by Aston, Alexa
“It’s just that . . . well . . . although I am a widow, it doesn’t seem proper for me to reside under your roof. You are an eligible bachelor. Society would frown on these arrangements. I don’t want any of my students’ parents to think unseemly of me. I have a reputation to maintain. It must remain spotless if I am to continue to attract pupils to Dunwood Academy.” She paused. “It would also be difficult for you to convince a woman you wish to be your wife that nothing untoward has occurred between us with me residing at Gillingham.”
“You don’t think the fact that we are living in entirely different wings of an enormous house makes a difference? This isn’t London, you know.” He suppressed a smile. “Not to mention the fact that the only woman I’m trying to persuade to marry me is you.”
Ashlyn’s cheeks heated. “I’ve talked to you about that, Your Grace.”
“Quit Your Gracing me,” he said, his annoyance clear.
“Your Grace,” she said with deliberateness, “I have told you we have no future. Beyond Dunwood Academy temporarily existing within the walls of your country house. Once I’m able to locate a new property to rent, I will see my school relocated.”
“Ashlyn,” he said slowly and edged toward her. “There’s no need to move your school. There’s plenty of room for it here. Always.”
He laced his fingers through hers and her heart skipped a beat.
“Just as there’s room here for you, as well. In my heart. In my life. I was a fool to try and run roughshod over you. You are an intelligent, capable woman who established an entire school from nothing. Dunwood Academy is as a child to you. You gave it life. You nurture it. You guide it as it grows. I would expect nothing less than for you to continue to be involved in its day-to-day running.”
Reid lifted their joined hands and kissed her fingers. “Nothing would change regarding this—even if you were my wife.”
Her eyes filled with tears as hope sprang within her. Hope that they might truly be together. “Do you mean that?”
He smiled gently at her. “I do. My life is nothing without you in it. I need my own headmistress to keep me in line, probably more so than some of your wayward boys.” He hesitated and then said, “I love you, Ashlyn. I didn’t realize it until I chased you away. I hurt you. Deeply. I understand that now.” He kissed her fingers again. “I plan to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. If you’ll let me.”
She saw Reid’s eyes full of hope, his soul laid bare to her. “You truly would let me stay fully involved in my school?”
“I would insist upon it.”
“Even to the detriment of managing your household.”
He shrugged. “That’s what servants are for. Mrs. Paul and Mr. Bellows already do an excellent job of keeping this place running. I want you to do whatever’s important to you. If that’s running Dunwood Academy, so be it. If you eat with your students, then so will I. If you ride with them, I’ll accompany you. If you want me to muck stalls as they do, I’m happy to do so. I’ll do anything to be with you, love. Anything.”
“The Duke of Gilford would muck stalls?” she asked, her smile growing.
“If his duchess demanded he do so.”
She smiled at him shyly. “I wouldn’t have to eat every meal with the boys. I could compromise and choose only breakfast. That is helpful because it starts their day off right.”
“Then we’ll both eat breakfast with them. I want my day to begin on the right foot, too.”
“Are you sure, Reid?” she asked earnestly. “I wouldn’t be a conventional duchess. I might never wish to do the London Season.”
“I would be grateful if you didn’t.” His teeth grazed her knuckles, causing a shiver to run along her spine. “The Season is vastly overrated.”
“Do you want children?” she asked.
“Of course. Our boys will attend Dunwood Academy, naturally, a school with one of the finest reputations in England. And our girls?” His face lit with mischief. “Why, we might need to start a school for females, as well, in the east wing.” Reid sighed. “I just want to be with you, Ashlyn, and with any children we’re blessed to have. It’s all I ask.”
“You never asked me if I love you,” she said softly.
“You do,” he said, a bit of swagger in his voice. “I’m positive of it. We’re a love match, Ashlyn. It merely took me longer to discover that.”
“I do love you, you arrogant man.” She laughed. “More than I should.”
He cradled her face in his large hands. “We’ll love each other more than others think wise. It won’t make a bit of difference to us because we’ll love one another more with every tomorrow. Our love will grow until it bursts from Gillingham.”
Ashlyn smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful thing. I love you, Reid. So very, very much.”
“I love you, my darling.”
He kissed her. The kiss was achingly tender. Beautiful. Sweet. One she would remember the rest of her lifetime because it spoke of the promises between them.
He broke it and moved from the bench they sat on to one knee.
Grinning, Reid said, “I want this to be official. I don’t want you telling our children that their papa never asked their mama to wed him. That he was an arrogant duke who told her they would marry and never gave her a chance to refuse him.” A worried look crossed his face. “Unless you are going to refuse me again.”
Ashlyn smiled. “Why don’t you ask me and find out, Your Grace?”
“Ah, you’re a sneaky one, Lady Dunwood. Very well.” He cleared his throat and took her hands in his. “Ashlyn, I—”
“Yes,” she interrupted, laughing. “Yes.”
“No,” he said sternly. “You can’t answer a question that hasn’t been asked. Now, behave before I pinch your bottom.”
“You promise?”
“Oh, for the love of God, you’re killing me, Woman.”
Reid cleared his throat again, arching his eyebrows in a very ducal manner. She sat demurely and watched him.
