Adeline

by Christina McKnight

  He’d retreated into himself after the fire. Yet, Adeline’s own father had died the previous year, and she’d stepped forward to take her younger siblings all the way to Canterbury. She hadn’t hidden in her room and wallowed in her grief.

  Adeline had met Jasper head-on and refused to balk or back down from him. And neither had she turned away from him due to his scars and the villagers’ ramblings proclaiming the beast.

  It had only been she who’d taken the time to recognize that his beastly appearance had not rotted his insides.

  “Besides,” Adeline began again, her voice strong once more. “I will be twenty-one in less than a fortnight. I will not need your approval or blessing to live my life any way I see fit. I will wed any damned man I choose, or I will never marry at all. But it will be my choice, my decision, and my cross to bear if I muck everything up.”

  Lady Georgina let loose a loud snort of laughter while Lady Melton fell into a light, feminine giggle. Lady Josie appeared ready to faint on the spot as her eyes settled on Jasper as he walked slowly down the hall. He was uncertain when his legs began to move, but move they did—toward Adeline.

  Jasper hadn’t the nerve to meet Lord Melton’s stare, yet he could visualize the viscount’s narrowed glare.

  He only kept his attention on Adeline’s back. Ten more paces and he’d be to her.

  Someone must have alerted her to his presence because her chin lowered and she pivoted to face him.

  Her cheeks were streaked with tears as they continued to roll down her face and off her chin, turning her light blue gown to a darker hue from the moisture.

  “…not that I am to wed Lord Ailesbury, or that we’ve even spoken of mutual affection,” she stammered, her eyes locking on his as all color drained from her face, leaving her skin pale—almost green.

  “And what if I desire to speak of marriage?” Jasper’s brow rose in question.

  “Then I would think this is a subject better discussed in private.” Lord Melton stepped forward, gesturing back toward the foyer. “If you will follow me, Lord Ailesbury, we can discuss this in my study.”

  “I will have Adeline present,” he said without thinking. He could offend Melton as women were not usually present during business negotiations, and Jasper was not fool enough to think this was anything but a business and a negotiation—even if it was a matter of the heart for him.

  “Oh, have you not met my sister?” Lord Melton asked, his smirk hard to hide. “She would beat down the door—or climb down the hearth flue—if I did not allow her in. It is safer for all involved if we invite her straight away. Besides, this is her future as much as yours, Ailesbury. I do hope you’ve thought this through.”

  “There is naught to think through, my lord, though I appreciate your warning.”

  Jasper glanced in Adeline’s direction. She’d remained quiet during Melton’s and his back and forth; however, her eyes swelled with a fresh round of tears, and they spilled over her lids and down her cheeks.

  Without thinking, Jasper took the final steps to her, brought his palms to the sides of her face, and brushed the tears away. If they’d been alone, he would have placed a kiss to each cheek where the moisture had left matching trails.

  If they wed, he silently vowed she would never have need to shed another tear—unless it was in joy.

  That was one promise he could make her.

  Chapter 26

  Adeline stared into Jasper’s green eyes, the warmth of his hands framing her face and his body near hers was all it took to banish her tears.

  Jasper was here. He hadn’t fled the ball.

  As she’d pleaded with Alistair, she’d feared that Jasper was gone forever. That thought hadn’t deterred her from confessing her love for the man or any consequences that followed, though. She’d been prepared to suffer them in silence, resolved to her fate, and all because she’d found the strength to speak her true feelings. If Alistair cast her from their family home, so be it. If her friends turned their backs on her, she would live. If society shunned her, Adeline would only be better for it.

  She loved the man standing before her—his hurt, his sorrow, his loyalty, his compassion, his heart. She loved and cherished every inch of him.

  And the way he looked at her now—his reserved smile, the yearning in his eyes, his labored breaths—told Adeline he felt the same soul-deep love for her.

