Page 52 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford

“Are you quite all right? That was a difficult moment.” Searching her face, Andrew lifted one hand and pressed it to her cheek, seeing her eyes close as she let out a slow breath. “I am sorry it has been so difficult. I did not ever expect it to be my cousin.”

“It is I who should be asking you whether or not you are quite all right,” came the quiet reply, her eyes opening as she took a small step closer to him, her hand settling against his heart which immediately began to pound furiously. “As you said, this was your cousin and that must have been a great shock to you.”

Andrew smiled briefly. “It was. But I am relieved to know that the threat is over. He will not dare to come near me, either here in public or at the estate. I do believe he was arrogant enough to think that he would never be discovered.”

Miss Grifford’s eyes searched his. “Are you contented now?”

“Contented?”

She pressed her lips together and looked away, her hand falling back to her side and Andrew felt the loss of it immediately. “This engagement… our marriage, it was never meant to be. I know we have spoken of it and you have expressed your contentment but now that the truth about your cousin has been discovered, now that it has been made known, I must wonder if you are truly as contented as you have said.” Her eyes caught his again and he saw the worry there. “I do not want you to marry me unless it is something youtrulydesire, even now.”

Before Andrew could stop himself, he had dropped his head and, in that moment, pressed his mouth to hers.

It brought with it such a myriad of sensations, he could not quite contain himself. His arms went about her waist and he pulled her close to himself, feeling her hands press lightly against his shoulders – but not to push him away. Instead, they slipped around his neck as the kiss deepened.

It was all quite extraordinary and wonderful in its own way. His chest tightened as his heart began to sing, a realization beginning to sink into his very soul.

Then he broke the kiss.

“I am contented,” he breathed, softly. “I am more than contented, Rachel. It is in this moment, in this realisation that we are free from my cousin and free from all fear and concern that I finally accept what it is within my heart.” Swallowing hard, he took another breath and then spoke what he had finally realized about himself. “I think I am in love with you.”

Her eyes flared wide. “What?”

“I love you,” he continued, finding his lips curving into a smile as joy began to bubble up within him. “It is not only an admiration of your courage, of your kindness and your devotion and nor is it a mere appreciation of your beauty and your character but it is alovewhich I do not think I have ever felt before. I cannot imagine being apart from you. Our marriage is something that I yearn for, something that my heart aches for because not only will we become husband and wife, we will step out into a future that is bound for happiness rather than merely putting up with one another. I do not expect you to respond to me in any way, Rachel, for that is not at all what I am demanding. All I am expressing to you is what I have finally realised I now feel… and that is that I have fallen in love with you.” Laughing softly, he shook his head, running one hand over his eyes. “When I first came to London, I was determined to be apart from society, to stand back from everyone and keep my own counsel. I did not evenwantto be here, I did not wantto spend time with others and it was only Lord Wrexham’s encouragements that brought me to London. I was in a dark and shadowy place, garnering for myself a beastly reputation, being rude to you and to others and thinking only of myself. I was quite determined that I should never think about courtship or the like, only to now find myself in quite the opposite situation!” Smiling down at her, he lifted both hands to her face, tenderness welling up within him. “It is because of you, Rachel. This is all because of you. You have brought me a new freedom, a new happiness, a new joy and a new heart. I find myself in love with you and that has brought me so much, I do not think I shall ever be able to repay you… though I shall try, every day of my life.”

Miss Grifford blinked and it took Andrew a moment to realize that she was crying. His heart slammed hard into his chest and his smile faded, making him quickly drop his hands. He had said too much, had expressed a great deal and how she had been overwhelmed by it – and just how foolish he felt himself to be!

“My apologies,” he said, quickly, making to step back. “I should not have said so much and – ”

“I am not crying because I have found it too much, Andrew!” Miss Grifford stepped closer to him again, her hands at his arms so that he could not move away from her. “Do you not see that I am crying out of sheer joy?”

Andrew’s heart lifted again. “Joy?”

“Yes, my love! Joy!” Laughing quietly, she pulled herself closer to him, so that his hands wrapped around her waist again. “I have fought strange feelings towards you for some time, have berated myself for them and told myself that I ought not to have any such feelings for you! Indeed, even when you proposed courtship, the reason that I wanted to consider it was because I was afraid of what it would do to my heart.”

“Your heart?”

She nodded, still smiling softly. “My heart is yours, Andrew,” she said, softly. “It has been yours for some time, I think, though I, like you, was not entirely certain as to what exactly it was I felt. However, I find myself in love with you just as you are in love with me – and what happiness it is now to be able to tell you of it!” She laughed again as a tear dropped to her cheek. “And what overwhelming joy it is to know that you return my feelings.”

Andrew dropped his head and kissed her again, his happiness greater than he had ever imagined, his heart almost singing for the sheer joy of this moment. Here he was at his engagement ball, free from any fear, any concern and any uncertainty and now looking to the future with the only expectation in his heart to be one of happiness.

“I can hardly wait for our wedding day,” he whispered against her lips, her fingers brushing through his hair and sending heat racing right down his frame. “I cannot wait to make my vows and become your husband. I swear to you that I shall spend every day of our marriage doing all that I can to show you just how much you have become to me, how much I value you.”

“And I cannot wait to become your wife,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed as she leaned into him again. “I love you, Andrew.”

With a small, contented sigh, Andrew bent his head and kissed her again. “And I love you, Rachel,” he murmured, “with all of my heart.”

The End