Page 105 of Dare to Love a Duke

The home for girls thrived, and upon her return to London, Lucia planned to scout another location for a second establishment.

“Time for our New Year’s treat,” she said when at last the duke and duchess broke apart. From her basket, she produced six small bundles, which she handed to everyone and kept one for herself. “In Napoli, we give each other figs wrapped in laurel leaves.”

“How lovely,” Lady Blakemere said.

“And we say,buon anno.”

Everyone unwrapped their figs and bit into them.

“Delicious,” Greyland said after taking a bite.

“Our gratitude for sharing this with us,” the duchess added.

Tom gently stroked a thumb down Lucia’s cheek, and only when she saw the gleam of wetness there did she realize she wept.

“Why do you cry, love?” he murmured to her. Worry creased between his brows. “Something saddens you?”

She looked at all the faces of Tom’s friends—her friends, too, now—and thought of Kitty’s letter, and what it meant. For so long, she had fought. Battle after battle. Always holding tightly to her heart, lest it suffer another agonizing wound. It was better that way, or so she’d believed. She had shared friendship with Kitty and Elspeth, but never fully opened herself to them. There was safety in her solitude.

But Tom had shown her what it meant to truly let someone in. He had proved to her that, in wagering on love, she had so much to gain. Friends. Family. A true home.

Courage meant more than fighting back with a sturdy sword and shield—it meant stepping into the light, naked and vulnerable.

“This isn’t sadness,” she said to him. “It’s love.”

He gazed at her, his handsome, beloved face filling with so much adoration, it robbed her of breath.

She gripped him by the lapels of his coat and kissed him. In front of the world, she dared to show everyone that she loved him. When he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her, she felt the world expand around her. It gleamed with the promise of everything new.