Page 70 of Disguised Desires of a Scarred Duke
Eleanor was in tears when she looked back towards Anthony and nodded.
He winked at her and cleared his throat.
“Despite the shock I’m sure you’re all experiencing, we do have good news to share. It is with great pleasure that I announce my engagement to Lady Eleanor Whitfield, who graciously accepted my hasty marriage proposal behind this church about an hour ago. I promise you a better one soon, my love.”
Anthony paused to gaze at Eleanor, then continued. His dark eyes had never shone brighter.
“Our wedding will be hosted by the Earl of St Coeur at the Whitfield family estate next month. Your invitations will arrive soon. We look forward to celebrating our love with you and yours. Well, except for you, Mr Phillips. We’ll need you to skip this particular event. We hope you understand.”
Nobody dared laugh, but Eleanor detected some infectious smiles growing wider around the room.
“Lady Whitfield, we hope that time will heal these wounds between us so that we can welcome you into the family once again. I assume you will agree that there is much work to be done before that is possible. However, as a first step in that direction, we’d like to invite you to our wedding if you will do one small thing first. I need you to apologize to Lady Eleanor for all you have done to use her as a pawn in your loveless scheme. That apology needs to happen now, in front of the guests in this room,” Anthony said.
Margaret’s stony stare began to sag into sadness as her eyes grew watery. “I only ever wanted the best for my daughters. They deserved better than what their father left us.Ideserve a better life than this.”
Her voice was barely louder than a whimper, but Eleanor heard it from a few feet away.
“And I deserved a mother who sincerely loved me, Lady Whitfield. Maybe we can help each other feel better about all of this someday.”
Lady Whitfield lifted her chin and looked down her nose at Eleanor. Then she stormed out of the church as her shocked guests watched her go.
With mixed emotions, Eleanor sighed. It was the reaction she’d expected from her stepmother, but it stung all the same.
When Eleanor spotted Cecil again, he was slowly crawling out the back door on his hands and knees. He would soon learn that a constable was waiting out back to arrest him on the spot.
“I guess that does it then, my love. Do you have anything to add?” Anthony asked.
Eleanor walked up to the duke and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Take me home now, Your Grace. We have arealwedding to plan.”
Anthony grinned, then mounted his horse and pulled Eleanor up to sit in front of him. She laughed at how dramatic this all felt, but it also seemed like a fitting close to a crazy courtship.
The applause grew louder as the couple rode easily through the massive front church doors and headed for the St Clair townhouse. There, they would join Regina, Anthony’s mother, Cousin Harrison, and Edward for an intimate celebration of their engagement.
When they arrived, the house was full of good food and good cheer. The many guest rooms had already been assigned, so Eleanor excused herself to freshen up in hers before dinner.
Just when she thought all the tears of this day had been shed, she opened her door to find her mother’s gold-framed mirror hanging on the wall above the washstand.
Anthony’s loving voice filled her ear as his arms encircled her waist in the doorway.
“Never again will anyone steal what’s rightly yours, Elle. I promise you that.”
Eleanor twirled around and wrapped her arms around the pirate of her dreams.
“I love you, Captain St Clair. Thank you for being the only gift I’ll ever need again.”
Epilogue
The Duke and Duchess of Ashbourn enjoyed a beautiful, intimate wedding with their family and friends in attendance. Even Georgie, the Dowager Duchess’ Scottish terrier, had a grand time running through the gardens behind the St Coeur country home.
William couldn’t take his eyes off his bride when they danced to her favourite country dances after becoming husband and wife.
Yet it was their first night in their marriage bed that he looked forward to the most. It felt like ages since they’d made love. His desire for her had become unbearably hard to contain.
So, when they finally were alone together in their shared bedroom, William began peeling away his clothes before they’d closed the door.
“Your Grace, what’s the rush? We have a lifetime of romps ahead of us, do we not?” Eleanor’s eyes twinkled while she slowly pulled a white satin ribbon from her hair.
“Don’t play with me, Duchess. I’m a man with a mission, and that mission is you.”