  Adeline’s entire body flushed with heat as time seemed to slow to a standstill, only to find her heart jumping back into action as it raced in her chest.

  This love—their love—was more than a fluttering of the stomach or a weakening of the knees.

  “Jasper, I—“ she started.

  “Adeline, my study…now!” Her brother’s tone left no room for argument. “Come. This is a family matter and not one suitable for the entire ballroom.”

  Adeline glanced over Jasper’s shoulder and, sure enough, guests had started to mill about outside the main ballroom door, attempting to hear their conversation.

  She had no choice but to follow Alistair.

  To her surprise, Jasper grasped her arm, while Josie and Georgie fell into ranks on either side of them.

  Adeline wanted to scream that she didn’t need their protection, she was confident in everything she’d said and every emotion coursing through her. For once in her life, she needn’t hide behind petty retorts and snide comments.

  The only thing that could harm her now was if Jasper turned her away.

  Much like a funeral precession, they all trampled down the hall, past the onlookers in the foyer and into Alistair’s study, the door solidly thudding closed behind them. Adeline was certain that Donovan would station himself directly outside to keep the guests from attempting to move close and hear what transpired behind the closed doors.

  The quiet of the room only intensified Adeline’s knowledge of Jasper’s presence.

  His hulking frame stood by her side, while Josie and Georgie took seats on the lounge closest to the hearth. Alistair immediately sought the safety—and separation—the seat behind his desk provided, and Theo sank into her usual chair. The same seat she’d resided in the first time Adeline had brought Jasper to meet the pair.

  Had that been only the previous day?

  It felt as if years, no, decades had passed since her return to London. A city she’d always felt she belonged in, but which was now as foreign to her as Egypt or Greece would be.

  When everyone remained silent, Adeline realized they waited for her to speak.

  This was her life, after all. Her future…and Jasper’s.

  She needed to say her piece to Jasper. She owed him that much.

  In slow motion, she turned to him, knowing her words would impact the rest of her life. She would either wed this great man before her or be relegated to a life of solitude, devoid of everything she’d once held dear.

  But love, or the prospect of love, was worth it, even if she was alone in the end.

  So, at that moment, surrounded and protected by the people who cared about her the most, Adeline was determined to be honest and open with Jasper. If he did not return her immense affection and love, at least her friends and family—hopefully—would be there to catch her.

  “Jasper,” –she paused, taking a deep breath to clear her mind and allow her heart to speak—“since meeting you, I’ve chosen to be a better me. At the plant, when the wall collapsed, you blamed yourself, but I knew you did everything in your power to help your people.”

  His eyes watered, and she noted his shoulders caving in on themselves, yet he kept his gaze solidly on hers.

  “I have found what I wanted—the future I envisioned for myself—is no longer important to me. What you need and want, specifically a thriving Faversham and Home Works with happy, healthy people, is paramount to securing my own happiness. I know your future does not lie in London but in Kent, and I’ve discovered my destiny resides there, too.” She stilled, searching his eyes, determining if he understood what she was im
plying. “With you, Jasper. By your side, day and night. Good and bad. During favorable years, and through the harsh winter nights.”

  “You would give up all this—?“ He raised his hands, encompassing the well-appointed room surrounding them, and Adeline sensed he also meant her friends and family. “You would leave all this for a life in the country, surrounded by villagers who do not accept me and a home steadily decaying around us?”

  “My home will be where you are, wherever you determine that to be,” she replied, bringing her hands to his neck and allowing her fingers to graze the area of his scars. His eyes drifted closed at her intimate touch. “My heart never left Faversham Abbey, despite our return to London. Your people love you, they understand all you’ve done to make amends for those who were lost, and your house, the Abbey, is perfect.”

  “Certainly, you will return to London from time to time, or allow us to visit Faversham,” Josie inquired quietly, reminding Adeline that she and Jasper were not alone in the room.

