“Which brings me back to the present. It is not true that I’ve never told you, Mr. Somerset. I did give you a hint when you came back to London after your brother’s funeral. You still had no idea who she was, and I did my best so that you would seek a face-to-face meeting with her.
“But as always with Vera, I seem to misstep no matter what I do. From Fairleigh Park I received news that the two of you had been seen together at last. And immediately the next day you canceled your engagement to Miss Bessler. I was suddenly in grave doubt of the wisdom of what I’d done. For as I have related to you, there is much at stake, and I wanted to be certain that should you embark on this dangerous path, it is at least not for the sake of lust alone.”
Verity was standing on her chair again. She saw her aunt raise a handkerchief to her still-red eyes. “But never did I imagine that you would be steadfast and determined enough to marry her. Now at long last, she can be restored to us, and we can be a family again.”
The Dowager Duchess of Arlington rose. Stuart rose too. She embraced him tightly. “Thank you, Mr. Somerset. Thank you.”
The dowager duchess pulled away and raised the handkerchief to her eyes yet again. “Now, Mr. Somerset, I am going to leave this room for a quarter of an hour. You will use it for your formal proposal of marriage. After this time you will not be allowed alone with my niece again until you are married. And, Vera, do not dawdle. We have much to do and little time. The family must meet. We must get you a proper wardrobe. You have yet to be presented at court. And there is the wedding to be held before the opening of Parliament. There is not a minute to lose.”
Stuart stood stupefied in the middle of the room.
And that was when Verity came out of nowhere and nearly mowed him down. She covered his face with kisses.
“I love you. I love you. I love you,” said his beloved, between kisses. “I cannot believe what you just did for me. I cannot believe you would give up everything so we could be together. And you gave my family back to me. Now I can be there when Tin gets married. Now I can finally meet my cousins’ children.”
“I cannot believe you are who you are,” he said, still flabbergasted. “I know she’s admitted it and everything adds up. But I cannot believe it. I cannot believe I was right and your family really does go back to the Battle of Hastings.”
“Wrong.” She was laughing and crying at once. “And I’m shocked that you don’t know better—we are older than that; we were already earls under Edward the Confessor.”
Then she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him behind a screen at the corner of the room farthest from the entrances.
He took her face between his hands. “My God, how did you survive all these years?”
“Later, later, I’ll tell you later.” She wrapped her arms about him. “Now, shush and kiss me again.”
“But I haven’t proposed yet,” he protested.
“Oh, forget the proposal. Hurry. Did you not hear what she said? Ridiculous old woman—chaperones at our age. And knowing her, she won’t hold the wedding until the day before Parliament opens, just so the whole world can attend.”
She reached for his trousers. He slapped a hand over hers, shocked.
“Here?!”
“You’ve a better idea?”
He stared at her a moment. “No, as a matter of fact, I don’t. God, those will be some long nights ahead.”
He pushed her against the wall and kissed her hard. And it was a swift, furious joining that sent her over the edge directly, and him only a few seconds later.
They spent the remainder of the quarter hour trying to make themselves presentable again.
“You are giggling.” She poked him in the arm. “I’ve never seen you giggle.”
“I can’t help it.” He dissolved into another fit. “I shagged the Lady Vera Drake in broad daylight in the middle of the Dowager Duchess of Arlington’s drawing room. My reputation will never survive it.”
“Your reputation was headed for ruin the moment you met me,” she reminded him.
He brushed a finger on her cheek. “No, that was my heart.”
She cupped his face. “And what a mighty heart it is.” There were tears in her eyes again. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but you are an extraordinary man.”
“I but know what is important to me. And I should have known it much sooner.” He linked their hands together. “Will you marry me, Verity, and make me the happiest man alive?”
“Yes. It will be my honor and my privilege and my heart’s desire,” she said.
He kissed her on each cheek, her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her lips. Then he looked into her eyes and smiled. “At long last, Cinderella.”
Epilogue