Page 111 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
“One can hardly blame me after how foolishly I behaved,” he said.
She smiled and nodded.
His heart warmed as he saw her smile again. He would do anything to keep her smiling like that.
Slowly, in case she wanted to pull away, he leaned in to kiss her. Of course, she didn’t. Edith had never been the one to run away from their relationship.
Their lips met, and he was re-energized by the warmth he’d so desperately missed. She completed him, and he’d been a buffoon to ever think otherwise.
He sighed deeply and ran his hand through her soft hair as their kiss deepened. When they finally pulled apart, he couldn’t stop smiling.
“Your Grace?” a little voice called from the doorway.
Edith and Laurence turned to see Tilly, with Anthony and Luke standing protectively behind her.
“She wouldn’t stay in bed.” Luke shrugged.
Laurence shook his head and crouched down to Tilly’s eye level. “Tilly… you are so stubborn sometimes,” he chided softly.
Tilly’s eyes were glassy with tears. “Your Grace, are you… Do you…?” she trailed off, clearly unsure what to say.
“Tilly,” he said gently. “I am not angry at you. I was wrong to treat you so poorly. I have scared you, hurt you, and made you feel less than you are. Nobody should treat you that way, least of all your father.”
Tilly’s eyes widened. “Fa…”
“Yes.” Laurence nodded. “I might be a foolish man who gets angry too easily, and who has caused you and your mother much grief. But if you would have me back in your life, I want to try again. I want to be a father to you. I want us to be a real family.”
Tilly’s face crumpled as fat tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed and ran into his arms and held him tightly. He held her in return, kissing the top of her head.
“My poor girl,” he crooned. “I will never treat you that way again. I swear it.”
He held her tightly, letting her sob as much and as long as she needed. Edith also crouched down and wrapped her arms around them both.
He had his wife back. His daughter. His family.
He had almost lost them forever. He would never let them go again.
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS LATER
“Mama!” Tilly called out as she ran toward Edith with a bundle of daisies in her hand.
Edith was sitting on the picnic blanket under a small grove of trees and smiled warmly at her.
“Be careful, Tilly,” she cautioned as the girl crashed onto the blanket.
By now, it was the end of summer, three months since Laurence’s apology at Richmond Estate. The temperatures were dropping, and while most of the ton was still focused on the Season, the Thornwaite family had been more insular.
Laurence had been preoccupied with showing Edith and Tilly that he was serious in his attempts at earning their forgiveness. Tilly’s chambers were now more akin to a toy chest than sleeping quarters, although her favorite toy was still her first doll.Laurence had also been doting on Edith and assisting her with her charity work.
All of it led up to that day, when the weather was right. Laurence had been the one to suggest they go for a picnic. As much as his enthusiasm to leave the townhouse had been a surprise, it wasn’t unwelcome.
Tilly held up the flowers with obvious pride and waved them at Edith.
“That’s wonderful, Tilly,” Edith praised. “But we shouldn’t pull out too many flowers, or there won’t be any for anyone else.”
“But, but…” Tilly pouted a little. “Papa said he would show me how to make a daisy chain.”
