Moments slipped by, and then he finally relented with a curt nod.
Eyes on Rowen, Wynne yanked on the sheet. It dropped, pooling to the ground.
His gaze swept over it, dropping quickly to Wynne.
“No background?” he asked, left eyebrow raised.
“No.”
He looked up at it again, longer this time, taking it in, before pinning Wynne with his eyes. “But all of the time we spent sitting for this. What were you doing in all of those sessions? I saw you painting.”
Wynne stepped from under the painting to stand next to Rowen. She looked up at her painting of him, not at all worried about her skill in catching his likeness. Rowen and nothing else. Just his face. His face on a black background. Of all the paintings she had ever done, she knew, down to her soul, that this was her best work.
She looked at him, meeting Rowen’s eyes. “I have been painting black. There have to be thirty layers on there by now.”
“Rapscallion.” His fingers went under arms, tickling her ribs.
She squealed, jumping away until his hands dropped. Stepping close to him, she slid her arms around his waist, setting her chin on his shoulder.
“But what about Phalos? He gets no place in it?”
“He has his own portrait. And you hung that one in here months ago.” She rounded him so she could look up him. “Everything I know of you—your history—it is mine. For all the other people, the other paintings, who they were was not mine to hold. But yours—your history, your mind, your heart—all of it is mine to hold—all of it makes you. So all of it must live in my heart, my soul, since that is where you are. Nowhere else.”
Wrapping his arms around her, Rowen smiled down at her. The easy smile, the one only she was blessed with. The one she loved the most. “So you will not share me?”
“I will not share you.” She nodded backward to the painting with her head. “Only this. And only because it is in its rightful place.”
Rowen’s dark eyes drifted up to the portrait, staring at it. Long seconds passed, but Wynne could see that Rowen was not fighting it, merely coming to terms with it. He gave one long nod.
And then his head came down, his lips finding hers. The heat of him filled her, taking over her senses, owning her every thought, every nerve.
He broke contact for just a breath, his words thick. “Thank you, Wynne. It means more than you know.”
She went to her toes, not letting him escape her lips so easily.
“Here you are.” The duchess’s voice echoed along the hall.
Eyes closed, Rowen groaned, pulling slowly away from Wynne. They both turned to the dowager duchess, Rowen tucking Wynne under his arm.
“We are prepared to leave.” The dowager walked toward them, her boot heels clicking on the stone floors. “But there is one last matter I need to take care of here at Notlund.”
Rowen heaved a sigh. Wynne dug her elbow into his ribs, trying to silence his exasperation.
“We will see you as soon as you return from your tour, Duchess?” Wynne asked.
“Of course, dear.” The dowager stopped in front of Wynne, her gloved hand cupping Wynne’s cheek. “I have already said goodbye to your mother. I will miss her. I will miss you.”
Wynne stepped from Rowen’s arm, grasping the duchess in a tight hug. For a second, the dowager was stiff, but then her arms came up, returning Wynne’s squeeze.
“And I will miss you, Duchess. My mother will miss you as well. You have been a godsend to her,” Wynne said. “Though I am so happy for you and the baron.”
The dowager nodded, dropping her arms and smoothing her skirts after Wynne released her. “I had once been like you, Wynne. Young and fanciful and not going to let the world tell me how to live me life. That did not work out for me, not until today. Not until the baron.”
The duchess swept a lock of hair from Wynne’s temple into her upsweep. “Though I am happy, dear, that it worked out for you. Perhaps you have a purer heart than I did. Or perhaps fate just wanted me to wait until this day. Regardless, you gave me the courage to live beyond what the truth of my world had become, Wynne. I am forever in your debt.”
Before Wynne could even reply, the duchess turned to Rowen, her manner instantly brisk. “The last matter I have here at Notlund. Please, follow me.”
The duchess spun and retraced her steps to the middle of the hall. In front of the portrait of the sixth Duke of Letson, she stopped. She went to the tall painting, lifting the bottom of the thick frame from the wall. “Please, Letson, hold this.”
