Page 104 of Beyond Scandal and Desire
“You dashed out here to protect your mum . . . and I think a good deal of your decisions are because of her, because you don’t want her to feel as though you don’t appreciate all she did for you. You are correct. There is no easy way to bring you back into their lives, to resurrect you without weaving some tale that would be believable without causing harm. But to deny them the opportunity to get to know you—there’s a certain sadness in that. You’ll have children, their grandchildren. Would you deny the duke and duchess getting to know them? Would you deny your children time with their true grandparents? If you marry me, no one will find it odd that you and your family are embraced by my guardians, by the couple who have raised me since I was seven. It’s the perfect solution.”
“Marriage to me will not make you a duchess.”
Her brow furrowed. “Do you think I care so much for a title?”
He shook his head. “No. I know you don’t care at all. But I can’t help but believe this will cause hardship for them, for you.”
“It will be harder if you are not in our lives. I love you, Mick. You told me to find a man deserving of me, and I have. If you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to marry me, at least spend time with them. Let them know the remarkable man they brought into the world.”
He hardly felt remarkable, but he’d missed her, and he knew that with her by his side, he could be better than he was. Shoving back his chair, he stood, then dropped to one knee and took her hand. “I want a life with you, Aslyn. A dozen children and slipping off to the park for a bit of peace.”
She smiled sweetly, crookedly. “A happily-ever-after.”
“A happily-ever-after,” he promised her before cradling her face and kissing her.
Chapter 25
Mick found the duke strolling the street, stopping occasionally to study a building. He seemed to be in no hurry, simply taking a leisurely meandering. He wondered if the man had known about the tea party in the gardens, had his answer when he came to a stop beside the duke.
“Did you enjoy your tea?” the older man asked.
“Fortunately whiskey was on hand. Didn’t they invite you?”
Staring at the building that was nearly completed and would be a bakery, he shook his head. “Ladies will talk about things among themselves that they are reluctant to voice with a man about. My presence adds to Bella’s guilt. She feels she denied me a son.”
“Knowing what transpired, I don’t hold the decision to be rid of me against her—or you.”
“There should have been a better way.”
“Aslyn mentioned that she might like to open a home that would welcome illegitimate children.”
The duke glanced over, a corner of his mouth shifting up. “I am not surprised. We were too protective of her, I think. You will give her more freedom.”
Mick’s chest tightened. There was a part of him that wanted to lock her in a room and ensure no harm ever came to her, that wanted to guard her from all the ugliness in life. “Will you give us your blessing to marry, then?”
“Unequivocally. Although I would ask that you not keep her from us. She is like a daughter.”
“She has already insisted I not. That we visit often. I am concerned that when people see you and I together, they may wonder—”
“If you are my by-blow?”
Mick nodded.
“I’m certain there will be some speculation. We can weather it. Some might think you’re a distant relation. I would rather acknowledge you.”
“There is no way to do that without causing pain—for you, the duchess, Kipwick. He has grown up expecting to inherit. It will be hard enough that I am taking from him the woman he wished to marry. I will not take his titles, as well.”
“He needs to change his ways.”
“I can help him with that.”
The duke nodded. “When I first saw you, when I realized who you were, I was torn between relief and despair. What I’d done all those years ago never stopped eating at me. I’ve tried to make amends with good works. But they hardly signify.”
“There needs to be laws to protect infants. The practice of farming out babies cannot continue unchecked, and men cannot continue to be relieved of the burden of caring for the children they spawn.”
“I shall work on that in Parliament. You could advise me, ensure reform does all it should.”
“I shall make time in my schedule.”