“I shall begin again. Ashlyn, my love, you are beyond what I dreamed of wanting in a woman. You’re sophisticated. Charming. Brilliant. Compassionate.” He lowered his voice. “Passionate.”
She smiled.
“You are more than a perfect partner for me. And that’s what we’ll be, my love. Partners. Equals in all that we do. You will give me wise counsel and I shall take it because you’ll always know what’s best for the both of us. I will be the best husband and father I can be and I promise that I will always satisfy you in bed.”
She blushed.
“Ashlyn, Lady Dunwood, would you do me the greatest honor of accepting my marriage proposal and being my wife?”
She squeezed his fingers. “I can think of nothing more that I would rather do than spend the rest of my days—and nights—with you.”
He rose and brought her to her feet. “We’re going to be incredibly happy, love. Happier than Gray and Charlotte. Happier than Burke and Gemma.”
“I don’t know. They all seem very much in love. The four of them are always flirting and touching. Kissing in public.”
Reid’s smile was like the sun in its brilliance. “Then I suppose we better start practicing all of those things so we’ll be better than them at all of it.”
His arms went around her. His eyes shone with love.
“Are you always this competitive?” she teased.
“I strive to be the best at everything I do. That will now include making you sigh my name. Making you come several times a night. Giving you—”
Ashlyn placed two fingers over his lips to silence him. “Quit telling me what you’re going to do and just start doing it, Your Grace.”
“With pleasure.”
Reid sat and placed her in his lap and kissed her until teatime.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A very naked Ashlyn sprawled across Reid’s chest, her cheek nestled against his beating heart. He slid his hand down her bare back, beyond her waist, until he squeezed
the sweet curve of her rounded buttock.
“I still don’t understand why you have to go to the cottage,” he complained.
She raised her head, giving him her best headmistress look. “Because of this,” she said and lowered her head again. “If I reside inside Gillingham, I will be tempted to come to your bed on a regular basis.”
“So it’s my large bed that tempts you and not me?” he teased.
Her low, throaty chuckle rumbled against his chest.
“I cannot be seen skulking about from your bedchamber to mine. It would be even worse if you were seen leaving mine. What would my boys think?”
“That I’m a very lucky man?”
Ashlyn punched him in the shoulder.
“Well, I am. Because you said yes to me. Every day is a blessed one now.”
“I’m still going to the cottage,” she told him.
Reid cursed under his breath.
“It will only be for two months. Actually, a week less than that. That’s when the summer holidays begin.”
They’d decided sometime during their long night of lovemaking that they would wed as soon as the current school session ended.
“We know when,” he said. “But what kind of wedding do you want? I know you have been married before and want this ceremony to be different from the last.”
“That wedding was rushed.” She propped her chin on his chest. “My stepmother demanded it happen quickly.” Ashlyn placed her cheek against him again.
She’d never told him exactly what had brought about such a quick marriage and Reid decided he would never ask. It surprised him when she began speaking of it.
“I was close to my father,” she said. “Mama died when I was very young. I spent every waking hour with Papa. When he remarried many years later, my stepmother was jealous of our close relationship.”
He remained silent, merely stroking her back in comfort.
“I danced with Daniel at the assembly rooms that night. We went out for some air since the rooms were heated and the dance had been lively.” Ashlyn paused. “He asked me for a kiss. He’d never had one before and knew he would soon go off to war. Our kiss was brief. Chaste. But my stepmother had followed us outside. She caused an uproar, demanding that I’d been compromised and we must wed immediately. Papa knew I didn’t want to marry a stranger but he listened to her in order to keep the peace in his household. You know the rest.”
Reid’s fingers found her hair and combed through the long, golden tresses.
“The wedding was in our drawing room. Only a handful attended. Daniel didn’t have the money for the special license my stepmother demanded so Papa rode to London and paid for it himself.”
She raised her head again and propped her hands under her chin.
“You were the one who wrote to me of Daniel’s death.”
“What?”
“He was under your command. Daniel Clarke. I kept the letter telling me he died not on the battlefield in glory but wasting away from dysentery.”
Reid vaguely remembered a young, timid officer of that name and certainly didn’t remember writing to Ashlyn in regard to her husband’s death.
“Unfortunately, I had to write far too many of those letters over the years in my decade of service to the crown,” he told her. “I do recall your husband but I didn’t know him very well. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not,” she said boldly. “Marrying Daniel and then being left on my own taught me about myself. Especially after his death. I didn’t know how strong I was and what I could accomplish. Besides, my path finally brought me to you.” She sighed. “I don’t have the letter now. It was lost in the blaze, along with most everything I owned. I only had a handful of dresses with me when I went to visit Gemma.”
He hadn’t realized that. “Then you’ll need a full wardrobe, especially now that you’re to be a duchess.”
“Oh, the Gillbrook seamstress can make me a few things.”
“A few,” he said grudgingly. “I’ll send to London, though. You’ll need many things, include wedding finery.”
“Even though I don’t want to do a Season?”
“Even then,” he told her. “You might have a hand in the planning but you will always be my hostess when we entertain. You’ll need the appropriate clothes to do so.”
