“It did no good.”
The drawn curtains hid Alice from her parents as they walked into the library, unwittingly intruding on her solace. They were clearly unaware of where Alice was, and she had no intention of revealing herself either.
“What do you mean?” Her mother’s voice was a little higher than usual. “I thought you were to offer him –”
“You do not understand. No matter what I offered him, the gentleman was quite unwilling to step away from Alice. He told me plainly that he would not have it.”
Alice’s toes curled at the silence which followed. Plainly, her mother was in a great deal of shock that a gentleman such as Lord Foster would not be swayed to turn away from what had been a practical betrothal.
“Then what are we to do? Your sister is expecting Alice to join her very soon.”
“I do not think… I do not think that such a thing can take place. We must find another alternative. Alice will wed Lord Foster.”
Alice’s eyes widened at the gloom in her father’s voice. She did not think she had ever heard him so defeated.
“And what explanation will you give? What will you say to your sister about why she cannot have her expected companion?”
Closing her eyes at her mother’s harsh tone, Alice leaned her head back against the wall. Even now, at this moment, it seemed she cared more for her sister-in-law’s situation in losing Alice as her companion than about Alice herself.
“I shall have to tell her the truth.” Even her father sounded heavy-hearted, as if losing a daughter to the hand of a Viscount was a dreadful thing indeed. “I shall have to inform her that our daughter is to marry Lord Foster and that there was nothing I could do to prevent it. Lord Foster himself is quite ridiculous, of course. His explanation and reasons for refusing to end the betrothal made very little sense to me. Personally, I think him a little addled.”
Pulling up her knees, Alice dropped her forehead to them and wrapped her arms around her legs. Even in the face of her parents’ disappointment at her forthcoming marriage, she could not help her joy. She was to marry Lord Foster and become Viscountess Foster. Nothing was to stand in her way, not even her own father.
“Why? Whatever did he say? We cannot allow our daughter to marry a madman!”
Rolling her eyes, Alice kept her head forward, listening intently.
“He said that he loved her.” Lord Blackford’s voice crackled with indignation. “Have you ever heard of such foolishness?”
Alice’s heart burst into such a furious rhythm that she had to squeeze her eyes closed and clamp her mouth shut for fear that she would exclaim aloud. Yes, they had shared a kiss, but as yet he had not offered her any declaration of his heart. It now seemed that Lord Foster felt more for her than he had been able to express.
“That is utterly ridiculous. There must be something we can do!”
“There is not.”
Alice closed her eyes at the sound of her father’s defeat, joy lifting her heart. There was to be more happiness in her life than ever before. Everything in her wanted to jump down from the library window, leave the house at once, and make her way directly towards Lord Foster’s house, but instead, she chose to remain silent and hidden. Her parents continued to discuss the matter for a few more minutes before finally departing the library, leaving Alice alone, lost in happiness and relief. Tears filled her eyes and she let them fall, filled with an astonishing hope for a promise that she knew would never be broken.
* * *
“My dear.” Lord Foster’s hands reach out to her, her fingers twining through his as she held fast to him. “I have been longing to see you.”
“And I you.”
Tears burned, but she swallowed hard, not wanting him to know the reason behind them. Not yet at least, for there was so much that she wanted to express first.
“Our wedding is to take place in only a fortnight. I cannot wait for you to become my bride. My love–” Lord Foster broke off suddenly, his eyes flaring wide. Alice said nothing, smiling gently as she looked into his face. He was blinking rapidly, and his chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “That is to say,” Lord Foster continued. “It is to say that I have found my love for you growing with every day that we have shared thus far.” His shoulders dropped as he sighed, letting out a breath of relief that he had been able to speak so openly to her. “That is the truth, Alice. It is not only practicality that binds us together any longer. It is not because of our bargain, not because I am bound to keep to our arrangement. It is because I have fallen in love with you.”
“Oh…”
One hand lifted free of hers and ran lightly across her cheek, his fingers trailing from the back of her neck along the curve of her jaw. They were standing together in the shadowy corner of Lord Appleton’s ballroom and yet it was as though no one else was present. She could see nothing but Lord Foster, could hear nothing but his voice.
“It is because I love you, and I want us to wed. Nothing would turn me from you now. I have such hope for our future that I believe would have surpassed any financial difficulty. You must know, Alice, that I intend to spend every day of my life making certain that you are aware of just how much I have come to love you.”
Heedless to those around her, Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close, smiling up into his eyes.
“I never once expected anything like this, Lord Foster.”
A broad grin settled on his lips.