All these bad feelings vanished like so many snowflakes melting under the radiant sunlight that was Ailis’s smile.
He kissed her long and deep, kissed her endlessly as he gave over his heart that she had long ago claimed. “Ten kisses, Ailis, and a thousand more to come,” he promised.
Chapter Seventeen
Edward insisted onserving as valet to Jonas as he readied himself for his wedding, which was to take place an hour from now at the church. “Gad, stop fussing over me,” Jonas grumbled. His brother, hisyoungerbrother, was treatinghimlike a child who had yet to learn how to button a shirt or tie a cravat. “I have been managing fine on my own for all my adult life.”
“I beg to differ,” Edward said, straightening Jonas’s cravat, which was already perfect just as he’d fashioned it. “You almost made a royal mess of it. If not for your mother and sibling coming to your rescue, you—”
“Hah! My rescue? You brought that plague of locusts down on me at Christmastide.”
“Only you would considertondiamonds a pestilence. Have you opened my letter yet? The one I handed over to you when I first arrived?”
Jonas arched an eyebrow. “No, dare I open it now?”
Edward nodded. “Yes, it is time. Go ahead and read it.”
Jonas strode to his bureau and opened the top drawer where he had stuck the letter and forgotten about it. He now opened the missive to find nothing but one name written in it.Ailis Temple.“What’s this?”
“The name of your blushing bride, of course.”
Jonas stared at the parchment, then cast Edward a dubious glance. “How could you know this before ever having met her?”
“Quite simple, actually. I was so certain of your choice that I wrote her into the betting book at White’s. I am going to make a killing on my wager. No one else would ever have guessed her name.”
“Or that I would ever marry,” Jonas replied. “Edward, stop having me on. How could you possibly know about Ailis before you left London? I did not even know my feelings for her until recently.”
“Mrs. Fitch and Grimes have been corresponding with our mother.”
“And they told her I was going to marry Ailis? That was quite prescient of them, since I only announced my intention to marry a few days ago, and you were already here.”
“They did not have to tell our mother anything. She knew it at once. She’s quite smart for a duchess.”
Jonas laughed. “I know. She has been outsmarting me for years. But seriously, how could either of you possibly know?”
“Several years back, she asked Mrs. Fitch and Grimes to report to her whenever you smiled.”
“Me? Smile? When did I ever do that?”
“Never, and isn’t that precisely the point? Mother did not mean to be underhanded, but she was truly worried not only for your physical recovery but for your happiness, as well. Imagine her surprise when Ailis Temple’s name began appearing in these letters. In fact, hers was theonlyname they ever mentioned.Miss Temple met with the duke today. The duke smiled.Quite remarkable, I think.”
“Still does not make sense,” Jonas muttered. “Why would she descend on me with Viola, Willa, and the Tenney sisters if she knew I liked Ailis? Did she think because I smiled for the vicar’s niece that I would smile for these diamonds?”
Edward gave a mock shudder. “You are awfully dense for an intelligent man. Even our sisters caught on immediately to ourmother’s scheme. Don’t you get it? She purposely selected these young doves because she knew they were superficial and awful, and would have you running for cover straight to Ailis. She needed to do something to prod you into action.”
Jonas frowned. “She manipulated me.”
“Quite cleverly, too, I might add. Although, had we known Ailis was injured and already cozily nestled here with you, we might have scrapped the plan and just come out here by ourselves. By the way, Aggie and Jessie send their love, and regret they could not be here to watch our matchmaking scheme play out. But each had to be with their husband’s family this Christmas. Rest assured, we are all going to descend on you next year—unruly nephews and nieces, too.”
Jonas ought to have been angry, but he did love his family and it was time to stop putting them all off. “Knowing Ailis, she will probably love having the Langford horde visit us for the holidays, sticky hands, dirty faces, and all. She’ll start the holiday planning as soon as we exchange vows, which is happening in less than an hour. Come on, Edward. Stop dawdling and let’s get going. Do you think Mother is ready yet?”
Edward laughed. “She has been ready since the day you were born.”
They marched downstairs together, met their mother in the entry hall, and then rode to the vicarage in the ducal carriage. “Edward told me what you did,” Jonas remarked, tossing her a stern glance.
She tipped her chin up. “How could I pass up the opportunity once your friends opened that betting book? I knew before I had ever met Ailis that she needed to be your wife. But I do apologize if I was a little heavy-handed in the manner in which I went about it.”
“Alittleheavy-handed?” Jonas laughed. “You were as subtle as Thor’s hammer slamming down upon me.”
