Page 58 of Tempting a Lonely Lord
“It has been our pleasure to join you. And our friendship is readily given,” Lucas said.
“Thank you,” Stephen said to the room.
William studied him carefully, noting how he gripped the back of his chair as if grounding himself. Gone was the reckless man who had squandered opportunities and left his family to mend his failures. Tonight, Stephen appeared different—burdened by his past but finally ready to take responsibility.
“I invited you all here tonight to offer my sincerest apologies and to clear up any misunderstandings.” He hesitated, his gaze sweeping the room before he exhaled. “The blame for our family’s entanglement with the dreadful Baron Darkmoor lies with me.”
At the mention of the baron, William’s jaw tightened. His gaze flicked to Bella. She sat in composed silence, her hands gently clasped in her lap, but he caught the slight curl of her fingers—an unconscious sign of tension.
Stephen continued, his voice steady but edged with regret. “I wallowed in self-pity, resenting my brother’s successes instead of standing beside him. And in my weakness, I made choices that put us all in danger.”
William already knew all of this. Stephen had confessed his mistakes to him days ago when it was just the two of them. But this—standing before the gathered room, exposing his faults for all to see—was something else entirely. A man who had spent years avoiding responsibility was now owning his failures.
But William wasn’t thinking about Stephen.
He was thinking about Bella.
She had already forgiven Stephen. She had already moved past the betrayal. But that didn’t erase what had happened. She had been through an ordeal—one that still lingered in the unspoken spaces between them.
At the village fête, Baron Darkmoor had nearly taken her. If not for Harriett’s quick thinking, Bella would have been lost to them. And the baron—damn him—had escaped.
Guilt gnawed at William. He hadn’t been there. Instead, he had been on the windswept shore, stopping the smugglers and rescuing a dozen helpless children. He had done what needed to be done, but that didn’t change the truth—he hadn’t been there for her.
Across the room, Bella lifted her gaze, meeting his.
His breath caught.
There was no anger in her expression, no blame. Just quiet understanding. And something deeper—something that made his chest tighten.
Love.
It was there. He could feel it, as surely as he felt the weight of his own feelings for her.
Whatever words Stephen spoke next faded into a dull hum in William’s ears. Nothing mattered in that moment except the woman across the room. The woman who had nearly been taken from him.
The woman he would never—couldnever—let go.
Stephen continued, recounting everything that had transpired with Baron Darkmoor and the role his mother had played in helping him. His voice remained steady, though the weight of his words settled heavily over the room.
Around the table, several people drew in a deep breath, the tension palpable. The enormity of what had happened—ofwhat had nearly happened—hung between them like a storm that had barely passed.
Stephen turned to his mother. “I cannot thank you enough, Mother. I love you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion as he embraced her.
Grandmama clung to her son, tightening her arms around him as she dabbed at the tears gathering in her eyes. “Oh, my dear boy,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
For all that had been lost, for all the pain that had been endured, in that moment, something had been mended.
William smiled. “It seems this is the perfect moment to reveal my own secret, Bella.”
He watched as curiosity flickered in her eyes.
“When you visited Cliffton Abbey, you noticed a rather pungent perfume on me—one, I assure you, I did not enjoy.” His lips quirked, but his tone remained serious. “What you didn’t know was that the night before, I had gone undercover. I was following your uncle, trying to piece together what was happening in town.”
Bella’s expression shifted, but she remained silent, listening.
“Though I resigned from actively working with the Crown, I still have my connections. That night, I played cards with your uncle, hoping to gain insight—not just into his dealings, but into the trouble surrounding your family.” His gaze went around the room. “Especially since I had Michael to think about, too. And he had already become so attached to all of you.”
Stephen’s face reddened. “I had gotten rather foxed, I’ll admit. So much so that your secret identity will remain safe with me.”
