Seren picked up the jeweled mask from the wardrobe and waved it in the air. "Well, what shall we dress you as so that you can go choose your prince?"
The jewels of the mask shimmered in the sunlight streaking through the window glass.
Climbing out of bed, Gaia put her bare feet on the cold floor. She took the mask from her friend's delicate fingers. Peeling off her glasses, she put it to her face. Maybe there was a way to know which one was the one for her. "Ladies, help me dress."
William paced the small rug in front of the fireplace in the parlor, while his rival slept on the sofa. Whimple snorted an indelicate noise as his head fell deeper into the cushions.
Mrs. Telfair stepped across the threshold, bearing a large tray of treats and a kettle. "Would you like some tea, sir?"
"Ah, no, ma'am." Tea was the last beverage he wanted to consume. It would go on his prohibited list, like ale.
The lady adorned in a peach colored mobcap and matching muslin morning gown folded her arms. "Please sit, your Grace, before you wear a hole in the floor."
Resigned, he dropped into a chair, the one closest to the fire. After such a chilly night, he couldn't seem to get warm enough.
"Your Grace, her fever broke early this morning. You saw for yourself; Gaia will be fine."
Mr. Telfair got up from his chair. His thin legs wobbled. "I'm too old for all these shenanigans. Take care of the birds in the parlor. I'm going to my bed."
With a sweet smile, Mrs. Telfair nodded, "As always, dear."
"Cheshire, let Gaia know I am sorry, and that I am glad she is safe."
William nodded. It was probably the closest the old bird could come to apologizing. If William had his way, Gaia would be gone from here, and he'd make up for any love she'd missed.
Mrs. Monlin, Gaia's aunt from the city, breezed inside and headed for the silver tray. The yards of lace on her gown, starched as much as a good cravat, made the woman stand out in the modest setting. "Oh, Sarah, why is my brother leaving, when we have so much company?"
Pushing at an errant red curl dropping from her mobcap, Mrs. Telfair shook her head. "Gaia can handle this. She's dressing now."
William slumped in his chair. Gaia was safe. Shouldn't he bow out now? "Ma'am, maybe it’s best we go. We should all allow her more time to recover."
"Yes, you leave," Whimple sat up and stretched his arms. "Treats." He pulled at a scone and lumped on more than enough cream.
Timothy trotted into the room. A smile came to his lips, and he came to William.
He pulled the boy to his knee. "Thanks for the intelligence on your sister's awakening."
A smile, maybe the biggest William had ever seen, filled Timothy's face. "She's coming."
He patted the boy's head.
Mrs. Telfair heaved a deep sigh. "Excuse me, gentlemen. Come, son, Tabitha. Let's see whether Gaia needs any help." She gripped the little boy's hand and took Mrs. Monlin's scone-filled saucer, and led the two from the room.
Whimple stood and smoothed crumbs from his striped waistcoat. "I think it only fair of me to tell you, Your Grace, that I intend to marry Miss Telfair."
"Intentions can only get one so far."
The botanist smiled wide. A sparkle gleamed from his teeth. "An oversight. I proposed to her here in this very room. I'm sure once she's better, she will break with you."
A confident one, this Mr. Whimple. A good thing he didn't know William had already forced the break. "Well, we'll see whom she'll have." Or forgive.
Whimple stepped close to William's chair. "Do you know she's loved me all her life?"
Though he wanted to be snide and ask for the gentleman's expertise on broken engagements, he refrained. Gaia would not want her bucks going a round of fist-a-cuffs in the parlor.
"Nothing to say, duke?"
Was he trying to pick a fight? Though Whimple might be ten years his junior, he'd snap the impertinent fellow like a twig. "The dear lady has mentioned something about you." He tapped his finger to his nose, trying to conjure the least offensive slight. "I believe it had to do with a cousin, or her older sister."
Whimple looked away and ran a hand along the back of his neck. "Mistakes. You know mistakes; like that jade of a cousin. Or...."
"Or what?" Patience fleeing, he gripped the arms of the chair and stared through the man.
