Page 78 of The Duke’s Matchmaker

“Then love me.” His voice was firm. “Marry me. Let me love you. Let’s have this life we both want so much. We can’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we know that we have each other here and now. I don’t want to squander that.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to either,” she confessed. “I’m just frightened, Nathaniel, that’s all. I’m afraid of how much it will hurt if something happens to you.”

“Then I will do my best to make sure nothing does,” he promised. “I can’t swear to it. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. But as much as it is in my power, I’ll make sure I never leave you. After all,” he added, “Colin needs me too. I don’t want to leave him without yet another person he’s come to depend on. I know you both need me, and I’ll do all I can to make sure I remain in your lives…but only if you promise to do the same, Dorothy, because I can’t bear the thought of losing you either.”

It was the first time Dorothy had ever thought of things in that direction. “This takes courage for you too,” she realized. “To let me in, knowing there’s a possibility something might happen.”

“It would be harder for me to push you away,” he confessed. “Maybe I’m short-sighed. All I know is that I want you with me in the here and now. I can’t bear to choose anything else. I’m begging you to say yes to me. To let us have this.”

And finally, Dorothy nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.

His whole face lit up. “Yes? Truly?”

“I’ll marry you,” she said. “It still frightens me, but I would rather face my fear with you by my side than to be without you. And you’re right. If I’m going to lose you either way, I would rather have a life with you first, in whatever time we have. I would rather love you, even if losing you means pain. Because saying no to you hurts more than anything I’ve ever had to do in my life, and I understand now that there’s no option that spares me the possibility of that pain. There’s only the choice that lets me love you. So, yes. I will marry you.”

The smile that split across his face was the most radiant thing Dorothy had ever seen.

And this time, when he kissed her, it was soft and gentle, not sweeping and passionate. His lips brushed hers for only a moment before he pulled away.

But it was a promise of so much more yet to come, and Dorothy had never been more captivated by anything in all her life.

EPILOGUE

“Ithink the flowers look just wonderful,” Honora said. “You really couldn’t have made any better choice of wedding decor, Dorothy.”

“Honora,” Abigail said mildly, straightening Dorothy’s gown. “You chose the flowers. Don’t you remember?”

“Of course I do,” Honora said. “That’s why they’ve turned out so well. I have an eye for that sort of thing. But Dorothy made a good decision when she chose to put me in charge of that aspect of things. Don’t you think so, Dorothy?”

“I do,” Dorothy agreed with a smile. She knew how excited her sisters were to be hosting her wedding breakfast. She wanted to make sure they enjoyed the event every bit as much as she knew she was going to, which was a great deal.

The ceremony had ended about half an hour ago, and everyone had come back to Honora’s home for the breakfast. The sisters were up in one of the guest rooms freshening up, everyone taking it in turns to make adjustments to Dorothy’s gown. Dorothy just stared at herself in the looking glass, struggling to believe that this was her real life.

She was married. She had taken her vows. She was the Duchess of Henshaw—she was Nathaniel’s wife. And she would be for the rest of her days.

The flowers were lovely. Honora had chosen white and yellow roses, and Dorothy was very happy with them. But it was her own gown that she loved best of all. Nathaniel had offered to buy something for her, but she’d insisted on using her own money. She’d had a fair amount to her name, since she was always so careful about what she spent, and she had been able to have a beautiful gown in the latest style made from a lovely cream-colored fabric with pale blue embroidery on the bodice. Today was likely the only time in her life she would ever wear this beautiful gown, and she meant to make the most of it.

“We ought to go down,” Abigail said. “We have guests to greet. They’ll be wanting to see the bride.”

Dorothy nodded. All her life, she had been a wallflower. She’d wondered how she would feel on her wedding day, knowing that she would inevitably be at the center of things, but as she beheld herself in her gown, she knew this was what she wanted. I am the Duchess of Henshaw, she reminded herself. This is part of the life of a duchess. And however she felt about that, it could never be as intimidating as the idea of allowing herself to fall in love had been.

The hardest thing she would do in her life had already been done. She had overcome her fear. It was time to allow herself to enjoy what lay on the other side of it.

Abigail opened the door, and the three sisters went out.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Dorothy paused for a moment, overwhelmed by the crowd spread out below her. And one by one, they all turned toward her, looking up at the sight of her in her gown. Everyone watched unabashedly, eager to see the bride. For a moment, she hesitated, unused to such attention.

And then Nathaniel emerged, stepping free from the group of people to meet her at the foot of the stairs.

The sight of him was larger and more powerful than all her fears, everything she had been nervous or uneasy about, and she hurried down the steps to meet him. As she arrived in his arms, she heard the sound of people’s laughter, indulgent and kind, and knew that they were enjoying her happiness. A part of her was glad, but a larger part of her didn’t care. What mattered was to be with Nathaniel.

“Dorothy!”

That excited cry had come from Colin, who now came racing up to wrap his arms around her waist. “You and Father are really married now, aren’t you?”

“We really are.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “The three of us will be a family now. Does that make you happy?”

“Oh, very!” he enthused. “That means you’re my mother now, doesn’t it?”