After all, it was not as though his proposing to Cherish had shattered his former beloved’s soul. If she felt devastated, it was only because she had failed in her objective, whatever that objective was. It had nothing to do with losing him.
But that glimpse of her with her defenses down concerned him.
However, his greatest worry was for Cherish, since she would remain vulnerable until he married her.
Her uncle was standing quietly for the moment, no doubt thinking hard about how to thwart Gawain. But it was never going to happen. He meant to obtain the license this very day and marry Cherish tomorrow morning.
He turned to Cherish, who appeared quite pensive, and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “Having second thoughts already?”
She looked up at him, her eyes dancing with mirth. “Not about you. I have done nothing but dream of you since the moment we met. I am so filled with happiness, my heart is about to burst. But did you see that look on Lady Albin’s face as she ran off just now?”
“You noticed?”
She nodded.
“Do not be fooled by her, Cherish. She never loved me. However, I sense she is in serious trouble. I wish she had confided the problem to me. I would have helped.” He shook his head and sighed. “You are the immediate concern, and I mean to fix your situation as soon as possible.”
Her smile slipped a little. “Is this why you proposed to me? Out of a sense of duty to protect me?”
“No, Cherish. I’m sorry. That did not sound very romantic, did it? Let me get rid of your uncle first, and then I shall do better.”
Everyone marched into the dining room as Fiona’s footmen set out the glasses filled with champagne atop the buffet. Northam refused to raise a glass in toast. Gawain ordered him carted outside and held by two of Fiona’s burliest footmen. He understood the man was in no humor to celebrate an engagement that would soon lead to his demise, but the oaf was not going to ruin his and Cherish’s special moment.
Gawain waited until her uncle was hauled off. Only then did he turn to Cherish. Her eyes sparkled as she took a sip of champagne, and she looked lighter and more carefree than he had ever seen her. Not that he had seen much of her, for they had only met a few days ago.
This fact ought to have frightened him, but it did not. As foolish as it seemed, his heart had recognized her importance at once. In that moment, all his impenetrable walls had come down for her.
He joined in the cheering when several guests offered up a toast to their happiness.
Reggie’s turn came, and the boy had a wicked smirk. “The tables are turned, Uncle.”
Gawain grinned at his nephew. “Watch what you say, Reggie.”
“And lose this precious opportunity? Not on your life.” Reggie downed his champagne and then held out his glass for another serving. “You see, my friends, this Silver Duke came to Shoreham Manor determined to have me betrothed to a young woman of his choosing. That young woman was Lady Cherish. But it seems his plans went awry, because she stole his heart instead of mine.”
A collective chuckle ran through the crowd.
Reggie raised his glass again. “I wish you every happiness, Uncle Gawain. I know you shall have it with Cherish, for you chose wisely, even if it was unexpectedly for yourself.”
Gawain allowed a few more toasts and a few more jests, but put an end to this distraction as the well wishes got bawdier. “Reggie, Durham, I think it is time for us to escort Lord Northam home.”
The two set aside their glasses and marched Cherish’s uncle to the stable to retrieve their horses.
Before following them, Gawain planted a kiss on Cherish’s forehead. “I will see you later.”
“Oh, but my list! Well, it does not matter. Take anything you find in my bedchamber. I do not care about anything else.”
“Not even the sentimental pieces of jewelry?”
She shook her head. “No, the cameo brooch you gave me is more than enough, and I will treasure it always. I do not want anything Lord Northam and his wife have touched.”
“All right,” he said, pleased that she thought so highly of the brooch he had bought her the other day. But this was among the reasons he had fallen in love with her—for her sense of what was valuable and what was not.
Well, he’d loved everything about her from the moment they met. Perhaps this explained why he had yet to be hit by a sense of dread at the prospect of marrying Cherish. What would his fellow Silver Dukes say to this surprising turn of events? He would see them soon enough and find out, although he was sorry indeed they would not be here for the wedding.
He, Lynton, and Camborne had been friends a long time and close as any brothers. He knew they would wish him well, but not before giving him a hard time for breaking their bachelor bonds. However, he would wish them the same good fortune were they ever to find their right match.
It did not take him, Reggie, and Durham long to ride over to Northam Hall along with a wagon in which to load Cherish’s belongings. He doubted she would have much, since her uncle had been going out of his way to deprive her of all the trappings of her status ever since he took over responsibility for her.
