by Marie Force
“My first time as an official hostess, and I’m a failure,” she said, horrified as her eyes filled with tears.
“You are not a failure.” He kissed away her tears. “Our home is filled with family and friends who love you and understood that you have exhausted yourself taking care of me and preparing for our gathering.”
“I’m so tired all the time lately. I can’t seem to catch up.”
“You’re also very leaky,” he said teasingly, as he wiped more tears from her face. “Is it possible you might be with child, my love?”
Catherine opened her mouth to reply and just as quickly closed it as she tried to recall the last time her courses had arrived. It had been before she’d met him. “It’s highly likely.”
“Nothing would please me more. Tell me you feel the same way.”
“I do. Of course, I do. I just thought we’d have more time alone together before we started a family.”
“We have been very reckless about preventing conception.”
She returned his warm smile. “Yes, we have.”
He held out his arms to her. “Come here.”
She sat up and made herself at home in his embrace.
“I’m very much looking forward to our second wedding night and resuming our reckless ways.”
Catherine laughed at his lascivious tone. Much to her husband’s dismay, she had insisted on waiting until he was fully back to good health before resuming their physical relationship. “Soon enough.”
He cupped her breast and ran his thumb over the nipple that sprang to life under his finger. “Not soon enough.”
Her breast was so exquisitely sensitive that she trembled under his touch.
“Are you certain we have to wait until tomorrow?” he asked.
“Mmm, I am quite certain.”
His deep sigh told her what he thought of waiting. He helped her up and waited for her while she changed into a dress for dinner, acting as her lady’s maid as he handled the buttons on her back, finishing with a kiss to her neck.
She did what she could with her hair, not wanting to bother Julia when she was having her dinner with the rest of the staff. “Do I look presentable?” she asked Derek.
“You are exquisite, as always.” He put his arms around her and held her close to him. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”
“I am very excited. Are you?”
Dragging his fingertip over her cheek, he said, “I expect tomorrow to be the best day of my life because my dearest love will marry me, the man I really am, and not the man I pretended to be to win her heart. I can’t imagine anything will ever make me happier than that.”
She went up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. “I want you to be as happy as you make me.”
“The greatest gift you have ever given me is your love. Your forgiveness is a close second.”
“I was wrong to withhold my forgiveness from you for so long.”
“I deserved most of what I got. I was wrong to keep the truth from you. We must promise that truth and forgiveness will be the foundation of our marriage going forward.”
“I am more than willing to make that promise.”
“As am I, my love.” He kissed her and leaned his forehead on hers. “I wish we could spend this evening entirely alone.”
“We will have a lifetime of evenings to spend entirely alone.”
“I look forward to every one of them. But tonight, we must see to our guests.” He extended his arm to her and tucked her hand into his elbow. They walked downstairs to greet their guests, who were gathered in the drawing room enjoying before-dinner drinks.
Catherine’s sister Hillary let out a happy shout and ran into her sister’s outstretched arms. “I’ve missed you so much!” At sixteen, Hillary had Madeleine’s fragile beauty and Catherine’s studious nature.
“I’ve missed you, too.” Catherine hugged her tightly. “You must tell me everything that’s happened since we last saw each other.”
“Your story will be far more interesting than mine! You’re married to a duke!”
Catherine glanced at her husband, who watched them with amusement dancing in his gorgeous eyes. “Yes, I am. Derek, this is my baby sister, Hillary. Hillary, may I introduce you to my husband, Derek Eagan, the Duke of Westwood.”
Hillary curtsied. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.”
“Likewise. Please call me Derek, as we are family now.”
“And this is my mother, Lady Mary, my brothers, Lord Stuart and Lord Daniel.”
While Madeleine, Simon, Justin and Aubrey looked on, Derek shook hands with each of Catherine’s family members and had them under his charming spell in no time at all.
Her father hung back, seeming unsure of his welcome until Catherine said, “Hello, Papa.”
He took hold of her hands and kissed her cheek. “Hello, my dearest. You are looking very well indeed.”
Derek extended his hand to him. “It is nice to see you under better circumstances, sir.”
“Likewise, Your Grace. I thank you both for including me.”
“We included you because you are Catherine’s father, and thus you are family to us. You are the only grandfather our children will ever know. I hope that you will be up to the task.”
“I will, Your Grace. You have my word on that.”
“Please call me Derek.”
“I would be honored, and you should call me William.”
Catherine beamed as she watched her father and husband make peace.
She tucked her hand into Derek’s arm. “I suppose this is the right time to inform you all that you’re here for our official wedding, which will take place tomorrow,” Catherine said.
They accepted the joyful congratulations before heading into dinner. Having everyone she loved in the same room filled Catherine with elation that continued throughout an evening full of laughs and memories and stories shared by her family that had Derek laughing and smiling at her.
“Don’t believe everything they say,” Catherine said to her husband.
“Did you not chase the rooster through the village after it stole your cookie?” Stuart asked.