The scholar took a few steps back. "Just the rumors that are buzzing about."
Lacing his fingers together, William eased back into the cushions. "There will always be gossip about someone doing something untoward or foolish. One can smirk, tremble in fear at their discovery, or cling to God's grace."
William leaned back in his seat. "His grace is sufficient, and offers tolerance to those who don't know pain. May God never give you such a lesson."
The door of the parlor opened. Miss Hallow entered, with Gaia on her arm.
Why was Gaia wearing her mask from the ball, shrouded in a long black domino? His love sat at the piano near the entrance of the room. She slumped on the bench.
Whimple started her direction. "Miss Telfair, should you be out of bed?"
Gaia held out her hand, as if to say stop.
Miss Hallow blocked his advance. "Stay where you are, Mr. Whimple. Miss Telfair is still feeling under the weather, but she felt she should come down and address this situation. Take a seat."
The scholar complied, sitting in the chair next to William.
Why the disguise? William dipped his head in his hands. "What is the meaning of this?"
Whimple thumped his chest. "I am curious, too."
"Gentlemen, her voice is very hoarse, and to choose between you will be difficult. Hurtful. She'd rather do it behind a mask." Miss Hallow came closer and leaned on the back of the sofa. "Why don't each of you have your say to win her?"
This wasn't right. Wasn't he beyond games? Here William was, ready to tell the truth of his feelings, without jokes or omissions, and Gaia comes in costume. Maybe the belladonna made her act silly. "Shouldn't this be done in private?"
Whimple leapt to his feet." A lady has the right to hold court in the manner she chooses. I am not ashamed of how I feel. When you finally know what you want, you need to shout it from the roof."
The scholar moved to the edges of the sofa and looked into the niche where Gaia sat. "I love you. We've grown up together. I've known you for so long. It had to be why I was blind to how well we get along. You have always thought we should be together. You have loved me for years. It's our time to be together."
Gaia's posture slumped at bit more. She must be swaying, agonizing over this declaration. He'd always seen her sitting erect with her shoulders back, so this was unlike her. William's gut wrenched for the lass.
Whimple put his hands to his sides. "I know I should pay for my misdirected attentions. It was wrong. I finally see the beautiful creature you've grown up to be. You're the woman who should be in my life."
With her fingers, short and slim, Gaia adjusted her mask. Again, she leaned against the piano, as if she tried to shrink out of sight.
Miss Hallow waved a fan. "That was very beautiful, Elliot. I, for one, didn't think you had such a romantic side. But what do you, Your Grace, have to say to win the fair Gaia?"
Shuffling his boots, William toyed with how he should respond. Stelford said to tell her of his love, but was it that simple?
Everything could be ruined or saved by whatever came out of his mouth. Pulse racing, heart thundering, he glanced at the confident Mr. Whimple, and then at Gaia and her tiny hands, her fashionable slippers.
A lightning bolt hit William. He lifted from the chair. "I would like tell Miss Telfair I love her. I love her deeply, but I can't."
Miss Hallow fell back, as if she'd faint. "What?"
"Miss Gaia Telfair should hear how my heart beats for her and only her, and of the life I want to give her, but she's not in this room."
Undoing the ribbons of the mask, Julia Telfair exposed her face. "You are right. My sister is not
here.
The door opened and the real Gaia stepped inside. Her bosom trembled as she seemed to return his stare. Her face appeared unnaturally pale, no doubt a lingering effect of the harrowing night she'd survived, but the rose-colored gown wrapping her skin clung to her curves in all the right places. The slight crinkle in her auburn hair adorned her chignon like lace. "Yes, I've been listening from the hall."
Beautiful woman. The only thing amiss was the stained slippers on her feet. He should've brought the ones left at Ontredale, but that would've seemed too Cinderella-like. With everything in his power, he would restore them to their owner before midnight.
Gaia gaped at William. He knew her. Of course, her true love would. "Seren, you and Julia can wait outside."
