Page 71 of The Duke's Last Dance
He led her into the lavish gardens of Camberton Manor. They did not say anything underneath the glittering moonlight. A soft chill filled the air, but Catherine said nothing about it. She wanted to believe it was goosebumps from finally realizing that she loved Nicolas and that she was not going to let him go any time soon. Or ever, if she could help it.
He took her to the water fountain. She remembered when he would do this when they were children. He often handed her a shilling and told her…
“Make a wish, Catherine,” he said, startling her out of her thoughts.
She looked at him, and there, in his other hand, was a shilling. She smiled a little, taking the shilling.
She threw it into the fountain, and then, she watched as it made a satisfying plop and ripples in the water. Her wish, hidden in her heart, was that she would never lose Nicolas again. She wanted to know that he was going to give her everything he had, whether he was with her or not at the moment.
She wanted a relationship where she knew that he was going to remain faithful, regardless of who was around him and who wanted his attention in that way. She wanted to know that it was only ever going to be a question of what she wanted from him, and not what the other women in the room wanted from him.
She turned to Nicolas again.
“It’s your turn, Nicolas. Make a wish.” She smiled at him.
He did not look into his pocket for another shilling. Instead, he smiled back at her.
“My wish has already come true, Catherine,” he said, pulling her closer.
She could feel his arm around her waist, and she put an arm around his neck. He didn’t stop pulling her to him until she was almost right against his body, and then he put his other hand under her chin.
She thought of the moment he had done this in Vauxhall Gardens, and she knew what he was going to do now. She welcomed the thought, and smiled as he pulled her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes.
He leaned down, and then, his lips were on hers. He kissed her passionately there under the moonlight, glittering on the surface of the water and against his skin. She kissed him back just as passionately, knowing with all her heart that this was the man she wanted to marry. This was the man.
He knew all the wishes of her heart, and she knew as they kissed that he had forgiven her for everything that had happened earlier that evening.
He pulled away softly, resting his forehead against hers.
“I love you, Lady Catherine,” he whispered. “My wish is to be with you forever and always. Only you.”
She felt her cheeks heating up, but she could only nod. Her wish was the same.
They stayed, arm in arm, until Catherine shivered.
“Come on. You ought to go inside and get some sleep. You’ll catch cold out here,” he finally said.
She nodded slowly, and they walked inside.
The next morning, Catherine woke up and got ready as she normally did. Miss Amelia helped her into a breakfast gown, and then she walked downstairs. However, no one was in the dining hall when she entered it. This, she found odd.
It was well past time for everyone to be awake and getting ready for breakfast. If anything, she should have been the last to arrive for breakfast.
“Catherine! There you are.” Her mother finally entered the room. “Breakfast has been delayed. Would you like to join us in the sitting room?”
“The sitting room? I thought it prudent to wait here.” Catherine furrowed her eyebrows.
This was odd. Why wait in the sitting room?
“Yes, the sitting room. ‘Twill be a while,” her mother said. “You could work on your water painting.”
That did sound like a good idea to Catherine.
So, she followed her mother into the sitting room. However, when they arrived, she found that her father was not alone. Lord Lockhart sat in the room, as did the Countess of Ashwood.
“I was not aware we had guests; I should have been informed. I would have put on a more appropriate dress,” she said. Her cheeks colored softly knowing that she was dressed for breakfast and everyone else was dressed as if breakfast had already happened.
“Do not be embarrassed, Catherine,” Nicolas said. “You look wonderful in whatever you decide to wear.”
