Page 69 of Matters of a Duke's Heart
“I cannot undo the damage I caused by not telling you about Lady Helena. I kept dismissing her as a threat when I should not have. Rupert has been telling me to tell you about her, and I have brushed it off. We were on shaky foundations at times, and I did not want to make it worse. I never believed Lady Helena could be a true threat to us. I would not cause you worry when I truly, truly believed there was nothing to worry about. I was wrong, I know that, and I can only apologize to you for the rest of my life.
“We were not explicit lovers in the way she may have said. I did not court her officially, nor did I promise her my duchy. I made it clear that I did not want her as my duchess. Weeks before we even met at the Vauxhall Gardens, I had walked away from Lady Helena of my own will.”
“She told me that you said she reminded you of Lady Sophia.”
“I cannot deny that I did while under the influence of wine,” he admitted shamefully. “But I came to realize that was why I had to walk away. Because of that. I think she took it as a compliment. I told her that the day I made my choice to walk away, but I did not for another short while. Felicity, you have completed my life in infinite ways. I did not even realize it was fractured until you entered it. And you have completed Alexander’s life, too.”
Felicity frowned. “I… I was certain I heard you confessing to Lady Helena. You were in the music room with her, and you were saying she was taken from a list of names, that the music room was where Lady Sophia sat and that was why renovations could not be done there—that… that you were holding onto memories of your late wife.”
“I have never said any of that to her,” he promised. “And she most certainly has never been in my music room. The only person I have said anything of this sort to is you while you were unconscious. I fear, Felicity, if you do not think me crass to suggest this, that you were dreaming.”
At once, her face flushed a deep pink. “I cannot have dreamt that.”
“Not my confession, that was true,” he said. “But that was to you. You are my perfect duchess, and you have brought laughter and love back into these hallways and my heart. I had locked it, Felicity, this silly little beating chamber I once had no use for. Now, I see its use. It is to love you, to honor every romantic notion you have garnered from your books. I love you—I love you now, and I shall love you in months and years to come. You, Alexander, and I. We are our own family, if that is still what you want.”
Felicity could only gaze at him, and he saw how she still wrestled with her thoughts, with trying to untangle everything, but he watched as a slow, embarrassed smile crept onto her face.
“I really dreamed it?”
“I fear so.”
“You do not love Lady Helena?”
“No,” he said. “Definitely not. I love you, Felicity Dunne, formerly Merriweather.” He grinned at her. “I do adore your former family name.”
Felicity let out a soft laugh as she tugged him close. “I love you, Spencer Dunne, always Dunne.” He laughed quietly under his breath. “And you must forgive me while I take my time toprocess all of this, but I only wanted to leave under the thought that you could not love me in the same way I love you. I feared I would have to give all of this up.”
“You will never have to give anything up,” he promised. “But do say that again.”
“What?”
“That you love me.”
His smile was playful as Felicity pushed him back, her laughter the sweetest sound he had heard in days. But then she was pulling him back to her, cupping his face, leaning in to kiss him.
Right before her mouth met his, she murmured, “I love you, Spencer.”
Epilogue
The Lovers’ Walk was dark by the time Felicity and Spencer finally wandered through it.
It had been two weeks since she had been brought back to Bluebell Manor, back to where her husband had finally poured his heart out to her, as he had done in her very twisted dream, and she had begun the process of settling with all the information.
Finally, she felt on stable footing.
“You know, I truly did always imagine experiencing something like this,” Felicity commented as they walked the pathway in the evening. Her arm was tucked into Spencer’s, and her pale pink gown whispered along the ground. “There is something rather special about returning to where we met.”
“Thank goodness it is only the location and not with the terrible brute who turned you down,” he teased. “I do wonder what would have happened that day had I gotten you back to your mother instead of leaving you.”
“Oh, I imagine she would have offered me up for your hand in marriage immediately as a thank you gift,” Felicity giggled. “So, I do not think anything would have been much different exceptfor the fact that I may have thought you less rude at the start of our marriage.” She frowned. “Actually, no, I do not think that is possible.”
“You do love to tease me,” he laughed as they walked together. “I would have accepted the gift, though.”
“Truly?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am,” she admitted.
