by Laura Beers
“Are you sure?” Hannah asked, following her gaze. “I would be happy to escort you outside.”
Amelia shook her head, causing the ringlets that framed her face to sway back and forth. “That won’t be necessary. I promise I won’t tarry for too long.”
As she moved through the crowd of people, Amelia had an intense desire to be far away from the stuffiness of the ballroom. She stepped outside on the veranda and walked a short distance away to a small fountain.
The moon was high in the sky, casting shadows around the garden, as she sat down on an iron bench. The rhythmic sound of the water cascading down the fountain relaxed her.
A familiar voice came from behind her. “Is this seat taken?”
Amelia grew rigid, scarcely believing what she was hearing. Dare she believe that Edmund was here?
Edmund walked around the bench and came to a stop in front of her. He was dressed in his finery, his hair was brushed forward, and he wore a bemused look on his face. He was quite honestly the most handsome man she had ever seen.
Amelia rose slowly and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Edmund smiled at her, a slow, charming smile that stole her breath. “I heard that Lady Langley was having a ball.”
“But you hate balls.”
“Make no mistake about that,” he replied, “but I came anyway.”
She eyed him curiously. “Why?”
Edmund suddenly looked unsure, which was in stark contrast to his usual confident demeanor. “I… uh… came to give you something.”
“You did?”
Reaching into the pocket of his black jacket, Edmund pulled out four wilted flowers with many of their petals missing. “These are from Sybil.” He extended them towards her.
She accepted them and murmured, “That was kind of her.”
“It was, wasn’t it?”
Laying the flowers on the bench, she asked, “What are you really doing here, Your Grace?”
“It’s Edmund, if you don’t mind.”
Amelia shook her head. “I would rather not call you by your given name, since our circumstances have changed.”
Edmund winced. “About that,” he hesitated, “I fear that I made a mistake by sending you away.”
“You did?”
His face and eyes held vulnerability, and more than a little embarrassment. “I was wrong in saying that I didn’t trust you. You proved to me on multiple occasions that I could trust you, but I allowed my foolish pride to get the better of me. And for that, I am truly, deeply sorry.”
“Thank you for that,” Amelia murmured.
Edmund stepped forward and reached for her hand. “I made a blunder of things, but I was still hoping to ask you a question.”
Amelia withdrew her hand from his. “I’m afraid it is too late.”
“Please don’t say that,” Edmund said with a crestfallen expression.
Tears came to her eyes as she admitted, “You hurt me terribly, and I daresay that my heart may never recover.”
Edmund paused before asking, “Do you know what I thought about the entire time I rode here?”
She shook her head.
“I realized that I have fallen desperately, irrefutably in love with you,” he declared. “You have taken a broken man and have made me whole again.”
Amelia stared up at him in amazement. “You love me?”
“With every breath, I love you more.” He reached for her hand. “And I hope that you return my affection.”
“I do, but—”
Edmund spoke over her. “I have made many mistakes in my life, and sending you away was my greatest one.”
“It was?”
“I should have begged you to stay, to never leave my side,” he replied, “but I was scared.”
“Of what?” she breathed.
“Of losing you.”
Amelia lifted her brow in disbelief. “But you sent me away?”
“I did,” Edmund said. “I thought I was protecting my own heart, but I ended up breaking it.”
Her eyes searched his as she asked, “What if you change your mind again?”
His face became solemn, and his voice grew even more earnest. “That won’t happen,” he asserted. “After speaking to your sisters, I went and secured a license, and I hope to marry you tomorrow. I don’t ever intend to let you go again.”
“When did you speak to my sisters?”
“I arrived this morning while you were on your ride, and after much groveling, your sisters suggested that I offer for you this evening.”
“Why was that?”
“Because I wanted to prove to you how much I love you by attending the one thing that I hate more than anything.” He shuddered. “I abhor balls.”
Amelia laughed. “As do I.”
“Perhaps we could forgo having one to celebrate our wedding,” he suggested. “Although, my mother will be devastated by that news.”
Feeling the joy bubble up inside of her, she worked to keep her face expressionless. “I still haven’t agreed to marry you.”
