Page 140 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

Lady Wynten gave a delighted little clap. “Oh!”

She embraced Jane tightly before turning to Hector. “Your Grace...” Emotion filled her voice. “...thank you.” Then, lowering her voice almost to a whisper, she added, “And... thank you for helping Colin.”

Hector inclined his head. “It was an honor.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”

Together they returned to the ballroom. Conversation quieted almost immediately. Hector spoke briefly with the host. A moment later the orchestra lowered their instruments. The room fell silent.

Hector stepped into the center of the ballroom. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “I have the great pleasure of announcing my engagement to Lady Jane Deverell.”

For one heartbeat the room remained utterly still. Then applause erupted. Ambrose was the first to begin clapping, a broad grin spreading across his face.

“I was wondering how long you’d make us wait!” he called.

Laughter rippled through the ballroom. Soon everyone joined in. Lavinia hurried across the floor, positively radiant.

“I knew it!” she exclaimed before throwing her arms around Jane. “I absolutely knew it.”

Jane laughed through happy tears. “I believe you did.”

Guests crowded forward offering congratulations. Gentlemen bowed. Ladies smiled warmly. Even those who had whispered only an hour earlier now welcomed her into Hector’s future.

Jane glanced once across the ballroom. Zachary was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared. For the first time in weeks, she did not fear what tomorrow might bring.

Chapter Twenty

The next morning, Wynten House felt different. Jane noticed it the moment she descended the staircase.

For weeks, the house had carried the strange emptiness that came from loss. Rooms echoed more than they once had. Corridors seemed wider. Every familiar object reminded her of something that had disappeared, whether it was Colin, their old life, or the certainty she had once possessed about the future.

Today, there was movement. Footmen crossed the entrance hall carrying large, cloth-covered frames. Jane slowed on the last step.

“Thomas?” she called.

One of the younger servants turned, nearly dropping the portrait balanced against his shoulder. “My lady.”

She frowned. “What is happening?”

Before he could answer, Mrs. Ellis, the housekeeper, emerged from the morning room with unmistakable excitement shining through her usual composure.

“Oh, Lady Jane.” She almost laughed. “They’ve come back.”

Jane blinked. “What has?”

“The paintings. And the furniture.”

Jane stared. “What?”

Mrs. Ellis hurried toward her. “The duke’s men arrived just after sunrise with three wagons. They’ve been bringing everything inside for nearly an hour.”

Jane looked around as another pair of servants carried in the carved walnut side table that had once stood beneath the portrait gallery.

Her breath caught. It was Father’s table. She hurried toward it, her fingertips brushing the polished wood. The tiny scratch along one corner remained exactly where Colin had accidentally gouged it with a practice sword at fourteen.

It truly was theirs.

Another servant carried in the marble clock. Then the landscape painting Father had loved. Then the silver telescope.

Jane covered her mouth. “He...He bought them back.”