Gavin only partially listened to their exchange. The earl might already be dead by now, he realized. For some reason, this comprehension was not disappointing in any way. Maybe knowing Grace had helped him come to terms with his brother’s and father’s death. Maybe he did not actually have to see Whitmore hang to find peace. It was strange that after spending just a week with Grace, he felt comfortable abandoning a course of revenge that he had devoted his last six months to.
Gavin motioned for Tim. “Thank you for your help, Tim. You are a good man. Helena should be proud that you have singled her out. Good luck to the two of you.”
“So does that mean I have your permission to court her?”
“As long as you maintain propriety and treat her with respect, I see no reason not. In fact, how about I let you each have Sunday morning off?”
“That would be splendid, Your Grace!”
“Mrs. Bearl tells me that Helena is smitten. Treat her right. And do not try any more moves like the one Mrs. Bearl saw.”
He blushed slightly. “Of course, Your Grace. It really was just a peck on the cheek, I swear. Nothing like what I saw you doing with . . .” Tim seemed to realize what he was saying and stopped himself. His face turned a deep scarlet.
Gavin chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Yes, that last dance step was rather bold. The dancing master at Eton never taught that one.”
Tim smirked and added, “Well, I imagine no one needs to be taught that step, Your Grace.”
This time Gavin laughed outright. “You are quite impertinent, Tim. Has anyone ever told you that?”
CHAPTER 20
As they pulled up to Willsing Manor, Gavin could hardly wait to see Grace again. It was getting late; the crisp, cool air made it difficult to concentrate. Tim had thanked him several times on the way home for giving him the opportunity to court Helena. But Gavin hardly listened to him.
It seemed that everything in his life that had caused him pain and sorrow was resolved now. He had been reunited with Grace; he had learned to accept his father’s title; and he had abandoned his plans for revenge against the Earl of Longmont. He was even engaged to be married—which pleased his mother a great deal.
As soon as they walked in the door, Grace walked toward them. Tim bowed to her and excused himself, saying he had a very important person to go see downstairs. She wished him well, and he walked away like a man with a purpose.
Gavin relished the sight of Grace coming toward him. She had changed into a gown that he had not seen before. It was pale ivory with a green ribbon around the waist, accenting her narrow form. She walked toward him, and he saw how she carried herself gracefully, entirely congruent to her nature. There was nothing more attractive than a woman who knew who she was and carried no airs.
Of course, Grace had her weaknesses. She was sometimes a bit hot under the collar, but he could not imagine his life without her passion and devotion. Her eyes were as honest and loyal as any he ever had ever seen. It matched her deeply compassionate heart. She was a prize that he was astounded he had won; he doubted he deserved her, but he would never take her for granted.
She smiled sweetly at him, igniting a warmth to counteract the chill that still lingered from the carriage ride. She glanced one way and then the other, and then went on her tiptoes and kissed him soundly.
She murmured softly, “I hope you have good news.”
“Hmm . . . I might. I might not.”
“Are you not going to tell me what happened?”
He smiled mischievously and tapped her nose with his finger. “I believe you must buy my secrets.”
She raised her eyebrow at him so temptingly that he had to pull her into his arms. She rested her cinnamon-scented head of hair on his chest, and he took the moment to inhale deeply, which sent ripples of pleasure throughout his body. It was going to be painful to have her return to her sister’s house. Painful, truly painful.
“And how shall I pay for such secrets?” she whispered. The flirtation in her voice was so thick he could touch it.
He lifted her chin toward his and with punctuated tender kisses said, “You. Must. Pay. For. Them. One. Kiss. At. A. Time.” Then he let his lips linger. She reached her hands up to his face and pulled him down to her. Her lips found a rhythm that was entirely to Gavin’s liking. A moment ago, in the carriage, he did not think he would ever be warm again; now he feared he would never be cool again.
He pulled away and consciously slowed his breathing, which had developed a life of its own. He could hear her doing the same thing. After a moment, they simultaneously each took a deep breath, realizing that they must reign it in.
“Gavin, I cannot stay here,” Grace whispered. “Nuns or no nuns. You must see that.”
“I know,” Gavin grumbled. “I have never been a patient man, Gigi. I fear I cannot wait much longer for you.”
“Nor I. Could we get a special license and marry as soon as possible?”
“My mother would shoot us both in our sleep if we do not give her a full three weeks to prepare.”
“But there is not much difference between two weeks and three. She works well under pressure, Gavin. And I can help her. I doubt I can wait a day over two weeks.”
“Then perhaps you should be the one to tell her. I think she likes you best.”
She giggled a little bit. “Deal. Now tell me about what happened with Mr. Broadbent, for I believe I paid for your secrets sufficiently.”
“What? No debating the issue? Oh, no, Gigi, do not ever lose your deep-rooted desire to win an argument. I love that about you.”
She smiled at him and leaned in and offered three simple kisses, nothing like the moment before. “I will save my debate skills for a time when there is something to win. For now, the prize I want most is somewhat out of my reach.”
Gavin wrapped her hand around his arm, and they began walking to his study. Along the way, he told her all about Cornwall’s clever trap for Broadbent and Lady Monique’s recanted testimony.
