The shouted exchange went on, until William heard the slam of a carriage door.
Slowly, tentatively, Lavinia came towards him. She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads.
After a long pause, she glanced up at the coachman. “I’ll have a word with him, Michael. If you don’t mind.”
The coachman sighed. “As you like, Miss Brookford. I’ll check on the family inside the carriage, make sure everybody is quite alright.”
Lavinia nodded without looking at him. The two of them kept their eyes fixed on the other as the coachman lumbered down from his post and went around the other side of the carriage.
Summoning his courage, William slid down from the stallion’s back. His legs felt like jelly, and he didn’t trust himself to go over to Lavinia just yet.
“You’re riding Sapphire,” she said, after a pause.
“Sapphire?”
She nodded at the stallion. “You said I could name him, didn’t you?”
William paused, nodding. “I did. Lavinia, I’m here to apologise. And, before I say a single word, I must give you this.”
He reached into his pocket with a shaking hand, holding out the locket. He saw her face tighten when she saw it. At once, she darted forward and snatched it out of his hand. He stepped back, letting her have a moment with the locket.
She stared down at the necklace, cupped in her palm, and stroked her thumb over the pendant. After a moment, she opened it up, and he saw her smile down at the picture inside.
“It’s good to see you again, Hugh,” she said, voice quiet. She closed up the pendant and slipped it carefully into her pocket.
“You might want to repair the clasp,” William said, after a pause.
“I will. Why are you here, William?”
“Aside from the apology, and to return your locket?” He smiled wryly. “I let you walk away from the stables, Lavinia, because I believed that you needed time to cool down. My old friend, Timothy, told me to go after you, but I didn’t listen. I wish I had.”
She only looked at him, her expression unreadable. “And Miss Bainbridge? Your betrothed?”
He swallowed hard. “I have used Miss Bainbridge badly. She did not deserve any of this. She… She has given up, Lavinia. She visited me and released me from our betrothal. I’m not sure that I deserved her kindness, or any understanding at all.”
Lavinia’s shoulders lowered. “You… you made a mistake. Nobody would hold it against you.”
He shook his head. “I did wrong. I know that. But the truth is, the simple truth is that I love you, Lavinia. You. Not Miss Bainbridge. I wanted to marry her because she seemed perfectly suitable, but I know now that it would never work. I would not make her happy, and I would not make myself happy. I’m glad that she saw that in the end, and that I saw it, too. I want to marry you, Lavinia Brookford.”
She flinched, swallowing hard. “I am a spinster.”
“I am older than you.”
“I have no money.”
He breathed in. “Neither do I.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Forgive me if I don’t entirely believe you.”
“The truth is…” he steeled himself and continued. “My father left a singular type of will. None of us can inherit our share of the Willenshire fortune until we marry. We have one year from the reading of the will to qualify.”
She sucked in a breath. “Truly? How awful for you all.”
He shrugged. “My siblings are happy. They have married people they loved. For me, marriage was a necessity. The Duke of Dunleigh can’t be penniless, after all. I never for a moment imagined that I would fall in love. My father never did. I thought Miss Bainbridge would suit, and so did she, I think. And then I met you.”
Lavinia swallowed. “I see.”
“I love you, Lavinia. I loved you from the moment we first met, when I did not even know your name. Perhaps that is why I held onto the locket, and why I tried so hard to find you and return it. I overstepped the mark, I know that. I stepped over with large, unwieldy steps. And then I kept the truth from you, because I suppose… Oh, I think I thought it would all be over then. I wanted to keep you with me, selfishly.”
