Page 69 of The Remarkable Myth of a Nameless Lady
“No…” He put his other hand upon her waist and gazed down into her eyes. “It has become increasingly clear to me, Alicia, that I love you. I long for the moments when you appear out of nowhere, to come and distract me from my labors. And I can think of nothing finer than spending an evening talking to you or walking in the estate with you. I often find myself watching the horizon, waiting for you to come to me.”
Alicia’s heart swelled. “It has become increasingly clear to me, too, that I love you in return.”
It had taken her some time to come to the conclusion, though her heart had been fixated upon him ever since their first meeting on the road. It might not have been love, back then, and they had experienced their fair share of conflict, but it had transformed into something wonderful. Something she did not want to be without, now that the world had seen fit to gift her with it.
“I have not had much cause for happiness, for many years,” she continued, speaking past the lump that had formed in her throat. “Indeed, I did not know that I was destined for happiness. It seemed impossible. And then you came into my life, and you sought to make matters better for myself and my father, and that… that was when I knew I loved you.”
He lifted his hand to her face. “I feared my feelings would not be reciprocated, considering all we have been through.”
“You should not have feared,” she replied, her teeth grazing her bottom lip. “As I have said to you before, you were not the one I needed to forgive. You did not know who you were, or what had transpired between your family and mine. You are blameless, yet you are the one who has taken steps to repair everything that was broken.”
“It does not trouble you that I have English blood in my veins?”
“No more than my own English blood,” she answered softly.
“It does not trouble you that I cannot give back what was taken?” His eyes turned sad, but she pulled her lips into a smile.
“Only the old Duke could have done that, and he is gone. We exist in a new world, in a new life, and we must take it for what it is, instead of living in the past. If we do that, how can we ever look to the future?”
He swallowed, brushing his thumb across her cheek. “With that in mind, might you… Alicia Price, might consent to be my wife? I have spoken to my mother of this proposal, and she is delighted by the prospect of having you for a daughter-in-law. I have also spoken to your father, and he has given his permission. I believe that is why he was so eager to be away to the dairy.” He hesitated. “We will need to wait some months before we can be wed, given Owen’s passing, but I will be patient, if you can be patient.”
She no longer sought to hide her joy. “Yes… yes, I will consent to be your wife. Yes, a thousand times, yes! Let us start a life together and rebuild together, so wecanlook forward instead of backward.”
“I love you,” he murmured, trailing his fingertips down to her chin and tilting it up.
“I love you,” she replied. His lips met hers in a tender graze, soft and nervous and wondrous. Alicia’s heart leapt as she looped her arms about his neck and sank into his embrace, knowing that this kiss would be the first of many.
She kissed him back as the sunlight smiled down on them, and the old ruins whispered their delight at this unlikely union. It was a far cry from the evening she had spent in the cold and the fog here, waiting for him so they could try and discover the threat upon the house and those within. She had felt lost then, but this felt like coming home.
Finally, she had a place where she belonged, and where she was loved, and where she no longer had to fear what lay around the next corner. And though they had endured pain and conflict to get here, they had managed it. They had found one another, despite the differences that might have kept them apart.
And now, they could look toward the manor together, knowing that life could only get better from here. They could heal the rifts that had been torn asunder by those before them, and bring peace upon a turbulent land, living examples of how English and Irish blood could coexist in harmony.
“I love you,” she murmured, kissing him again.
He smiled against her lips. “And I love you.”
“I will never grow tired of hearing that.”
He chuckled. “Neither will I.”
Epilogue
Six Months Later…
True to their vow of patience, after six months of glorious courtship, in which their love had only continued to blossom, Jacob came to stand at the altar of the Ballyroyal chapel, awaiting his bride. Alicia had been his sole reason to smile since the events that had taken his brother, and he found himself beaming then, as the music began to play.
He turned slowly and the congregation rose. Tom stood by, serving as his groomsman. His heart leapt as Alicia appeared, holding the arm of her father. He could not have managed Ballyroyal without Mr. Price’s assistance, and the two men had developed a firm friendship, that Jacob hoped would only be strengthened by this long-desired marriage. By the day’s end, he would have gone from being Mr. Price’s employer to his son-in-law, and he could not wait.
A moment later, Alicia appeared before him, her face just visible beneath a gauzy veil. She, too, looked remarkably different from the first time they had met upon the road. The Dowager Duchess had taken her under her wing, treating her as a niece at last, and though there was the occasional conflict, given Alicia’s strong will and stubbornness, a delightful bond had been formed between the two women. Jacob could see his mother’s delight as he cast her a fleeting look.
“I have never seen you look more beautiful,” he whispered, looking back at his bride.
“That is because you cannot see my face,” she retorted, with a stifled laugh.
Jacob grinned, as they turned together toward the vicar. He listened as best he could to the service and the vows, but Alicia’s pull drew his gaze back every time. He could see her smile through the veil, and it warmed his heart. Soon, she would be the Duchess of Woodworth. It might not have been the way it ought to have happened, but he was more than pleased that matters had concluded thusly.
As the vicar declared them man and wife, Jacob turned back to his bride and lifted her veil. She grinned up at him in that mischievous manner, her eyes twinkling with joy. Delicately, he took a strand of her fiery hair and wrapped it gently around his finger, as he leaned in and kissed his wife for the very first time. He had kissed her many times before, but never with that exquisite title.
