December 23, 1814

Emma kept looking out the window, waiting for a carriage to arrive. Lord Satterfield was arriving, along with his mother and two sisters, to spend Christmas at Hempsted Park. They were going to be married on Christmas Day.

Emma had wanted to spend Christmas in her family’s new home, so Lord Satterfield convinced his family to join him at his betrothed’s home.

Eleanor laughed at Emma, “You do know the butler will announce Lord Satterfield the moment he arrives.”

“I know,” said Emma. “But, I do want to want to see him as soon as possible.”

“Well, then, I guess it is best if you keep watch by the window.” Eleanor squeezed her sister’s hand as she went to leave.

“Eleanor, are you all right?” asked Emma. Eleanor had shared what had transpired between herself and Nathaniel. She also told Emma about the duchess’s visit to her room during their visit to Trunbridge Castle.

“Yes, of course, I am all right. You do know that I am very happy for you. Lord Satterfield seems like such a lovely man, and I am sure he will make you very happy.”

Eleanor retreated to her room and sipped tea by the fire, lost in her thoughts. Ever since returning from Nathaniel’s home, she spent a lot of time alone. Even though it was nearly Christmas, Eleanor had no desire to celebrate.

Rebecca chose an elegant blue dress for dinner. Even in her melancholy state, Eleanor wanted to make a good impression on Lord Satterfield’s family for her sister’s sake. She dressed for dinner and put on the façade of a cheery disposition.

She headed downstairs to the drawing room, and when she entered, she came face-to-face with Nathaniel.

“Your Grace,” said, Eleanor surprised. She didn’t want to make a scene, so she kept her next words quiet. “What are you doing here?”

“Your father was gracious enough to invite my family to join you for Christmas. We have only just arrived. My mother and sister are still getting dressed for dinner.”

“I would like to speak to you after dinner, Lady Eleanor, if you will allow me the privilege.”

Eleanor noticed how he had addressed her by her formal title, and assumed Nathaniel was going to apologize and then tell her about his engagement to Lady Mary Fortington. The same thing had happened with Charles.

“Anything you have to say to me, can be said in the presence of others. Now, if you will please excuse me, I believe that Emma would like to introduce me to Lord Satterfield’s family.”

* * *

After dinner, the men joined the women in the drawing room. Emma led the group in Christmas carols, while Lord Satterfield’s sister played the piano. Lord Satterfield’s sisters and mother had already formed a bond with Emma, and it was easy to see they were happy with Lord Satterfield’s choice in a bride.

Eleanor had been avoiding Nathaniel and his mother the entire evening. Although she was pleasant and polite, she didn’t go out of her way to make them feel welcome.

Towards the end of the evening, Eleanor excused herself to go to bed. Almost everyone had retreated to their rooms, including Nathaniel. Or so she thought.

“Eleanor, before you go to bed, I want to show you something. Lord Satterfield and I have the most wonderful Christmas present for you,” said Emma.

Eleanor was intrigued, “A Christmas present? Well, you know I don’t like to wait, as I can’t handle the anticipation.”

Emma laughed, “It’s in the library.”

Emma and Lord Satterfield walked Eleanor to the library. Nathaniel was waiting outside of the large oak door.

“What have you done, Emma? You know what happened between the duke and me. I don’t understand why you would trick me like this.” Eleanor felt betrayed.

Lord Satterfield spoke, “Please, Lady Eleanor, you must hear him out.”

“You told him?” asked Eleanor, who was visibly hurt. “I told you what happened in confidence.”

“Eleanor, the duke went to great lengths to arrange this meeting. I agreed to help lead you to the library because you need to speak to him.”

Eleanor turned to leave and ignored her sister. Feeling like the world was against her, Eleanor started to leave. Nathaniel gently grabbed her arm and begged her to stay.

“Please, Eleanor. I must speak with you.” Nathaniel was once again using her familiar name.

Eleanor silently relented and followed Nathaniel into the library. Nathaniel closed the door behind them and led her to the place where they first met. The fire burned bright in the fireplace, and candles provided a soft light, creating a romantic ambiance.

Eleanor walked to the window and sat in the seat that was tucked into the alcove. Placing her hand on the glass, she stared out the window. It was a full moon, and the snow sparkled and glistened in the moonlight. She couldn’t bear to make eye contact with him. She loved him, and like Charles, he betrayed her.

“Eleanor, please, will you look at me?” asked Nathaniel as he took a seat next to her.

As soon as Eleanor met his gaze, the tears that she had not yet wept began to flow. He took her in his arms and kissed her on the top of the head. The wood in the fireplace crackled and popped.

“Please don’t be upset with your sister or Lord Satterfield,” started Nathaniel. “I begged them to bring you here. I needed to explain my side of the story.”

“You don’t deny that you are engaged?”

“I don’t deny that I was engaged,” said Nathaniel, while placing an emphasis on the past tense of the engagement.

“You made a fool out of me. Do you know how awful it was to have her come to my room and tell me you were betrothed to another?”

Nathaniel was still holding Eleanor as he explained, “My parents planned the engagement with my mother’s cousin when I was just a child. I was to wed Lady Mary Fortington when she came of age, but I do not love her. In fact, I don’t even believe we could be friends.”

“Does Lady Mary want to get married?” asked Eleanor.

“Not at all!” laughed Nathaniel. “After we met for the first time, we both decided that we didn’t want to go through with the marriage. That took place shortly before I met you. After I had met you, I told my mother that you were the woman I wanted to marry.”

“You knew you wanted to marry me that long ago?” asked Eleanor.

“Of course I did. I have never met anyone like you. I would even dare to say that I knew that I loved you when you first curtsied. You were so nervous and unsure of yourself, and then you told me exactly what you were thinking. Nobody ever tells me what they think because they are so eager to be in my favor. You didn’t care that I was a duke, and I loved that about you. Then, I found out we had so many of the same interests, and I knew that you were the one for me.”

“I still don’t understand why your mother said you were engaged if you had already broken it off.”

“Mama had her heart set on my marriage to Lady Mary. When I told her we broke it off, she refused to believe it. She thought you were the reason I broke off the engagement, so she figured with you out of the way, I would go through with the marriage to her cousin’s daughter.”

“Then, why did she agree to come to my family’s home for Christmas? To make me feel even worse than I already do?”

“Eleanor, I told my mother that I am going to ask you to marry me and she needs to accept my decisions. My mother’s true concern is my happiness. When she saw how distraught I was when I thought that I’d lost you, she confessed to what she had done.”

“So Emma didn’t tell Lord Satterfield what happened? I thought that Lord Satterfield must have been the one to tell you.”

“No, Eleanor. It was my mother who confessed. She wants to apologize to you, but I told her not to speak to you about it until I had a chance to meet with you in private.”

Nathaniel leaned towards Eleanor and gently held her face in his hands. She closed her eyes, and Nathaniel brought his gentle lips to hers. Eleanor warmed to his touch and felt as if all of her worries disappeared.

When their lips parted, Nathaniel confessed, “Eleanor, I love you with every breath in my body. I can’t imagine spending my days without you. Will you ever forgive me? And if you choose to forgive me, will you marry me?”

“Nathaniel, there is nothing to forgive. And yes, my love, I will marry you.”

They sat side-by-side on the window seat in the glow of the fireplace, holding hands and whispering until the early hours of the morning.