Page 84 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“She is,” Lord Stanton replied.
“But you said she was here,” Owen reminded him.
“Oh, no, I never said that. I said that I would take you to her, and I will, but first I thought we might bring some people for her. Your Grace, would you care to join us?”
The Duchess joined them without hesitation, and they made their way to the home of the Duke and Duchess of Pridefield. Knowing what his friend planned to do, there was a sense of embarrassment roiling inside of Owen’s heart, but of course the Duchess of Pridefield was more than happy to join them too.
“She will hate this,” the Duchess of Urkinshire laughed. “She has never liked an audience.”
“And yet,” the Duchess of Pridefield considered, “this is exactly what she needs. A grand declaration, one that proves once and for all that she is loved.”
Lord Stanton nodded in acknowledgment. That had been his plan, Owen realized, and now he would have to declare his affection in front of them all. It was meant to humiliate him, his punishment for what he had done.
And yet, that was not how he felt. He wanted her to hear it, and to see that he was proud of her and everything that she did. She was the most incredible lady he had ever met, and it was only when he lost her that he realized that. He did not want to live without her, and he was going to make that known to her whether there was one person or a thousand watching.
He simply hoped that she would listen and come home with him.
CHAPTER 33
Beatrice was sitting by her window when there was a tremendous noise downstairs.
She froze for a moment, terrified that something awful was happening. She had never known a sound like it, and a tremor of panic gripped her entire body.
“Where is she?” a deep voice came, and at last it made her move.
It was Owen.
She scrambled to the door, pressing her ear to it so that she could hear it better.
“What are you all doing here?” Emma asked. “His Grace, I understand, but the rest of you?”
“We can leave if you want,” Cecilia laughed.
Beatrice could not believe that they were all there, and that alone was enough to draw her out of her room. She stood on the stairs, looking down; when Owen noticed her, she caught her breath.
He looked awful, as though he had suffered tremendously since she left. She wanted to feel a sense of satisfaction about it, but there was none. She was unable to be happy about him being sad; she loved him too much to relish such a thing.
“I came to see you,” he called out to her.
“I can see. Would you like for them all to leave us be?”
The others turned to look at Owen, and he laughed nervously.
“No, they may stay. Inadvertently as it was, I brought them here. I want all of them to see this, and I want you to know that I truly feel this way, and I do not care who knows it.”
Beatrice’s heart pounded, and she made her way down the stairs tentatively. She was terrified that she was going to trip over her feet, for she was barely able to control herself, but she made it to the bottom even with all eyes on her.
“I was a fool, Beatrice,” he continued. “I let the worst time of my life ruin what should be the best. I miss my sister every day, but when you left, I realized that I cannot lose you too. I refuse. I need you, Beatrice. I need you and I love you and I will spend the rest of my life making you believe that if I must.”
The ladies giggled, their happiness clear. Beatrice, on the other hand, did not know how she looked. All that she knew was that her heart had gone from pounding to stopping entirely, and she did not know what to say.
He loved her. He loved her, and though it was not the best moment to tell her, and they were not alone, there was something in the fact that he had said it with pride in front of those she was closest to that made it all the more meaningful. They had been convinced of the same thing, in spite of her refusing to believe it, and so they would have felt vindicated too.
“I love you too,” was all that she could muster.
“That means that she will go home with you,” Emma explained. “I shall have her things prepared, if you both wish to take some time alone.”
Cecilia and Dorothy groaned, causing Emma to laugh at them.
