Page 98 of The Viscount's Unwanted Bride
“Absolutely.”
They made their way outside. Nicholas headed to the stables, while Kate and Theo wandered through the rose gardens. Theyweren’t in full bloom yet, but the roses were starting to show signs of life.
When they reached the end of the garden, Kate stopped and took Theo’s hands. He gazed down at her, his head cocked to the side, waiting for whatever it was she wanted to say.
Kate glanced down, then straightened her back and raised her chin. “I would like to paint a portrait of you and Nicholas together.”
He raised an eyebrow. Whatever he’d expected her to say, it certainly wasn’t that. “What brought this on?”
“I think it’s a shame that you don’t have any paintings of the both of you together to display just because of your resemblance. I know you’re reluctant to be seen together because of your mother’s worries about being excluded from society if they discovered her lie, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a likeness of you even if it’s only kept privately within the family?”
Actually… it would be.
Theo had never much thought about the lack of any portraits of him and Nicholas together, but he supposed most families with children of their age would have at least one family portrait. They’d missed out on that. The dining hall featured a portrait of him, and there was one of Nicholas in the library—painted while his hair was longer and his face was bearded—but there were none of them standing side by side as brothers ought to.
Now that he considered it, he and Nicholas were close. They cared for each other deeply. The lack of a portrait of the two of them felt wrong.
“You’re right,” he said, bending to kiss the tip of her nose. “But please be careful not to overdo things while you’re carrying our child.”
The corners of her lips lifted. “I won’t. Nothing is more important to me than her or him.”
He knew she was telling the truth. While she had made a foolish decision that day she had found out about Nicholas and the role he’d played in their relationship, she’d taken care not to repeat her mistake.
That said, she’d told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t spending the rest of her pregnancy cooped up in her bedchamber. She would be sensible, but didn’t want to be treated as if she was fragile, and he respected that.
They wandered in the garden for a while longer, breathing in the scent of grass and country air.
An hour or so after they returned inside, Nicholas strode into the drawing room, where Theo was revising a verse about the way the gray of Kate’s eyes changed from silver to slate to pale like fog depending on her mood. Meanwhile, Kate was making notes about how large the portrait of the brothers ought to be.
“Nicholas,” Kate called, glancing up from her paper. “Would you be willing to sit for a portrait with Theo?”
Nicholas stopped in his tracks. His mouth fell open, and he snapped it closed. He stared at her for a long moment and then, to Theo’s utter shock, his dark eyes gleamed with tears. All of a sudden, he became animated.
“I would be delighted to,” he exclaimed. “What did you have in mind? Shall I strike a pose? When will we begin?”
Theo stared at his brother, caught off guard by his enthusiasm. It hadn’t occurred to him exactly how much this acknowledgement of their relationship might mean to Nicholas. In her typical, perceptive way, Kate had noticed what he hadn’t and had sought to rectify it.
While Nicholas started debating the merits of posing in different rooms of the house, apparently without the need for any input from either of them, Theo went over to Kate and cupped her face in his hands.
“You are wonderful,” he told her, grazing her lips with his. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
He hadn’t even realized exactly how much was missing from his life until she showed him. Fortunately, he never planned to let her go again, so he would never have to return to his lonely, cold existence without her.
She gave a little shrug. “I’m the lucky one. If I hadn’t seen you outside the tailor one autumn day, then I might not have spoken to Nicholas at the Wembley ball, and we might never have even met. I like to think everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to do.”
He kissed her. “I love your romantic streak.”
She crinkled her nose and kissed him back. “I just love you.”
He grinned. Yes, he was a lucky man indeed.
EPILOGUE
Oxfordshire
August 1823
“Breathe through the pain,”Theo urged, grabbing Kate’s hand.
