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He also thought about how he had been so afraid of siring children. He looked down at his wife’s belly, where her hand was resting, and smiled lovingly.Now, I cannot wait to be a father . . .
IS THIS THE END?
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Extended Epilogue
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AMarriage of Convenience with a Beastly Duke
A HISTORICAL REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL
Cecily’s illness made her lose her vision. She is a blind lady with a love for life but fears a lonely future in spinsterhood. A marriage proposal from the notorious beastly Duke of Archington could be Cecily’s salvation, or maybe not?
Prologue
Spring, 1812
Cecily Derrick blinked her eyes for a moment before looking up at the physician. He had been there for what felt like ages. She found herself getting frustrated. Why had he not yet been able to tell her what was wrong?
“Lady Cecily?” Mr. Thompson, the physician, asked gently. “How many fingers do you see?”
Cecily bit her lip, squinting as she tried to focus on the physician’s hand. They had been through this same exercise many times, and the result had been the same each time. She knew that this time would be no different. But she also knew he would not leave her until she complied.
With a heavy sigh, she shrugged.
“Three,” she said flatly. “I see three fingers.”
The physician lowered his hand and the room filled with silent tension. Cecily held her breath, waiting for him to ask her again, or to subject her to another of his vision tests. He did not, however. A moment later, he rose from his seat beside her bed and exited her room without another word. Was she correct that time?
With another sigh, Cecily leaned her head back against her pillows and closed her eyes. She felt her cheeks begin to flush as she recalled the incident which led to her encounter with Dr. Thompson that day.
One month prior, her parents hosted her debut ball. It had been a splendid event, one about which Cecily had been very excited. The evening started well, and she was having a glorious time. Until she utterly humiliated herself, that was.
As the third gentleman with whom she had danced excused himself and she went to rejoin her mother to await the next suitor, she bumped into one of the footmen. She had not seen him until it was too late, and the tray of champagne flutes he was carrying fell to the floor. The music stopped instantly, and everyone turned to stare at her. All she could do was look down at the floor, horrified.
She had not failed to spot the footman because she was careless and distracted. She truly had not seen him. Blurry vision was an issue she had had for some time prior to her debut but she had kept her problem to herself. She had not wished to worry her parents or make them postpone her debut ball. She had been certain that the problem would eventually resolve itself. She was wrong.
The accident caused quite a scandal within theton. She spent the rest of the night trying to pretend that it had not happened. And yet, no more suitors asked her to dance that evening. Her mother reassured her that thetonwould forget the incident soon enough. But the few appearances she had made in public since had proven that unequivocally false.
Tears stung her eyes as she recalled the shame she felt that evening. She knew that everyone must have thought that she drank too much champagne and got clumsy. Deep down, she felt that even her parents had thought as much. That was the only reason why she finally agreed to see the physician. Now, she regrets her decision. Why could he not tell her something?
She tried to calm herself. Whatever had caused the problem would be discovered soon enough. That was, after all, why her father had summoned the physician. She would never be able to undo or erase the incident. However, she could recover and ensure that it never happened again. Once she was better, and able to dance gracefully again, she could restore her family’s good name. And her own.
When she heard the door open, she squinted her eyes, expecting to see the physician. However, it was her father who entered. And she could see that he had a very grave expression on his face.
“Where is Dr. Thompson, Father?” she asked. “Why has he not told me what he plans to do to help me?”
Her father looked at her, taking her hands as he gently sat on the edge of her bed. She could not tell for sure, but she thought that he had been crying.
“Darling,” he said, taking a deep breath. He did not speak again for so long that Cecily started to become very frightened.