  “We shall return often, and you are all welcome at the Abbey,” Jasper said, lifting his head to stare at the group surrounding them. “I will have rooms prepared for every Melton sibling if that is what it takes.”

  “I do not believe there is anything further to discuss,” Alistair said, coming back around his desk to stand before Jasper.

  Nothing further to discuss? Was her brother discrediting all that had transpired? Would he call Donovan and a footman to throw Jasper out?

  Her heart stopped in her chest as Alistair stared at Jasper.

  Surprisingly, Jasper’s gaze hardened as he met her brother’s scrutiny.

  Adeline glanced at Theo, then Josie, and finally, Georgie. None of the trio jumped to her defense or cried at the injustice about to take place. In fact, they all smiled…well, Georgie’s expression was best named a smirk.

  Could it be that her friends, the women she’d grown to love in her youth, found Alistair’s disapproval of Jasper warranted?

  No, it could not be…

  She would not allow it to be so.

  Swiftly, Alistair wrapped Jasper in a tight embrace. “It would be a pleasure to call you brother, Lord Ailesbury. Jasper.”

  Adeline’s eyes welled with tears once more, blurring her vision but in a good way.

  “It will be an honor to join our families, Lord Melton. Although, I must admit, I am the lone survivor of the Ailesbury clan.”

  Alistair stepped back and clasped Jasper’s shoulder with a chuckle. “It is lucky for you that I have siblings aplenty, and I am not averse to sharing them. Which do you prefer, male or female? The males are quite sneaky, though the females come with an entirely different set of difficulties.”

  “I appreciate the offer, and I plan to call in the promise as soon as the Abbey is renovated to Adeline’s tastes.” Jasper grew silent as everyone around them laughed at Alistair’s jest.

  She felt helpless as she noted his eyes darken, and the space between them grow, though neither of them moved.

  “I fear there is one last thing that needs to be discussed. No, there is no discussion on this topic, it only needs to be stated.”

  Her heart stopped once more, her entire body turning cold as Jasper pivoted to face her, taking her small, shaking hands in his large, warm grasp.

  “Miss Adeline Price.” He coughed to clear his throat as his gravelly voice pushed on. “You were the outer light to my inner demons, but now I recognize your inner light is enough to overshadow my outer beast. You think yourself not worthy, but it is I who will spend eternity pondering the hows and whys surrounding our joining. You have an inner light that will brighten the darkest storms—and those storms will come. They will be fierce. They will be all-consuming. However, with you by my side, your light will guide us through the worst tempests life throws at us. Adeline, your affection is more than simply returned, it is multiplied a thousand times over and cast far and wide in every direction. I love you, and you would honor me if you will have me as your husband.”

  “Truly?” Adeline’s breathless whisper echoed around the room.

  He nodded, pulling her against him and settling his lips against hers.

  It was more perfect than any answer he could have given.

  This kiss was far different than the one they’d shared on the terrace. This kiss was more than a spoken promise, more than a verbalized assurance of their future together, and far more than anything Adeline deserved.

  This kiss was a silent vow from Jasper to her—an unspoken pledge that he would care for, cherish, and love her forever.

  Her brother was correct, no further words needed to be uttered.

  As she wrapped her arms around his neck, their lips never releasing one another, Adeline vaguely heard her friends—and then Theo and Alistair—depart the room, pulling the door closed behind them.

  No doubt Donovan remained to continue making certain no one disturbed her and Jasper.

  Yet, in that moment, Adeline didn’t care if the entire ballroom invaded the room to see the love and happiness surrounding her—all made possible because the Beast of Faversham had given her his heart.

  Epilogue

  Faversham, England

  August, 1827

  Adeline took in the majestic view of Faversham Abbey, seeing it for the first time through the eyes of her family and friends as their carriage rambled down the long drive. After much research and discussion with Jasper, she now knew the place had once been a monastery with its tall, picturesque towers protruding at precisely measured intervals. Every doorway was graced by columns and concentric aches. The narrow windows made the structure appear much like a medieval castle, readied to defend its occupants against invasion.

