“I would have said something if I had any objections.”
“Then you are all right with marrying me tomorrow?”
She reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I can think of nothing nicer than having a Silver Duke in my bed tomorrow evening.”
He cast her a rakish smile. “Why wait until tomorrow?”
Chapter Fifteen
Connor ended upgetting nowhere near Eden that night because his own meddlesome mother put a guard at her door to protect his fiancée’s virtue. What difference did it make if he ravaged her luscious body tonight, since they would be married within a matter of hours?
Nor did any of the women allow him anywhere near Eden the following morning. Again, his meddlesome mother and Eden’s prevented him from approaching her when he returned from obtaining the marriage license. “Botheration,” he muttered when even Priscilla scolded him.
“Get yourself ready, Papa!” She had the audacity to wag her finger at him. “You have to get to the church before Eden does.”
“Why?”
He got no answer, just a littleharrumphbefore she scampered back into Eden’s bedchamber and slammed the door in his face.
His little girl was going to be a bossy bit of goods.
But goodness, she looked so happy even as she excoriated him.
Standing in the hall was becoming dangerous, he realized as he was unceremoniously bumped out of the way while his mother’s maids rolled in a tub, another carried Eden’s gown, and yet another had Priscilla’s gown and flowers in her arms.
A score of other items were also brought into her bedchamber. Ladies were scurrying in and out.
Priscilla shouted at him again when he once more attempted to enter. “Papa! Delia is fixing Eden’s hair and then she is going to attend to mine. You have to keep out!”
He laughed and raised his hands in surrender. “All right. I give up.”
Eden was naturally beautiful, so he did not understand what all the fuss was about. Little was needed, or so he thought, to get her ready for the ceremony that was due to take place shortly before noon.
It was just after nine o’clock in the morning now. This gave Eden easily two hours to prepare.
It would not take him very long to get ready—a half an hour at most, since he had already shaved this morning before obtaining the license.
But he waspersona non grataaccording to Eden’s helpers and his own daughter, and that was made quite clear to him.
He went upstairs to check on his boys.
His only regret in rushing the ceremony was that his dearest friends, Bromleigh and Camborne, would not be with him on his wedding day. Despite their reputations as confirmed bachelors and rakes, he knew this was not who they truly were. They were all hoping to find the love of a good woman, although Camborne was quite hopeless when it came to selecting women. The leather-tough Scot always chose the firebrands to take on as mistresses, although he’d given up on keeping a mistress ever again since that last debacle.
However, Camborne still escorted ladies of thedemimondearound town, the indecent sort of women that matchmaking mamas disdained. This would ensure every sweet young thing with marriage on the brain stayed clear of him. Camborne lived hard and his breakups were always fiery.
Well, perhaps one day he would meet a woman who could tame him.
Bromleigh was another matter altogether. He had been burned in love in his younger days and never trusted any woman again. For this reason, he had resolved never to marry. He never wanted to give anyone the chance to break his heart again. No doubt, this was why he was so determined to see his nephew settled with the right young woman, one who was never going to deceive the lad or ever be unfaithful to him.
Connor shook out of thoughts of his friends as he looked in on his boys. Alex and Connor had just finished washing up and were about to begin dressing. His own valet, Holden, had made certain to lay out their finest attire, freshened and pressed, on their beds.
“Papa, you need to get ready!” Alex admonished him, wagging a finger.
What was with all the finger wagging?
When Holden rushed in, finger wagging at him too, he realized his own valet was the culprit. “Your Grace, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Since his sons did not need his hovering over them as they prepared for the wedding, he returned to his chamber and readied himself with Holden’s assistance. Indeed, his valet was not letting him out of his chamber until he looked worthy of his ducal title.
