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Noel and Ravencroftdescended the stairs, holding hands to encounter their brothers standing at the bottom of the staircase. Reese and Dracott stood glaring at them.
While Graham rocked back and forth on his heels with a huge smirk on his face. “About time you joined us. I thought we needed to send Maggie back upstairs to interrupt your—”
“Graham, that is enough,” Reese growled.
Noel stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on each brother’s cheek before hooking her arms through theirs. She looked over her shoulder and winked at Dracott before leading them toward the sound of voices in Gregory’s parlor. It would appear her family had made themselves comfortable in her fiancé’s home.
Once she stepped through the entryway, she went over to her mother, kissed her on the cheek, and sat down next to her. She looked over at Maggie, Eden, and Evelyn and blushed at their smirks. “I am sorry if I caused you a fright.”
All of a sudden, everyone spoke at once. Reese snarled his displeasure at finding his sister in a scandalous tryst. Graham, Eden, and Maggie teased her relentlessly. Evelyn only smiled at her with a sisterly love of her happiness for Noel.
However, her mother had remained silent, her gaze directed at Ravencroft. Noel shifted her gaze to find him leaning against the wall, watching the chaos of her family with amusement. He used to make his excuses to leave when her family acted this way, but today he seemed to enjoy it. It made Noel smile.
“I apologize for my family’s invasion into your home, Lord Ravencroft. However, I am sure you understand the need for our frantic visit,” Lady Worthington spoke, and everyone grew quiet, waiting to hear how Ravencroft would explain his actions.
He stood up straight and drew his hands behind his back. “It is I who should apologize for overstepping the bounds of my engagement to Noel.”
“What engagement? You called off your offer. After we leave, you will cease all contact with Noel,” Reese snarled.
Ravencroft walked over to Noel and held out his hand. “No, I will not. Noel has accepted my offer of marriage.”
“Never,” Reese ordered.
“Do you love her?” Lady Worthington asked, ignoring her eldest son.
“Yes, my lady.” He wrapped his arms around Noel’s waist.
“Mother.” Reese scowled. “He has ruined her, discarded her, and once again ruined her, all within a week.”
Noel sighed. “He has not ruined me.”
“An unmarried lady spending an evening alone in a bachelor’s residence tends to lead one to assume a lady’s ruination,” Graham quipped.
“That is enough, children.” Lady Worthington observed the glow on her daughter’s cheeks and the loving glances she gave Ravencroft and knew her daughter had found her soul mate. Ravencroft himself couldn’t take his eyes off Noel, making her want to sigh at his devotion. “Take a seat, children, so we can decide when to hold the wedding.”
Noel let out a yelp of joy and hugged her mother. “Thank you, Mama.”
“Promise me you will give him the love he has missed out on all these years,” Mama whispered in Noel’s ear, only for her to hear.
Noel pulled back and nodded. Her mother was a gentle soul who had endured a marriage filled with unhappiness. She had only ever wanted her children to marry for love alone. She even held a special place in her heart for the people who had married her children. For her to make Noel promise to love Gregory only showed the depth of how much her mother cared for him as her own.
They sat down and decided to hold an engagement party in a week and for them to marry two weeks later. Evelyn drew Reese to the side while he grumbled his dislike at everyone for overruling his wishes. After his wife reprimanded him, Reese came over to them and drew Noel into a hug, wishing her happiness, and shook Ravencroft’s hand in an offer of acceptance.
“Gregory, I noticed when we arrived that your house sat empty,” Lady Worthington stated.
“Yes. I let the servants take a leave throughout this drama. I didn’t want them to risk their lives for my sake,” Ravencroft answered.
“Very honorable. I always knew you would be,” Lady Worthington said.
Ravencroft frowned. “Had we met before?”
Lady Worthington sighed. “No. But I knew your father. I am afraid I caused his marriage to fall apart.”
Ravencroft and Noel exchanged glances. This must be the information his mother had taunted them with.
“How so, Mama?” Noel asked.
Lady Worthington blushed. “I am not proud of my behavior, but I must share this information. It holds consequences for when you must deal with your mother. I learned your mother and my husband carried on an affair. This was before I discovered his debaucherous lifestyle. I was a naïve wife who adored her husband and believed everything he told me. However, over time, I learned they were all lies. I caught them together and confronted them, but they only laughed at how innocent I acted. Your father found me crying, and I poured out the reason for my tears. It was years later when your father confided about your mother’s multiple affairs and how she abandoned her family. He was so heartbroken, and I blamed myself.”
