“Well then, you have my blessing.”
“Splendid. Thank you, Lord Curtis, for accepting my son and his friend into your family. Of course, now that there are two weddings, there’s so much we need to plan,” the Dowager Duchess said. she had remained quiet all through the conversation but now, she beamed, looking around the room with excitement.
“Yes, there’s so much to plan,” Jane concurred. “What do the both of you want?”
“And with that, I believe it’s time we go have a celebratory drink, gentlemen,” Evan said, hurrying out of the room with Benedict and Matthew following after him.
“Oh, how about a double wedding?” Letitia suggested.
“Hmm… no, I don’t think I want that. After all that Augusta has done and the years it’s taken her to come this far, I believe it’s best if she has her own wedding and marries first. I don’t mind going after her,” Nancy said, taking my hand in hers.
“Thank you, Nancy. How about we have it just days within each other so you don’t have to wait long for yours?” Augusta added.
“Well, that’s settled. First, we’ll have to plan everything else. Like the food, your wedding dress and whatever else we will need and then we can pick a date for when it’s more convenient,” the Dowager Duchess said.
Augusta was thankful. Everything was going better than she imagined. Soon, she would be married to the love of her life. She was grateful they had such supportive family around them.
CHAPTER31
“Congratulations, Your Grace. You have finally joined the ranks of the married,” the Marquis of Brunden said, his hand stretched out for a handshake.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I’m sure there are a few words of advice that you could stand to give me on how to have a wonderful married life?” Benedict asked, shaking his outstretched hand.
He laughed out loud, the force of it shaking his short and square body. He slapped his thigh in an ungentlemanly fashion. “Trust me, my friend. There’s only advice I could give you that should be worth anything when it comes to marriage.”
He leaned in closer to Benedict, his hand to the side of his mouth and his eyes glowing conspiratorially. “Keep the mistress a secret from the wife and they will both be happy.”
He laughed again at his barely whispered ill-advice. Benedict smiled, although he wished he did not have to listen to the man a moment longer. He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his wife and smiled when he saw her in the company of their family.
She was his wife. He hadn’t said the words aloud yet. A mistake he eagerly wanted to correct. Thinking about it was enough to fill him a high level of excitement. His hands itched to hold her again and to press his lips against her in a kiss much like the one they’d shared after they were pronounced husband and wife.
“See how he stares lovingly at her. Don’t worry, it won’t be long until you tire of her and the spell is broken. I once felt the same way when I married my wife. A young, innocent woman, just out of the schoolroom and the tight protection of her mama. Now, she is neither young nor innocent, which is why I keep a mistress who can be at least one of those things.”
Benedict frowned at the man’s lewdness.If only he would just leave me alone or at the very least, shut up.
The members of the ton had always been known for their desire to keep a mistress outside of their marriage, however, he had never met a man who had little to no respect for his wife. He pitied the poor woman, whoever she was. It was trouble enough being married to someone like him, yet it was even worse for everyone to know what he thought of you.
“Perhaps you have had too much to drink already and would like to go home now,” another man said, gently herding him in the direction of the door.
“What? And go home to that devil of a woman I married? I’d much rather go to my mistress,” he said, laughing once again. This time, the sound was bitter and void of all traces of humor.
The man soon returned, free of the Marquis “I apologize for that. His Grace should never be allowed near a bottle. I’m Lord Damian, the Viscount of Mondrige. The Marquis is a distant cousin and I have only just returned here to find him in this state. I just wanted to say that I have seen the way that you and your wife look at each other and I know it’s a marriage that will be filled with happiness. Congratulations on your marriage.”
Benedict looked after the man who walked out before he could thank him. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he would never share the bed of another woman, not while he continued to have his wife. She was perfect and there would be no one else like her.
He looked in her direction now to find that she was already staring at him. Her eyes twinkled in excitement and she blushed as the women said something he couldn’t hear before laughing. She looked at him one more time, grinning widely before turning away.
Benedict sighed. He wished he could go to her this moment but he couldn’t. their wedding was one befitting a Duke, which meant that everyone of importance was in attendance and no one who was worth anything would ever turn down the chance to be at the wedding if invited.
There was so much to do and so many people to thank for showing up to attend his wedding. He was grateful that they had taken out time to be there even though many had come as a means to show the others how important they were to have been invited by the Duke and others simply wanted to watch the turn of events and to see if much like his former betrothed, she would jilt him before he even reached the altar.
“Congratulations, Your Grace,” one of the men who had remained after the others left said.
“Thank you,” Benedict smiled, groaning inwardly. After the Marquis’ drunken behaviour, he did not want to have any more conversations with any of the other men.
“To think that you would marry Lady Augusta considering how cold she is. I’m curious to know how you managed to accomplish that feat.
Benedict laughed. “Only those who don’t truly know her or have something to fear would describe my wife as cold. My wife is the least cold person you would ever meet. It just takes a special kind of man to get her to open up because she takes nothing less than a gentleman.”
