Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
A s the door slammed shut in the wake of Stephen’s hasty departure, a thick silence blanketed the room.
Eloise sat frozen on the sofa, her heart still racing, her mind trying to catch up with everything that had just happened.
Felix stood by the door, his fists clenched and his chest rapidly rising and falling. His entire body emanated intense anger, but as he turned and looked at Eloise, his expression softened and his eyes immediately filled with concern.
He quickly crossed the room and crouched down next to her. His warmth comforted Eloise, and she struggled against the urge to curl into his body and wrap herself in his protective arms.
“Darling,” he murmured, his voice low and laced with worry, “are you all right?”
She looked into his eyes and managed a shaky nod and a small smile, gratitude washing through her.
“I will be fine,” she said. “Just a little… I am not sure. Not quite right. I did not realize that…” Her words trailed off as she shuddered, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach where a faint ache reminded her of the danger she’d narrowly escaped. “How did you know?”
Felix shrugged. “Lucky guess, I suppose. When Jeremy received?—”
“Jeremy?” She looked up at him, her eyes bright. Had they made amends?
Felix nodded. “Yes, I will tell you everything in time. But when Jeremy told me Kaylocke had been visiting you, Percy knew immediately who he was. He was trying to punish me for something that was not my fault by taking away the most precious thing in my life.”
Eloise shook her head, closing her eyes. “I… I do not understand,” she said, but his words swam around her head.
The most precious thing in my life.
Felix knelt beside her, his hand reaching for hers. His touch was warm, grounding her amidst the chaos.
“I will explain everything in time, but for now, Eloise, know that I am deeply sorry.” He spoke in a soft whisper, his voice filled with remorse. “I should have been here sooner. I should never have left.”
Eloise looked at him, her shock slowly giving way to relief. “I am so glad you are here now.”
She took his hand, her fingers lacing with his as her fear melted away, replaced by a newfound sense of safety; Felix would always look after her.
“Let me help you,” he said, pulling her up gently. She was unsteady on her feet, but she allowed him to guide her. “Let us get you to bed. I shall call for the physician immediately.”
“I am fine,” she said.
“You are not,” he retorted. “And even if you are, I would prefer to have you examined, just to be certain.”
Felix didn’t leave her side once as the physician checked her over. His gaze was steady and protective, his presence a quiet reassurance.
The physician’s examination confirmed that both she and Hannah would recover. Neither of them had consumed enough poison to cause lasting damage although they might continue to be uncomfortable for a few days.
After the physician left, Felix turned to her, his eyes full of remorse. He took a steady breath before he spoke, his voice heavy with emotion.
“I was a fool,” he began, kneeling next to her bed, his hands wrapped around both of hers. “Eloise, I have been running from everything good in my life. From you.” His gaze dropped, his words laced with regret. “When we were children, I never even imagined we would be in this situation. But then you approached me with your bet and… I fell so deeply in love with you, Eloise. I have not been able to stop thinking about you since that moment. I was selfish and scared, and I did not see what I had—or what I could have—until it was nearly too late.”
Eloise listened, her heart catching at his words and the vulnerability in his tone. She hadn’t imagined it either, but the closer they became, the more she wanted him until, suddenly, her whole heart and body had become his for the taking.
“It is not too late, Felix. It is never too late.”
“You are the most vibrant, formidable woman I have ever met, Eloise. I do not deserve you, and I know that. But I cannot help myself. I am in love with you. I want to be the man you need. I want to be a good husband to you. I swear, I will do everything I can to be worthy of you.”
Eloise’s breath caught, her heart pounding as his words sank in.
For so long, she had wondered and doubted, but now, seeing him kneeling before her and witnessing the sincerity in his eyes, she felt a deep warmth she could barely describe.
“Felix,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Is this real? Do you truly mean it?”
He leaned forward, taking her hands and lifting them to his lips, pressing gentle kisses to her knuckles.
“I have never meant anything more in my life.”
A smile crept onto her face as his words filled her with hope, and a playful twinkle lit her eyes.
“Would you like to bet on that?” she teased, her heart swelling with joy.
He laughed, the sound rich and joyful, and in one swift motion, he pulled her into his arms, his lips capturing hers in a kiss that was filled with everything they had both held back for so long.
She melted against him, her hands tangling in his hair as she surrendered to the moment, all of her doubts and fears vanishing into thin air.
When they finally parted, he frowned at her. “There is just one thing left to do.”
Eloise tilted her head curiously. “What?”
“Can you sit up?”
She nodded, swinging her legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. Felix moved a chair out of his way and, to Eloise’s surprise, got down onto one knee.
“What are you doing, Felix?” she asked with a laugh.
“What I should have done in the first place. You deserve a proper proposal as much as anyone does. More so, even.”
“But we are already married!” she cried.
Felix threw her a mischievous grin. He reached into his pocket for the treasure he had been guarding since London. He pulled out the diamond ring, its sparkle so luminous that it almost blinded her.
Eloise let out a gasp.
“Felix. It is beautiful.”
“But not as beautiful as you,” he replied. “Eloise Manning—Greystone—Duchess of Kingswell—” He smirked. She giggled. “Would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife in every way and not merely in name alone?”
Eloise chewed her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning foolishly. She looked into his wonderful hazel-green eyes and saw the sincerity that radiated from them.