“Well, it seems the judge will have plenty of evidence to convict him,” Grace replied.
“Yes, all thanks to you.” He opened his study door and motioned her in. “Can I ask you something? How did you know to handle Tim like that? It was as if you knew he was innocent of malicious intent. He was putty in your hands.”
Grace took a seat on the sofa, and Gavin sat down beside her. “At first, I was not sure what to do,” she admitted. “But as soon as we entered the room, I could see it in his eyes. He was scared out of his mind. It was the same look I saw in your eyes when I told you I would not marry you.”
“Oh, Gigi!” he laughed, “I was terrified when you came down those stairs in your old gray dress! I knew it meant that you had made up your mind to go.” He stroked her cheek and whispered, “I was desperate not to lose you again; it crushed me the first time. Promise me you will never try to leave me again.”
“I doubt I could survive another attempt. My heart is too fragile. It is hard to admit to needing you, Gavin, but I do. I gave my heart to you long ago without knowing it, and this week with you has proved that it shall never beat for another. The way you kick it into a gallop, beating to a new rhythm, is something I do not ever wish to lose. I do not want a predictable heartbeat.”
“Then I shall make it dance every day,” he murmured.
“Like you did with that last dance lesson.”
“Like I will do right now.”
Gavin devoured her lips once again. The pleasure was worth the pain of having to separate once again. But this time, there would not be ten years standing between them—only two weeks.
The next two weeks are going to feel like ten years.
EPILOGUE
“Winston, make haste! I cannot be late to my own wedding!”
Winston was tying the cravat as fast as he could. Despite Gavin’s desperate tone, he was really only irritated with himself. He should have known better than to steal a raspberry tart from the wedding breakfast tray wh
en he had only a few minutes to be at the chapel.
He heard a knock on the bedchamber door and assumed it was his mother. “There is no time for another lecture on clumsiness, Mother!”
The door opened, and Silence walked in the room. “Very well. I will save that lecture for another day. But do not call me Mother.”
“Silence, Silence!” Gavin said smiling at him through the mirror. He dared not move for fear of impeding Winston’s progress. “Welcome back.”
“I see I arrived just in time.”
“I do not know about that. I am actually fairly late.” Winston finished and patted him on the shoulder. Gavin turned and led Silence down the corridor to the stairs and said, “Talk while we ride.” Gavin clippity-clopped down the stairs and was reminded of that special moment two weeks earlier when he had held Grace right here on the stairs and heard her say those three wonderful words, “I love you”. He would never rebuild the stairs now that it held such a special memory.
The very next day Grace moved to her sister’s house, and they made their wedding announcement. He smiled, because with her sister still laid up in bed, there had been plenty of unchaperoned moments at Foxtail Lane. His mother would have been shocked. But neither of them were the kind to get carried away despite their strong love for each other. She had done more than forgive him in that moment. Grace had inspired him.
Silence started filling him in while they climbed into the carriage. “It is finished. The former Earl of Longmont has passed. He was in Scotland all this time, going by a different name. Broadbent has been charged with harboring a felon since it was clear from the letters found at his home that he knew all along where Whitmore was. Broadbent was offered prison or a chance to sail to Australia. He left port a few days ago. The magistrate had no other questions about how Fresden died and has closed the case. There is nothing else to report.”
“Splendid news!”
They chatted a minute or two more until they rolled to the front of the chapel and he hurried out of the carriage. He took the steps into the church two at a time and rushed to the front. He was very pleased he did not fall on his face in his haste. He glanced at the bishop and gave him a look of both apology and embarrassment as he took his place. The music began immediately.
He turned to look for his bride. She was backlit by the morning sun coming through the windows. As she walked, his heart sped up. Every minute of the last ten years had been leading up to this moment.
The vows were said, and he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
After the wedding breakfast and the best wishes, Gavin and Grace climbed back in the carriage to return to Willsing Manor. He handed Grace a box wrapped in brown paper and tied with a ribbon.
“What is this?” Grace asked.
“I do not know. My mother only said that we were to open it immediately after the wedding, the very first moment we were alone together. She made me vow that I would not delay even a second. You know how she is about rules.”
“It is heavy.” She shook it a bit. “Not quite as heavy as books.”
“Yes, but too heavy for garments.”
“And it does not rattle. What do you think it is?”
“All I know is that she said we both would appreciate it. She said she could not think of a better gift for our wedding.”
Grace smiled at him and started unwrapping it. It was a plain wooden box with a single metal clasp. She carefully opened the lid, and Gavin saw what looked like a hundred envelopes. Grace gasped.
Grace’s voice cracked as she murmured, “She kept them.”
“What are they?”
Grace pulled out the first letter in the box, and showed it to him. “The letters I wrote to you when you were at Eton.”
He riffled through the box and saw one in his own writing. “And my letters to you!”
There were no words to express his astonishment. His mother had saved all their letters over the years! He was not prone to tears, but moisture welled in his eyes as he looked at Grace, who also was tearing up.
“What wonderful entertainment for our honeymoon!” Grace exclaimed. “We shall read a few every night.”