“I did do that,” Catherine said, flushing with embarrassment as the others laughed.
“And did you not nearly burn the house down the first time you tried to bake bread on your own?” Daniel asked.
“I did that, too,” she said, smiling sheepishly.
“As you can see, Derek,” Hillary said, “your wife is quite the handful.”
“I already knew that,” Derek said, taking her hand, “and I wouldn’t have her any other way.”
Rutledge appeared at the door to the dining room. “Your Grace, if I may interrupt for a moment, Mr. Bancroft has a gift for Her Grace.”
“Does he?” Derek said, casting a perplexed glance at Catherine, who was equally confounded. “Send him in.”
Jack Bancroft appeared in the doorway a moment later, seeming bashful to be interrupting a family dinner. “My apologies for the disruption, Your Grace.”
“Don’t think a thing of it, Jack,” Derek said. “Come in. Rutledge said you have a gift for Her Grace?”
“I do.” Jack beamed with pleasure as he extended his hand and revealed the brass key that sat square in the middle of his palm.
Catherine let out a cry of happiness as she jumped up to go around the table for a closer look at the key. “Is that what I think it is, Mr. Bancroft?”
“It is, Your Grace. My men and I have continued the dig in your absence during His Grace’s illness and recovery. We are pleased to have been able to help you find your missing item.”
Catherine took the key he handed to her and promptly launched herself at the stunned man to hug him. “Thank you so very, very much, Mr. Bancroft. And please pass along my thanks to the other men as well.”
“I will, Your Grace,” he said, his face bright red after her effusive treatment. “I bid you all good evening.”
Catherine hugged the key
to her chest as she turned to Derek. “Thank you, too, for asking the men to help me. It would’ve taken the rest of my life to find it without their assistance.”
“What is it, Catherine?” her mother asked.
“Before she died, Grandmother Anne told me if I ever found myself in a difficult situation, I should come to Essex to the home of the Duke of Westwood where she had buried a key when she worked on the estate as a young woman. She gave me very specific directions to find the large oak on the southeastern corner of the duke’s property and said the key was buried twenty paces from the large oak that stood in the center of an open glade. The only remaining question was twenty paces in which direction. On the day we met, His Grace found me digging in the glade, looking for the key.”
“What does it open?” Stuart asked.
“I believe it is the missing key to the Hepplewhite chest my grandfather kept in his bedchamber,” Derek said.
“Our grandmother knew your grandfather?” Madeleine asked.
Catherine glanced at Derek. “We’re quite certain they had tender feelings for each other.”
“No,” Catherine’s mother said, scandalized. “She worked as a maid here!”
“Yes,” Catherine said, “before she was married and before the duke married. We believe they might have been in love. She intimated that she was forced to depart quickly, leaving behind something valuable the duke had given her, something that could be of great use to me should I ever find myself without resources.”
“When can we find out what it is?” Daniel asked eagerly.
“Catherine and I will investigate further and let you know,” Derek said.
“I can’t wait to hear,” Hillary said. “It’s so romantic!” Hours later, after a spirited game of charades, Derek escorted Catherine upstairs to bed. “What a delightful evening,” he said. “It’s nice to hear laughter in this house that has been far too quiet.”
“It’ll never be quiet when the McCabes are in residence.”
“I hope the McCabes will frequently be in residence.” He opened the door to their bedchamber and ushered her in ahead of him. “Have you brought your key?”
“It’s right here,” she said of the key she withdrew from her bodice.
“I have never been so envious of a key.”
Catherine laughed. “Can we look now? I’ve been burning with curiosity all evening.”
“We can look.” He led her into his large closet where the small chest held a place of honor on a shelf. Derek reached up to bring it down and set it on the table where his valet tended to his clothing. “Would you like to do the honors?”
“Yes, please.” Catherine looked up at him. “Did you always know what the key I was looking for would open?”
“I suspected it would turn out to be the missing key to the chest that was passed from my grandfather to my father and then to me. I’m surprised my uncle didn’t try to get his hands on it, but then again, he was far more interested in power than sentiment.”
“Thank goodness. I’d be heartbroken if we found the key but couldn’t find the things she left behind.”
“I’ve debated over the years as to whether it would be worth destroying a priceless piece to get at what’s inside. I’m glad now that I didn’t.”
“As am I.” She looked up at him. “I’m strangely nervous.”
“I’m excited to finally find out what’s in there.”
When she inserted the key and turned it, the lid popped open. Inside the chest, which was lined with rich burgundy velvet, they found a stack of letters, a pile of pound notes bound together and a velvet pouch, all of which they took with them into the bedchamber.
“Let’s get comfortable before we dive in,” Derek said, helping her to unbutton her dress before shedding his own clothing.
Naked, they got into bed, bringing their bounty with them.
Inside the velvet pouch, Catherine found several large diamonds, as well as emeralds and rubies. “It’s a king’s ransom,” she whispered.
“Indeed.” Derek untied the string that held the letters together, removed the first from the pile and read it aloud as he held Catherine close to him.
