“My niece, Lady Eleanor, has expressed considerable interest,” Lady Pennington added. “Though at two-and-twenty, she fears she may be too young for such distinguished company.”
“Nonsense,” Joanna declared. “A love of literature knows no age. We shall welcome her most heartily when the Season begins.”
The matter settled to everyone’s satisfaction, Samantha caught Ewan’s eye once more. “Perhaps we might continue our discussions in the garden?” she suggested to the assembled ladies. “I believe the gentlemen have organized a game of Pall Mall, and the afternoon is far too fine to spend entirely indoors.”
“An excellent suggestion,” Joanna agreed, gathering her shawl. “And perhaps afterward, we might visit the village schoolhouse? I’ve heard such wonderful reports of its progress and am most eager to see how the children fare under your nephew’s tutelage.”
“They flourish beyond all expectation,” Samantha replied, her voice warming with pride. “Even Mr. Finchley, who was initially skeptical of educating tenant children so thoroughly, now sings their praises. Young William, who could scarcely write his name when we began, now composes the most charming letters.”
“The transformation has been remarkable,” Ewan added, offering his arm to his wife as they led the procession toward the garden. “Not merely in their academic achievements, but in their confidence, their sense of possibility.”
The schoolhouse, completed some six months prior, had indeed become the pride of Valemont village. What had begun as a dilapidated cottage by the millpond now stood as a handsome stone building with large, bright windows that flooded the interior with light.
The grounds, once overgrown and neglected, had been transformed into an orderly garden where the children cultivated vegetables and flowers under Miss Thornfield’s careful instruction.
More remarkable still was the change in the village itself. Where once suspicion had greeted the Duke and Duchess’s presence, now genuine affection prevailed. Samantha’s regular visits, her interest in the villagers’ welfare, and her practical approach to improving their circumstances had won their hearts completely.
“Heather showed me her slate just yesterday,” Samantha continued as they stepped into the sunshine. “She has mastered her multiplication tables through twelve, and her penmanshipwould put many a London gentleman to shame. It truly warms my heart to see them thrive,” Samantha said, her eyes meeting Ewan’s with shared satisfaction. “What began as a simple project has blossomed into something far more meaningful than we ever anticipated.”
Indeed, the schoolhouse had become not merely a place of learning but a center of community life. In the evenings, it served as a gathering place where villagers shared skills and stories.
On Sundays after church, children practiced their reading aloud to appreciative parents and grandparents. The walls, once bare stone, now displayed proudly the artistic efforts of pupils discovering their talents.
“I have heard such great reports from Lord Stonehall about how young William has shown particular aptitude for figures,” Joanna remarked as they reached the garden where the game of Pall Mall was underway.
“Indeed,” Ewan confirmed. “So much so that I’ve arranged for additional instruction in mathematics. The boy has a natural gift that deserves cultivation, regardless of his station.”
Such sentiment would have been unthinkable from the Duke of Valemont a year prior, and the transformation in him—from a man who held himself apart from those he considered beneath his notice to one who recognized and nurtured potential wherever it appeared—was perhaps the most profound change of all.
The scene that greeted them in the garden was one of animated good humor.
Percy, resplendent in a waistcoat of peacock blue, was engaged in heated debate with Lord Tenwick over the proper technique for striking the ball, while Uncle William offered contradictory advice from the sidelines.
Jane stood nearby, her fair beauty complemented by a gown of pale yellow, her laughter carrying across the lawn as Lord Tenwick demonstrated a particularly dramatic swing.
“I see the competition is already fierce,” Samantha observed as she joined them, Ewan’s hand coming to rest at the small of her back with familiar possessiveness.
“Fierce indeed,” Victor agreed, approaching with his wife, Emma, on his arm. “Though I fear young Lord Stonehall’s approach favors theatrical flourish over practical efficacy.”
“Poetry in motion requires no defense,” Percy declared, executing another extravagant swing that sent his ball veering wildly off course. “The journey matters more than the destination.”
“A philosophy that explains much about your current standing in the game,” Henry remarked dryly, earning a chorus of laughter from the assembled company.
As the ladies and gentlemen mingled, the conversation flowing easily between literary discussion and good-natured competition, Ewan found himself marveling at the transformation of Valemont Hall. Once a place of shadows and solitude, it now hummed with life and laughter, a home in the truest sense of the word.
“You seem contemplative, husband,” Samantha murmured, her hand slipping into his as they watched Percy attempt to instruct Lady Pennington in the finer points of mallet handling.
“Merely appreciative,” Ewan replied, raising her fingers to his lips. “Of all that you have brought to Valemont. To me.”
Her smile, still capable of stopping his heart a year into their marriage, bloomed with genuine pleasure. “A mutual gift, I assure you.”
A commotion from the Pall Mall court drew their attention as Lord Tenwick cleared his throat with unusual formality, drawing Jane to his side with unmistakable tenderness.
“If I might have your attention,” he called, his usual sardonic manner giving way to evident nerves. “I have an announcement to make.”
A hush fell over the gathering, though knowing glances were exchanged among those who had observed the couple’s growing attachment over the past months.
“Lady Jane has done me the very great honor,” Lord Tenwick continued, his voice softening as he gazed down at her upturned face, “of accepting my proposal of marriage.”