The girls scrambled from the room, her sister dragging Serendip the last couple of inches then shutting the door.
"What's the meaning of this?" Elliot ran a hand through his perfect hair. His troubled gaze went from her to the duke. "Is this a joke?"
William smiled. "I think it was a test."
"He is correct. This has been a very confusing time. I needed to know the heart of the man I marry. He needs to see me because I've been invisible."
"You're not invisible," Elliot came near and took her hand. "I see you clearly."
She shook her head. "You see me now. If Cheshire hadn't come around and danced with me, I don't think you would have ever seen me."
Elliot lifted his chin. His crystal blue eyes seemed sad, wounded. "Should it matter how I found you? Just that I did. With me, you are comfortable. We belong to the same sphere."
Patting away his arm, she turned and moved close to the fireplace. "A year ago, even a few months ago, those words would've been enough to melt my heart. I'd have been so grateful for your attention. It isn't enough now. It's not love. I'll always admire you as the first man I ever thought I liked."
He shifted his stance, his boot heel missing the rug and pounding the solid floor. "What are you saying?"
"I once thought what I felt was love, but it couldn't be. It can't compare to the depth of emotion stirring inside for Cheshire. I was running to him when you found me. I think I've been waiting for someone to see me for me, as God made me. That man is William St. Landon. I'm sorry, Elliot."
He wiped his mouth, as if the rejection took him by surprise, and then turned to William. "Take care of her."
The duke nodded, but kept his face solemn. "I will, if she'll have me."
Plodding from the room, Elliot offered one last glance her way and then trudged out of the parlor.
A sigh left her mouth. He may think he had feelings for her, but Gaia knew better than any that a one-sided love was not enough.
"Are you going to send me away, too?" William moved a few feet, but was still distant. "My cousin could've killed you."
She lifted a smile to him. "Miss Smythen did not. I'm so sorry that the whole sordid affair has come to light."
He marched near, with his arms locked behind his back, as though he didn't trust himself. The pearl buttons on his cranberry-colored waistcoat tugged from the pressure. "It needed to. If I hadn't been too ashamed to tell you about Deborah, she'd never have had the opportunity to harm you. I thought I lost you. I nearly went out of mind."
She rubbed his forearm to coax him into relaxing. He needed to know he was blameless. "William, no lasting harm has been done. I have a hardy constitution. I'm well, though my voice is abysmal."
Pushing at his brow, he shrugged. "I don't know. You sound sultry. Maybe have a go at my given name again?"
With a stomp of her foot, she moved from his reach. "Be serious. You're always joking. Maybe I sent the wrong gentleman away."
William claimed her hand, and towed her to his wide chest. "I will be serious. I love you, Gaia Telfair. From the moment I caught you praying for misery in the woods, you captivated me. At our first ball, I felt my heart beat like never before. And when we kissed at the Masked Ball, I knew you had to be mine, but I was too afraid to admit my feelings. Nothing will suppress the strength of them now."
"Not even the truth?"
"None of it matters. Gaia, you are God's gift to me."
With weak fingertips, she touched his tanned cheek. "And my bloodline matters not? I am black. I am a mulatto as much as white. Knowing the sacrifices that made me, I am not sorry or ashamed. My husband must feel the same."
His gaze swept over her, his gaze so intense her neck warmed. "You are black and comely. Tell me. O thou whom my soul loveth, will thou have the son of the man who destroyed your father?"
She bobbed her chin, and a smile set in the calmed seas of his blue eyes. The turbulence of yesterday had disappeared. "Are you sure about us? This isn't some manifestation of guilt over your father's dealings?"
He stretched his hand to her neck and strummed the coral beads at the arch along her throat. With his thumb, he tugged a curly lock of her hair, warming her face with the heat of his breaths. "Quite sure."
Leaning, he kissed her brow. "You are the dream I didn't know I wanted until I found you at that oak. I need you. I want you. I can't wake up another day and not know you're all mine. Tell me, can you can love me, no other man but me?"