“I suppose.”
“Back to our wedding. Would it be acceptable to have the banns read soon and then marry here at Gillingham’s chapel?” he asked.
“I like the thought of marrying in our chapel. When will you have the banns read?”
“We have ninety days after the third reading to wed. If you wish, we can start this Sunday,” he suggested. “No. Wait. I have a better idea. How about we announce our news at a ball?”
She frowned. “It’s a lovely idea but I’m not sure anyone would come. The Season is just underway in London and most of your neighbors have gone to town.”
“We’re not that far from London,” he pointed out. “We could hold a country ball in ten days.” He chuckled. “That would give my staff almost double the time I gave them to prepare for the last ball. Whoever comes, comes. And all of Gillingham’s tenants will be invited as before. Your boys, too.”
Her eyes lit with excitement. “Oh, that would be lovely, Reid. They enjoyed the last ball so much. I did, too.”
“That settles it. We’ll announce our engagement that Saturday and start the banns at the following morning’s service.”
She planted a sweet kiss on his chest. “With that, I must return to my room.” Ashlyn pushed herself from the bed and began slipping her night rail over her head.
Reid followed, putting on his dressing gown as she did the same.
“I’ll walk you back to your room.”
“You will not,” she said sternly, the headmistress coming out in her tone. “You will instead give me a thorough kiss here, behind closed doors, and then I’ll be gone.”
He did as told, always eager to follow any direction she gave him, especially if kissing was involved. Reid poured every bit of himself into the kiss, all his longing and love, wanting Ashlyn to feel how much he treasured her.
She broke the kiss. “I’m glad we shared this night. It will have to last us for the next two months.”
“No sneaking into your cottage?” he asked hopefully.
Ashlyn’s brows arched in answer.
“Kissing only,” she said and slipped from the room.
*
Ashlyn joined Reid at breakfast a short time later, sitting to his right. They were alone in the small breakfast room since the dowager duchess preferred keeping to her room for the meal.
“Bellows told me that your cottage has been prepared. Mrs. Paul oversaw the airing and cleaning. Your things are being moved there now.”
What Reid didn’t mention to Ashlyn was that he had arranged for an armed footman to watch over the cottage each night. He didn’t want her to worry needlessly. She would still be guaranteed privacy and he would have peace of mind, knowing his own man guarded Ashlyn.
Once they’d eaten, he walked her the half-mile to her temporary quarters since it was such a beautiful spring day. They entered and he saw how small it was.
“Are you certain you wish to live here?”
“Yes. First of all, most of my waking hours will be spent at Gillingham, either in my study or with my students. I’ll also eat meals there. The cottage is for sleeping.” She eyed him. “Sleeping. Period. Besides, I’ve never been on my own like this. I’m actually looking forward to the peace.”
“Bellows said that getting hot water to you might be a problem. Maids will bring fresh water each morning and evening and clean every day while you’re gone but you might want to retain your former bedchamber to use for bathing.”
“That’s a good idea. I could also use it when dressing for our engagement ball.”
He saw the idea of the ball had been a good one as she looked around the cottage. He noticed Mrs. Paul had taken the time to have fre
sh flowers brought in and a few other homey touches. Whether Ashlyn knew it or not, he’d decided he would pay her a few midnight visits over the weeks ahead. Having already sampled her sweetness, kisses alone wouldn’t hold him until their wedding. Reid looked forward to slipping into her bed and surprising her, knowing his servant on duty outside the cottage would turn a blind eye to Reid’s comings and goings.
“We should return,” she said. “The boys will be arriving soon.”
He escorted her back, saying, “I will be waiting to walk you to Gillingham every morning and back at night.”
“That isn’t necessary, Reid.”
He grinned. “It might not be necessary to you, Lady Dunwood, but spending time alone with you twice a day as we stroll to and from your cottage is more than an obligation to me. They will be my favorite times of each day.”
Her eyes sparked with mischief. “You think so?”
“I know so. Especially because I will need to see you inside safely.”
“And kiss me, I suppose.”
He tried to look innocent. “The idea hadn’t occurred to me. I’m glad it did you. You seem to possess some very wicked thoughts when it comes to me and my body, Lady Dunwood.”
“You’re impossible, Your Grace.”
“And I plan to stay that way—in order to have your steady hand ride roughshod over me.”
She gave him a haughty look. “I can be a tyrant, you know.”
Reid smiled. “Oh, but you are my Lady Tyrant. No one else’s. That makes all the difference.”
They arrived back at the house and Ashlyn went to check on the buffet Mrs. Cook and Mrs. George had laid out. She’d told him that she expected a good majority of the parents to accompany their boys back to school, even though the Season had already begun.
“They won’t want to miss seeing Gillingham and the possibility of meeting you,” she’d explained to Reid.
Her words proved true. He waited with her and greeted every carriage that pulled up the lane. Arthur, Harry, and Edward took it upon themselves to lead impromptu tours of the south wing, showing each boy where his new bedchamber was and which rooms had been designated for classrooms. The Dunwood tutors were also on hand, answering questions about each boy. Parents were then funneled into the room where the buffet was laid out.