CHAPTER FIVE
Upstairs Parlour
Rivenhall Estate
Suffolk, England
“I now pronounce you husband and wife, the Duke and Duchess of Leyton,” Father Daniel said as he joined the Duke and Emma’s hands.
Lord Harrison briefly glanced at the Duke and the Duchess as they exchanged loving glances, and he could not help but glance at Alice in the exact same manner.
Unfortunately, Alice did not reciprocate the loving look, regardless of his internal begging.
Alice had refused to speak, or even look at him the entire day, which was rather discouraging. He understood that she was angered, upset and even disappointed, but she would not give him the opportunity to explain himself. Even though he knew he would feel the same way and react in the same manner as she had, he felt he deserved the opportunity to explain himself.
After the small and intimate ceremony in the parlour, as per the Duke and Duchess’s request, all the staff had been summoned to ready the ballroom for a lavish ball to celebrate the union of the Duke and his beautiful Duchess.
Alice and the Dowager Duchess took a stroll around the gardens while they waited, and the Duke and the Duchess readied themselves for their journey to Brighton where they planned a lovely seaside holiday.
Lord Harrison did not have anything official to keep him occupied, but there were quite a few things he needed to do before the ball. He made his way to the ballroom and noticed Trudy with another maidservant as they set out the cutlery on the long tables that ran along one wall of the ballroom. The ballroom was decorated in hues of blue and beige, and crisp white flowers were arranged in beautiful crystal vases, with sparkling candelabras towering above. The ballroom was truly a sight, and for a moment, Lord Harrison had forgotten why he was there.
He heard someone clear their throat behind him and saw the maidservant in charge of the younger ones, a matron if you will, to the others.
“Can I be of assistance, My Lord?” she asked.
“Indeed, Agnes. May I have a word with Trudy, please?” he asked.
Agnes glanced back at Trudy and shook her head. “She is rather busy at the moment, My Lord.”
“It is rather urgent.”
“What is this regarding?”
“I would rather not say,” he answered a little too curtly.
Agnes narrowed her eyes at Lord Harrison and pursed her lips briefly. “Please do keep your conversation brief. There is much to do in preparation for this evening.”
“I understand, dear Agnes. I will be as brief as I can be. I will be in the Great Hall waiting for her.”
“Very well, My Lord.”
Lord Harrison turned on his heel and quickly made his way to the Great Hall. He stood there for a short while, staring out the large window that overlooked the estate. As soon as he heard Trudy’s light footsteps, he turned around and watched her as she carefully and reluctantly approached him, maintaining a safe distance.
“Agnes informed me that My Lord wishes to speak with me.”
“Indeed I do.”
“There is nothing left to say, My Lord.”
“I disagree.”
Trudy crossed her arms and glanced up at him. “Then say your say, My Lord.”
“After you left my chambers, Miss Alice came to me,” he said.
Trudy held her hand up in the air and shook her head. “Please, spare me the details, My Lord.”
“Nothing happened between us.”
“Why?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I could not. I realized that I care too much for her to treat her as such.”
“But you could do those things with me?”
“Trudy, our arrangement did not include feelings. I sincerely apologize that I hurt you. It was never my intention to do so, but it should not have been your intention to develop feelings.”
“How could I not? You are such a charmer.”
“I was foolish in my ways, and I sincerely apologize for all my shortcomings.”
“It takes a courageous man to admit that he was wrong. I applaud you for that,” Trudy said.
“I do not wish for applause. I only wish for forgiveness,” he stated. “Please forgive me.”
She pursed her lips and her eyes filled with tears. “I forgive you, My Lord.”
“Thank you.”
“Was that all you wished to say, as I need to get back to my duties?” she asked.
“That is all.”
Trudy nodded and turned to leave.
“Trudy,” he called out and she glanced over her shoulder at him. “One day, you will find a man who treats you like a queen and loves you the way you deserve to be loved.”
“Thank you, My Lord,” she said and turned away.
Lord Harrison smiled slightly and gazed out the large window, seeing Alice and the Dowager Duchess strolling along the garden path. He did not wish to interrupt the deep conversation in which they seemed to be engaged, so he made his way to the main stairwell and went to his chambers to ready himself for the ball.
*****
It was after sunset when Lord Harrison entered the ballroom and he was rather astounded by its appearance. It was even more impressive than when he had seen it that afternoon and he made a mental note to compliment Agnes and the other servants on their exquisite decorating skills.
Lord Harrison greeted the guests ever so gallantly, pretending to be the charming gentleman everyone knew, as he searched the ballroom for Miss Alice, feeling disappointment when he could not find her.
“She has not come down yet, Harrison,” the Duke unexpectedly appeared behind him and Lord Harrison whirled around.
“What gives you the impression that I am searching for someone, Your Grace?” he asked.
“I have known you for most of my life, and that mask you wear, the only person who knows what is underneath, is me.”
“Indeed.”
“Are you ready?” the Duke asked.
“Ready for what?” the new Duchess suddenly appeared.
“You are a true vision, Your Grace,” Lord Harrison said with a smile to the Duchess.
“Thank you, my lord,” she answered. “What should he be ready for?”
“Wait and see,” the Duke said.
“I must warn you, Your Grace,” Lord Harrison said to the Duchess, “this was at the Duke’s request.”
“Oh, is that so?” the Duchess asked, giving the Duke a questioning look.
Lord Harrison stepped onto the small platform at the front of the room and cleared his throat. The string quartet immediately quieted, and all the guests focused their attention on Lord Harrison.
“Welcome to Rivenhall, noble guests, family, and acquaintances. You all know me well enough to be fully aware that I do not normally attempt to speak to a large group, but at the request of His Grace, I will gladly do so.
