Page 100 of His Forbidden Duchess
“Thank you,” Eloise said, her voice breaking as she returned her mother’s embrace.
Lady Danridge’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “From this moment forward, I promise to be the mother you always needed, the mother I should have been all along—to both of you.”
“You have been the glue that held this family together, Eloise,” Jeremy said. “Felix was right to choose you. We should have all seen it sooner.”
“All right,” Eloise said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Let us not go overboard. You both always were keen on theatrics.”
Jeremy laughed. “It is only what you deserve to know.”
Eloise swallowed back her emotion, overwhelmed by the weight of her family’s words.
For the first time she felt truly seen, appreciated not only as a dutiful daughter or a reliable sister but as a woman in her own right—capable and strong, respected, and loved.
“Well, now that this has all been sorted,” Lady Danridge said with a brightness that made Eloise laugh, “shall we call for tea? Shall I play mother and pour?”
“Did someone mention tea?”
Felix’s voice drifted from the doorway. Eloise’s face lit up, and she rose from her chair, crossing the room to take his hand. She pulled him gently toward her family, her smile both welcoming and proud.
“Yes, it is high time for tea,” she said, her voice filled with warmth. “Come and sit with us.”
He looked at her questioningly, clearly surprised to see her family there. Eloise nodded softly, a quiet reassurance that all was well.
“In that case,” Felix said, “we had best order some cake as well.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“It has been overwhelming, has it not? So much all at once. I will be honest, I was expecting to sign the marriage papers and then barely see you again. I had not expected all this,” Felix reached for her hand, his fingertips brushing against hers as he looked at her with a gentle smile.
Later that night, with the house wrapped in quiet, Felix and Eloise found themselves alone.
The fire crackled softly in the drawing room, casting a warm glow that softened the edges of the day’s emotions, but they both still felt the aftershock of everything that had happened.
Eloise nodded, letting out a breath that seemed to carry the last of her lingering tension. “I do not believe that I have yet caught up with everything myself,” she admitted softly. “There is a part of me that is still…”
She trailed off, biting her lip as she glanced at him, uncertain but wanting.
It had been too long since he had touched her—touched her properly—but she didn’t know how to ask for what she desired.
He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss to her fingers.
“You are here, and I am with you, and that is all that matters to me.” He smiled, his eyes glinting mischievously. “But now that you are my wife—my wife in every way—I do think you should spend far more time in my chambers than in your own. Do you agree?”
Eloise’s cheeks flushed while she considered his invitation, her eyes moving from his face to the floor.
“Are you not…upsetby it all?” she asked.
Felix’s hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing a gentle line along her jaw.
“Upset?” he murmured, his voice soft, almost reverent. “Eloise, of course, I am not upset. I am only relieved that I returned home in time. I am beyond grateful to have you here beside me. I love you.”
She huffed and squirmed in her seat. As beautiful as his words were, as much as they warmed her heart, that was not what she had meant at all.
“No,” she whispered, “I do not think you quite understand.” She hesitated, her gaze dropping before she continued, just as he had taught her all those months before. “I think… well, I believe I have been a rather bad girl, Felix. And I know there are…consequencesto my actions.”
A slow smile spread across his face, his brows arching in mock surprise.
“Ah, so youdoacknowledge that you have… misbehaved?” he said. He sat back just enough to look her over, his eyes darkening with the growing intensity of his hunger. “Now that you mention it, I do feelquiteprovoked.”
