The Portrait of a Scarred Duke by Patricia Haverton

Epilogue

Two Months Later

“You realize that this marriage won’t be a simple matter,” Seth’s mother said.

Seth nodded slowly. He and his mother stood together in the makeshift studio, although it wouldn’t really be makeshift for much longer. Seth intended to make Elinor a proper studio of her own. Already, he’d sent his men to move Elinor’s handful of paintings and materials from her father’s studio. Seth noted that the nymph was still present.

His mother sighed. “It will be more difficult than you can possibly imagine, which you’ll learn when we leave for London next week.”

“This seems like something you should’ve told me before the wedding,” Seth replied.

Instead, she’d been strangely quiet. His mother had looked at him with sharp eyes and offered only a brief shrug of her shoulders. “You’ll do what you will,” she had said.

And that had been the end of it, or so Seth thought.

“My dear son, if I’ve learned anything about you,” his mother said, “it’s that you rarely listen to me. And you knew well enough the difficulties of your choice without me telling you.”

“So why mention them now?” Seth asked. “With Elinor coming to live here?”

Seth would’ve been content to have Elinor join him on the estate without delay, but she had some affairs to settle before she could. She’d wanted to ensure that her uncle had fully recovered, too.

“I feel like someone needs to voice those concerns,” his mother said. “I feel like we need to acknowledge the difficulty which lies ahead for you and for Elinor. Your marriage is something which will impact us all, you know.”

“Are you angry with me?”

Seth couldn’t quite decipher the expression on his mother’s face. She seemed distant and thoughtful, not really angry but not pleased, either.

“You really love her,” his mother replied at last.

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

She nodded and looked askance. “I suppose…sometimes, it’s difficult for me to remember that you’re the Duke of Worthwood now. You’ve grown into a wholly admirable man.”

“In part, that’s because my mother is such a wondrous woman.”

She scowled with mock irritation. “Your attempts are persuasion are not especially subtle.”

Seth smiled wryly. “That’s never been my strong suit, no.”

“Men have always spoken highly of your father.”

Seth had learned, though, that being a good Duke of Worthwood didn’t necessarily mean that one was either a good man or a good husband. He caught the subtle slump in his mother’s shoulders and how her expression fell just a little.

“My poor mother,” Seth muttered.

She waved a dismissive hand. “There’s no reason to linger on past events. You can’t change them.”

Seth thought of the scars stretching across his face. “I think there is a reason to linger on them, sometimes. I think that’s a very human thing to do.”

His mother’s eyes flitted towards him.

“I don’t think I ever told you how I received these,” Seth said, gesturing to his face. “We came under cannon fire, and one of the masts near me burst apart. It was splintered wood. And for a very long time, I felt so guilty.”

“Guilty?”

“It seems terribly selfish to worry over one’s face when other men lost their lives,” Seth said gently, “and yet I did. So maybe it’s not sensible to think on the past so often, but maybe it doesn’t have to make sense.”

His mother pursed her lips together. “Is that why…did Miss Thorebourne—no, Her Grace—teach you that?”

“I think it’s something I learned, with her help,” Seth confirmed. “She taught me to love myself again, despite my flaws.”

“You’ve such faith in her, too,” his mother replied. “You truly love her.”

“She loves me, too,” Seth said.

His mother looked uncertain. She clasped her elbows and strode to the window, her movements slow and plaintive. Seth’s heart ached. She looked very small and vulnerable standing by the window and framed by the winter outside. “I don’t know if I believe that,” his mother said softly. “Are you certain she didn’t just…want to marry you because of your position? Don’t be angry with me for asking. I only want what’s best for you. For all of us.”

Seth felt himself soften inside. “I truly believe she loves me, and I think she is what’s best for us.”

She nodded slowly and gave Seth a watery smile. “I like her. I don’t know if I truly trust her intentions, but I hope she’s sincere.”

“She is. Time will show you that.”

His mother sighed and looked towards the window. “I hope you’re right. For what it’s worth, my dear son, I think it’s far preferable to have a love-match that’s—perhaps—a little unconventional, over an arrangement where there’s no affection between you.”

“I think Guillan would agree, too.”