“My darling Anne, I find myself in a most unexpected situation, desperately in love with a woman I cannot have. I’m unused to being told I can’t have something that I want, and I want you, my dearest. I want you more than I want my next breath. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. In the blissful days and nights since you came into my life, I have thought more about the concept of ‘destiny’ than ever before. What meaning will my life have if I can’t have you by my side? Never have I felt so confined by the title that has been at the center of my life until you appeared and became my life. I promise we will find a way, but you must be patient until I am able to contend with the formidable obstacles that stand between us. Until then, you have all my love and devotion. Michael.”
“I’m heartbroken for them,” Catherine said, dabbing at tears.
“As am I. This one is from her to him. Do you want to read it?”
Catherine took it from him. “My darling Michael, I still can’t believe I am to call you Michael and not Your Grace. But you are my darling, wonderful Michael. I find myself thinking of you almost every minute of every day as I try to make sense of the emotions that have me in your thrall. I had no idea that being in love would feel this way—all consuming, overwhelming and most of all, exciting. Our evenings together have changed my life, and even though society dictates there be no future for us, I remain hopeful that we will somehow find a way. When you touch and kiss me, I can’t believe there are any obstacles, worries or concerns. There is only you, and you are all I need. With all my love, Anne.” Catherine wiped away a tear. “I’m so sad for them.”
“I know. I am, too. They were caught up in an impossible dilemma.”
Catherine handed him another letter from Michael to Anne. “Dearest,” Derek read, “I’ve been recalled to London to attend to urgent business. I’ll be gone at least a fortnight, if not longer. I will miss you dearly every minute of every day and especially every night. Wait for me? Yours, Michael.”
Catherine read the next letter from Anne to Michael. “My love, it has been a month since I last saw your dear face or kissed your sweet lips. I yearn for you. If I had the means, I would come to London to have even one minute with you. I hope you are soon able to conclude your business and come home to me. All my love, Anne.”
Derek picked up the last letter, from Michael. “My sweet, beautiful girl, you have changed my life in ways you will never fully understand. But alas, my life of duty and obligation was predestined long before I was born. As I am required by family canon to make a suitable marriage by my thirtieth birthday to retain my title, I am forced to take a wife. I only wish that wife could be you, the heart of my hearts. I’m sorry to have to end us this way, but it is for the best. Inside the Hepplewhite chest in my bedroom you will find a gift that will provide you with everything you will ever need in this life. I am only sorry it couldn’t be more, that it couldn’t be me. The key to the chest is buried in our secret place in the glade, there for you to find when you are ready. With every beat of my heart, I will miss you and love you. Yours, Michael.”
Heartbroken, Catherine said, “So he went to London knowing he wouldn’t be back.”
“It seems so.”
“I can’t bear it. She must’ve been devastated.”
“She also must’ve had to leave quickly if she went without the gift he left for her and locked their letters inside.”
“Or maybe she didn’t want his gifts after he broke her heart.”
“Maybe so. I think his heart was broken, too.”
“I’m sure it was.”
Derek gathered up the priceless letters, put them carefully on the bedside table and then turned to face his wife. “I’d like to think they brought us together to finish what they couldn’t.”
She rested her hand over his heart. “That�
�s a lovely thought.”
“Did your grandparents have a happy marriage?” he asked.
“I always thought so, but now that I know she yearned for another man, I’m not really sure. What about yours?”
“My grandmother loved my grandfather very deeply. He died when I was four, so I don’t remember him well enough to know if he returned the sentiment. I can only hope he loved her a fraction as much as she loved him.”
“Life can be so very complicated,” Catherine said, sighing.
“And other times it’s so very, very simple.” He cupped her face and kissed her. “With every beat of my heart, I will be thankful for the key that brought you to me.”
“And with every beat of my heart, I will be thankful to the vile viscount who gave me reason to run to you.”
Epilogue
The following morning, Derek stood at the altar of the tiny village church that had witnessed generations of Eagan family milestones and watched his beloved Catherine come toward him, once again wearing his grandmother’s wedding dress. She walked alone, an independent woman who needed no one to give her away in marriage. Madeleine served as her only attendant.
Simon, the brother of his heart, stood by Derek’s side, supporting him the same way he had all their lives.
The church was full to overflowing with their household staff as well as the villagers and tenants, who were overjoyed to have been invited to the wedding of their duke and his duchess. After the ceremony, they would host a breakfast on the lawn of Westwood Hall that had been opened to all, at Catherine’s insistence.
His duchess had a deft touch with people that would serve him well in the years to come. After searching far and wide for the perfect wife, he had found her right in his own backyard. For the rest of his days, he would marvel at the many strokes of fate that had brought them together—and the abiding love that had kept them together when their fragile bond had been sorely tested.
Carrying a bouquet of fragrant white flowers that she had insisted on picking herself from their garden, Catherine’s wide-eyed gaze never wavered from his as she closed the distance between them to join him by his side where he planned to keep her forever.
