She was in the drawing room, where a long mirror had been put down for her to look at herself, while one of the maids made last-minute alterations to her veil. The lavender had been Papa’s idea. Little bunches of lavender sewn to the underside of her skirt let off a most delicious scent when she moved. A few sprigs had been added to her bouquet, too.
“Careful, Papa!” Madeline laughed as her father gingerly threaded a short sprig of lavender through the braids at her temples. “If you dislodge all the hard work that had gone into my hair, I am not sure Charlotte will forgive you.”
Papa stared at her for a long moment, but instead of smiling or breaking into laughter, his face began to crumple in on itself.
“Oh, Papa, Papa, what have I said?” Madeline whispered, the smile dropping off her face like a stone. She set aside her bouquet and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. “I did not mean to offend you.”
“Offend me? Nothing of the sort, my girl,” Papa managed, his voice thick. “It’s only that you look so very beautiful today, and I suppose it has just struck me that you’ll be leaving.”
“We are not parting, Papa,” Madeline corrected fiercely. “You can come and live with the duke and me at his house. Tristan and I, I mean,” she added, flushing. If she was going to marry the man, she could hardly keep calling himthe duke.
Papa pulled back, forcing a quick smile. He dashed away a tear, and Madeline’s heart constricted.
“Nonsense. A married couple ought to be alone. They need to strengthen their bond, and that can’t be done with somebody’s old papa tagging along.”
“Nonsense! The house is huge; you might hardly see us if you so wished.”
“Well, we’ll see,” Papa answered, his voice growing a little firmer now. “Now, are you ready? We had better start making our way to the church. A bride can be late on her wedding day, but nottoolate. We don’t want the duke to think you’ve changed your mind.”
Madeline nodded, turning back to the mirror. She was surprised at how pretty she looked. Her reflection showed a calm, elegant woman, albeit one with spectacles. She had considered leaving them off for the ceremony, but that left her running the risk of walking into one of the pews or accidentally marrying the wrong man. At the very least, she would find herself squinting at everybody.
That had happened at the poetry night at the Devil’s clubhouse. Finding it impossible to manage her spectacles and the domino mask, Madeline had given up and slipped the spectacles into her pocket. She took care to sew pockets into all of her gowns for just such an occasion. It had helped with her nerves, as she could look out on the crowd and see only a dull blur.
However, when the duke had pursued her and leaned so very close to her face, her vision had actually seemed to sharpen, focusing clearly on him.
Madeline swallowed hard. It was getting harder to deny the pull of attraction she felt toward the man, but deny it she must. After all, this marriage was not arealone.
“He is only marrying me because he doesn’t want to go through the courts, fighting over who has the right to raise Adam,” she said, eyes fixed thoughtfully on her reflection. “It’s rather sensible, really. He’d win, of course. He has the legal right, being Anthony’s brother, whereas I am only Betty’s friend. Even if Iwereher sister, he is a man, and the law favors men. However, it would not look very good for him, would it? I am a lady, and spinsters are supposed to be interested in other people’schildren. He thinks I can make the job of raising Adam easier, but I wish he had just let me take the baby.”
Papa said nothing, and Madeline immediately wished she had not spoken. Then he stepped forward with a sigh, adjusting the curls of hair at her temples.
“Would you like my opinion, my dear?” he asked, meeting her eye through the mirror and smiling.
“Of course, Papa. You need not ask.”
“In my opinion, the duke is terrified.”
“What? Oh, Papa, that man has never been afraid in his life.”
Papa chuckled. “Nobody ever avoids fear, my darling girl. Nobody. The duke has lost his brother. He is grieving, but he will not allow himself to be seen grieving. It is his duty, plain and simple, to raise his nephew, but it is hardly in his nature to care for a baby. He knows his own inadequacies, and I suspect the duke is a man who is not used to being inadequate. He is frightened.”
“He is afraid of failing this baby and his brother. I suspect he has regrets about the relationship he had with his brother. Everybody knows how the family turned on poor Anthony after his marriage. I’m sure there are more details to the story than meet the eye, but we cannot deny that the duke had been distanced from his brother for a while. To make up forhis failings, he must care for his brother’s child. The stakes, Madeline, are high.”
Madeline lifted a shaking hand to her temple, twisting a lock of hair around her fingertip.
“Why does he need me, then?” she quavered.
“Because you, my dear, possess all the qualities that he does not,” Papa answered, meeting her eye once more and smiling softly. “The duke, in my opinion, has seen straight through the wallflower that Society sees and has glimpsed your priceless qualities inside. I admire the man for that. That is what has stopped me from putting my foot down about this whole wedding.”
Madeline flinched, turning to face her father. “You disapprove of this wedding? You never said as much!”
Papa sighed. “No man truly disapproves of his daughter marrying a duke, certainly not a man as wealthy as this one. But I loveyou, Madeline, and I always hoped to see you fall in love the way your Mama and I did. But then, I cannot help but wonder whether it will keep you safe toavoidlove. After all, when I lost your mother…” He trailed off, voice tightening.
Madeline saw moisture glitter in his eyes.
He shook his head and plowed on. “When I lost your mother, I thought I would die, Madeline. Perhaps I might have simplyfaded away, were it not for you. But Ihadyou, Madeline. I have not regretted having true love in my life, but it is painful.”
He took a step back, smiling encouragingly at her. “I understand your reasoning for marriage, Madeline. I will not stand in your way. But just know that at any moment you may withdraw from this wedding, and I will support you every step of the way, right up until you say your vows. Even after,” he added after a brief pause. “If marriage proves too painful for you, my darling girl, you can always, always come home.”
