Page 69 of Dubious about the Duke (Second Sons of London 5)

Chapter Twenty-One

Win rose, eagerthat morning had finally come.

Today, he would ask Sera to marry him.

He wasn’t sure exactly where or how, only that it was a burning desire within him, much as he burned for her.

Part of him wanted her all to himself when he did so in order that he could kiss her senseless, both before and after his proposal. Another thought was to make it a family affair and ask her with Freddie and Charlie present, possibly even Percy and Minta. The boys and Percy were his family. What better way to ask Sera to join his family than with that very family surrounding them?

Still, Sera was a bit shy. Oh, she hadn’t been at all during her time at Woodbridge. Actually, she never had seemed so in his presence, save for when they first met on the London docks after she arrived from Upper Canada. From the minute they had gotten into his cousin’s carriage, Sera and he had talked. A lot. They never seemed to stop talking and never did run out of things to say. He had been foolish to think her shyness would keep her from being a wonderful duchess. In truth, it would make her a better one. Sera would never rush to judgment. She would observe and study and always see the best in people and in any given situation. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a playfulness about her that he supposed only her family realized that she possessed.

Win knew a jewel when he saw one. And Sera would be the crown jewel in the Cutler family. She would be the glue that held them together. The voice of reason that would help him to keep a cooler head. She would be a loving aunt to Charlie and Freddie and a wonderful partner to him in every way. His tenants would adore her.

And he would light the fire he knew dwelled inside her, helping it to spiral out of control. Sera was a passionate woman and would make for a perfect lover. They would explore the ways of love together and learn to satisfy one another. He grinned, thinking of how he would tease her and tempt her and make her cry out his name again and again before he brought her to a climax. He wanted her warm, curvaceous body against his every night as he fell asleep after they’d made love—and he planned to awaken her each morning doing the very same thing. Win realized he would never be able to get enough of the lovely Sera.

His duchess.

But how to ask her to be a part of him always?

He rang for Larson to help him dress and continued to debate the best time in his mind, finding advantages to both sides of a public and private proposal. The only disadvantage he thought with a public one would be if she turned him down. He couldn’t see that happening. Already, he knew she was attracted to him. Besides, she had fallen in love with his nephews and would be loath to leave them. Who would have thought that Freddie and Charlie might have been the catalyst that saw him win the woman he loved?

Larson finished shaving Win and then dressed him for the day. Win dismissed the valet and went to sit in the wing chair that overlooked the gardens. He remembered that Sera said she enjoyed gardening and wondered what her favorite flowers might be so that he could present them to her. He finally decided to offer for her this evening at dinner when the two of them were alone in the winter parlor. Farmwell would make certain they had their food and drink and then make himself scarce. Win believed Sera would appreciate a simple proposal versus one where he recruited the boys to take part.

She would make for a wonderful mother. Watching her with Freddie and Charlie told him as much. None of her habitual shyness was evident around the children and he couldn’t wait until they had their own. They would get plenty of parenting practice as they raised his nephews and the rest of their brood, which he hoped would be large and contain as many girls as boys.

Win chuckled aloud, remembering how not so very long ago he had wondered about his friends and cousin and their attitude regarding female children. Win, having had no sisters, had taken the traditional point of view in that female children were not all that important. It was the male heir and other sons who mattered most.

Now, however, he longed to see tiny auburn-haired girls who would sit in his lap, calling him Papa, begging him to tell them a story. They would be like Sera, beautiful and sweet and kind. Sera also had a core of steel which ran through her and he did not think many people knew of it, especially her twin. He had seen the surprised look on Minta’s face when Sera had insisted on going to Woodbridge with him immediately and not waiting. That steel would do her well as she ran their many households and helped to raise their children. Yes, he knew they would have the usual accoutrements of nannies, nursery governesses, and even governesses and tutors. He believed, however, that he and Sera—just like the Second Sons—would be actively involved in the raising of their children, unlike his parents. Win looked forward to meeting Sera’s parents and might even ask her father what it was like to raise girls.

He went downstairs to the breakfast room, where Farmwell told him that his correspondence and the post awaited him in his study. Win knew many men liked to go through the post during breakfast but he was not one of them. Instead, he would enjoy, in the future, talking with his amazing duchess as they dined. He did peruse the pages of the newspaper as he ate and then went to his study. Though he longed to go to the kitchens and witness the baking lesson as it unfolded, Win believed he would be a distraction to the boys and decided to stay put.

An hour later, he had changed his mind. He simply had to see Sera. Making his way to the kitchens and entering, he supposed he had visited them more times than any of the previous dukes combined. Cook barely arched a brow as he stepped into her domain.

He stood for a moment and studied his nephews. Sera was instructing them about dividing an apple and how different parts equaled others—quarters, halves, or wholes of the entire apple. She even allowed each of them to eat a slice in reward for a series of correct answers.

Finally, Win moved closer and Charlie saw him.

“Uncle Win!” the boy exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would come to see how your lesson was progressing,” he told them.

Freddie grinned. “It’s all about maths, Uncle Win, and measuring. I like maths.”

“Then you may have a future as a steward on one of my estates,” he told the small boy. “Mathematics is something used on a daily basis by a steward.”

“How many estates do you have?” Freddie asked.

“Woodbridge is the main one,” he explained, telling them how a duke had a country estate which served as his chief seat. “Most of my time is spent here but I also own four other country estates scattered about England and my London townhouse.”

“I bet it’s fancy,” Charlie said. “Woodbridge is fancy.”

“I have visited two of the other estates since I became the Duke of Woodmont,” he shared. “I will need to see the other two at some point. Perhaps you boys would care to travel with me.”

They agreed and he thought to himself that his honeymoon with Sera might consist of journeying to each of those four estates. He did not think she would mind the boys accompanying them. He would need to look into finding another governess for them soon, though. While Sera had done an outstanding job in that capacity, as his duchess, she would have many other responsibilities to attend to. Perhaps she might accompany him into London tomorrow morning in order to locate another governess. He was loath to go to the same employment agency since their two recommendations had proven to be such poor choices where his nephews were concerned. Sera might have a better idea of where to go or at least the right questions to ask of a potential employee.

She had not said a word since he arrived, allowing his nephews to do all the talking.

Wanting to include her in their conversation, he asked, “What are you making?”

---