He cleared his throat, and his voice came out a bit huskily. “I had my own plans for our entertainment, Your Grace . . .”
“Oh, Gavin! You are such a flirt! There will be plenty of that too,” she grinned. She placed her hand on his face. “You wrote,” she murmured. “You really wrote, just like you said.”
“Yes, and here is the proof of it. Now you must believe me. I loved you all that time, Grace,” Gavin said. “You have inspired me in every way.”
He kissed her gently, but soon he felt her lips turn up into a smile. Sure enough she was smirking.
Grace giggled and said, “Perhaps next time I can inspire you to be on time to your own wedding.”
“You always have to have the last word.”
“Dearest husband, do not forget it.”
THE END
About the Author
Jeanna is a mother of three daughters, all whom are well versed in Pride and Prejudice; they are her best friends and the inspiration for her writing. She also proudly states she is the eighth of thirteen children. When she isn’t blogging, gardening, cooking, or raising chickens—or more realistically, writing—she is thoroughly ignoring her house for a few hours at a time in order to read yet another romance novel. Somewhere between being a mom, sister, writer, and cook, she squeezes in three 12-hour shifts each week as a Registered Nurse in a Neurological ICU. She finds great joy in her writing and claims she has never been happier.
Jeanna fell in love again with Jane Austen when she was introduced to the incredible world of Jane Austen inspired fiction. She can never adequately thank the fellow authors who mentored her and encouraged her to write her first novel. Through writing, Jeanna has gained something that no one can take away from her: hope for her own Mr. Darcy. More than anything, she hopes to prepare her three best friends to look for their own Mr. Darcy and to settle for nothing less.
Jeanna’s works include: Mr. Darcy’s Promise, Pride and Persistence, To Refine Like Silver, Hope For Mr. Darcy, Hope For Fitzwilliam, Hope For Georgiana, and Inspired By Grace. For more information on these books, please visit her website, www.HeyLadyPublications.com
Praise for Mr. Darcy’s Promise
“This is a superbly written, highly romantic (while staying completely clean), funny and clever exploration of an alternative path for the classic story of Pride and Prejudice which is so loved all around the world.”––Sophie Andrews, Laughing with Lizzie
“ . . . I found this to be a memorable, endearing, and poignant variation.”— Meredith Esparza, Austenesque Reviews
“Not only was it lighthearted in places, fun, serious, upsetting and very touching, it told a great story with meaning. It made me think, laugh and cry.”––Janet Taylor, More Agreeably Engaged
“Mr. Darcy’s Promise is a charming novel about a promise that is made to be broken and being patient when it comes to matters of the heart.”––Anna Horner, Indie Jane
“The all time best P&P variation I have read. Characters were more true to Austen's interpretation than other stories. The book was very chaste but still tantalizing leaving certain events to your imagination.”––Austen Fan 49
“I loved every second of it!!! A book that I most definitely will read over and over again!” –– Elizabeth Willey
Praise for Pride and Persistence
“The perfect book for curling up with after a trying day at work; brilliantly funny and wonderfully romantic, which will leave you feeling perfectly content and with a huge grin on your face.” – Sophie Andrews, Laughing with Lizzie
“Pride and Persistence is such an adorable and admirable variation! Filled with recovery, reflection, romance, rejections, and a plethora of proposals, this novel will be sure to make you laugh, smile, and sigh with delight. I highly recommend!” – Meredith Esparza, Austenesque Reviews
“Than
k you, Jeanna Ellsworth, for a lovely book. I enjoyed every minute of it and didn't want to put it down.” – Janet Taylor, More Agreeably Engaged
“Pride and Persistence brings us the same characters that we know and love from the original classic, but a brilliant twist adds more to the story than even Jane gave us all those years ago.” – Alice, Reading with Alice
“I absolutely loved this book! Jeanna Ellsworth knows how to awaken the spirit of Pride and Prejudice and Darcy and Elizabeth's growing love—and we get to watch it all through words, and those words certainly came to life.” –– Elizabeth Cohan
Praise for To Refine Like Silver
“It is emotionally very touching and I was completely drawn into it as I read. It was a book where reaching the 'happy ending' - and not just for Lizzy and Darcy - has never felt more satisfying!” ––Sophie Andrews, Laughing with Lizzie
“Ms. Ellsworth uses a bit of impertinence, love, laughter and spirituality to take us on a journey through the darkest days of our favorite characters right to the heart of Pemberley bringing with it new life.” ––Elizabeth Cohen
“Regency and Inspirational Romance fans do not want to miss this work of literary art! Jeanna has a vibrant and vivid way of capturing the English countryside and sophisticated Regency era, customs, and manners that would make Jane Austen proud.” ––Alice, Reading with Alice
“To Refine Like Silver is a story of surviving the worst that life throws at us, feeling the pain but not letting it consume us, trusting that happiness and joy will come again, and learning to forgive (but not forget) in order to find peace within ourselves. Regardless of one’s faith, I think the words of wisdom from Elizabeth’s prayer journal could be helpful to all.” ––Anna Horner, Diary of an Eccentric
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