Enchanting the Duke - Lana Williams Page 0,43

through the night, your grace,” the nursery maid reassured her. “He nearly always does.”

Eleanor smiled, her heart light with joy. “Such a good boy.” She looked forward to telling him he would soon be a big brother. But first, she wanted to tell Douglas the news.

She bid the maid good night and hurried down the stairs to find her husband walking toward her.

“I was just coming to find you. Our guests have started to arrive.” He reached to take her hands as his gaze swept over her green ball gown. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him, her stomach tingling with excitement at her news. But the moment would have to wait a little while longer. “Might I say you look amazing as well?”

“Your gloves, your grace.” Babette hurried forward with white gloves, which Eleanor quickly donned.

Douglas offered her his arm, his green eyes holding steady on her, filling her heart. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”

“Yes, but I never grow weary of hearing it,” she said. He made a point to tell her every day, something that made her feel like one of the luckiest women alive.

“Nor do I.” He gently squeezed her hand. “Shall we greet our guests, my love?”

“Absolutely.”

When Eleanor had suggested they host a Christmas Eve ball for all those involved in the Seven Curses Charities, she hadn’t realized so many would come. As they descended the stairs and crossed the entrance hall, Eleanor couldn’t deny a small thrill to see the many now familiar faces they’d come to know through their charity work.

With each year that passed since their marriage, the charities had expanded, joined forces, and helped more of those in need than they’d dreamed possible. Of course, additional work needed to be done, but she’d thought it important to take this evening to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments thus far.

What Eleanor hadn’t expected was how much assisting the less fortunate would improve her and Douglas’s lives as well. The friendships they’d formed with other like-minded couples were ones they would always cherish.

The past week, they’d had the chance to meet with all of the founding members of the charities who had given so generously of their time, influence, and money to make a difference in the lives of others. Those visits had been with various groups of couples as well as one entertaining afternoon when the ladies had gathered for tea. Eleanor had thoroughly enjoyed the conversations and the chance to compare notes on everything from motherhood to marriage to charitable activities.

She’d also had the good fortune to see the couples’ children who filled the nursery when visitors called. She smiled at the memory of the delightful chaos that had ensued when all the children had been brought together.

“Ready?” Douglas asked as they arrived near the ballroom entrance where a line of guests was forming.

“With you at my side, I’m ready for anything.” She smiled at him, the enormity of her love stealing her breath.

“Warenton, good of you to come,” Douglas greeted the first of their guests.

“We appreciate the invitation.” Marcus de Wolfe, the Earl of Warenton, and his lovely wife, Tessa, had traveled from Northumberland and spent the past two weeks in London.

It had been a true delight to realize the legend of the seamstress from Madame Daphne’s and the earl who’d swept her off her feet was not only true but that their love continued to thrive, as evidenced by their three beautiful children.

“How could we resist celebrating the success of the Seven Curses Charities?” Countess Warenton smiled. “To think we were able to open four additional seamstress shops to offer training in sewing skills for more young women with your help has been wonderful.”

“We are happy to be of assistance,” Eleanor said. “Now that we have a proven method of operating the shops, we should be able to use a similar model for other skill sets.”

“Learning a trade has been a blessing for many young people who might otherwise be living on the streets once they leave the orphanage,” Lettie Hawke added as she joined them.

The lady’s determination to assist the youth of the city was something Eleanor admired. The amount of time Mrs. Hawke spent working on the cause despite the adorable son and daughter who looked much like miniature replicas of their mother and father made it even more admirable.

“It certainly has,” Captain Nathaniel Hawke agreed, as he leaned on an elegant cane. “As we discussed earlier, having a chance to determine their own path has