"But your most important duty will be that of loving my son," she smiled. "I had lost all hope that he would ever marry, but youchanged that. It means that you are truly exceptional, in both character and spirit," the dowager continued.
"Ambrose has always been a guarded man, but with you, I see something different. Something I had thought was lost to him. You have brought a light back into his life that I feared would never return."
Daphne's heart swelled at the words, touched by the dowager's sincerity. "Thank you, Your Grace. I promise to care for him—to stand by him as he has stood by me."
The dowager smiled warmly. "I have no doubt you will.
"Now, enough of the sentimental talk. There is a wedding to celebrate, and I believe you have a husband waiting for you."
Daphne's smile widened at the mention of Ambrose. Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him again—this time as his wife. She was ready, more than ready, to begin their life together.
As the dowager stepped back, allowing Daphne to take a moment for herself, Violet and Isadora approached, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well," Violet said with a teasing smile, "you've received the dowager's blessing. I suppose that means you're officially one of the family now."
"And here I thought you were just marrying him for his title," Isadora added playfully.
"Hardly," Daphne laughed. "Though the title isn't the worst part of it."
"Oh, stop," Violet teased. "You're head over heels for him, and we all know it."
Daphne's cheeks flushed as she smiled, her mind drifting to Ambrose once more. "Yes," she admitted softly, "I am."
Soon, Ambrose found her again. "May I borrow my wife?" he said to her friends, and they giggled, giving her away.
"Shall we go to the carriage?" he said, and together they began walking towards it, hand in hand.
But along the way, they ran into another familiar presence.
"Well, well," Richard began, clapping Ambrose on the back with a playful smirk. "I suppose I'm owed a bit of credit for this." He gestured between the two of them.
Ambrose shot him a look.
"If it weren't for my courtship, Ambrose, you never would've met Lady Daphne properly. Seems like you owe me a drink for your good fortune," Richard grinned.
Daphne tensed ever so slightly, sensing the usual air of competition between the brothers. But before she could say anything, Ambrose's arm tightened possessively around her waist.
"I think I owe you nothing, Richard," Ambrose said, casually. "The only thing I owe is my gratitude to Daphne, for making me the luckiest man in the room."
"Fair enough," Richard said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Just know that I played a small part in this grand love story."
"Not small enough," Ambrose muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Richard to hear, causing him to burst out laughing.
Daphne elbowed Ambrose lightly, "Let's not start a duel at the wedding," she whispered to him.
Before Richard could respond, Uncle Sebastian stepped in "You two," he chuckled, "I knew this was bound to happen from the beginning. From the very first time I saw Daphne with you, Ambrose, I thought to myself, ‘Now there's a woman who could handle that stubborn streak of yours.'"
Now that they were married, it seemed that everyone had a story about them.
Daphne blushed at the compliment. "You give me too much credit, Uncle," she said with a soft laugh. "I'm still learning."
Ambrose turned to her then, "No, he is quite right. You're perfect."
Uncle Sebastian smiled knowingly.
"I have to say," he continued, "I always knew you'd find someone worthy of you, Ambrose, but I never thought it would be someone quite like Lady Daphne. You may be born a Duke, but she has thepersonalityof a Duchess."
"That's why I married her."
