Serena by Claudy Conn Page A

father, but, Sarah, I am my own man . I love you. I love the child we have made together, and I want you to be my wife. I promise to be worthy of you and spend every single day from here on proving to you that I love and cherish you and regret these months apart.”
    “Oh Wendell …” Sarah said and tugged on his hand. “Do get up.”
    “Do you accept?”
    “I do,” she said softly.
    He took off his insignia ring and slipped it on her finger, and they laughed nervously as it spun freely around her delicate finger. “I shall be cut off, without a sou … but I have a trust fund that is solely mine. We shall manage very nicely with that.”
    Sarah’s father put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “You will not be cut off from us. I think, however, whatever else you two young people have to say should be said in private. Do come along.”
    The little family held their heads up as they gave their backs to the world and started off.
    Some of the gentlemen in the ballroom began to slowly clap their hands, and Serena felt a tear flow down her cheek.
    Freddy had rushed to her side in time to hear Eustace proclaim, “Disgraceful. The lot of them, disgraceful.”
    “You mean, of course, delightful, I think,” Serena told the reverend sharply.
    Freddy bent over her hand, raised his eyes to hers, and said, “Was that not grand? True love will not be denied! ”
    “True love, bah. No, you are both quite out. That young man was brought to point non plus — ” Eustace said.
    “I do not agree,” Serena interjected. “He did the right thing, as did her parents. It is obvious what sort of situation their daughter must have been suffering, and unashamed they brought her to confront the father of her child, and he did the right thing before all our censorious society. Hang the world , his actions said, and I for one, as did others here, applaud him.”
    “I agree,” Freddy said gleefully and offered his arm to Serena. “Let’s go get a bite to eat, I am starving, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, as a matter of fact, all at once, I am.” Serena laughed. “I am ravenous.” It was at that moment she looked across the room and noted his lordship’s blue eyes staring in their direction. She immediately turned a cold shoulder to the man, all too aware what effect he had on her. He had the power to turn her brain into pudding pie. He had the power to make her body tremble. He had the power to make her dream. She sighed, all too aware that he simply had the power.
    She wondered what his opinion of the scene everyone had just witnessed was, and then asked herself why should she care? Just why should she care—but she knew the answer.
    * * *
     
    His lordship had stood back and watched her with Eustace, his arms folded across his chest. He was awash in a mixed stew of emotions.
    What the devil was wrong with him these days? Why had he led Serena into the garden and kissed her? Why the deuce did that kiss set him back on his heels? He had kissed and made love to any number of women, exquisite, delightful women over the years, but this one drew his soul from him and hung it out with her name engraved across it.
    Nonsense. Absurd. She was but a woman … much like any … no, that wasn’t so. She wasn’t like any other woman. She stood out, glowing like a shiny object, and drew his eye to her constantly.
    Then suddenly the party was thrown into confusion.
    His lordship had heard the rumor about the young Delmore chit earlier when the Delmores first arrived. He had then put the face to the gossip that he had heard being bandied about at the inn where he and Freddy were staying.
    Evidently the servants had taken sides, most of whom declared young Sarah an innocent taken advantage of by a wealthy nobleman who wasn’t very noble at all. They seemed to know who the father of Sarah’s baby was.
    The scene enacted before him pulled on his heartstrings.
    He had just witnessed something he thought was, while unfortunately public, still