“I thought you would never ask.”
A few days after the incident—and the unexpected proposal—Eloise sat in the morning room arranging a small bouquet of fresh flowers. The diamond on her ring caught the light, sending it scattering throughout the room.
Felix was out attending to estate matters, but for the first time since his departure to London, Eloise felt calm and settled. She was surrounded by the gentle hum of life in Kingswell, each detail a reminder of the love and peace that had finally permeated her heart and her life.
They were married, at last, and truly so. Not merely for the sake of appearances, debt, or convenience. They were finally married for love.
The door to the morning room opened quietly. Eloise looked up to find her mother standing hesitantly in the doorway, Jeremy just behind her.
Both of them wore sheepish expressions. Eloise felt a warmth rise in her heart. She had been so angry at both of them, but she still loved them.
“Eloise,” Lady Danridge began, her voice soft and uncharacteristically uncertain. She stepped into the room, glancing back at Jeremy. He gave her a nod though he lingered near the door. “We came to speak with you if you will allow it.”
Eloise gestured for them to sit, her heart racing with curiosity and hope. Lady Danridge took a seat beside her, folding her hands tightly in her lap. Jeremy sat across from them, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, looking as if he had spent the night carefully considering his words.
There was a long pause as Lady Danridge took a deep breath, her voice trembling. “Eloise, I came here today to apologize. I have been a proud woman, too proud, and it has cost you dearly. You have always been so strong, and I let that strength bear the weight of responsibilities that were never yours to shoulder.”
Eloise let out a whispered gasp and a sigh as she was freed from the load that had always tried to overpower her. Her mother’s heartfelt words had stirred up something deep within her.
Lady Danridge’s voice grew steadier as she continued, glancing briefly at Jeremy for support. “I leaned on you more than I should have. I realize that now. You are so capable at everything, Eloise, and I let myself rely on you instead of guiding you. I relied on you to fill a void that was not yours to fill. And you were right. Since the death of your father, you have been more of a mother than I ever was. For that, I am terribly sorry. I should never have put you in that situation.”
Eloise’s heart clenched, her voice a mere whisper. “Mother…”
Lady Danridge reached over and clutched Eloise’s hand. “I never truly let myself see how much it was costing you, how much you had sacrificed. But when I heard what happened with that awful viscount…” Her voice caught, and she swallowed, steadying herself. “I realized I almost lost you without ever truly knowing you as I should have.”
Jeremy cleared his throat, his gaze focused on the floor. “Eloise, I too have an apology to make if you will entertain it.”
Eloise looked at him, her eyes widening. She had rarely seen her brother look so vulnerable, and she had never expected an apology from one of them, let alone both of them.
Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck, finally meeting her gaze. “When I found out about your marriage to Felix, I became angry. But the truth of the matter was that I was angry and ashamed at myself for not being here to help when you needed me most. I left England to take care of everything—you, Mother, the estate, the family—and I returned, only to criticize and accuse you without listening to reason. I failed you.”
Eloise’s heart softened at the admission. She had carried that resentment for so long, but seeing her brother acknowledge his mistakes opened a door she hadn’t realized she’d been waiting to walk through.
She had known, deep down, that Jeremy was ashamed, but it had infuriated her that he couldn’t see what she had accomplished.
“You did what you thought you had to do,” she said softly. “But I appreciate your honesty—and your apology. Both of you.”
Jeremy gave her a tentative smile. “I owe it to you and to Felix. You have been braver than I could ever have been. Than I was!”
“That’s not true,” Eloise said with a shake of her head. “You went away to earn the money and pay off Father’s debt. We all know how hard you tried, Jeremy, and there is no reason for you to be ashamed. Just as there is no shame in asking for help. It was too much for you to do on your own, that is all.”
Lady Danridge, emboldened by the shared honesty in the room, hugged Eloise fiercely and spoke up again, her voice thick with emotion. “You are twice the woman I could ever hope to be, Eloise. And I say that without shame.”
“Thank you,” Eloise said, her voice breaking as she returned her mother’s embrace.
Lady Danridge’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “From this moment forward, I promise to be the mother you always needed, the mother I should have been all along—to both of you.”
“You have been the glue that held this family together, Eloise,” Jeremy said. “Felix was right to choose you. We should have all seen it sooner.”
“All right,” Eloise said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Let us not go overboard. You both always were keen on theatrics.”
Jeremy laughed. “It is only what you deserve to know.”
Eloise swallowed back her emotion, overwhelmed by the weight of her family’s words.
For the first time she felt truly seen, appreciated not only as a dutiful daughter or a reliable sister but as a woman in her own right—capable and strong, respected, and loved.
“Well, now that this has all been sorted,” Lady Danridge said with a brightness that made Eloise laugh, “shall we call for tea? Shall I play mother and pour?”
“Did someone mention tea?”
Felix’s voice drifted from the doorway. Eloise’s face lit up, and she rose from her chair, crossing the room to take his hand. She pulled him gently toward her family, her smile both welcoming and proud.
“Yes, it is high time for tea,” she said, her voice filled with warmth. “Come and sit with us.”
He looked at her questioningly, clearly surprised to see her family there. Eloise nodded softly, a quiet reassurance that all was well.
“In that case,” Felix said, “we had best order some cake as well.”