Page 60 of The Scandal of the Deceived Duchess
“Jonathan!” She rushed into his arms. She looked up at him meekly. He stood at least a head taller than she did. Jonathan smiled at her, coaxing a small grin on her face. “I can’t believe this is actually happening,” she said, breathing heavily. The small dash across the dining room had left her breathless, as if it had been a cross-country run.
“At last, I can hold you in my arms again.” Jonathan lowered his head a little, more and more when he felt her body responding to his.
In moments, his mouth found hers. They locked in a way that they might never break apart. Amelia felt the weight of sadness drop off her frame as the moments passed, turning it into a memory, a onetime pesky figment of her imagination. The longer she kissed Jonathan, the more fortitude she drew from him. He was a well of power and strength.
Jonathan held Amelia close. If he could, he would’ve enmeshed his body with hers until they were but one realm in the physical as well as one kingdom in the spiritual. Reading her letters and being able to write to her about how he felt had already been a gift, but this…it was magical to touch, smell and kiss the woman he loved.
As they reluctantly pulled away, their gazes remained fixed. He held her by the waist, needing to touch her, still disbelieving that she was real. Amelia let her hands slide down the length of his arms until she held his hands that rested on her waist.
“I have waited for this moment. Until now, it was half agony and half hope. I had faith, but I never quite knew whether our paths would ever cross again,” said Jonathan. He still disbelieved his eyes. If their hands weren’t touching, he would have claimed this to be some false vision.
“I am here now, Jonathan. There are really no words that can really describe what I am feeling right now…” Amelia breathed heavily. The kiss and the emotions ebbing and flowing inside of her were almost too much to bear. “I think all I can say is that I am the happiest woman alive.”
“Yecan count me in on that one, Amelia,” said Anna, laughing in the background.
“Aye, this is a fine evening. All four of us together again,” intoned Jake. “I suggest we sit down. I had Maud from the kitchen prepare us a little something nice for dinner.”
Jonathan couldn’t quite let go of Amelia; he held her hand all the way to the table. Instead of sitting opposite her as Jake had originally intended, he insisted he sit next to her. He’d rather feel her soft skin and smell her fragrance than see her. And yet, he was undecided in that too. He wanted to look at her forever, and never lose sight of this woman who had claimed his heart. In essence, he wanted all of her and nothing less.
For Amelia, it was the same. Despite her happiness, she was also baffled. Here was the man she loved…living, breathing, smiling and sitting next to her in the flesh. It was too much good fortune to bear. It did not take long for the barriers she had so painstakingly raised since their unwanted separation to come crumbling down like a fortress after a siege. Tears poured out of her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. At that moment, she did not know whether they were out of happiness or sadness or both.
“Amelia…don’t cry…everything will be all right.” Jonathan reached out and took Amelia in his arms. He buried his nose in her hair, relishing her scent that emanated off her scalp. It was enough to sear his brain and make him forget her anguish. Reluctantly pulling his head away, he looked into her eyes, momentarily letting the pristine greenness therein captivate and distract him. “What ails you, sweeting?” he asked, looking concerned.
“It is just so magical to hold you again after having you presented to me at my father’s house a few weeks ago only to have you taken away again,” Amelia said, Wiping a few tears off her face.
“Is that not a good thing…I mean holding me?” asked Jonathan, looking a little worried.
She stroked his cheek. “Oh, yes, Jonathan…it is…the very best thing in the world.” Another sob stopped her in midsentence. “I just worry about the duel. It is in two days time. I don’t know if I can survive it. To see you facing my father, both of you with the intent to kill.”
Jonathan frowned. “I do not plan to kill your father.”
“What, but he will kill you, Jonathan.” Amelia couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Jonathan smiled at her wanly. “Leave it up to me.” He saw Chives and one of the footmen lurking by the doorway to the dining room carrying their bounty of food. “Amelia…” He looked into her eyes as if he were trying to cast open the portal to her soul. “No more worrying about the duel. It will take care of itself. I have not been with you for months. I crave your company, your laugh…everything that is Amelia. Please let us share a meal as if we didn’t have a care in the world.”
Amelia nodded. “You are right. I have been acting the petulant girl.” She straightened her posture and lifted her chin. “Let us forget and experience tonight for tomorrow life goes on,” she said, feeling the strength of old flow back to her. She knew then and there for certain that next to her sat a man who gave her strength and did not sap it.
“Here, here,” said Jake, raising his glass of wine. Next to him, Anna did the same.
Jonathan could not help smiling the entire time as he raised his glass in recognition of the toast. Only Amelia and he knew that something more profound had just passed between them. It was the test of adversity and the feeling of impending doom; people in love could either face it together or succumb to its power. That evening, they both faced it together, birthing hope that, spurred by the wings of a love shared, would take them to where they needed to go.
Chapter 30
The Day of the Duel – The Luncheon
London, England, October 1814
Jake and Jonathan had gotten up early the morning of the duel. It had been a night of very little sleep for Jonathan. Not so much because he had been nervous but even more so because he still thought of Amelia and the magical evening they had spent together a night ago. It was a memory he would cherish for the rest of his life. A memory that he prayed would one day turn into a life he hoped would last for far longer than just one day.
Jake had been a veritable friend, the brother he never had, for nobody had ever done anything like that for Jonathan before. The evening with Amelia had all been his doing. When Anna had informed him the morning of the dinner that Lady Felicity was recovering in her chambers from a severe bout of depression, and Sir Thomas was busy pursuing his business interests, Jake had asked Anna to persuade Amelia to join her that evening; an invitation she readily accepted.
The dinner had been planned from the first course to the very last. Jake had outdone himself. Even after all of the years of knowing him, Jonathan had no idea that he was such an epicurean. The wines and the food he had chosen had been meticulous to a fault.
More importantly, the mood had been light after Amelia had recovered from her small spell of anxiety. There was much laughter and great conversation, as if they were just two married couples enjoying a pleasant evening together and afterward, each couple would head home. It was a pleasant fiction that Jonathan prayed would one day turn into a reality.
It had ended far too soon. One moment, he and Amelia were holding hands in the drawing-room after dinner, and the very next, Amelia and Anna had to leave lest her father discover their absence. Jonathan could still feel the silky smoothness of her lips pressed against his when he thought about their parting kiss.
It was what he was thinking of at a little past noon, while sitting in a carriage on the way to Carlton House. Fortunately, the Indian summer still held sway over London. For the time of the year, it was very warm. It was nothing Jonathan was not used to after living in Virginia. He hoped Sir Thomas might find it stifling thus giving him a slight advantage. He would need all the help he could get because Sir Thomas was out to kill him no matter what duelling etiquette suggested.
