The Duke's Daughter -Wattys2014 Collector's Dream Award Winner-

Chapter Eighty Three

Damien returned to the parlor and went down on one knee in front of his wife. He took one of her hands, clasping it within his own he set his fingertips gently under her chin encouraging her to look up at him. Amelia had allowed the cleansing tears to flow unchecked. Feeling the horrible emotions come pouring out of her, just as poison is released when an abscess is lanced, she allowed the tears to wash away years of misunderstandings and self imposed isolation. She realized she had done this herself, jumping to conclusions, she had fed the roaring lion of jealousy and had kept it alive and well by feeding it hurtful memories and grossly imagined betrayal all these years.

As her husband knelt before her and took her hand, Amelia looked up at him as one accused, however, there was something wonderful residing in his piercing gaze. His eyes shone bright with hope and the start of tears, warmth dwelled in their depths, where for so long Amelia had only seen disdain and coldness. How? How could he look at her thusly, knowing what an awful thing she had done?

Damien saw the emotions in his wife's eyes and it broke his heart. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it softly before placing her palm to his cheek and holding her there. "I overheard your conversation with Kathleen and I can only imagine how you must have felt. I am to blame for this, for your leaving me alone, just as I am to blame for Derek leaving us all those years ago. I, unknowingly, allowed this to happen." 

Amelia watched as a tear escaped his eye to slowly begin it's trek down his face. She lifted her hand and brushed the lone tear away with her thumb before cupping his face gently in her hands.

"Not all your fault, my love, not all." She whispered brokenly. "I should have confronted you and received the answers I needed at the time. I loved you so when we married, I had hoped you would come to love me also after a time." She looked down with her admission, lowering her hands to her lap, she smiled slightly as his hands still covered hers.

He also looked down at their joined hands and used his thumbs to caress the back of her tiny wrists. She was so fragile and beautiful. He was taken back to their wedding day, he had thought the same thing as she walked down the aisle of the enormous church, how small and lovely she was. He had carried such hope, that she also, would come to love him in time.

"Why did you offer for me, Damien? I was so young and unworthy, you could have had any girl you wanted, why did you chose me?" Amelia asked in all honesty.

Damien scoffed, deciding the truth alone would suffice. "Woman, you stole my breath away the first time I saw you, my wits damned near fled as I beheld your beauty. I had to have you, Amelia, and only you. For every time I looked at you, I imagined myself picking you up and taking you all willing and warm to my bed. It scared me, I believe, how I came to care for you, so deeply and in such a short amount of time. I was an idiot, thinking I'd best keep some distance between us or I would lose myself and become your most ardent slave. I am afraid I refused to give you that much power over me. Then you changed, when you became pregnant with our son, and I did not know how to act. I did wonder if you felt you had done your duty and now I was to go find myself a mistress because you found the act of loving me abhorrent." Amelia winced at his words, encouraging him in that she had wanted no such thing. "It is the only explanation I can give, wife, along with my heartfelt apologies for being such a hard headed ass."

"Damien," She questioned tentatively, looking at him beseechingly, "have I killed what we once had?" Feeling unsure, Amelia queried, "Is it too late for us? Am I a fool to hope..." Returning her gaze to their clasped hands, she was afraid to see the truth in his eyes.

He raised his hands from hers and cradled her face, drawing her eyes back to his, "Not for me, my love, not as long as I breathe." He told her, his face crinkling into a smile, as another lone, thankful tear tracked down his face.
This time Amelia drew his face to her and kissed the tear away. "Can you ever forgive me?" She breathed softly against his cheek.