Slipping into his arms with an ease and a confidence that could only come from knowing she'd found her prince, she laid her head against his shoulder. "You are the one for me. I don't know why it took so long for me to realize."
He kissed her temples. "Well, you've been busy. It's a tough fight, falling in love with one person when you're dead set to marry another."
Tears sprang to her eyes as his lips brushed against hers, soft as a whisper. His hands wandered and warmed every aching muscle in their path. "Gaia, marry me, today. Let my name be yours."
A name she could claim with all its rights. Toes curling within her slippers, she brushed a droplet from her fogged spectacles. "Shouldn't you be on your knee?"
With a yank to his walnut-colored pantaloons, he knelt on the floor. Taking each of her palms within his, he kissed her wrists.
Her pulse raced at the feel of his mouth against her skin.
"My life will not be whole without you. If you can accept my Mary and these old bones, consent to be my wife. Make me the happiest man in England or South Africa."
She tugged him to his feet. "I just wanted to see you do it. Of course, silly man; I love Mary and you with all my—"
His lips were to hers, as was the dizzy lightness his arms stirred. Enveloped, safe, and warm, he tightened his embrace about her.
He relented his kiss just enough to allow her a breath. "Today, marry me today."
He could've said pray for war, and she would've agreed. "Yes, William."
"I know Mary will love you, too. You kept her safe. I cannot wait to see how you guide her. I'll never doubt your intentions, even when they differ from mine."
She wove her hand beneath his tailcoat and savored the tarragon scent of his skin. "It's just the beginning. I believe we can teach Mary her speech again. And they will differ, except in one instance."
His brow rose, as if she'd planned something sinister. "And that would be?"
Her lips curled up. "The color blue for our chambers."
"Like your room here?" Nuzzling her neck, he kissed her ear. "I'll get my steward to do it before night fall. In the interim, you, Mary, and I will head to Scotland. I want you as my wife as soon as possible. I'm not taking another chance on living without you. Then a wedding trip to Port Elizabeth; your father may be lost, but maybe his people still live."
She looked into his eyes and melted. William loved all of her. He wasn't ashamed. She wasn't either.
As if Gaia were a light parcel, he lifted her into his arms and headed for the door, her heart pounding with expectation. She was to be married, to know more of her father, to bear a man's name who wanted her to have it, and to possess all of William's love. A quick toss of his hat and draped in his cloak, they spun and bumped into Mr. Telfair.
His mou
th twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but, instead, he moved out of the way and held the door. Little Timothy peered from behind his pant leg. "Sister going?"
Mr. Telfair clenched his son's hand. "Gaia's marrying today. You wish her well."
Timothy's cherub face held a grin. "Bye, Gaia. Happy Gaia."
She half-waved, her fingers suddenly becoming lead, partially trapped beneath William's warm greatcoat. Staring at Mr. Telfair, the man who'd created her Devonshire world, who gave her the identity of an unloved dark daughter, an alleged child of rape, her throat constricted. In his eyes, she wasn't worthy of a goodbye or an apology.
She tucked her head beneath William's chin, her soon-to-be husband who saw her as God's daughter.
His arms tightened about her, but his low tone held the force of a command. "No sadness on your wedding day, Gaia St. Landon. No sadness at all."
There was some in her heart, probably always would be some, but, this time, joy overcame all.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Dear Friend,
I enjoyed writing Unmasked Heart because Gaia’s story of finding the courage to know her worth and allow herself to be loved needed to be told. This is a forerunner to the Port Elizabeth tales. Visit the Duke and Duchess of Cheshire again in Unveiling Love. I added a sneak peek to Unveiling Love for you to enjoy after my notes.
I also added a peek at my exciting bride series, Advertisements for Love. If you loved Unmasked, you will love,Theodosia and Ewan in The Bittersweet Bride.
Enjoy these bonuses.
Stay in touch. Sign up at www.vanessariley.com for my newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about upcoming releases, and maybe even win a sneak peek.
Unmasked Heart: A Regency Romance (Regency Romance: Challenge of the Soul Book 1) Page 29
