Page 104 of Dare to Love a Duke
“We are. In every way.” His gaze was the home she’d been seeking all her days. “What anyone says or feels, that doesn’t matter. All that matters is you and me. Please. I need you in my life.”
“I...”
He took so many chances for her. Risked everything—for her. Surely she could do the same. Surely love meant the possibility of devastation but also the prospect of measureless joy.
“Sì,” she finally said. “Ti amo.‘I love you.’ Yes.”
His throat worked as he swallowed, and his heart shone from his eyes.
The crowd had grown to include many girls in pinafores, Mary amongst their number, and several women Lucia took to be teachers. At the very back of the throng, Lucia spotted Kitty, Elspeth, and Liam. Her family.
“Hold out your hand, dear,” Lady Maeve saidsotto voce.
Lucia did so, and Tom took her bare hand in his. Warmth cascaded through her as he slid the ring onto her finger.
The onlookers broke into applause.
Tom’s face lit with happiness, and her heart pounded in response. Still holding her hand, his gaze lingered on her mouth.
“Later,” she whispered.
“And all the days and years after,” he said.
Epilogue
Lucia barely felt the midnight chill as she stood on Newcombe’s high street. She waited with the Duchess of Greyland and the Earl and Countess of Blakemere as Tom and the duke completed their New Year’s duties here in the snug Cornish village.
Holiday visitors strolled along the lantern-lit streets, and laughter tumbled out of the taproom and restaurants. Up the hill, lights blazed in the windows of the veterans’ home as the men celebrated the turning of the year. Hard to believe that not long ago, this town had been hovering at the edge of disaster, reliant on smuggling to keep its villagers housed and fed. At supper, in the newly refurbished manor house on the hill, the countess had proudly announced that the hotels were at capacity, regardless of the trouble associated with winter travel.
And, in keeping with the holiday’s tradition, Tom and the Duke of Greyland crossed the threshold of every villager’s home.
“Don’t see the good luck in a dark-haired man stomping through your door,” the blond earl grumbled good-naturedly. “Everyone knows you can’t trust blokes like that. Shifty. Underhanded.”
The duchess laughed. “No one would ever use those words to describe Alex. Me, perhaps,” she acknowledged, “but never my husband.”
“Wasn’t precisely an upstanding citizen, myself,” the countess said wryly.
“None of our husbands married women of sterling morals,” Lucia said, shifting the basket she carried. It was a chance, bringing its contents along as she and Tom accompanied his friends on a midnight ramble through the village. Yet if there was any group of people who’d appreciate her offering, it was this assembly.
“Perhaps therein lies the secret to happiness,” the earl said, beaming down at his wife. “Wed a woman of suspect character, keep the passion alive.”
The countess rested her head on her husband’s shoulder. “It helps to take a rogue as a husband.”
Tom and the duke appeared, and while Greyland scowled without ire, Tom smiled warmly. Both he and the duke immediately went to their respective wives.
“Greyland and I earned our wine tonight bringing everyone coal, bread, and coins.” Tom wrapped an arm around Lucia’s waist to draw her close.
“Surprised you’re not drunk on kisses,” Greyland muttered, though a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “All the ladies of the house insisted it was good luck to give you a buss on the cheek.”
“They would’ve kissed you, too,” Tom said, “but you’re so bloody ducal, they were intimidated.”
“Poor, imperious duke,” the Duchess of Greyland cooed. She patted her husband’s arm. “Later, I’ll give you all the kisses you didn’t get.”
“Why wait?” Greyland swept her into his arms and pressed his mouth to hers.
Tom, Lucia, and the others hooted. The duke, without breaking the kiss, threw them a rude gesture.
Lucia clapped, all the while conscious of the letter in her pocket. She intended to share its contents with Tom anon. Though Kitty had been careful to keep any potentially scandalous elements from the missive, in case it should fall into the wrong hands, she’d reported that under her and Elspeth’s leadership, the Lily Club had become the city’s latest sensation.
