entire life. Can you think of someone who played that role in your life? How?

  Nicole didn’t want London Society to know she is blind, because of her own insecurities. How does hiding our insecurities often make them worse? How does this affect God’s ability to work in our lives?

  Forgiveness was required of both Nicole and Devlin—hers for hiding the truth and his for his treatment of her when he discovered it. Have you had an experience with a lack of forgiveness either on your part or someone else’s?

  Nicole believed wholeheartedly in her heavenly Father, but she often felt she was of limited use or little worth. Don’t we all feel that way at times? Relate an example from your own life.

  Toby had to defend Nicole at great risk to his own safety. Have you faced a time in your life where you risked public unpopularity to defend a friend or your beliefs?

  Nicole had very strong convictions in an almost Godless society. Have your convictions ever made you stand out?

  List some key themes in the story and discuss.

  Nicole and Devlin had a happy ending, despite the fact that she did not get her sight back. Have you experienced a time when you thought if God would just fix “this one thing,” life would be perfect? How did the situation actually turn out?

  LOVE INSPIRED BOOKS

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-1284-8

  THE ARISTOCRAT’S LADY

  Copyright © 2011 by Mary Patricia Moore

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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