Page 95 of Her Duke By Accident
EPILOGUE
“Must youalwayshave your hounds, Penelope?” Lady Egerton asked irritably in the dining hall of Garvey Manor.
Penelope groaned. “Yes, Mother!”
“This is Garvey, Penelope,” the mother scolded. “I don’t think your hounds are as accepted here as they are at home.”
Lucy giggled from the floor as the pair of hounds sniffed her cheeks and neck, their wet noses leaving a trail of tickles along her skin. She grasped their snouts, giving them as many kisses as they’d allow.
“I say,” Lucy called out, “they aren’t here enough!”
Alicia stood silently outside the room, listening in on the conversation. A smile made its way onto her lips at their interactions, the sound of laughter filling the once sullen halls ofGarvey. She grasped her stomach as butterflies danced around nervously.
“Alicia.”
She turned to see Matthew approaching from down the hall. An enveloping smile spread across his face, and he reached, grasping onto her hands and pulling her into a tight embrace.
“My dear,” he murmured into her hair, “why do you wait outside?”
She smiled sheepishly. “This is the first time we are all together.”
“That is a wonderful thing.”
“I know,” she whispered, wanting to press herself into his chest till she could hide within his coats.
“Then what is it?”
Alicia pulled back to meet his gaze. “Suddenly, this all feels very real.”
He smiled. “It does.”
“No more secret mornings of just you and me,” Alicia said quietly.
“No more private dinners.”
Alicia grinned. “Are you scared, Matthew?”
The duke placed both hands on her face, leaning down till he could press a gentle kiss against her forehead. “Not at all,” he replied against her skin. “Not at all.”
Alicia took his hand, feeling as though he had transferred some of his courage into her with that kiss. “Let’s go then!”
Together, the pair dipped into the dining room.
Lady Egerton sat at one end of the table while Penny and Lucy were too busy on the floor with the dogs to pay any attention to them.
“My dear Alicia,” Lady Egerton drawled, her arms extended as she left the table.
Alicia rushed into her mother’s embrace. “Mother,” she said. “How grand it is to see you.”
“I’m so glad we received the invitation.”
Matthew glanced around. “No Owen this evening?”
“I’m afraid not,” she replied. “Some urgent business whisked the boy away to Scotland. Can you believe it?”
Alicia raised a brow. “Perhaps a trip away could do him some good.”
“Perhaps,” Lady Egerton said with a shrug. “But never mind that! We are here now, and despite everything I have said, there’s no getting either one of your sisters off the ground away from those hounds.”
