Page 78 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“I assure you I am quite myself, Alice,” the duke said, smiling back at her. “The secret is out. In fact, they have known for some time, which is why they encouraged you to dance with me at the ball.”
“No, Lord Phillip, that was to get revenge on Lady Davina, I assure you,” Miss Alice said, her eyes flitting around the room to take in all the smiling faces.
“Alice, I invited our friends here this morning, so that they could witness something very special,” Phillip told her. He couldn’t help feeling excited, nervous, and maybe even relieved, all at the same time. “Let me put you out of your misery,” he added.
“Please, Lord Phillip, do stop this nonsense. This is a very serious matter,” she pleaded, her eyes flitting up and down as she worried about what others were thinking. “Do come to your senses and assure your servants that this was some jest you play on them. A little light banter after all the displeasure they underwent yesterday.”
“No, it is no game, my love,” he said, taking both her hands into his larger palms. “I want them to witness me asking for your hand in marriage. Will you, Alice, take me as your husband?”
Before she had the opportunity to answer, he looked over at William, saying, “Ask them all to enter the dining room now, William, if you will.”
“What?” Miss Alice asked, looking utterly shocked. “What are you doing, Lord Phillip? You cannot mean what you say.”
“Oh, but I do. See for yourself,” he said, letting go of her hands to stand up and hold out his arms as most of the other servants entered the dining room. “I have asked them here to witness my proposal, so there will be no twisted stories, no gossip. They will all know that I, the Duke of Haroth, Lord Phillip Tilbury, have fallen in love with the lovely, graceful Miss Alice Evans, my ex-governess.”
Alice’s face flushed once again, and he was glad to see the blood rush to her face and stop her from fainting. He knelt on the floor to look into her big blue eyes.
“Do you have an answer for your suitor, Miss Alice?” he asked, taking in her quivering bottom lip. “Please, do not cry. Not until you have agreed to be my wife, at the very least.”
Alice still did not answer; she looked away from him and over at Betsy, who had Lord Jacob in her arms. Lady Beatrice was being held by Clara, who looked on at her with a smile on her pretty face.
“And the children? What is to become of them?” Miss Alice asked.
“So typical of you, Alice, to be thinking of others before yourself,” Phillip said. He wished she would calm herself and grasp the reality of the situation. “Together, you and I will raise them, and we will love them.”
Without warning, she gasped again, standing up this time as she held her hands over her face.
“I cannot believe this is real,” she said, looking around at everyone who watched on.
Phillip stood up and kissed her cheek.
“I wanted our friends around us as we made our pact. They are the ones who live through all the changes at Haroth Hall, so they deserve to be at the centre of it all. You and I will oversee the Haroth Estate, Alice. You will be my duchess, standing by my side as we keep the dukedom running until the time comes when my nephew can take it over. What say you?”
I … I say … yes,” Miss Alice nodded her head, laughing. “I say yes. I do want to be your wife, but I cannot believe it. You take such risks, Lord Phillip. What of the other noble families? They will not be pleased.”
“All I need to know, Alice, is that you will stand by my side while I care for the estate for Lord Jacob,” Phillip told her, taking her in his arms to embrace her. “The other noble families do not live on the Haroth Estate, but the people in this room do, so they are all very welcome to witness the changes.”
A cheer went up, and the servants clapped as Phillip picked Alice up to lift her feet from the ground. He could feel her body trembling from laughter and tears all at once.
“Thank heavens you said yes,” he whispered in her ear amongst all the cheers from the servants. “Or I might have made a bit of a fool of myself.”
“Oh, my darling Phillip, you will be making a fool of yourself in front of your peers. Have you given that much thought?” she warned, keeping her head on his chest.
“I do not care about the outside world, Alice, only what goes on in my home,” he assured her. “I will carry out all the duties expected of a duke, but only because I want Jacob to inherit his rightful place when the time is right.”
“I cannot believe what is happening; why would you want to marry me?” she asked in disbelief.
“That one is easy to answer. You are very precious to me, and I do not want to lose you from my life, ever,” he told her.
“I thought I would have to settle for being your mistress, not your wife,” she shared with him quietly in his ear.
“Never. But I am happy to play a secret game where you are my mistress if you like?” he whispered so that no one else could hear.
Slowly, they parted, and Miss Alice began to thank her friends for their acceptance and understanding. Phillip went over to pick up his little nephew, raising his other hand to quieten everyone down.
“I want to thank you all for agreeing to be a part of this personal moment,” he began.
“But I cannot think of a better mother figure for the children of Haroth Hall than Miss Alice Evans, soon to be the Duchess of Haroth. I cannot think of a kinder, more loving woman to raise my niece and nephew; of course, they have all of you to be by their sides too.
