Sheridan frowned. “Thank you, sir. We appreciate your efforts.”
Even as the constable left, Gwyn strolled in. “TheTimeshas arrived. There’s a curious announcement in it.” She flashed Beatrice a smile. “Apparently, the paper made a mistake in naming Vanessa Pryde as Grey’s fiancée. It seemsyouare actually Grey’s fiancée.”
Beatrice brightened. “Let me see!”
“Ah, ah, ah,” Gwyn said, holding the newspaper away from her. “First, tell me if you actually knew of this when we were going on and on about Grey’s awful behavior to you.”
“Leave her alone, Sis.” Grey snatched the paper from her and handed it to Beatrice. “She wasn’t sure of me yet, so she behaved cautiously. And I don’t blame her for that.” Especially since he was partly responsible for her caution in the first place.
Beatrice read the announcement eagerly, then handed it to Wolfe. “You see? I told you he really wanted to marry me.”
Wolfe glanced at the paper, then at Grey. “So you weren’t lying.”
“Did you think I was?” he drawled. “That doesn’t bode well for our future as brothers-in-law.”
“Oh, hush, Grey,” Gwyn said, tapping his arm with her fan. “You have a reputation. What did you expect?”
“Anundeservedreputation,” Beatrice said stoutly. “Do not think otherwise.”
As Gwyn shot Beatrice a bemused glance, Sheridan laughed. “Oh, you have certainly gotherwrapped around your finger, Brother.”
“Trust me, no one wraps Beatrice around his finger,” Grey said. “Which is precisely why I fell in love with her.”
At the word “love,” Gwyn looked shocked and Sheridan uncomfortable, but their mother beamed at Grey. “And that is certainly something to celebrate. Come, let’s go to the drawing room. I’ll send for champagne, and we’ll toast the lovebirds.”
When Beatrice blushed and smiled, looking already the part of a bride-to-be, Grey felt his heart beat faster. “We’ll be right behind you,” he said. “Just give us a moment.”
Fortunately, his family had the good sense to go on without them. Then he pulled Beatrice into the cloakroom, where they could be more private.
“Thank you for seeing me for what I really am,” he murmured. “You’ll never convince the others of it, but as long as you believe it, it’s enough for me.”
She shook her head at him. “Give them some credit for recognizing the truth. Yes, they probably listen to the gossip about you a bit too much, but in time they’ll realize how false it is. And they’ll be right there to champion you when the gossips treat you unfairly. Because they love you. They may not understand you or even know how to treat you, but they love you deeply. You’re as much a part of the family as anyone can be.”
With his heart in his throat, he stared down at her. “You’re marvelous, do you know that?”
“I do,” she said lightly. Then she sobered. “But you, Your Grace, are more than marvelous. Because you saw the goodness in me and ignored the rest. For that, I will always love you, too.”
Feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest, he kissed her. At last he’d found a woman who could not only know him thoroughly, but could accept him for what he was—a man with flaws and fears, but a man still capable of loving.
After a long moment of relishing the softness of her mouth and the tenderness of her heart, he drew back to smirk at her. “Does this mean you’re not having a debut and hunting for a better husband after all?”
“Don’t be silly,” she teased. “My days as your mother’s project may be over, but that only means I now have to show off how well I’ve learned my lessons. So I still need a debut, which means we can’t marry for, oh, at least seven months, when the Season begins.”
“The hell we can’t. I am not waiting seven months to marry you, sweetheart.”
“Six, then?” she said, clearly fighting a smile.
“Three, when your period of mourning is up.”
She cast him a mock frown. “So you mean to deny me my debut, do you?”
“Not in the least.” He grinned. “You’ll just have to be presented at court as my new duchess.” He leaned close to whisper, “And the great thing about being a duchess, my love, is you get to say whatever you want—just as your husband does. We’ll be the outrageous Greycourts together.”
She broke into a smile. “Ooh, I do like that idea. Does that mean I don’t have to follow all those rules, either?”
He turned serious. “Except for one: You must keep on loving me.”
She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “That one’s easy. Because I always will.”
