Page 51 of The Blind Duchess and Her Rakish Duke

“No?” he teased, pretending to be insulted. “And here I am, hoping that my wife would come and make this morning a more interesting one.”

“I could still do that,” she said mysteriously, tilting her head a little as she spoke. “Only not in the manner you are referring to, you naughty thing.”

“Oh, you know me so well,” he chuckled, feeling like a little boy who was caught by his stern governess doing something he was certainly not supposed to have been doing. But breaking the rules did have its benefits. “Now, do tell me more about this part where you make my morning more interesting, dove.”

She slid out of his embrace effortlessly, still smiling. “For that, you need to accompany me to the garden.”

“Have you already planted all the seeds I’ve gifted you?” he asked, shocked. The packages of assorted seeds he ordered kept coming by the dozens. He was hoping that they would keep her happily occupied for at least several months, not just three weeks.

“Almost,” she replied, “but it is not the garden itself I wish to show you. Now, do come.” She grabbed him by the hand. “Lest your tongue ruins the surprise.”

He grinned joyfully as his wife led him out of his study and down the stairs. He relished the sight of her walking so freely through her new home. To any casual observer, it would seem as if she grew up here and did not merely move here several months ago. A feeling of pride washed over him. Pride and joy. That was what she was to him.

He followed her out of the house, around it, and towards the small garden path, leading to the flower bed which was still devoid of any blossoms. Spring would arrive soon, and he was already eager to see what their garden would look like under the steady, loving hand of his wife. It would be heaven on earth although he already knew one place that felt like that— on the bed in his wife’s arms and lying next to her in the middle of the night.

“What is it you wish to show me, dove?” he asked, curious as he could not see anything different around him that he had not seen before.

“Patience, my love,” she teased. “All will be revealed soon.”

Finally, they stopped by a long row of trees. She urged him to turn around and face the house. He could still see nothing. Just a house, the empty post-winter garden which waited to bloom, and the loving hand of his wife on his elbow.

He turned to her then to his utter shock and surprise, she took off her right glove. She placed her thumb and index finger in the corners of her mouth and whistled loudly. His jaw dropped at the sound.

“Don’t look at me,” she said cleverly. “It will come from the house.”

Somehow, she could not see, yet she always knew when his gaze was focused on her as it was now. Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from her. In the distance, he noticed something. A small figure on four legs, rushing over to them. It was running faster and faster, its legs cutting the distance that separated them.

“Is that a…” He could not finish the sentence. He was overwhelmed by emotion.

The dog reached them quickly enough. Bridget offered her open palm to the large canine, and his tongue lapped at her fingers joyfully.

“Is it nice to see you, too, boy,” she chuckled. “Why don’t you two get acquainted now?”

Joseph dropped down to his knees, unable to stop smiling. He felt as if he already knew this dog, and it was obvious that the dog felt the same. As if there was a bond between them already established, and now they had just come together after a long time of being separated.

“I can’t believe it,” Joseph managed to muster, patting the dogs head. “He looks just like Bruno. How… how did you know he was a mastiff?”

“Your mother told me,” Bridget explained, touching the air around her to get closer to the hound. “I wanted to do something special for you, to help mend your broken heart.”

“You already did that, dove,” he said, feeling undeserving of such a woman. “I wish I could do something for you as well, gift you something that would mean as much to you as this dog means to me.”

“You have already given me the greatest gift a man could ever give to a woman.” She smiled even more mysteriously now then she pressed her hand to her belly. “We are going to have a baby, Joseph.”

He could not be more surprised even if he saw a flock of pigs fly just above his head. The thought fell upon him hard, incredulous. How could he possibly deserve so much happiness?

“Is it… is it true?” he stuttered. “Are you certain?”

Of course, she was certain,a little voice inside of him reprimanded. Women always knew these things.

A whirlwind of more questions rose inside his mind, but none of them were formed aloud. The last thing he wanted to do was burden her with questions. These two were enough for now. These two would be enough to make sense of this knot of emotions he was feeling. The thrill. The fear. The excitement. The concern. They were all there. But most of all, love conquered them all. Love for that little unborn babe, an amalgamation of himself and the woman he loved more than life itself.

“Yes, my love,” she assured him. “I missed my courses which in all honesty should not come as a surprise.” She continued to tease him, the minx.

It most certainly did not come as a surprise. He could barely keep his hands off of her. He needed her every day, every morning, every night, without omission. It was stronger than reason this need, and all he could do was yield to it.

“Are you happy?” she whispered, bringing him back to the present moment.

“Happy?” he echoed, cupping her face with his open palms and bringing her to his lips. “I have never been happier in my life!”

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