How to Heal the Marquess by Sally Forbes

Chapter Thirty

 

Tobias held the copy of the London Times containing the announcement of his engagement to Lady Selina, reading it for what felt like the thousandth time and feeling strangely numb. He had, of course, made the engagement happen. No one had forced him to do it, and he intended to follow it through. However, he had expressed a wish that the engagement should remain confidential for the time being.

To him, it did not feel like something to celebrate. Rather, it felt like an obligation, a duty, that he must fulfil. He knew he could never enjoy any celebration of it, not even on his own wedding day. But though he had tried to keep the announcement out of the papers, Lord Alwater had refused to do so. In hindsight, he supposed he should have expected his request to be rejected. Lord Alwater was Lady Selina’s father. Naturally, he would want the entire ton to know his daughter was to be married. Even so, all Tobias could do as he tossed the paper aside was to grimace.

To distract himself from the dreaded future, Tobias decided to check in on his grandfather. He had been showing improvements, and even though the physician had warned him that the duke was not yet out of the woods, Tobias could not help appreciating each small step his grandfather made toward recovery. That was the only good thing about his marriage to Lady Selina. At this rate, his grandfather would live to see Tobias keep his promise. But once the duke did pass, would it prove to have been worth the sacrifice?

Walking quietly, so as to not disturb the duke if he was resting, Tobias headed up to his room. As he got close to the door, he saw it was slightly ajar. From the sound of the voices inside, he could tell that his grandfather was not asleep, and that he was not alone. He started to push open the door and announce himself. But as he reached to touch the door, something made him pause.

“Daisy, my dear,” the duke was saying. Tobias’s heart tingled with joy at how carefree and almost normal his grandfather’s voice sounded. “I feel it is imperative that I tell you that you are a special young woman. Extremely so, in fact.”

Tobias’s mouth fell open at his grandfather’s lavish praise. He knew the duke liked Daisy, but once again, he was giving her praise as a medical practitioner, which was something Lord Berbrook would have once considered absurd.

Daisy giggled with pure delight, sending shivers down Tobias’s spine.

“Lord Berbrook,” she said timidly. “You do me too much honor.”

There was a moment of silence, and Tobias found himself straining to hear, though he still made no move to enter the room. He felt briefly guilty for eavesdropping on their conversation, but he found he could not take a step forward, even if he wanted to.

“Not at all, dear,” the duke said, his tone warm and sincere. “You are good at your job. But not only because of your training. You have a natural talent for your art. A born gift. And you have a well of compassion and kindness that runs deeper than all the oceans of the world combined. You love what you do, and you love your patients. If any woman shares those traits, I have had yet to hear of them. You are very special, indeed, Daisy. Unique. And I am very grateful that serendipity brought you into our lives.”

Tobias felt sure Daisy responded to the duke, but he could not hear her words over the blood roaring in his ears. All at once, he realized he agreed wholeheartedly with what his grandfather had said to Daisy. Despite his initial reluctance to allow her to care for the duke, Tobias had quickly started to realize that she was, indeed, special, in a way one rarely, if ever, encountered in London. Perhaps even in the whole world. And he realized something else, something which at last made him able to move once more. He had fallen madly in love with Daisy.

With no idea what he would say or do, Tobias stepped into the room. And for the second time that day, Tobias was stunned into paralysis. His grandfather was out of bed, looking far from ill and fading. But the biggest surprise was that he was dressed in a suit. A fine one, at that. Daisy was helping him straighten his jacket and pull on his gloves. At Tobias’s entrance, the pair exchanged a secret, special glance, and the duke winked conspiratorially at the young woman.

“Good day, Toby,” he said, his voice filling the room as it once had, breaking the odd silence. “Daisy and I are going for a walk in the rose garden. We did not expect to see you so early today, but I am certainly glad you are here. Would you care to join us?”

Tobias struggled for a moment to break free from the stunned dumbness that struck him. Though he needed no more proof, this was evidence aplenty that Daisy was, indeed, as special as he and the duke believed. After what felt like ages, Tobias gave his head a firm shake.

“Grandfather, I have something important to say,” he said.

The duke, though surprised, merely smiled.

“Of course, Toby,” he said. “Tell me what is on your mind.”

Tobias turned to Daisy and looked her straight in the eyes. She looked away quickly and took a step toward the door, as if she anticipated him telling her that he needed to speak to the duke alone. Before she could take another step, Tobias blocked her path.

“Wait,” he said. “It is to you whom I must speak first, Daisy.”

Daisy was clearly surprised. But she smiled politely and curtseyed to him.

“Of course, your lordship,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

Tobias moved a step closer, his heart pounding and his mind clear and determined.

“You can allow me to tell you that I am extremely grateful for everything you have done for my grandfather,” he said. “At a time when I was certain all was lost, and that Grandfather would be taken from us far too soon, you came to us and worked what I can only describe as a miracle directly from heaven. I do not even know how one would go about thanking someone for such a divine miracle, but I wish to tell you now that you have my undying gratitude and thanks.”

Daisy stared at him, and Tobias tried desperately to read the thoughts in her emerald-green eyes. Only when her brow furrowed did he realize she was searching for a reply, and only as her delicate lips parted and closed repeatedly did he understand that she was failing. He understood he was taking a chance, but nothing, apart from getting his grandfather well, had ever been so important to him.

He moved until he was within reach of her. Then, he took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes, prepared to tell her the rest of his thoughts. But then, he remembered the death-bed promise he had made to his grandfather, and he glanced at the duke, who was watching what was unfolding with mild surprise.