In fact, Seth knew he did. His friend had been eager to see Seth wed, especially with a touch of scandal involved.

“Guillan is a scoundrel,” his mother said, with a sniff.

“A scoundrel who you invited to visit us on many occasions,” Seth pointed out.

“I knew he’d raise your spirits, and you were in need of that.”

“Thank you. I was.”

“She’s here,” his mother noted. “I suppose you’ll want to welcome the Duchess of Worthwood to her new home.”

Seth offered his mother a bright smile. “I should. Thank you, Mother. Everything will end for the best. I promise.”

She inclined her head, acknowledging his words. Seth turned and left the room, his feet quickening and his heart beating fiercely in his chest. Elinor had arrived. She’d come to her home—their home. He thundered down the stairs, just as Elinor removed her cloak. Her blue eyes turned to his face, and Seth’s breath caught in his throat.

The cold had reddened the young woman’s cheeks, and her chestnut curls hung a little disheveled around her fair face. Seth swallowed, unable to conceal the grin twitching at his lips. It was impossible, but every time he saw her, Elinor seemed to grow more beautiful.

Seth cleared his throat. “Good evening.”

She offered a small curtsey and smiled mischievously at him. Her eyes sparkled. “Good evening, Your Grace. Seth.”

He approached her and feeling rather bold, placed his hands on her waist. Elinor drew in a sharp, shuddering breath. “I wonder if my touch will always affect you like this,” he murmured, his voice low.

“I hope it does,” Elinor said, placing her slender hands on his shoulders, “but if not, it will surely be because our love has blossomed into something even more wonderful.”

Seth smiled and offered Elinor his arm. With a shy grin, she curled her arm around his. “Shall we go to your studio, My Lady?”

Her eyes brightened, and her flush deepened. Elinor had known that Seth had agreed to build her a studio on the estate, but she hadn’t yet seen it. “Lead the way.”

They made slow progress, as they climbed the stairs. Seth felt Elinor’s warmth, even through the fabric of his jacket and her gown. The gown was—Seth noted with some satisfaction—a rather lovely shade of green, which made Elinor’s blue eyes seem all the brighter.

“I hope you enjoy what we’ve done so far,” Seth said, “but you’re welcome to make any changes you like, of course.”

Elinor pressed more persistently against his side, and when Seth glanced at her, he found that she gazed at him, too. Her sea-colored eyes were so bright and adoring that his heart fluttered. What had he done to deserve this lovely woman’s most tender affections, when so many men had failed to capture her attention?

“I shouldn’t imagine I’ll want to change much, if anything,” Elinor replied. “I appreciate so much what you’ve done for me.”

“You haven’t even seen it yet,” Seth replied, chuckling.

“I don’t need to see it to know that it’s great. I trust you to know how I like things.”

“You praise me too highly. I might be able to guess about your tastes, but I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about how an artist may wish to arrange their space. I might suggest one change, though. That nymph painting—”

Elinor sighed. “I don’t think my patroness is intending to come for it.”

“Is that so bad, now?”

Elinor pursed her lips together. “I wouldn’t say bad, but it was a mistake. I should’ve known better than to complete my work without receiving payment first, regardless of how much money my client might’ve had. I still have much to learn about business if I want to be successful.”

Seth raised an eyebrow. “I should think you’re less concerned about money now.”

Elinor laughed, the sound as light and trilling as the call of a nightingale. “Perhaps. But I hope you weren’t harboring the hope that I’d abandon all my independence and ambitions for being a great artist just because I’m going to be the Duchess of Worthwood.”

Seth grinned. “I’m glad to hear it. I’d have been terribly disappointed if you did change so completely.”

“I feel similarly about you.”

When they entered the studio, Seth noticed first that his mother was absent. Her warnings rang in his ears. Seth believed none of his mother’s suspicions, of course. Elinor’s love for him was genuine; he didn’t doubt that for a second. But it seemed his dear mother might take some time to become accustomed to his new wife.

Elinor gasped and slowly uncurled her arm from Seth’s. He straightened his back and smiled, as the young woman wandered through the space, her fingertips stroking new brushes and canvases. She was already familiar with the room, of course, but Seth had—in addition to removing much of the room’s furniture—asked some artists he knew in London to purchase Elinor the best materials on the market.

