“We do not know what is to be done.”
“An uproar?”
“They have been waiting for your return and now believe that something most untoward has occurred as one of the guests saw you step outside.”
“I think you must return to your guests, my Lord.” Lady Albina draped her persona of Miss Trean, the governess, back around her shoulders as she bobbed a curtsey. “Mayhap we might speak again tomorrow?”
The gentle twinkle in her eye made Patrick grimace.
“You cannot return to your bedchamber, Albina,” he murmured so that the footman would not hear him. “You are the daughter of an Earl and –”
“I can be Miss Trean for one more night,” she assured him. “Besides, I am very weary and will, no doubt, sleep very well indeed, regardless.” The smile warmed his heart, but it was with great reluctance that he allowed her to depart. “Good evening, Lord Addenbrook.”
With a heavy sigh, Patrick waved her away with one hand.
“Good evening, Miss Trean,” he muttered, before begrudgingly turning his attention back to the footman and to his duties as host.
Tomorrow would be a new beginning for them all, and Patrick had every intention of making certain that Lady Albina was never separated from him again.
Epilogue
“My Lord?”
Albina peeked into the drawing-room but found it empty save for Lord Addenbrook. At the sight of her, he let out a small exclamation and practically threw himself out of his chair as he hurried towards her.
“You need not refer to me in such terms any longer.”
She smiled as he caught her hands.
“But you might have been with the butler, and I did want to be careful.”
“There is no need for caution any longer,” he told her, sending a jolt of surprise from her head to her toes. “Henry is departing with my brother by the week’s end, and I shall then be free to do as I please – and I have every intention of spending my next few days thereafter in one particular place with only one particular person for company.”
Albina pressed her lips together, her heart quickening.
“Is that so?”
She had no fear that he would send her from his house, not any longer. Since the revelations of the previous evening, Albina had sensed a change within him, as though he had been offered a glimpse of something truly wonderful and had wanted to grasp at it with both hands.
“Albina, you cannot return home.”
She shook her head.
“No, I cannot.”
“And I cannot have you apart from me.” His hands were warm on hers. “You fill my life with beauty, joy, and hope. You have shown me what is truly important. I am ashamed of what I used to consider to be important to me, for I now realize that those things have no merit whatsoever.” Moving a little closer to her, his hand lifted to her cheek, his fingers brushing gently across her skin and sending a shiver of delight down her spine. “When I first found myself eager for your company, I was frustrated with myself for thinking such things of a governess. But when I learned the truth, I was swamped with such relief that I could hardly contain it.” His hand skimmed down her neck, her shoulder, and her arm before catching her fingers again. “And in speaking to Lord Hogarth last evening, I realized just how foolish I was to even be considering what I might do next. There is only one thing I want, only one thing that I desire – and that is to be with you, Lady Albina.”
Her heart soared.
“You speak of my own heart’s desire also, Lord Addenbrook.”
He smiled into her eyes.
“Then if I suggest that we take a short trip together to Scotland if we were perhaps to find a blacksmith and an anvil?” Unable to hold herself back, Albina flung her arms about his neck and laughed with joy. Lord Addenbrook’s arms went about her, and she felt the soft rumble of his chest as he laughed with her. “Then you will marry me?” he asked, whispering those words into her ear. “You will become my wife?”
Albina pulled back a little and looked deeply into his eyes.
“I could not wish to ever be parted from you, Addenbrook,” she answered, softly. “When I first arrived, I thought you arrogant and selfish. But I have seen you change. I have learned of the hurt and the struggle that you faced in the disappearance of your brother. I have seen you change your approach towards Henry and he, in turn, has warmed to you.” Her hands pulled back from his neck, framing his face. “You protected me on more than one occasion and saved me from Lord Kingston’s intentions. And now you are throwing aside what once held such importance for you to secure your future with me!” Seeing the tenderness in his expression, she smiled softly up at him. “Your heart is good and kind, and I cannot help but love you.”