“Grandfather,” he said, determined not to stop now he had chosen his path. “I know I promised you that I would marry Lady Selina. And I pray you can eventually find it in your heart to forgive me. But asking for Lady Selina’s hand was a terrible mistake. While I was happy to go through with my promise, Lady Selina is not the woman who has my heart.”

Tobias looked at the duke, holding his gaze but feeling as though his heart might burst and leave him in a heap in the floor. When the duke slowly nodded, Tobias held his breath.

“Go on, Tobias,” he said firmly. “Speak your true heart.”

Tobias nodded, pushing aside his grandfather’s unbiased expression, and turning back to Daisy. He still held her hand, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. As his eyes met hers once more, he knew how best to speak his heart, as the duke had said. He dropped to one knee and, with his heart thudding wildly in his chest, he gave her a warm, loving smile.

“Daisy,” he said, his heart leaping as she let out a tiny gasp. “Another miraculous thing happened because of your arrival at Berbrook Manor. It seems that I have fallen madly in love. And, if you cannot yet guess with whom, I would like to tell you now that it is with you. There is nothing in the world that would make me happier than having you as my wife.”

Daisy’s mouth continued to fall open little by little, but for a long moment, no words came. She slowly put her free hand up to her lips, and she seemed to search his eyes with hers. He realized he could stay that way, looking up at her beautiful face, forever. He prayed that she would give him the chance to see her every day for the rest of their lives.

“Tobias,” she said slowly, as though testing his name. He nodded, silently encouraging her to continue. “Tobias, I am in love with you, too. I felt that it was foolish for a physician’s daughter to allow herself to fall in love with a nobleman. But to hear you say that you love me is the true miracle in my eyes.”

The happiness that filled Tobias as Daisy confessed her love made him feel as though he could burst with joy. He stared at her in wonder for a moment, briefly lost once more in her emerald eyes. Then, he placed his other hand on top of hers and caressed it gently.

“Does that mean you agree to be my wife?” he asked.

Through waves of tears, Daisy gave him the sweetest, brightest smile he had ever seen on her face.

“Yes, Tobias,” she said, sending shivers down his spine as she spoke his name with confidence. “Yes, I will gladly be your wife.”

The two of them laughed, and Tobias quickly rose to his feet. He lifted his beautiful bride-to-be into his arms and twirled her around the room. He put her down gently, staring at her red lips as he prepared to kiss her, as he had longed to the evening before. But a loud throat clearing broke the pair out of their trance. They turned in unison to face the duke, whom Tobias had almost forgotten was there. Guiltily, Tobias released Daisy, but he refused to let go of her hand.

“Tobias,” the duke said. “I want you to know two things. First, you need not ask my forgiveness for not loving a woman, or for loving a different woman. And second,” he paused, glancing at Daisy, his expression at last melting into a broad smile, “I am honored to give the two of you my full blessing.”

Tobias grinned, approaching the duke, and embracing him fiercely.

“Thank you, Grandfather,” he said.

The duke nodded, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Now, if you will excuse me,” he said, rising with no difficulty from his seat, “I shall give you two a moment alone.”

With that, he walked confidently across the room and out of the bedchamber, closing the door firmly behind him. Tobias turned back to his fiancée, his Daisy, and pulled her close to him.

“Oh, how I love you, my sweet flower,” he said, moving his face close to hers.

“And I love you,” she breathed as he pressed his lips to hers.

 

***

Later that afternoon, as the butler at Alwater Manor escorted him to the duke’s study, Tobias realized how ill-prepared he was for the speech he was about to make to his grandfather’s old friend and business partner about breaking off his engagement to his daughter. But he recalled his grandfather’s words about speaking his true heart, and he decided nothing else would do.

The duke greeted him warmly, offering him a drink, which he politely rejected. Eager to be finished with the difficult conversation, Tobias sat, but he did not wait for the duke to drag him into small talk or to ask him the reason for his visit.

“I have come to break off my engagement with Lady Selina,” he said bluntly. “And the truthful reason is because my heart belongs to another woman.”

The duke took only a moment to become angry, as Tobias had expected.

“We will look like fools all throughout the ton,” he said, holding up a copy of the paper which Tobias knew without looking, contained the engagement announcement. “Selina will appear little more than a silly, naïve child. Do you understand the disservice you will be doing her?”

Tobias shook his head.

“The greater disservice would be luring her into a loveless marriage,” he said. “Lady Selina is a beautiful young woman, and she has no shortage of suitors interested in her. Does she not deserve the chance to find the man she truly loves, and who truly loves her?”

Lord Alwater opened his mouth, closing it again instantly. Tobias knew at once that he had made the best argument possible as he saw the duke search for his response.

“How can you be sure she does not love you?” he asked.

Tobias lifted his head, holding the duke’s gaze.

“When was the last time you heard her mention me by name?” he asked.

Once again, the duke began to speak, and yet again, he fell silent. The anger in Lord Alwater’s eyes slowly began to fade as he struggled to answer Tobias’s question.

“I cannot recall,” he murmured after several moments. “She speaks of balls and dresses and gentlemen, and she is always happiest when her evenings are too filled with dancing for her to rest. But I cannot think of a single time when she mentioned your name, apart from addressing you directly, or when her mother and I mentioned you first.”

Tobias nodded, giving the duke a kind smile.

“She may want to marry me now,” he said, still speaking with great care. “But someday, she will long for love.”

The duke nodded, looking at Tobias now with awe rather than rage.

“I was right about one thing,” he said, musing. “You are just like your grandfather.”