Trapped with the Duke by Annabelle Anders

Epilogue

“The Duchess of Bedwell with her son, the duke, to see Miss Jones.” Mr. Ingles announced. “Shall I see them in?”

Chase sent Collette a questioning glance. In the four days that had followed the accident, Addison had visited her at Byrd House four times. And they were lucky in that it was Bethany who volunteered to act as chaperone.

They were lucky, in that Collette’s brother’s wife often managed to find distractions that required she leave them alone for several minutes at a time.

Chase, Collette surmised, might not be so lenient. She couldn’t help but feel the occasional twinge of sympathy for his future daughters.

“Are you quite certain you’re up to seeing her?” Bethany asked from where she sat across the withdrawing room on the settee beside Chase.

Collette nodded.

Addison had said he would send his mother away—to Scotland, no less, where he owned a perfectly suitable, if not cold and drafty, castle. He’d said he refused to subject the woman he loved, the woman who would be the mother of his children and his future duchess, to his mother’s insults.

Although Collette found the idea of his mother going to Scotland instead of herself somewhat ironic, she didn’t want Addison to have to choose between his wife and his mother—not unless it was absolutely necessary.

Collette was willing to give his mother a second chance.

For Addison’s sake but also for Lady Fiona’s.

“Show them in, please.” Collette answered her brother and sister-in-law’s question by speaking to the butler directly, who nodded and then disappeared.

In the silence that followed his departure, Collette wiggled on the small settee where Chase had placed her not ten minutes earlier. Already, she was feeling antsy with her foot propped on the ottoman in front of her.

Aside from the pain of her very swollen and bruised foot, she was perfectly fine and yet she’d been ordered to keep off of it for eight weeks.

Two months!

Addison had taken pity on her the day before and carried her outside to sit in the garden for all of thirty minutes. When she’d protested that he too, was injured, he’d lifted her off the bed anyway.

“Not so injured I won’t take advantage of every opportunity to have you in my arms.”

Blasted man.

She’d taken full advantage of that time as well by inhaling his scent and placing delicate kisses along the line of his jaw.

As with each of his visits, her time with him flew by.

Mr. Ingles appeared in the open door, Addison behind him, and Collette’s heart made a tiny skip of joy.

Because the second she met his gaze, all of her concerns, including but not limited to the dull throbbing in her foot and the stern-looking woman at his side, shrunk into nothing more than small annoyances.

Love, she decided, was an all-encompassing emotion that changed not only her heart but the way she viewed the world.

“Collette.” He stepped aside for the duchess to precede him into the room. “My lord, my lady. You remember my mother?”

Chase was on his feet, as was Bethany, who dipped into a stingy curtsey beside Chase’s quick bow. “Your Grace.”

“Forgive me for not rising,” Collette offered.

“But of course.” The duchess’s gaze flicked to Collette’s foot, and Collette was glad of the sock and blanket that covered it.

Because it was not a pretty sight at all.

Addison, of course, had told her it was the most beautiful sight in the world. Beautiful because it would heal. The day before, in one of those fortuitous gaps of time when Bethany had excused herself, he’d admitted that he’d feared she could lose it. And then he’d pulled back the light blanket and placed a chaste kiss on her large toe.

He had to love her to do that.

“Won’t you sit down? Mr. Ingles, if you’d be so kind as to have tea brought up?” Bethany returned to her seat, where she sat as primly and properly as any earl’s daughter would.

The duchess lowered herself into one of the single high-backed chairs in the room and Addison took the space beside Collette.

“How are you feeling today, my love?” Addison stared into her eyes managing to convey all of his concern and affection while also maintaining his dignified ducal persona.

“I’m very happy to have escaped my chambers.” She clasped her fingers around his, where he’d taken hold of her hand in the folds of her skirt. “And very happy to have visitors.” She glanced toward the door. “You did not bring Zeus and Hera with you? I’m quite looking forward to thanking them properly.”

“Tomorrow, I promise.” Addison squeezed her hand. “But for today, Mother wishes a word with you.”

The last time Collette had been in the duchess’ company, she’d been the object of her disgust and resentment. But it was odd, in light of everything that had ensued since then, she couldn’t summon much ill-will today.

Because the duchess was, in fact, Addison’s mother. How could she not be grateful to her for bringing Addison into this world?

“I treated you and your family poorly, Miss Jones.” The woman lifted her chin and leveled her stare on Collette.

This, Collette realized, was how a duchess said she was sorry. Was there any sincerity in the apology? Did she suffer even an ounce of remorse?

“Why?” Collette asked simply. Not because she wanted her future mother-in-law to grovel but because it was important they cleared the air in order to move forward.

As a family.

Chase, she realized, was watching her and looking…

Proud.

“I do not approve of you.” The duchess’ words had Addison stiffening beside Collette. His mother was quick to go on. “Hundreds, thousands of women all over England would go to great lengths to marry a duke, especially one so young and handsome as my son. I did not trust you. You are not only lowborn but also illegitimate. You’ve no training, no proper breeding. I would have much preferred Bedwell marry practically anyone but you.”

“That’s enough.” Addison went to stand but Collette tugged at him to remain seated beside her.

“I initially refused his offer,” Collette said. “For those same reasons. And yet here we are.”

The duchess dipped her chin in agreement and a sense of understanding passed between the two of them.

“My son loves you.”

“And I love him.”

The duchess grimaced. “And so you and I shall come to terms with one another.” Even while frowning, the duchess was a beautiful woman.

