Chapter 20 #2
The breakfast had been arranged with the same understated elegance that seemed to define everything Hector did. Fresh flowers filled polished crystal vases. Silver gleamed beneath the afternoon light spilling through tall windows.
The dining table overflowed with breads, fresh fruit, smoked fish, cold meats, preserves, cakes, and steaming chocolate alongside fragrant tea and coffee. Everything was impeccable.
Guests mingled easily throughout the drawing room and adjoining dining chamber, laughter replacing the solemnity of the church.
Jane had scarcely accepted congratulations from two elderly ladies when Lavinia appeared, practically glowing with delight. “There you are!”
She hurried across the room and embraced Jane carefully. “I have been waiting to steal you away.”
Jane laughed.
Lavinia stepped back, admiring her friend. “You truly are a duchess now.”
The words sounded almost unbelievable. Jane glanced down at her wedding ring. “I suppose I am.”
“You suppose?”
“I have not entirely grown accustomed to it.”
“You will.” Lavinia linked their arms. “Come.”
She guided Jane toward a quieter alcove overlooking the rear gardens where the conversation from the larger gathering became little more than a pleasant murmur.
Lavinia smiled. “I finally have you to myself.”
Jane leaned lightly against the window frame. “For approximately five minutes.”
“How are you feeling?”
Jane considered the question honestly. “Relieved.”
Lavinia waited.
Jane drew a slow breath. “My mother is safe.”
She looked toward the drawing room where Lady Wynten laughed with one of Hector’s elderly aunts.
“I no longer wake wondering what Zachary might do next.” Her shoulders relaxed. “I no longer have to search desperately for a husband before everything is taken from us. I cannot explain what that feels like.”
Lavinia squeezed her arm gently. “You do not need to.”
Jane smiled gratefully. “I feel as though I have been holding my breath for months.”
“And now?”
“Now I can breathe.” Jane looked across the room.
Hector was speaking with Ambrose near the fireplace. Even now he carried himself with that same quiet confidence that had first unsettled her. He looked composed. Until Ambrose said something that earned one of Hector’s rare half-smiles.
Jane’s heart gave a ridiculous little flutter. She looked away before anyone noticed. “I do not quite know what to make of him.”
Lavinia raised an eyebrow. “You married him.”
Jane searched for the right words. “I am hopelessly drawn to him. But...he can be so terribly cold. One moment I think I understand him. The next, he withdraws entirely. He keeps so much hidden.”
Lavinia chuckled. “My dear...I believe that man has been in love with you for far longer than even he knew it.”
Jane blinked. “You think so?”
Lavinia smiled knowingly. “Some gentlemen speak constantly because they feel very little. Others struggle to speak because they feel far too much.”
Jane turned that thought over quietly.
Lavinia continued. “I have watched the duke watch you. He rarely takes his eyes off you. I think you simply need patience.”
“I have already needed a great deal of patience.”
“And I suspect you’ll need a little more.” She squeezed Jane’s arm once more. “Now. Go be a duchess.”
Jane laughed. “I shall attempt it.”
They stepped back into the larger gathering together.
Almost immediately, Jane spotted her mother waving enthusiastically from across the room.
“There you are!” Lady Wynten beckoned eagerly.
Jane crossed the room. Hector stood beside her mother. So did Zachary. Her uncle looked distinctly unhappy.
Jane considered that an encouraging sign. “Mama?”
Lady Wynten positively beamed. “My dear!”
She clasped Jane’s hands. “The duke has just told me the most wonderful news.”
Jane glanced curiously toward Hector. “What news?”
Her mother looked ready to burst. “He has bought Wynten House!”
Jane stared. “What?”
Lady Wynten nodded rapidly. “He purchased it outright.”
Jane turned slowly toward Hector. “You…?”
He met her gaze calmly. “It seemed sensible.”
She blinked. “Sensible?”
Before Hector could answer, Zachary gave a derisive snort. “You may keep the wretched place. I have no need of it.”
No one answered. His irritation visibly deepened. “I have better investments to concern myself with.” He straightened his waistcoat. “I wish you all a pleasant afternoon.”
The words carried very little sincerity. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode across the room.
Jane watched him disappear into the crowd.
Only after he was gone did she look back at Hector. “You bought my home.”
“Our home,” he corrected quietly.
The words settled warmly inside her.
He continued. “I considered relocating Lady Wynten. But every room in that house carries memories of your father.”
“And Colin.”
“I thought it kinder to let you remain where you belong.”
Jane’s eyes filled unexpectedly. “You did all of that...”
He looked almost puzzled by her emotion. “It was simply the easiest solution.”
She laughed through her tears. “You always say things like that.”
He frowned slightly. “Like what?”
“As though rescuing someone’s entire life is merely another item upon your morning schedule.”
For a moment he simply looked at her. Then one corner of his mouth lifted. “If it pleases you, then it was worth doing.”
Jane squeezed his fingers. “Thank you.”
He held her gaze. “You never need thank me for protecting my family.”
Those two words stayed with her long after the conversation ended. My family.