It's Hard Out Here for a Duke(89)

Meredith understood her now, in a way she never had before.

But one question remained unanswered. If she had noble blood . . . if she was as polished as any gently bred young lady . . . if she was the one who made James want to stand up and be Durham . . . and if they were in love . . .

“Why am I not suitable for James then?”

“As far as anyone knows, you are merely a commoner,” the duchess explained, sounding very sorry about it. But still. “We all know that dukes do not marry commoners. Durham has weathered enough scandals, we cannot have more. And the ton will talk—oh, will they talk. They will be vicious and cruel. And I don’t wish to see you hurt.”

“You’re trying to protect me.” The duchess nodded yes. “But I don’t want to be protected. I want to marry the man I love, who loves me.”

“If it weren’t for the dukedom needing James . . .” the duchess mused. “If you could just get away . . .”

“Like my father. And mother,” James added. “He ran away to be with her, and the horse-thieving story was just to serve as a distraction from the real potential scandal: that love mattered more than duty to the dukedom.”

“You have seen how much people depend upon you, James, or the person in your position. You have seen how there is too much at stake to entrust it to someone like Mr. Collins. I do not wish to stand in the way of love and happiness, but we cannot lose you now, Duke. It would be far more devastating if you ran away now than when your father did.”

“I won’t run away,” James said firmly. “As long as I have Meredith as my duchess.”

“I know that the ton will talk and people will turn their noses up at us. Between the commoner and the American duke, we shall certainly struggle for acceptance that would have come easily otherwise,” Meredith said. “But I have your blood in my veins, and you have taught me well. Josie.”

“Hmmph,” the duchess said at being addressed as Josie by Meredith for the first time. “That’s right. You have my blood in your veins. When I have said that you are like a daughter to me, I have meant it in ways that you didn’t know. I couldn’t let my own niece grow up impoverished with few opportunities to advance and none to succeed. But the world is cruel and quick to judge. I don’t want to see you hurt—not from society, and certainly not from a marriage that cannot withstand the pressures of society.”

“The love I have for Meredith won’t be swayed by what people think or say or whether we are invited to parties or not. The love we share is the kind of love you throw a dukedom away for,” James said evenly. “But I would like to stay. Duchess, you and Meredith have shown me that duty and love needn’t be at odds. It is my love for Meredith that has made me want to stay and become the Duke of Durham and the man I am destined to be.”

Was that, perhaps, a glimmer of a tear in the corner of the duchess’s eye? For that matter, was that a glimmer of a tear in Meredith’s eye? At least one tear wouldn’t be amiss. She had found love, family, and home, more than she had ever imagined. She had, luckily enough, found her place and purpose in the world. This was a gift she would treasure always.

“Besides,” James continued. “What’s a little scandal when it comes to true love?”




A moment later



When Meredith, James, and the duchess opened the doors from the drawing room to the foyer, a not altogether unexpected sight greeted them: three Cavendish sisters leaning close to the door, making a valiant attempt to eavesdrop.

Claire, Bridget, and Amelia all jumped back, wearing vaguely guilty expressions. A smile tugged at Meredith’s mouth. Sisters.

“Did you know that these doors are remarkably thick?” Bridget mused.

“They are not very good at transmitting sound,” Claire said.

“I do believe that is the point of them,” James said. “Ensuring privacy, whether visual or auditory.”

“They are the bane of eavesdroppers everywhere,” Bridget said.

“Or just us,” Amelia added with a grin. “Your beloved sisters.”

“Please, tell me that long private discussion was about you two getting married,” Bridget said, getting right to the point. “And that I have not sent Pendleton for a bottle of champagne for no good reason.”

James and Meredith glanced quickly at each other, and then at Pendleton, who stood nearby with a bottle of champagne, and then at the duchess. They would have a wedding soon—their love would not be denied. The only question was whether they would have the approval from the one person whose good opinion mattered most.