As far as apologies went, it was a rather weak one.

“And…?” Addison prompted from beside Collette.

It was Collette who stiffened this time.

“And, I look forward to helping you plan your wedding. St. George’s, I think, will be quite lovely this spring.”

Collette could not help but smile as she felt Addison shaking his head in what she already knew was his displeasure.

“I’ve had a special license in my pocket for three days now.” He’d brought it out the day after the accident, wanting to slip her away to the nearest church. The doctor, however, had insisted she do nothing but rest and keep her foot elevated for at least a week before putting any strain whatsoever on the healing muscles.

They had canceled the wedding they’d already scheduled, and Collette hadn’t complained. In fact, she’d been relieved at the idea of a private ceremony.

She had no wish to hobble down a long aisle, looking clumsy and weak as she made her way towards her groom. She hated even more the idea of being carried to the altar.

“Of which I must advise against making use of.” Addison’s mother pinched her lips and then turned to Bethany. “Don’t you think, Lady Chaswick, that it’s best for both of them, certainly for Miss Jones, if they take their vows with the requisite pomp and circumstance?”

“I cannot argue with that.” Ironically, it was her brother who answered.

Collette shot him an accusing stare. What was he doing? Whose side was he on, anyhow?

“We’re not waiting until spring,” Addison stated.

Collette nodded, in perfect agreement with her fiancé.

They had lain together. And if that wasn’t reason enough to hasten their wedding, she wanted to lie with him again. Not doing just that was considerably…

Frustrating. Even sitting beside him now, she wanted nothing more than to scoot closer, and run her hands up his sturdy thigh and—

“You’ll be able to walk by the holidays. What about a Christmas wedding? At Easter Park.” Bethany’s suggestion broke into her thoughts.

Collette lifted the fan at her side and waved it, feeling unusually heated.

Christmas was nearly ten weeks away. Ten weeks!

“If you have a Christmas wedding, Lady Fiona can be present to witness your nuptials.” The duchess seemed quite open to this compromise.

Chase met her gaze. “You could invite a few of the friends you made at Miss Primm’s, as well.” His eyes twinkled. Because of course he was insinuating that she’d want to show them all that she’d not been broken by her dismissal.

“No doubt they’d be honored to attend.” Bethany was to be no help either. “For a former teacher to wed a duke? A feather in the school’s cap all around, I imagine.” She winked.

Oh, but this was not fair at all. Because they all made excellent points. Not that she would wish to invite her former colleagues in order to make a show of her marriage to Addison, but because she had genuinely liked some of them.

“We can invite Miss Primm, Miss Shipley, and Miss Fortune—and didn’t one of the other teachers write to you?” Bethany asked.

“Miss Priscilla.” One of the teachers Collette had barely had a chance to get to know had written to express how sorry she was that Collette had had to leave and that she’d objected to the decision.

“And Diana and the marquess will have returned from their wedding journey by then as well. With the ceremony at Easter Park, your mother won’t have to travel. What would you say to hosting a house party? Will you be up to that, Bethany?” Chase looked to his wife.

“I think that would be wonderful.”

Collette studied her brother with great affection, thinking how much it would mean to have both of her sisters present for her wedding. All sets of eyes watched her, seemingly waiting for her decision. Even Addison was leaving this up to her.

Ten weeks until Addison could make love to her again, though? Ten weeks until she could wake up beside him every morning?

Ten weeks of more wedding plans and being chaperoned and being dependent on her brother…

But having all of her family there… And if it meant getting off to a better start with his mother…

“I suppose a Christmas wedding would be nice.”

Addison groaned and Chase burst out laughing. “Christmas it is then!”

With that decision in place, Bethany and Chase offered to show Addison’s mother the garden and discuss more wedding plans, allowing Collette a few moments alone with Addison. It was a ruse, Collette knew, and she was coming to appreciate her sister-in-law more with each passing day.

No sooner had the door closed behind them when Addison lifted her carefully onto his lap and nuzzled the side of her neck.

“Ten weeks?” He sounded as disgruntled about it as she did. “Do you wish to torture me?”

“I know.” Collette moaned softly, her skin practically on fire from the heat of his kisses. “A cruel punishment indeed.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” he said. “There are ways…” His husky voice drew a shiver from her.

Collette smiled when she felt his hand drifting up her leg, beneath her skirts. “We’ll have to be discreet.” She gasped when his fingers grazed the tender flesh between her legs.

“No screaming.” He warned.

“I’ll be quiet,” Collette whispered, her voice already shaking from need. “No screaming. I promise.” But his fingers were touching her in the most glorious places and already she felt that delightful sharp feeling rising up. “Unless…”

Her body jolted and she arched herself into his touch. A little closer, a little more friction.

“Unless?” As though reading her mind, he gave her precisely what she needed.

“Unless a house falls on me, of course.”

“I think we’re safe in that regard,” Addison laughed. “Unless, of course, you were speaking metaphorically.”

“Ah…” Addison caught her cry with his mouth and proceeded to heighten her completion with his kiss.

“Figuratively speaking.” Addison tucked her into his side afterward. “You can count on the house coming down many, many times over the next fifty or so years. Because like it or not, love, you’re trapped with me forever.”

Collette dragged her fingertips along the line of his jaw. In a beautiful sense of irony, spending her life with this man gifted her with incredible freedom. Freedom to love and be loved.

Joy burst in her heart and heat pricked the back of her eyes.

“Just so long as we’re trapped together, Addison.”

He nodded. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”