A quick questioning look to Wynne, and Rowen grabbed the gilded frame, holding it away from the wall.
The duchess ducked behind the painting and started to wedge free a stone from the wall. Setting the heavy grey stone to the floor, she went to the cavity in the wall, pulling out a wooden box.
Swiping the dust from the top of the box, she waited for Rowen to set the painting back in place and turn to her. “The baron has made me a better person. I recognize that, and as part of asking me to marry him, he demanded that I let go of all the past. I do not intend on disappointing him. So to stay true to that, I need to give you this.”
She held out the box to Rowen. He took it, eyes perplexed.
“It was to be passed on to my son, the next in line after my husband died.” She smacked her hands together, clearing the dust from them. “I discovered it after they died. And I kept it. You will find the contents interesting, I am sure.”
“What is in it?” Rowen asked.
“It is unbecoming to speak of the past, so I will not.” She shook her head. “But know that I have let my anger free. I harbor no ill will to you, Letson. And I give to you now, the last of the secrets I have been forced to harbor for this duchy. I want them all removed from my life. Plus, I believe it is time to intervene. And you are the one to do so. So the box, its contents are yours. Yours to do with what you will.”
Rowen inclined his head to her. “Thank you, Duchess, for the trust.”
“I am also sure that you will be the one to do right by the contents, your grace.” She winked at him.
Clearing her throat, the duchess stepped away from Rowen, her eyes going down the wall and resting on Rowen’s newly placed portrait. She paused for a long moment, and then the smallest smile touched her lips.
“It is fitting.” Her eyes dropped to Wynne. “Well done, my dear. Well done.”
With a swish of her bright red skirts, the dowager duchess walked out of the great hall.
Still dumbstruck at the entire scene, Wynne turned slowly to Rowen.
“Did the duchess truly just wink at you, my husband?”
Rowen nodded, eyes wide. “I believe she did.”
“What is in the box?”
Rowen flipped the latch on the simple wooden box. A stack of papers, some scrolled, sat inside. Handing Wynne the box, Rowen pulled out the top piece of thick vellum, scanning the writing.
Wynne watched Rowen’s eyes flip from curiosity to hardness. She set the box on the floor, grabbing his forearm. “What is written?”
His eyes stayed on the paper. “It says there are more.”
“More?”
Rowen looked up to her, dark eyes in shock. “More of me. More children.”
“What? More children?”
“I am not the only by-blow.” His head shook, stunned. “I have sisters, Wynne, sisters.”
~ Author's Note ~
Thank you so much for taking this latest trip back in time with me!
Word of mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you liked reading Worth of a Duke, please consider leaving a brief review—even if it is only a line or two, it is an enormous help. I truly appreciate the reader’s words and thank you so much!
And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the other historical romances in the Hold Your Breath series—they can be read in any order (Rowen’s story intersects with My Captain, My Earl):
Stone Devil Duke
&n
bsp; Unmasking the Marquess
My Captain, My Earl
My next historical book will debut in Fall 2015. Who are Rowen’s sisters? You’ll find out soon enough!
Be sure to sign up for news of my next releases at www.KJJackson.com(email addresses are precious, so out of respect, you’ll only hear from me when I actually have real news).
Interested in Paranormal Romance?
In the meantime, if you want to switch genres and check out my Flame Moon paranormal romance series, Flame Moon #1, the first book in the series, is currently free (ebook) at all stores. Flame Moon is a stand-alone story, so no worries on getting sucked into a cliffhanger. But number two in the series, Triple Infinity, ends with a fun cliff, so be forewarned. Number three in the series, Flux Flame, ties up that portion of the series.
As always, I love to connect with my readers, you can reach me at:
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Thank you for allowing my stories into your life and time—it is an honor!
~ K.J. Jackson
Worth of a Duke Page 29
