“But Lady Elizabeth…” said Sir Gray, the young baronet. “How could you…”
“How could I… enter into any type of relationship with a man to whom I was not married? Let me ask you this, Sir Gray,” she said, holding her head high. “If I were a man, would you judge me as you are now? Would you be questioning my competence, my leadership?”
“I…” The man clearly had nothing to say in answer than that. Of course, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but he could hardly admit to that now, could he?
“No, you would not,” she finished for him. “In fact, you would probably hardly even give it a passing thought. Therefore, I would ask you—” She looked up and passed her gaze around the table. “All of you—to not concern yourself with this matter any longer. I have been honest with you because I feel that is one of the values held of this bank, one that we should all aspire to uphold. I would also ask that you not share anything I have said here with others outside of this room. Yes, I am asking for my own sake, but also for that of the bank. I should not want additional question to come upon it, and I hope you can understand that.”
The partners were now silent. Gabriel smiled. Elizabeth had proven herself once more to be a woman of great worth, outsmarting all of the men who now sat in front of her. As he looked up at her, tall and proud, her head held high despite all that had been put to her, he couldn’t help but be proud of her. And stunned by her. And—by God, he was in love with her. Truly in love with her. She had run quite the game around him—more than he had ever done to anyone else—and yet, he couldn’t help the way he felt. He would love her for the rest of his life, even if they were to never see one another again. No other woman matched her. My Lady of Providence, he thought, amazedly.
And he realized now what his previous proposal had lacked. He had said nothing of how he felt about her. Sure, he had told her that she was intelligent, beautiful, that he wanted her. But what did any of that mean if she didn’t understand that he would love her for the rest of their lives, whether she wanted him to or not? She may not want to hear it anymore—but he would tell her anyway, once this all was finished.
“And you, your grace?” Sir Gray turned his gaze upon him, and, startled by the question, Gabriel found himself now holding the attention of the room, the expressions on the partners’ faces nearly surprised, as though they had forgotten that he was just as much as part of this as was Elizabeth. “What do you have to say about this?”
Gabriel looked back toward Elizabeth. “Lady Elizabeth, our senior partner, has said it all,” he said. “What more is there to say? Clearly, someone,” he looked over to where Clarke had been sitting, “has been attempting to sully Lady Elizabeth’s name. As a partner, not as a named party, I would like to suggest that the information you have all learned within this room remains within this room, to protect our partners as well as the bank itself. We must have a united front, for we are much stronger together.”
He looked at Elizabeth as he said the words, hoping that she understood their meaning for her.
“Are we all agreed?”
The other partners studied him, many with question and certainly hesitancy, but slowly they nodded their heads and agreed.
“Very good,” he said. “If I hear that this story has emerged, I will know where it came from.”
Some of the others looked uncomfortable, but no one spoke out.
“Thank you all,” Elizabeth said, retaking her seat. “Before you depart, I would like to provide you with one last piece of information. The Redmond family has decided to now bank with Clarke & Co. You may have also heard of the run on the bank just two days ago. The malicious rumors that had been spread about this bank caused great panic among our clients, and many came to remove their savings. We provided them the same service that Clarke & Co. has always been known for, and I am happy to say that a very large percentage of them returned just this morning to re-invest with us. It seems that no other bank in London can offer the same service as we do. I hope that many other major clients will soon follow us, as we remain strong as a partnership.”
The partners looked impressed with her words, and Gabriel’s heart swelled with pride.
What a woman.
*
Gabriel whistled a tune as he departed the bank and entered his carriage. He had begun this day with the knowledge he was going to be dismissed as a partner, the worry that the bank itself failing, and the disappointment at the fact that Elizabeth continued to reject him.
Now, just a few hours later, he remained a partner, the bank seemed to be in sound and strong practice after all, and as for Elizabeth… well, she hadn’t come any closer to accepting him as far as he was aware, but he could have sworn there was something there when she looked at him, that she was, perhaps, warming to him once more.
Could he be imagining it? Perhaps. But it was enough, for now, a glimmer of hope.
Never in his life had Gabriel had to work so hard for something—but had anything been so worth it before? The only reason he even had to do so was because of his own actions. Perhaps her refusal of him had also partially set her apart from any other.
Gabriel tried to picture his life in the future. First, life with another woman. A woman who would seamlessly devote her attention to following his orders in running his multitude of households and estates, demurely greeting guests when he hosted parties, bearing and raising his children as was expected of her.
The only problem was, he couldn’t see a face on the woman, and that vision brought him nothing but additional boredom and an ache in his chest.
When he changed the woman’s face to Elizabeth’s, everything changed. The wife in this vision did not follow his orders when it came to the running of his household and estates but rather determined what she felt were the best decisions. She greeted his guests, but not demurely—no, she wasn’t a woman to stand behind him, but beside him, for she needed to be present and visible due to her own business interests. And as for bearing and raising his children—well, this woman still did that. And the thought of the woman as Elizabeth caused warmth unlike anything he had ever felt before to flow through him. When he pictured a family—with Elizabeth—that hole that had been growing ever wider not only shrunk but completely closed, and Gabriel was filled with a serene peace that he nearly didn’t recognize.