  Likely similar to the way Jasper must be feeling with the entire Melton family descending on him, with Georgie and Felton, and Josie, in tow. Arabella and Ainsley would be the last to arrive on the morrow when Alistair and Theo set off at first light to collect them from Miss Emmeline’s School.

  And the following day…she and Jasper would be forever wed in a late-morning ceremony, followed by a feast for all. Every villager, servant, and plant worker had been delivered an invitation, personally written by Adeline, their soon-to-be countess.

  While it had been a shock to Jasper, Adeline hadn’t been surprised in the slightest that each and every invitation was met with a confirmation.

  Every door would be thrown wide to welcome all and sundry to the Abbey.

  Adeline’s heart warmed at the thought of all of Faversham coming together to bless Jasper’s marriage.

  “Are you ready to see your betrothed once more?” Josie asked.

  Adeline stared at the woman across from her, taking in her subtle beauty: the way her dark hair highlighted her pale skin, and her reserved interest that most took for a weakness, though Adeline knew firsthand was one of her greatest strengths. Soon, very soon, she prayed Josie would find the happiness that she, Georgie, and Theo had been blessed with. Until that day came, she could always depend on her friends.

  “It has been nearly a month since Jasper came to London last, and I’ve missed him tremendously.” Adeline paused, smiling to herself. “Distance does make the heart grow fonder, I can assure you.”

  “Well, let us hope all of us housed in one building does not diminish your fondness,” Georgie laughed as she stared out her window toward the Abbey. “Lord Ailesbury is out front and prepared to greet his betrothed.”

  “He is what?” Adeline leaned out her window, joyous to see that Jasper, indeed, stood in the drive, awaiting her arrival.

  “And I must say, this carriage ride has me missing my dear Felton ever so much.”

  “He resides in the carriage behind us, Georgie,” Josie retorted.

  “And we stopped for a meal with them in Rochester only a few hours ago,” Theo added.

  “Be that as it may, Felton finds it hard to be separated from his love,” Georgie said with another laugh.

  Adeline settled back in the plus
h squabs of the carriage interior as they traveled ever closer to her heart. Yes, distance was difficult, far harder than Adeline had ever imagined it would be. But she was at the Abbey now, and never would she depart again without Jasper by her side.

  At times, it was still nearly impossible to believe that she’d found love and everyone who mattered to her had come together to see her wed. Even now, two carriages followed the one she and her friends traveled in. Her brothers, Abel and Alistair, along with Felton were tucked safely in Felton’s traveling coach. Thanks to Jasper’s generosity, Alfred, Adelaide, Amelia, Adrian, and her maid, Poppy were ensconced in the newly repaired Melton coach.

  And they were all making the journey for her.

  It had felt close to a century since Adeline had been at the Abbey, but at the same time, only moments.

  Her carriage rolled to a stop, and Maxwell pulled the door wide and set down the steps for the women to disembark, but Adeline needed no assistance down, only the strong, muscled arms that appeared in the open doorway.

  One moment, Adeline was sitting in the carriage; and the next, she was wrapped securely in Jasper’s arms, where she belonged, as he swung her around and around, placing kisses on her forehead and cheeks before setting her on the ground.

  “I am home—“

  “You are home—“

  They both spoke at the same time, laughing all the while.

  Looking up into Jasper’s shining eyes, Adeline knew that it wasn’t so much the Abbey that brought her the overwhelming sense of home, but the man standing before her.

  And Jasper’s words from several months before were never truer than in the moment of their reunion, knowing they would never need be parted again. There would be dark, tumultuous storms and shining, happy days to come in their future, but they would face them together, as one.

  “I love you—“

  “I love you—“

  This time, their laughter was joined by that of her dearest friends as Adeline threw herself into Jasper’s arms once more. For the last time, because she never planned to leave them after this moment.