“It is getting quite late,” Lord Jonathan noted and then picked up the bottle of scotch, which had now nearly been emptied out. “I propose one last drink before we call it a night.”
“Of course.” Nicholas nodded in agreement. “One last drink to celebrate my last night at Hopestyn Estate!”
But as the three gentlemen clinked their glasses together, the Duke was sure that there was nothing worth celebrating about the fact that the Cluett family, and more importantly Deborah, would be leaving Hopestyn Estate tomorrow.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
As the morning sun finally shone its rays on Hopestyn Estate, the Cluett family stood at the grand entrance, with the carriage that would take them home waiting for them.
“It has been a pleasure hosting you all at Hopestyn Estate,” Modesty began, a warm smile gracing her lips. “Your presence brought a feeling of warmth and joy to these halls, and you will all be sorely missed.”
“Oh, this is not a goodbye, Your Grace,” Peter replied, smiling brightly. “After all, this is just the beginning of a lifelong union between our families.”
“I, for one, am going to miss Nicholas and his jokes,” Lord Jonathan chimed in. “In both Peter and you, I have found a friend. And as for Lady Deborah, I look forward to the opportunity of getting to know you a little better when we happen to see each other next.”
“Your Grace,” Tabitha spoke up, “I will miss the time we spent with each other. I hope that you will write to me frequently.”
Amidst the sea of goodbyes, there were two people who had been keeping silent—Henry and Deborah. Deborah had been carrying a heavy heart all morning, knowing that she would have to say goodbye to the Duke.
As the carriage awaited, Deborah braced herself for the inevitable moment she knew she would have to come to terms with. She looked up, her eyes searching for the Duke. It was finally time for the both of them to say goodbye to each other.
“Your Grace.” She stepped forward, making herself known to him, even though she had noticed that he had already been sneaking glances in her direction.
“My Lady.”
Their gazes met, and suddenly, all the noise and chatter around Deborah faded into the background. The two of them swallowed almost at the same time, both seeming afraid to say the first word of what would be a farewell.
“Despite what I would consider to be an eventful last few days, it has been an honor to be a guest at Hopestyn Estate,” Deborah said, using up all her strength to appear confident in front of the Duke.
Henry smiled at her, but his eyes told a different story altogether, revealing a hint of melancholy behind them.
“Likewise, it has been a great joy hosting you,” he replied, keeping his tone strictly formal. “I hope that you succeed in the writing endeavors that you spoke of so fondly.”
Deborah felt her throat tighten. She had not expected him to bring up her writing, much less even remember that she had mentioned it.
A silence hung between the two of them as they locked gazes once again.
“I suppose this is farewell, then.” Deborah’s voice came out hoarser than she had expected.
“For now,” the Duke said. “Perhaps we will cross paths again.”
“In different circumstances,” Deborah reminded him. She thought of the fact that the next time she might see Henry, he might be engaged to Joanna, ending their story once and for all.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Emma exchange a look with Peter as she curtsied the Duke one final time.
“Farewell,” both of them said at the same time.
As Deborah walked to her carriage, she felt as though she was leaving behind something significant.
“Are you all right?” Nicholas asked her, as he was the next person to follow her into the carriage. “You seem quite depressed now that we are actually leaving. I thought you couldn’t wait to return home.”
“I suppose I’ve learned that changing your mind is possible,” she replied and then gave her brother a look that indicated that she didn’t wish to talk about it anymore.
As the rest of the Cluett family filed into the carriage and final goodbyes were said, Peter instructed the driver to begin the journey.
“Ah, I didn’t think it would be such a bittersweet moment leaving Hopestyn Estate,” Peter remarked. “But I am glad that we discovered something that made saying goodbye so hard.”
* * *