It was his love for her. Love that he hadn’t wanted to name, but that had been growing ever stronger until it finally made its way through his thick skull.
The carriage pulled up at his London home—so large, he thought as his eyes followed the expansive wings stretching out east and west, but so empty. He knew what it was he was longing for now, to fill that space with children, and additional caregivers for his family, and—most of all—his wife.
Only one problem remained—the fact that Elizabeth was still not entirely convinced that she wanted him in return. When she looked at him today, in that moment before the meeting commenced, he had thought he could feel her soul reaching his, sharing a moment of connectedness. He knew she still didn’t completely trust him, and worried about what her life would look like were she a duchess. As Gabriel now entered his study and sat behind his desk, his chin upon his fist, he thought of the way Elizabeth’s mind worked. She needed to be convinced on multiple levels—both emotionally and intellectually. She worked best when her heart and mind were as one.
Gabriel called out to his butler, who appeared momentarily.
“Your grace?” The man asked.
“Can you please arrange a meeting with my solicitor, as quickly as possible?”
The butler nodded, confirming the appointment but an hour later.
His plans concluded, now all Gabriel had to do was follow through himself. If he didn’t succeed… then all would be lost.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Elizabeth returned home that evening feeling as though a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Were she being honest, she hadn’t meant to tell the partners the truth
of it all. But in that moment, the denial on the tip of her tongue, she knew that she couldn’t be dishonest while expecting that the rest of them model the integrity of the bank.
“So I told the truth,” she said to her grandmother, providing her the entire story from the beginning. Her grandmother was not shocked, as Elizabeth had expected her to be by her confession.
“Just because I am an old woman now, it does not mean that I forgot what it was like to be in the young blush of love,” she said with a smile, and Elizabeth began to shake her head.
“That’s the thing, Grandmother,” she said. “At the time, I think it was more infatuation than love. I cannot use that as an excuse. We were two young people who were caught up in a moment of passion, not thinking of the consequences.”
“I have seen the two of you together many times now,” Justine said, “And I have a hard time believing that the two of you do not love one another.”
“Therein lies the problem,” Elizabeth said, her voice soft as she looked around the drawing room. “I do love him. So much. Only I was too proud, too stubborn to admit it when I should have, and now it is too late.”
Justine leaned across the table between them and placed a hand on Elizabeth’s. “Darling, it is never too late,” she said, her smile gentle. “You have an entire lifetime ahead of you. A lifetime that could be filled with love, or could be filled with regret for what could have been. Tell him how you feel. What’s the worst he could say?”
Elizabeth nodded, though a few of her reservations remained.
“I am afraid.”
“Of what?”
“My love for him… it could be my undoing,” she said, her voice slightly breaking, but she allowed it, for once. This was her grandmother, a woman who knew and understood her likely better than any other. If Elizabeth could not share her emotions with her, then to whom could she open?
“What of my role in the bank? If the impossible happened and I became his duchess… could I still be the senior partner of Clarke & Co.?”
“What does he have to say about that?”
“That we would make it work.”
“Then you already have your answer,” Justine said, waving a hand in the air in front of her.
“Do you think he would take other women? I find myself doubting that he would, but if he became bored with me and ever did… I simply couldn’t bear it,” Elizabeth said, her voice soft now, and her grandmother shook her head slightly.
“If he loves you the way I think he loves you, then no,” she said, then crossed her arms and placed them on her knees as she leaned forward toward Elizabeth. “A few years ago, he treated you wrongly. You know that, he knows that. What you need to ask yourself now is whether he is still that man today, or whether he has matured into a man who you know will love and respect you no matter what happens.”
“What if you are wrong—what if he does not love me?”
“That, you can only determine for yourself,” Justine said. “You will know, Elizabeth. You are an intelligent woman.”
“Intelligence has nothing to do with matters of the heart.”
“It is intelligence of another sort,” her grandmother said. “Which you have always had, even if you just haven’t wanted to acknowledge it.”
Elizabeth nodded, understanding. She had to talk to Gabriel again. But how would she get through his stubborn, proud, ducal exterior to convince the man underneath of what she truly felt as she asked for his forgiveness?
*
When the butler opened the door to greet him, Gabriel had to force himself to slow a step and maintain his manners instead of bursting through the door to find Elizabeth. The urgency that filled him astonished him, but at the moment, he could think of nothing but finding Elizabeth, and convincing her—no. That had been his mistake. Unlike most aspects of his life, he could not tell Elizabeth to marry him. He had to lay his heart out, and then it would be her decision whether or not to accept him.
He smiled now. Whoever thought that he—the Duke of Clarence—would be leaving his life in the hands of a woman?