Edmund smirked. “But you will.”
“Why do you say that?”
Bringing her hand up to his lips, he replied, “Because I need you in my life. Without you, my life will never be complete.”
“Well, if you truly need me that badly…” Her voice trailed off.
“I do,” he said, his lips lingering on her knuckles, “desperately.”
“Then I suppose I would be willing to marry you.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Edmund lowered her hand and pressed his lips against hers. It only took her a moment to realize that he was kissing her, and she was doing nothing about it.
Amelia brought her arms around his waist and pulled him in closer. That was all the encouragement he needed because he deepened the kiss. She kissed him back with her whole heart, removing her doubts and soothing all her fears.
Edmund broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “I love you,” he whispered, “and I will always love you.”
“I love you too, Edmund,” she breathed.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make this easy on us.”
Amelia laughed. “No, you definitely did not.”
“Since we are at a ball, would you care to dance with me?”
Leaning back, she met his gaze. “There is no one I would like to dance with more than you,” she answered.
Edmund smiled, drawing her attention to his lips. “I will take that as a yes, then.”
With a side glance at the open French doors, she was relieved to see that no one was giving them any heed. “Would you mind if we sit out this set?”
“May I ask why?” he inquired with a curious look.
Amelia gave him a coy smile. “I find that I am not finished kissing you yet.”
His smile grew. “Then, by all means,” he replied, “we should keep kissing until you tire of it.”
“That could take quite some time.”
Edmund brought his lips close until they hovered over hers. “That sounds like a perfect way to spend an evening,” he murmured before his lips met hers.
Epilogue
One week later
With his arm draped over Amelia’s shoulder, Edmund rested the back of his head against the coach as they traveled to Harrowden Hall.
Amelia’s voice broke the silence. “Do you have any regrets?”
“About what?” he asked, opening his eyes.
“About marrying me?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“You do?” she asked with surprise in her voice.
Edmund kissed the top of her head before saying, “My only regret is that I didn’t marry you sooner.”
Amelia shifted in her seat to look up at him. “You are being rather nice to me today.”
“Aren’t I always?”
She smiled. “I do recall you calling me a foolish girl on multiple occasions.”
“That is in the past,” he declared.
“I wouldn’t dare call you those names now.”
“I am relieved to hear that, because I would like to revisit some of your rules.”
“Such as?”
“I would like to ride through the woodlands.”
Reaching for her hand, Edmund intertwined their fingers. “You are welcome to ride anywhere on our lands, including the woodlands.”
“Will you ride with me?”
“I would be happy to,” he replied. “Although, I don’t know why you were insistent on bringing your horse with us. I have more than enough horses in my stables already.”
Amelia rested her head in the crook of his neck. “Yes, but I am confident my horse is faster than yours.”
“That is impossible.”
“I suppose we will just have to race to see who wins.”
Edmund glanced out the window as the coach turned down the drive that led to Harrowden Hall. “We are almost home,” he announced.
“That makes me happy to hear.”
“That we are almost home?”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m referring to the part that Harrowden Hall is now my home, and I never have to leave again.”
“Wherever you go, I will go,” he promised.
“What about when I visit my sisters in Town?” Amelia asked, amusement in her tone.
Edmund grimaced. “I will go with you, no matter how much I despise London.”
“Perhaps I can just travel with you to Town when you go to vote at the House of Lords,” she suggested.
“Look at that, my love,” he joked. “We are beginning to compromise already.”
Amelia shifted in his arms to meet his gaze. “I hope you know that I will do anything in my power to ensure that you are happy.”
With love in his heart, he pressed his lips against hers in a long, lingering kiss. He broke the kiss and leaned back. “I feel the same way,” he admitted.
“If that is the case, then why did you stop kissing me?” she asked flirtatiously.
Edmund chuckled. “Because we are home,” he informed her as he removed his arm from her shoulder.
The coach came to a stop, and Edmund stuck his hand out the window to open the door, not bothering to wait for a footman. He stepped out and offered his arm to his wife.
When Amelia stepped on the ground, he took her hand and placed it into the crook of his arm. “I want to show you something before we go inside.”
