Page 47 of The Wallflower's Choice
“Well, out of all that I had thought you might say, that was not something I had anticipated!”
Shame burned into Prudence’s heart.
“But if I were to tell you all of my past wrongdoings, then I can assure you, you would feel as though you were nothing but an angel,” he continued, turning his head towards her as a smile pulled at his lips. “Thank you for telling me, Lady Prudence. I am grateful to know of it.”
She blinked at him.
“That… that is all that you are going to say?”
Lord Childers’ eyebrows lifted.
“Is there something else that you shouldlikeme to say to you?”
Utterly astonished, Prudence stared at him for a long moment, no longer walking but simply standing by his side, gazing up into his face and seeing that it was just as he said. He had no anger, no upset, and certainly nothing that would express any sort of discontent. Rather, there was a hint of a smile at the edge of his lips and a softness about his eyes which she had never once expected to see.
“I – I do not understand,” she whispered, tears of gratitude in her eyes. “I was sure that you would turn away from me, that even though you might be true to your word and marry me still, you would look at me in a very different light.”
Lord Childers shrugged his shoulders again.
“It is not as severe as you might think, Lady Prudence. It is not as though I can dare to hold anything against you either, given my past!” Smiling down into her eyes, he took in a long breath and then lifted her hand to press it to his lips. A gentle kiss settled there, and Prudence’s heart warmed, her whole body free now of the worry and the anxiety that had tied itself around her for the last few days.
“There now,” he murmured, tilting his head to look at her. “It is all out in open now, is it not? There is nothing that you need to worry about any longer. We will marry, we will live at my estate, and I shall give you all of my time, attention, and devotion, proving to you that I truly am a reformed rogue.”
“I already am convinced of that,” she breathed, wishing desperately that her mother was not nearby and that they were somewhere alone simply so that she might throw herself into his arms. “I trust you, Lord Childers, truly. My heart is overwhelmed by all that you have offered me, by all that you havegivenme, and I cannot help but be grateful for it.”
“As I am grateful for you!” he exclaimed, stepping a little closer. “The only reason I have changed, the only reason I have turned from my previous ways is because of you. You have captured me, Prudence. You have captured meutterlyand I cannot imagine being without you by my side.”
“But what if Lord Kingshill speaks of this to everyone? What if thetonbelieve him?”
Lord Childers smiled.
“What should that matter to us? We are contented, are we not? We will find happiness and joy at our estate and, intime, whatever Lord Kingshill chooses to say will be forgotten. Though,” he continued, a grin creeping up one side of his mouth, “I do believe that after all that you said, thetonwill be all the less likely to listen to him! You did well there, Prudence.”
“I thank you.”
With a nod, Lord Childers turned, and they began to walk again, though Prudence let out a long, contented sigh of relief as she did so. The air smelled sweeter, the sky seemed lighter, and the sun even warmer than before, and all because she had told Lord Childers everything. He had accepted her regardless, had not held anything against her, and now, all there was in her future was hope and happiness. She could barely take it in.
“Oh!” She stopped dead, turning to look at Lord Childers, her eyes wide. “There is something else I forgot to tell you about.”
Lord Childers blew out a breath and ran one hand over his forehead.
“Really? What can it be?”
Blushing, Prudence waved one hand vaguely.
“It is nothing overly serious, I suppose. It is only to say that the gentleman I thought to capture, the one that I thought to marry? He is now wed to my sister.” At this, Lord Childers mouth fell open, and Prudence could not help but laugh. After a moment, he began to laugh with her, though there was evident relief in his expression as he did so. “There is nothing more, I assure you!” she cried, as she slipped her hand through his arm so they might walk arm in arm for a time. “That is all that I have to say.”
“I will not pretend that I am not both surprised and relieved!” Lord Childers chuckled, leaning into her just a little as they walked together again. “But if you are sure that you did not ever have a small amount of feeling for him, then–”
“I have never once felt anything for Lord Newling, I assure you,” Prudence interrupted, her heart quickening suddenly asshe looked up into his eyes again. “The only gentleman that I have ever considered in such a way, the only one who has ever affected my heart in that particular manner is… well, it is you, Lord Childers.”
The smile that spread across his face now shone light into his eyes and made Prudence’s heart sing with happiness.
“You have brought about the same feelings within my own heart, Prudence,” he told her, softly. “And I am certain that, by the time we marry, it shall overflow with both affection and love.”
Epilogue
“And so, we are wed!”
