Page 125 of A Misguided Devotion

“You worry too much, Lotta,” said Anthony. “No one who has heard you play what you’ve written could imagine anything lacking.”

“I want to believe you—but then I see this, which has taken Will’s work to a new level.”

“Maybe you will fall in love one day,” said Kitty.

“That would be most inconvenient,” said Charlotte with a shudder, “as I have no intention of marrying.”

Anthony laughed. “It’s not something you can control, Lotta. Sometimes it goes against all reason, and you are deep in love before you realise and too late to stop it. Love is the strangest emotion and rarely logical.”

“I can second that,” said Kitty. “If love were rational, I would never have fallen in love with William. He didn’t exactly present his best self to me when we first met.”

William widened his eyes and cast her a doleful look. “But you love me now, don’t you?”

Kitty batted him playfully with a hand. “How could I not after you have painted such a very flattering portrait of me and put it on display for all the world to see?”

Their gazes locked, and for a moment, the crowd faded, and it was just her and William, sending love letters to each other without the need for words.

“Nice picture,” said Beau, coming up beside them with Eliza on his arm. His wife echoed his words, and Kitty bit back a smile at their unsophisticated praise.

“Thanks for coming,” William said to them. “I know this isn’t your thing.”

“Too right, but at least you paint portraits. It’s even better when they’re of people I know. Far easier to cope with than these big historical pieces of events I can’t recall. I can’t imagine anyone wanting them looming over them at breakfast.”

“I confess, I’m not sorry to have a few hours away from the children,” said Eliza. “Emily is cutting a tooth and is very fractious.”

Beau pulled a face. “You just wait—”

Lord Castleford shook William’s hand. “Well done. You’ve come a long way from the insecure young man you were at our wedding.”

“I have you to thank for starting me down this path. You believed in my talent before I did.”

“Does this mean you will be staying in London to study at the Royal Academy?” Georgiana asked.

William glanced at Kitty, and she nodded. It was time to share their news.

“No.”

Lord Harting laid a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t go back on my word, son. You’ve applied yourself so diligently over the last few months—no doubt, due to the positive influence of your wife—that I believe the time would be right for you to go.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be possible. I do not wish to leave my wife for long periods of time.”

“Why couldn’t Kitty live with you in London?” asked his mother, but from the glint in her eye, Kitty suspected she already knew.

“Because we’ve both decided it would be better for our child to live in the country, where the air is cleaner.”

Words of congratulation and advice came from every side, sharing the joy of a new life on its way. What a testament to the warmth of family affection! The feeling of belonging warmed Kitty’s soul.

“Are you getting tired?” William asked her, a crease on his brow.

“I was tired before I got out of bed this morning!”

“Then let’s go home. We can come back to see the rest of the exhibition another day.”

“No. I am not climbing up those stairs a second time, William. Show me the paintings I should admire the most and then we will return to your grandmother’s townhouse, and not before.”

“Very well. I will start by pointing out to you this exquisite portrait of the most incredible woman in the world—my wife…”

William returned home, exhilarated with success.

“What does it feel like to have achieved an ambition you have cherished for so long?” Kitty asked.

“It feels remarkable. I have received more commissions than I can possibly complete before you have the baby and enough praise to shoot my confidence levels through the roof. But I would rather have you by my side than any of it.”

“Is that so, Lord Droxford?”

“It is, my love.”

“I still can’t believe you submitted a painting of me alongside that of Laura. There can be no comparison between our beauty.”

“You’re right. She is but a candle, compared with the sun. I choose you every time.”

“Oh, William!”

There was only one way to respond to the love expressed in those two words. He pulled her close and kissed her.

“I love you, Kitty. My heart. The true focus of my devotion.”