“Good day, Hampton,” he said to the butler, taking him aback, and Gabriel understood why. Never before had he taken the time to acknowledge servants, but he recalled Elizabeth explaining once how the smallest gestures could make the largest impact, and the odd time he had tried to put it into practice, it had surprisingly caused quite a reaction. Who would have thought? “Is Lady Elizabeth home?”
“She is, your grace,” the butler responded. “I will announce you.”
Gabriel wanted to tell Hampton not to bother—that he would find her himself. But he forced himself to be patient and allowed the butler to do his job and show him into the drawing room.
When he stepped through the door, his eyes found her without any effort. She wore a pale yellow dress, one that made her look youthful and innocent. Which she was—a light in a world of darkness.
Her face wore an expression of uncertainty—whether due to his presence, or the unspoken words between them, he wasn’t sure, but it was time for it all to come out into the open.
“Gabriel!” He hadn’t even noticed Mrs. Clarke sitting across from her until now, but Elizabeth’s grandmother rose from the sofa and came over to bestow a kiss upon his cheek. “How lovely to see you. You look splendid, as always.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Clarke. You always know how to make a man feel special,” he said with a smile for her.
“I will leave the two of you,” she said graciously, and with a swish of her aquamarine skirts, she was out the door silently, closing it behind her and leaving the two of them alone together, clearly no longer concerned at all about propriety—if she ever had been. Gabriel thought with a wry smile that the time for that between the two of them had long passed.
He took a deep breath.
*
“Gabriel,” Elizabeth began, standing, but before she could say anything, he crossed the distance between them and took her hands within his.
“Before you say anything, Elizabeth, there is something I must first say to you.” He led her over to the settee, sitting down next to her as he kept his hands upon hers. “I told you that I would not propose to you again. I will keep that promise.”
Her eyes widened as she broke their gaze for a moment, looking down to her lap before back up at him as he squeezed her hands to re-capture her attention and continued to speak.
“I am not proposing a third time. But I do need to slightly amend my second proposal. The one from a few days ago. I told you that we were a suitable match for many reasons—the fact that our minds seem to be on the same plane, that you challenge me in a way that no other woman does. Which remains true. However, I forgot one aspect that is more important than anything else.”
He slid back down to the floor, on his knees in front of her, and Elizabeth was astounded that he would allow himself to be so vulnerable with her once more.
“Elizabeth Moreland, I love you.”
She gasped, shocked at his words, but before she could say anything, he continued.
“You are stubborn, you are proud, and you hold all of your emotion deep within you,” he said, and she narrowed her gaze at him. This was why he loved her? These hardly seemed to be her most redeeming qualities. “You have been raised a lady, one who keeps her composure at all times. I love knowing, however, that there is fiery passion within you that you keep hidden beneath the surface. I’ve seen it, Elizabeth, and I love the fact that you have shared that part of yourself with me. You have a passion for doing what is right, for seeing to all of your responsibilities. You take everything upon your own shoulders, and I respect that, I do, but I always want to help ease those burdens, and I beg of you to allow me to do so. You have a fire for chasing your dreams, for going beyond what is expected of a lady of your station, and I admire that so greatly about you. You look after those who are important to you, be they your friends, your relatives, or the clients and employees of the bank.”
He looke
d down for a moment before tilting his head back up toward her. His strong jaw was set in determination, and Elizabeth knew she had to allow him to finish his thoughts before she told him all that was on her mind.
“Five years ago, I was a fool. You know that. I realize now that it wasn’t the time for us. I was too immature, too full of myself, too selfish to love another. Since then, I have come to realize that there is so much more to life than my own interests. For all that this world has to offer, it means nothing without someone to share it with. For me, that person is you, Elizabeth. I need you in my life. Your intelligence, your wit, your heart, your love.”
He reached over to the table, picking up a stack of papers, which she hadn’t even realized he had brought with him, so intent had she been upon simply seeing him.
“This is a marriage contract,” he said, and Elizabeth stared at the papers in shock. He came prepared with such a contract?
“Is this a game?” she asked, her voice a whisper, and he shook his head.
“No more games, Elizabeth, not with you,” he responded intently, his blue eyes blazing. “I cannot promise not to involve myself in situations that may present themselves, where I see that perhaps I could help. But I will always be upfront with you. There will be no secrets, Elizabeth. No lies, no manipulations. This I promise you. You can have anyone you’d like review this contract. It specifically describes the terms of our marriage. You remain in complete possession of your shares, of your finances. I will have no holds or involvement beyond my own interests and my own partnership, and you can have complete access to whatever income you earn. All I want is you—no other woman, no other business. If you would like me to leave the bank, then so be it. As long as I have you with me, then I will be happy, and I will do all I can to ensure that you are as well. And so I ask you, Elizabeth, as part of my amended proposal, will you fill the hole in my soul? Will you be my wife, my partner?”
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