Page 78 of The Undesirable Duke
“Lady Welsford, I do feel as though I owe you an apology as well. I am well aware that you only wish for your daughter’s happiness, but I can assure you that I do as well. And I apologize for any discomfort or ill feelings I have caused during my stay in London.”
“That is alright, Your Grace. Perhaps I judged you rather hastily and acted rashly because of my fear for Lillian’s reputation. As well as the reputation of my family,” Lady Welsford spoke with care. “I do hope that Your Grace understands why I acted the way that I did, although I must apologize if I offended Your Grace in any manner.”
Samuel smiled and shifted his weight from one side to the other.
“My Lady, all is well. You were protecting your family, and anyone in your position would have done the same. I do not place any blame on you at all. It showed me that you love your family so much that you are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect them. That is a wonderful trait to have, my Lady. And I am in awe of you. That is certainly where we are similar. I am also willing to do anything for the people I love.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Lady Welsford smiled gratefully. “And I am sorry for the things that I said to you, and the way that I treated you.”
“Do not fret. All is well, my Lady. I am merely thankful that this terrible situation is now behind us, and we can move forward to a better time, and one assuredly more joyous.”
“Indeed,” Lord Timothy agreed.
“You are not upset, my friend, that I have feelings for your sister?” Samuel inquired.
Lord Timothy gazed at him, a perplexed expression on his face.
“Why on earth would I be upset?”
“You and I have been friends a long while, and we promised one another that we would not allow anything to influence our friendship. Even through the years where we were apart and only able to keep in contact with letters, our friendship remained perfectly intact, as though we had never been apart from one another.”
“Yarmouth, there is no one on this earth who I trust more than you. It is true; we have been friends for a long while. We stood by one another’s side at Oxford and have done so ever since. You are the best person I know, and I wish only for your happiness. I see the way that Lillian gazes upon you, and ever since you met her, there has been a sparkle in your eyes that I have never seen before. But it gladdens my heart to see you happy, and please believe me when I say this. There is no better man for my sister than you, and there is no better woman for you than my sister.”
Samuel grinned happily, touched deeply by his best friend’s words. He had never been praised as highly as Lord Timothy had just praised him, and he was truly grateful that he had a friend like Lord Timothy in his life.
“Your words mean the world to me, Colborne.”
“And I trust that I will not be required to keep you in line.”
“You will not. Your sister will gladly do that on everyone’s behalf.”
“Your Grace?”
The sound of Lady Lillian’s voice immediately caught Samuel’s attention, and he turned towards her.
“Lady Lillian.”
Her smile was bright and intoxicating, and Samuel could not stop himself from gazing upon her with awe and love.
“Does this mean that you will not be returning to Cornwall?” she asked with bright eyes.
“Not for the time being, Lady Lillian. As planned, I look forward to spending Christmas with you and your family.”
Lillian’s face lit up with joy, and he took her hand, squeezing it lightly.
Upon his arrival in London a fortnight ago, he would have never anticipated that, even as he went about finding the writer of the derogatory article, he would also find the love of his life.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The cold air blew lightly at Lillian as she and her parents, along with Timothy, stepped out of the Abbey after the service on Christmas morning. The Colborne family had attended the service together, which was not a common occurrence, but given the events of late, the family had grown closer. Some might think that such scandalous things would tear a family apart, but their tolerance for one another was impressive. Luckily, Lord Welsford was rather skilled at being the peacemaker in the family. Even Lillian and her mother had spent much time speaking to one another, and things were well between them.
They were dressed warmly in winter coats, and Lillian’s hands were wrapped in her favorite fur muff, keeping the cold at bay. After the family greeted acquaintances, they made their way to their coach, as they did not wish to engage in any gossip. They had certainly had a more than large enough share of gossip to last them the rest of the year and well into Spring.
“Lillian, I was under the impression that the Duke would join us this morning,” Lady Welsford said with a questioning glance, although there was nothing malicious about her statement.
Much to Lillian and everyone else’s surprise, Lady Welsford had warmed up to the Duke over the past few days, and it was such a relief to Lillian. She could not have borne it if her mother had continued to disapprove of the man who courted her, and who she was smitten with. Of course, the Duke had done his part to impress her mother, and he continued to flatter her for the tiniest of things, which Lady Welsford found most enjoyable. Any woman would feel flattered and flustered if a man such as the Duke were to hand out so many compliments. Of course, these compliments were all sincere, which made it even more endearing to Lillian who had previously worried that her mother would never truly accept the Duke. She was pleasantly surprised by how rapidly her mother had progressed from barely tolerating the Duke for the sake of Timothy, to growing fond of him, and more so with every day that passed.
As they walked to their coach, Lillian gazed at her mother.