“I have known His Grace for many years, and he has become my brother, my confidante, and the one person I turn to when things are out of control. He has saved me many times, and I have done the same for him. He has always been optimistic and humble, something that I aspire to be.
Then he met a beautiful woman, the Duchess, and I was afraid that I was losing my brother, my confidante. But I saw how happy she made him, and all that jealousy faded away. They are perfect for each other, their hearts beat as one now, and I suspect they had done so even before they met. Tonight, I wish to honour and celebrate my dearest friend and brother, as well as his beautiful wife. To the Duke and the Duchess of Leyton,” Lord Harrison said and raised his glass.
Applause erupted in the ballroom and glasses tinkled together as the Duke embraced him, as did the Duchess.
“Thank you, Harrison,” the Duke said.
Lord Harrison smiled and turned away, glancing directly into Alice’s eyes, finally seeing her standing across the ballroom.
Alice had been watching Lord Harrison from the back of the ballroom and now pursed her lips slightly. She was rather surprised
that he managed to see her and watched as he slowly and carefully approached her. His eyes lit up as he stopped in front of her and smiled slightly.
“You look magnificent, Miss Alice.”
“You as well,” she answered.
“May we speak?”
“I believe we already are,” she pointed out and crossed her arms.
“Somewhere private, where there are no invasive gazes or ears listening to every word we say.”
“Very well,” Alice answered, and he followed her as she made her way through the door that led to the side entrance of the terrace.
“You never gave me the opportunity to explain myself to you.”
“I did not think you had an explanation to offer.”
“I did. I still do.”
“Very well then, My Lord,” she said and crossed her arms again.
“Before I met you, I had never entertained the idea of settling down. In fact, even after I met you, it did not occur to me as something important. As I came to know you, however, I began to feel something. Something I had never felt before.”
“Was it disgust in yourself?”
“Please, allow me to finish.”
She shrugged apologetically and waited.
“Trudy and I had an arrangement, but she developed feelings for me. The night that you came to me, she was there, but I could not bed her. I stopped her. It felt wrong.”
“Had it ever occurred to you that is was always wrong, My Lord?”
“Indeed. I am not a spineless man without a conscience, Miss Alice. You made me a better man, and that was why I told Trudy that our arrangement is over. That was what I said to her that night. She became upset and stormed out, forgetting her dress in the process,” he said and took her hands. “I did not bed her that night, and that was the reason why I did not bed you either. It was wrong, even though I wanted to. You mean much more to me than that.”
“I do?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer.
“You are very important to me. You are beautiful and kind and witty. You are one of the strongest women I had ever met, yet many times you showed me your vulnerability,” he answered.
“I cannot be strong all the time.”
“And you do not have to be, Miss Alice.”
“You angered me.”
“I am aware.”
“And you hurt me, betrayed me.”
“I did hurt you, but I never betrayed you. I never lied to you, and I will never lie to you.”
“Why are you only telling me this now?” she asked, with tears in her eyes.
“Because I wanted you to listen to my explanation first, and then be sure of your feelings for me,” he answered. “I know that I hurt you with all the things I said, and I solemnly vow to never disrespect you ever again. You are a woman who deserves love and happiness, and I will understand if you do not feel for me what I feel for you.”
“And what is that?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper. She felt overwhelmed by his presence and stared up at him.
“I am madly in love with you,” he answered, and a gasp escaped her throat. “You are the woman of my dreams. You challenge me, make me a better man, but you are also strong enough to be your own person, not merely an accessory on my arm. You are intelligent and unlike any other woman I have ever met.”
“You say that you love me, My Lord. Have you ever been in love?” she asked.
“I have not,” he admitted.
“How do you know it is love that you are feeling, and not something else?”
He took her hand and pressed it against his chest. Alice felt the strong and steady beat of his heart as he glanced down at her. “I feel it there, nowhere else.”
A slow smile formed on her lips and she shook her head.
“You do not believe me?” he asked.
“I believe you, My Lord. It is the reality of the situation that I do not believe.”
“I do not understand.”
“I have no title, no estate, I am not at all wealthy. You are a lord, and I am nothing,” she shrugged.
“That is not true, because in my eyes, you are much more to me than a queen. You are everything,” he whispered.
A tear ran down her cheek and she smiled. “Everything?”
“Everything, and more, Miss Alice.”
She smiled at him, even wider than before and whispered, “I love you as well.”
Lord Harrison tilted her chin upward and pressed his lips against hers in a tender and loving kiss and kissing her this way was even better than he had imagined.
Gone were the days where he would seek out the company of women, as he had found the one woman who was perfect for him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am the mother of two grown children and grandmother of two amazing little boys. I was born in a little town in northeastern Indiana where my family were original pioneers, and have lived there in the Midwest, on the East Coast and now in Colorado, where I’ve lived for the past 30 years.
I have always loved romance fiction and history, so my writing passions are historical novels. I love writing fiction because it is a way to create characters and situations where people overcome their weaknesses and emerge strong and happy.
The “Finding Love Forever” series is my first romance series in the
regency romance genre and grew out of my fascination with the aristocracy of England and their interesting traditions.
Now I get to write those stories! Hope you enjoy!
If you enjoyed reading “To Be His Lady,” please leave a review on the sales page.
Fiction Books by Diana DeHaven
Finding Forever Love Series:
To Love A Duke, Book 1
Apple Springs Brides Series:
Emily’s Hope, Book 1
Cecily
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Table of Contents
To Be His Lady
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
Fiction Books by Diana DeHaven
Other Books by Blue Bear Publishing
To Be His Lady: A Regency Romance (Finding Forever Love) Page 6