Page 101 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

Duncan set down his glass and straightened up in his chair, “Lady Penelope and I have actually already discussed it, Mother. It's far too late now. It’ll be easier and better for everyone’s sakes for her to marry Glou-”

“In what sense exactly?” Mother folded her arms. “Are you afraid of causing a scandal for her? Since when did you care about such things, Duncan?”

“Well, that was one factor, yes, but also the pain of-” he looked down at his glass, “Gloushire is a much more... predictable partner. The risk of him hurting her is far lower than-”

“Next excuse, please.” Mother rolled her eyes. “Because I know you wouldneverhurt Lady Penelope, Duncan, no matter what other people may assume of you. Since when have you ever doubted your abilities, Duncan?”

“It's still too late,” Duncan insisted, his leg now bouncing from the tension. “It’s for the best anyway, like I said all those years ago, if should I die before her—or heavens forbid—vice versa, the pain would be completely unbearable anyway. I mean just look at what happened to you, even to Lady Punto-”

He cut himself off when he noticed Mother looking around the room.

“What are you looking for?” he raised an eyebrow.

“For a cane,” she retorted. “I have half a mind to smack your hands for being such a half-wit!” Mother shook her head. “Duncan, I will always thank Providence for giving me a son who took excellent care of me when your father died. But I fear that your focus on the pain has blinded you to all thejoythat your father gave me.”

“No, of course not. I just mean why open yourself up to the possibility in the first place? How can you feel the joy knowing that it will all eventually end in pain? That at any moment it could end?”

“I would do it again, you know,” his mother answered, adjusting her shawl as she turned to leave. “Losing your father was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but I would gladly endure it a thousand times over even for but a taste of the joy that we shared.”

His mother reached for the door handle, pausing to add, “The people we love, Duncan, arealwaysworth the risk of pain.”

* * *

Penelope kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, pleading with her legs to help carry her to the altar without causing a fuss. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see heads turn and skirts shift toward her as she walked down the aisle.

By some miracle, she somehow managed to ascend the steps and arrive at the altar to stand before Lord Gloushire, who silently welcomed her with a timid smile. As the priest began to speak, Penelope allowed her eyes to drift to the first row of pews where Lucy and Reggie sat in their Sunday best with their hands neatly folded on their laps.

This isn’t so bad...she soothed herself.In fact, this is actually rather nice. Yes, this could work as long as I-

“Penelope, don’t!” a booming voice echoed harshly across the chapel’s walls, “Don’t you dare!”

Penelope knew who it was even before she turned to look.

“Your Grace?” she whispered breathlessly as the familiar figure bolted down the aisle towards them, only sliding to a halt at the bottom of the altar’s stairs.

Necks craned and whispers and gasps rang out from their guests—including, Penelope noted, Graystone.

“Blackmoore!” exclaimed Lord Gloushire. “What the devil do you think you’re-”

“Shut it, Gloushire. I’m not here for you,” the duke panted, his hair a windswept mess a clear sign that he had ridden here on horseback rather than in a coach. “You can't marry him, Lady Pen.” His eyes looked up at her, “I- I was a coward and a fool, I see that now! Please,pleasedon’t marry him!”

Penelope’s lips quivered as her anger, happiness, and bewilderment coursed through her. “But you- Wh-What would I even-”

“Marry me.” The phrase fell from his lips almost as easily as the next one. “Marry me instead because I love you, Penelope.”

She suddenly found herself unable to breathe as her eyes began to well up. And yet the insufferable man kept going. “I'm selfish and stupid and utterly unworthy of you, but I do love you. And I’ve already royally botched everything between us, but if you’ll let me—if you’ll have me—I swear that I’ll spend every moment of the rest of our lives making it up to you. I’ll always-”

Penelope didn’t know when it happened, but she found herself practically leaping down the altar steps, where he immediately wrapped her up in his arms.

“Is that a yes?” he grinned, cocking an eyebrow up at her.

“You’re absolutely insufferable,” she huffed, landing a soft punch on his broad chest. “But yes, I love you to-”

Her confession is cut short abruptly with a kiss. And despite the uproar in the church filling her ears, Penelope can’t help but think this is certainly their best kiss yet.

EPILOGUE

Three months later

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