“I thought you might want to take some of your works to London when we go,” Seth continued. “I’ve a few friends who are artists and some ladies who I think would be very interested in what you’ve done.”

“Oh, Seth,” Elinor breathed. “It’s so—so perfect.”

She spun around, gazing at him with her wide eyes. Seth smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”

“It’s too much,” she said. “I never—I never imagined I’d have a studio of my own.”

“Indeed, you do,” Seth replied. “We can even find an apprentice for you, if you feel so inclined. Or perhaps, some students.”

Elinor flushed. “Students,” she whispered, sounding as though the idea was both unfathomable and pleasant.

Seth leaned against the doorframe, his eyes watching Elinor as she resumed searching the room. She paused by the settee where she’d painted Seth—that was one of the few bits of furniture which had remained in the room. Seth had seen, after all, that the setting made an effective background to Elinor’s portraits. His own was testament of that.

How strange it is that the portrait, which was meant to accompany my efforts to find a bride, found me one in the very artist who created it.

“I don’t suppose I could persuade you to paint my mother in here,” Seth said after a moment.

“It would be my honor to paint Her Grace,” Elinor said.

The portrait would be beyond compare, Seth knew that. But this would also be an opportunity for his beloved mother and his dear bride to spend some time in one another’s company and hopefully to grow closer to one another. Elinor had made his mother laugh. His mother had liked her, and Seth was sure that his mother’s suspicions would melt away like frost in the Spring if she just spent a little time with Elinor.

“You are the best husband any woman has ever had,” Elinor declared.

Seth grinned. “Somehow, I doubt that, but I’ll accept the compliment because it’s from you.”

“As well you should.”

She clasped her hands behind her back and approached him. Elinor gazed up at him through her eyelashes. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” he murmured.

Elinor took a deep breath and pressed her palms against her chest. “Thank you, too. For the studio, for your love, for everything you’ve done for me.”

Seth curled his hands over her wrists, his fingers making gentle circles over the thin underside of her delicate wrists. “I have as much that I should thank you for. You brought light to my life when there was none. I think you even loved me when I didn’t love myself. You brought out the best part of myself.”

“I can’t possibly claim to have done all that,” Elinor murmured.

Seth stroked her hair, his fingers gently weaving through her soft, chestnut curls. Elinor sighed contentedly and leaned into his touch. Seth crooked a finger beneath her chin and tipped it up. Elinor’s arms slowly wrapped around the back of his neck. She raised herself up just a little, and Seth lowered his head. Their lips pressed together, gently and sweetly. Seth inhaled her familiar scent of flowers.

After they parted, they still remained close to one another. Seth pressed his forehead against Elinor’s. “That was nice,” she said, sounding nearly breathless. “Very nice.”

“You act as if that’s the first time we’ve kissed, My Lady,” he said teasingly.

“It always feels like the first time. I’m still unaccustomed to being in a fairy tale. A romance like this.”

Seth kissed her again. He understood what she meant, for although he’d kissed Elinor many times already, having such physical intimacy with her never failed to make a delighted feeling of warmth rush through his body. Elinor was really his wife and the love of his life, and he’d have her at his side forever.

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Seth said softly. “I hope our love always feels like a fairy tale forever. It won’t be easy, you know.”

His mother’s words were so persistent. He knew that he’d made the correct choice, of course. If he hadn’t been able to marry Elinor, he wouldn’t have wanted to marry at all. Every day, he knew he would have longed for Elinor, for her bright smile, her sparking eyes, and her sly wit. But he knew, too, that this was only the beginning. She was new to his world still.

“I know it won’t be easy,” Elinor confessed. “I knew that when I agreed to marry you. And I agreed because—no matter what difficulties we face in the future—I know that I’ll have you at my side to help me weather any storm.”

“You’re right. And I’ll have you, also.”

“Together,” Elinor continued, with that same charming smile and gentle expression, “we can conquer anything. Already, we’ve overcome so much together.”

And she was right. Seth would’ve never imagined beginning a romance with embezzlement and a lying family involved. He smiled, and overcome with affection for his remarkable bride, kissed her again.

The End?