Miss Winters Proposes (15 page)
Read Miss Winters Proposes Online
Authors: Frances Fowlkes
Benjamin adjusted the pillows beside her, punching his fist into the down feathers and plumping them up for his wife. “We do. Which is why I know with complete certainty you will come through this.”
She gripped his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I love you, Benjamin.”
His pulse thundered in his ears. His heart clenched with joy. She loved him. Despite the silence and heartache of the past half year…she loved him.
“My lord, please.” The housekeeper crooked her head in the direction of the door.
With a heavy sigh, he untangled his fingers and gave his wife a kiss. “I love you too, Juliet.”
And he did. With all his heart.
Epilogue
One year later
“Five hundred pounds. It is my final offer.”
Juliet’s gaze darted to her husband’s, his affirming nod barely concealing his excitement, the little twitch in his lips a telltale sign of his approval—and his disbelief a duke, a duke for heaven’s sake, would not only vie for her champion stud, but would offer her such a ridiculous sum for the hound.
Juliet gave her husband a wink before turning to face the duke. “Your Grace, I am flattered. But as your former neighbor and, indeed, as my husband’s friend, I must insist you accept Zeus as a gift.”
“Why?” The Duke of Waverly arched an aristocratic blond brow. “Because I am a duke?”
Juliet nodded. “And because of the simple fact that with your ownership, your name will be linked to
my
kennel. Not my father’s. You are, in short, declaring your approval of a woman hound breeder.”
“An honor I do not wish lessened by your generosity. Allowing me to pay for the hound declares I incited this transaction and therefore not only approve, but support your line of pointers. A line I have been eager to own since I’ve seen in action this past grouse season. Mr. Lightwood’s constant jaw flapping over the superiority of his stud merely cemented the deal.”
Juliet laughed, a sound that brought both Cleo and her son bounding to her feet. After a quick scratch under Cleo’s chin, Juliet shifted to her son, a bright, beautiful, and dark replica of his father, and a daily reminder of the love they not only shared, but continually exhibited, as evidenced by her quickly growing midsection.
“Mr. Lightwood’s stud is not from my line, Your Grace.”
The duke snapped his fingers together, motioning for Cleo to join him. Running his hands over her smooth coat, he replied, “Precisely. I’ve heard yours is better. If I’m going to gloat, Lady Colwyn, I want to be certain I have the rights to do so.”
Philip squealed, sounding what it seemed to be his approval at the duke’s logic, his chubby, nearly year-old hands, clapping together.
“Well, it appears the next Viscount Colwyn approves.”
The Duke of Waverly chuckled. “A fine fellow. And a smart one, too. He must take after his father.”
Benjamin stood and reached for the tot, swinging him into the air as the heir of Darlington Hall let out another peal of laughter.
“Yes, and one who accepts your outrageous and overly excessive payment, if only to settle this deal so we might go and play outside with the hounds.”
The duke laughed and stood. “An excellent idea. What do you think, Lady Colwyn?”
Both men turned toward her, the playful musings of her son the only sound in the room. With a smile and nod she offered her approval.
“I think, you have made a wise, if not plethoric, decision. It is a pleasure doing business with you, Your Grace.”
Benjamin shifted Philip to one arm and gripped her hand with the other, easing her out of the chair and into a standing position. He said, “The pleasure actually lies in doing business with you, my dear. None of the other breeders are as competent or comely as you by half.”
Juliet flushed, her husband’s compliment making her skin warm. “It certainly helps to have a supportive and understanding spouse. One who is devoted to seeing my talent and skill for hound breeding thrive.”
“As he should. One does not need to be educated to see your natural talent with dogs, my lady. In fact, your bitch has caught the attentions of Prinny himself. I would not be remiss in saying he was quite interested in Cleo, here, after she pointed three birds to his hound’s one.” The duke took Philip from Benjamin’s grasp and allowed the tot to pull on his fine, clean cravat.
“The prince?” Juliet asked. Her hand went to her chest, her eyes to her husband.
Philip placed his chubby hands on the duke’s nose, eliciting a chuckle from the elder man. “If I’m a sore loser, Prinny is the worst. He’ll go to whatever means necessary to have the best. And if that requires him to purchase a hound of the highest caliber from a female breeder, then so be it.”
Juliet’s heart raced at the thought. Was it possible? The Sovereign of England desired her hounds? To receive that honor would be, well, it would be…beyond words.
Benjamin came beside her, his hand gripping hers. “You have earned nothing less than his admiration, Juliet…and mine.”
Not caring the duke continued to bear witness to their affection, Juliet leaned over to capture her husband’s lips with her own. With her blood humming, her knees weakening, and her heart near bursting, she said the words that came so easily and often, “I love you.”
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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Jennifer Anderson of Spirit Poodles for not only breeding the most amazing dogs ever, (mine included) but also answering my long list of questions on dog breeding and whelping. Any mistakes I made, were mine alone.
Heather, Laura, and Mel, thank you for helping me make coherent sentences, giving me endless words of encouragement, and lots of Marvel gifs to help me get through the rough spots. I love you, ladies.
I owe a deep amount of gratitude to my amazing and incredibly patient and talented editor Robin for making my words shine. You are a gem. Thank you.
And lastly, all of my thanks and love to Adam, for being, quite possibly, the best husband ever.
About the Author
Frances Fowlkes
lives in South Carolina with her high school sweetheart, three redheaded sons, and a spoiled standard poodle. When not writing about ardent heroes or strong-willed heroines, she enjoys spending time with her family, fangirling, and planning her next vacation.
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