“You cannot do this!” Oliver continued to screech and locked his gaze on Lily after realizing that his struggles were futile. “I am not the only one that you should be arresting; that woman over there is just as guilty as I am.”
Shocked faces turned to look at Lily, but the duke quickly stepped in front of her and pointed a finger at Oliver. “She is not! And will prove it. You acted alone in your treachery, and you shall be put on trial alone.”
All of the blood seemed to fade from Oliver’s face as he stopped moving altogether. “You have no proof…”
“I most certainly do, Mr. King, and I am certain that even this Miss Everet shall be persuaded to testify to it, but that is enough for now. Take him away!” the duke commanded and turned as the guards began to drag Oliver away. “Good riddance,” he huffed importantly and almost succeeded in placing his hands behind his back.
Turning to one another, Lily and Julian exchanged a look of relief, but it was short-lived when the duke addressed everyone in the crowd.
“I will have it known that neither Lord nor Lady Barnard was involved in the despicable accusations that were made on this day. In fact, Lady Barnard in particular was responsible for bringing an American spy to justice!” the duke announced.
Shocked applause erupted among the crowd, and people began to move away again as the duke stood his ground.
Waiting until the people had dispersed, the duke addressed Lily and Julian directly. “I want to thank both of you for your honesty and involvement in the matter. As much as I detest allies of Spain and France, I look up to those who are willing to do what is right.”
He stopped and offered them both a rare smile. “You have not only my thanks, but my gratitude and loyalty. Our country may not know it, but we all owe you both a great deal.”
Lily could hardly believe her ears as she stood beside her husband. She had thought that the duke would have been angrier with her for not coming forward sooner, yet the man seemed to admire the strength it had taken to speak in the end.
Coming forward, the duchess placed a hand on the duke’s arm and smiled. “Come now, Your Grace, I am certain that there will be enough time to thank our new friends at the ball I shall be hosting in their honor.” Her lips curved into a knowing smile as she held Lily’s gaze.
A ball in our honor.
Lily could hardly believe what was happening. The Duke and Duchess of Archibald were some of the most influential people in theton. A ball being hosted by them meant absolution in the eyes of the rest of theton. Nobody who valued their standing in Society would dare turn their nose up at her and Julian if the duke and duchess were on their side.
The duchess turned to her husband with a contented smile. “Come now, Your Grace, I am certain that Lord and Lady Barnard would appreciate a moment alone.” She pulled him gently by the arm before winking at Lily and heading toward their carriage.
The rest of the group seemed to understand the hint as they all suddenly turned away, muttering excuses about cleaning themselves up.
Once they were alone, Lily turned to Julian. “Could we have a moment in private? I am sure there is a lot that we both need to discuss.”
Nodding, Julian gestured for her to lead the way.
She made her way back to the house and chose one of the lesser used parlors off the foyer before locking the door behind them.
They started speaking at the same time, making Lily smile as she relaxed a little. “You go first,” she said.
Clearing his throat, Julian looked her directly in the eyes. “Are you in love with Oliver King? Because if you are, I shall let you go. It was never my intention to trap anyone in a marriage that they did not wish for.”
The question caught her off guard as she quickly shook her head. “No, I cannot say that I am. I may have convinced myself once that I was, but I know now that it was not real. Real love is patient and kind, it does not envy, and it does not boast. I could go on and recite the entire passage, but Julian, you must know that I am in love with you.”
His eyes widened as he looked at her, his mouth slightly agape. “If that is the case, my dearest, you must know that I love you too. I have loved you for the longest time, and no matter what the future holds, I wish to spend my time with you.”
So much joy filled her heart that Lily felt as if she would burst. There were no words that could describe how she felt as she stood looking at the man who had saved her life.
Stepping forward, Julian closed the distance between them and took her in his arms, pulling her against his chest without another word.
His lips sought her, eagerly and passionately, as the pent-up emotions from the past few weeks finally gave way.
The world began to fade around her as nothing else mattered besides the warmth of his body against hers and the feeling of his lips. It was as if the person she had become had always been longing for that one moment and had finally found fruition.
Drawing back for breath, Lily looked in his eyes, finding the love that her heart had been searching for from the start. “Julian?”
“Yes?” His hands ran up and down her arms, gently stroking her skin through the fabric of her dress.
“Do you forgive me for not telling you about Oliver from the start? I had so many opportunities to tell you, but I always seemed to fail,” she confessed almost tearfully. “I did want to tell you. I just could not find the right moment.”
Bringing his hands up the sides of her arms, Julian cupped her face in his palms. “My dearest, sweet, beautiful Lily. There is nothing in this world that you could have done to make me stop loving you. I would have forgiven you if you had held a knife up to my heart. And that is something that I could not have said about any other woman in my life. You are all I ever want and need. There is nothing left to forgive.”