Page 128 of Sloth: The Fallen Earl
“Mind you,” he said gently, scooching over to join her so their shoulders touched. “This is a good thing, you know. Right?”
She managed to nod. “I know.”
She knew and yet, at the same time, she did not. She knew no such thing. Here, she and Benedict existed on the fringe of the world in a universe that included only the two of them. The minute she became officially betrothed to him and they became husband and wife, the whole world would suck them back in. There’d be balls and soirees and gatherings in which she’d be upon his arm, earning questioning looks as to why the most sought-after bachelor, the Earl of Wakefield, should have married beneath him to an Alby girl. They’d receive invitationsto all the most coveted events of the Season, only because Benedict’s presence would be desired, and she’d come along as more of an afterthought and only because of who her husband was.
“Nothing has to change, Cressida,” he said quietly.
“Everything is going to have to change. You know that, Benedict.”
It was funny how it was possible to both love and hate that he should know her innermost thoughts.
“We can carry on as we have, just in my official holdings.”
“But I like your staff. They’ve become like my family.”
“Then we can bring them.”
Her lower lip trembled. How easily he sought to soothe her and solve whatever problems she brought to him. He’d move an entire staff to another location and find a home for them there, just so that they might be with her.
“We can spend time in the country, Cressida.”
“Yes, but your business is here. You have a seat in Parliament.”
The reality awaiting them, more specifically her, sent her careening.
“And there’ll be gossip, and there’ll be whispers, and there’ll be talk that you’ve never before encountered.”
“I assure you, Cressida,” he said lightly, “I’ve faced plenty of gossip.”
“Yes, but never because of anything you’ve done. Only because of who your father was.”
“Just as you’ve been treated unfairly and unkindly because of who your brother is. It’s really not different, Cressida,” he said, so simply she could almost believe him.
“It’s not the same, and you know it. I was born in the country. I wasn’t a lady. I’ve never been a lady. At best, I’ve been a lady by country standards.”
He touched a hand to her lips, “It’s going to be all right, Cressida. I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s going to be easy. It’s not. I understand that, and I understand the reason for your fears, but I am here. I am with you. I will stand beside you, and we will brave all of that together. And you’ll find your way. And thetonare going to see, at last, who you truly are, Cressida.”
“Who is that?” she said almost bitterly, and yet she felt far warmer by the assurances he gave and the confidence with which he spoke.
“You are a woman who is bloody fearless and courageous, and you’re capable in ways that most men are not, let alone women. You are a queen among mere mortals. You are a goddess. And do not let every person who is lesser than you, in every way, make you doubt your self-worth. Do you understand me?”
Tears filled her eyes, and Cressida nodded.
“I do,” she said, and somehow, she did. In the time they’d been together, he’d helped her to see herself and believe in herself in ways she never had, not even before her parents’ passing.
“And we aren’t going to be alone in this either, Cressida. I have friends. Powerful ones. I have family, good, kind family—my sisters, their husbands, and their children. They will all stand beside us.”
“Us,” she murmured softly to herself.
“Yes, that’s right. Us. You’re not alone anymore. You have me. We have each other.”
They had each other. Just like that, all the fear dissipated. All the dread and horror about what was to come next vanished. And as they settled in to work in the gardens, Cressida found a peace like none other.
Epilogue
London, England
One fortnight later