She eyed him curiously. “What is it?”
“You will just have to trust me.”
“Always,” she murmured.
As Edmund led her towards the secret garden, he asked, “Are you disappointed that you won’t be a matchmaker anymore?”
“Not really,” Amelia replied. “It was fun while it lasted, but I have no doubt that I will find much more enjoyment in being a wife and a stepmother to Sybil.”
“I am happy to hear you say that.”
“Besides, one never knows when the opportunity to play matchmaker will come up again.”
“I suppose not, especially since you are very good at your job.”
“Why do you say that?”
Edmund grinned. “You were tasked with finding the perfect match for me, and you did so splendidly.”
“I was never supposed to fall in love with you,” she remarked.
“But I am so glad that you did.”
“As am I.”
Stopping in front of the secret garden, Edmund opened the gate and stood to the side to allow Amelia to enter first. After he followed her in, he reached for her hand and led her towards the rowan tree in the center.
“Before I left for London, I carved our initials in the tree,” he confessed.
“You did?” she asked, meeting his gaze. “Wasn’t that a little presumptuous of you?”
“I had a feeling I could sway you to marry me.” Edmund pointed towards a branch. “I carved it just above my parent’s initials.”
Amelia ran her hand over the carving. “You placed a heart around them.”
“Do you like it?”
She shook her head. “No, I love it.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close to him. “I am relieved to hear you say that.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I want our children, and their children, to know how desperately we loved one another.”
“I want that, too,” Amelia replied as she went up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
Their private interlude was interrupted by the sound of a child giggling.
Edmund broke the kiss and turned his head to see Sybil and his mother watching them with smiles on their faces.
“Whatever are you doing here?” Edmund asked.
His mother laughed. “We were taking a walk in the garden when we stumbled upon you two kissing.”
“It is perfectly acceptable for me to kiss my wife,” Edmund said as he dropped his arms.
“That it is,” his mother agreed.
Sybil walked closer to them and asked, “Can I go to the ball?”
Edmund gave his mother a puzzled look. “What ball?”
“To celebrate your wedding, of course,” his mother announced with a wave of her hands. “It is not every day that the Duke of Harrowden gets married.”
Turning his head towards Amelia, he asked, “Is that amenable to you?”
“I suppose so, assuming it is held at Harrowden Hall,” Amelia replied.
His mother clasped her hands together. “I am glad to hear it, because I have already sent out the invitations.”
Amelia laughed lightly. “I should have assumed as much.”
Sybil approached Amelia and placed a hand next to her mouth to share a secret. “All of my wishes came true,” she shared.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Amelia paused as she gave Edmund a meaningful look, “because my wishes came true, as well.”
Feeling the weight of his love welling up inside of him, Edmund reached down and scooped up Sybil in his arms. “I think it would be best if we all head home together.”
“I think that is a grand idea, husband.”
Edmund shifted Sybil in his arms before reaching for Amelia’s hand. He smiled over at her and said, “I love you.”
Amelia tightened her hold on his hand. “I love you above all else,” she murmured, “more than anything in the world.”
Tears pricked his eyes as he met his wife’s gaze. “Just wait,” he said, “our love story has only just begun.”
The End
Coming Soon
Loving Lord Egleton
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Martin Pemberton, the Earl of Egleton, has no desire to marry until his father gives him an ultimatum. He has one month to find a bride of his own choosing, or his father will arrange one for him. Not wanting to marry the woman his father has selected for him, Martin turns to the finest matchmakers in Town for help.
While Hannah works to move on from Martin, he begins to miss the easy friendship that once existed between them and is determined to earn it back. As they both enter the marriage mart, Martin watches as Hannah transforms right before his very eyes, and he begins to develop real, pesky feelings for her. He soon comes to realize that he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he's discovered he cannot live without. But will his realization come too late?
About the Author
Laura Beers is an award-winning author. She attended Brigham Young University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management. She can't sing, doesn't dance and loves naps.
Besides being a full-time homemaker to her three kids, she loves waterskiing, hiking, and drinking Dr.
Pepper. She was born and raised in Southern California, but she now resides in South Carolina.