Marjorie Farrel (30 page)

“Yes, your grace.”

“And you will marry me?”

“How could you have a doubt?”

“You know ... No, you can’t know, but you will find out, that it will be difficult. I am not always as adjusted as I appear. I still have moments of great anger and frustration and do not expect them to go away. Perhaps had I never seen, it would be different, but there are still moments that I feel that I will break through the barrier, and the knowledge that I never will see the ocean, or the Downs, or my children’s faces can be quite overwhelming. I am saying this not to arouse your pity, but to let you know beforehand that marriage to me will present difficulties beyond the obvious ones.”

“I know I cannot truly understand how it feels, but I am warned, and will do my best to weather the storms, Simon.”

“I have just spent the most restless two weeks, just wanting to get back to you. And I was courting you, albeit rather slowly.”

“You mean you were eventually going to ask me to marry you and let me make a fool of myself this morning,” said Judith, a little real indignation mixed in with her teasing.

“Yes. I knew I had come to ... No, had probably always loved you the way you wanted, but I did not know yet about you.”

“Well, now you do,” said Judith.

“Most certainly,” said Simon with a smile. “How ever did you convince Wiggins to let you take his place?”

“I told him the truth.”

“You told him that you loved me?” said Simon in astonishment.

“Yes, and he was most sympathetic, being a devotee of romantic novels.”

Simon laughed. “Wiggins?”

“Yes,” replied Judith more seriously. “He is not quite as colorless as he seems. He told me a little about himself, and I was quite ashamed of my complaining about a governess’s lot. You will keep him on, even though you will have your first reader back?”

“Of course. He does very well with newspapers and speeches. I will have to make the effort to get to know him better myself. But enough of Wiggins, Judith. It is our life together I wish to discuss.” And Simon reached out to pull her closer again, and their discussion quickly became the kisses and murmurings of lovers.

There was great speculation, of course, over Simon and Judith’s marriage. Many people, as Simon had predicted, considered it a good bargain for both. The blind duke gained a companion, and the poor governess, in turn, became a duchess. The duke and duchess knew the truth, however, as did their intimate friends, and ignored the rumors that were rife after their quiet and some said hurried marriage.

Robin and Barbara were of course ecstatic, and Barbara, it must be confessed, a little envious. Robin and Diana were to be married in a large society wedding in June, and they were busily planning their lives together, so that she had two happily settled couples to watch.

The Duchess of Ross was of course convinced that she was solely responsible for Simon and Judith’s happiness, but would have been in strong disagreement with Wiggins, had they ever had the opportunity to argue the matter. For he was triumphant after Simon told him of the coming marriage and thanked him for his part in the courtship. His grace was clearly happy, Miss Ware would make a wonderful duchess, and Wiggins’ salary had been raised in the new year. When Miss Austen’s Persuasion was published, and Wiggins had finished reading it to his wife, he could only comment that he was glad that the author, whom he had always admired, had, before her untimely death, at last become a romantic.

Jane Austen’s
Emma
was published in 1816. I apologize to her and to my readers for advancing the publication date to the fall of 1815, for the purposes of my story.

Dedicated to my father, who introduced me to Barnabas Barty, and who like him is “only an Amateur Gentleman after all.”

With thanks to my daughter, for all her encouragement and support.

Copyright © 1990 by Marjorie Farrell

Originally published by Signet (ISBN 0451164725)

Electronically published in 2013 by Belgrave House/Regency

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This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.