James caught his balance and steadied her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I think so.”
A smile lit up his eyes. “Good, because this isn’t over yet.” Addressing the crowd, he said, “As I mentioned, Mrs. Lawson is the most remarkable woman I’ve ever had the honor of knowing. I love her with all that I am, and if that means having to give up my good name and reputation, then so be it, for there is no length I would not go to in order to call her mine.”
He reached inside his jacket pocket and retrieved a small velvet box before lowering himself to one knee. Wilhelmina’s hand flew to her mouth as she realized his intent. Her knees began to tremble and tears sprang to her eyes. The foolish man was going to offer for her right here, before the very people who’d struck her from their lives. He was pledging his allegiance, defending her honor with his love and devotion, and showing her that there was nothing more important to him than her.
“Please, Mina.” He opened the box and removed the ring, a lovely gold band with a gorgeous ruby to match her gown. Holding it between his fingers he reached for her hand. “Allow me to walk by your side and bask in your beauty. Let me be your companion, your confidante, and your protector. Marry me, Mina, so I may love you as you deserve to be loved every day for the rest of our lives.”
She couldn’t speak for the emotion clogging her throat. All she could do was breathe and even that seemed a struggle.
“Well, girl?” the Dowager Duchess of Gilford shouted. “Answer the poor man.”
A nod was all Wilhelmina could manage, and the moment she gave it, the very second James had her agreement, he placed the ring on her finger, leapt to his feet, and swept her into his arms.
Cheers erupted along with applause and although Mina knew most of those who were present would never truly approve of her nor welcome her into their midst, she appreciated the support they were willing to show in this moment.
“I can’t believe you had witness statements printed,” she said when James was done kissing her and she’d composed herself enough to gather her thoughts in the wake of all that had happened.
James grinned. “I’m a barrister, Mina. Being pre-emptive and making sure there’s evidence to back up any eventual claims is part of my job.”
She still couldn’t quite come to grips with the magnitude of it all. “I’m so impressed by what you accomplished this evening. It surpasses all my expectations.”
His palm settled gently against her cheek. “I will always fight for you, Mina. No matter the odds against me.”
“Please tell me you plan on getting another special license.”
“If I’m to be perfectly honest,” he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, “I’ve already got it. So we can marry tomorrow, if it pleases my lady.”
“Oh indeed, that would please her greatly, James.” Upon which Wilhelmina kissed him for the sake of sealing the deal though also, if she were being perfectly honest, for the joy she found in simply loving him.
Epilogue
Renwick, seven years later.
* * *
“Why don’t you let me help Betsy with this so you can go and get ready?” James asked.
Wilhelmina wiped her hands on her apron and glanced at where her husband stood, casually observing her from the doorway while she bustled about the kitchen. Dressed in preparation for their excursion, he leaned against the opening.
“We’re almost done,” Wilhelmina assured him. She finished restocking a tin with that day’s unsold biscuits and handed it to Betsy for storage. Addressing the maid, she said, “If you could please prepare three more honey cakes for tomorrow?”
“Yes, Mrs. Dale.”
Wilhelmina turned and instinctively gasped upon finding her nose a mere inch from her husband’s chest. Somehow the rascal had managed to sneak up behind her. His arm stole around her waist, steadying her while a couple of fingers brushed over her cheek. He chuckled, the sound a warm reassuring rumble of masculine affection. “You’ve got flour here. There’s some in your hair too.”
“Perhaps I should go wash my face.” She sighed when he pressed her closer and kissed her forehead. His scent, so familiar now after all of these years, filled her with memories of long countryside walks, picnics under the oak tree in the garden, the laughter they shared while tossing snowballs after each other in winter, cozy evenings in front of the fire, and all the everyday moments in between. She smiled at him, at his dear face, and her heart tripped as it always did when he focused all his attention on her. “Do the twins look presentable?”
“They do.” He dipped his head and kissed her with thorough abandon, forcing her to grip his shoulders for added support. Breaking the kiss, he leaned back ever so slightly and offered a roguish smile. “Now be off with you, my love, or we’ll never be on our way.”
Wilhelmina slipped from James’s embrace with a grin, removed her apron, and hurried upstairs to prepare herself for their visit to Clarington House. His sisters had come for a week-long stay with their husbands and children, so Wilhelmina and James had agreed to remain at the estate overnight so they could enjoy their company to the fullest. The day after tomorrow, the sisters would be coming to see James and Wilhelmina’s home, the bakery she’d created, and the bathing room James had constructed. Unlike the one at their London residence, this one also had a cold water pipe which functioned using a simple hand pump.
She used this now to fill the ceramic wash basin so she could splash cool water on her face.
It seemed like a lifetime since the Pennington ball when James had proposed. In the days that followed, an open letter of apology had appeared on The Mayfair Chronicle’s front page.
Almost immediately after, James began receiving requests for legal representation from numerous high-ranking individuals. Apparently, his public defense of Mina served as the best advertisement he could have wished for and with Cloverfield’s words against him dismissed, James was once again a sought after barrister.
But to Mina’s surprise, James turned every case down. Instead he suggested a simpler life for them both in Renwick.
“I no longer want to bury myself in work,” he’d explained when she’d questioned his decision. “I’ll consult on cases from time to time and offer advice, but from now on my focus will be on family— on my parents, Michael and Cynthia, you and the children I hope we’ll have. I don’t want to miss another moment.”
And so they lived in the cottage she had once purchased. It had taken nearly a year for her funds to be made available to her. James made numerous attempts to get involved from a legal standpoint, but it wasn’t until an official declaration from George arrived that the court agreed to unfreeze her account. Not that she’d still required the money after marrying James whose wealth surpassed the realm of what she was used to. But she liked the independence – especially with regard to her business. So her own personal funds had since been used to build an additional kitchen and shop, the account reserved exclusively for her income and expenses.
With time, she and James had settled into a pleasant way of life that allowed for family gatherings and those invaluable moments they craved with each other. They only visited London now when a need for change struck their fancy, and to attend the yearly Pennington ball to which they always received an invitation.