“Because we’re your friends,” Isadora said sweetly, patting her shoulder. “And because we make this whole ordeal far more entertaining.”
“Entertainment can wait. For now, I need a way to survive the next three days without losing my mind.”
Daphne smiled sympathetically. “I have no doubt that you will. You’re stronger than you think.”
“You say that because you are my friend. But I do not have a singleclueas to how I am going to learn to adjust at the estate. Me, a duchess? The idea seems silly.”
“Why underestimate yourself like this?” Daphne’s tone softened, and she reached over to grab her friends hand. “It might be a learning process, but I am certain that you will get there in the end.”
Violet pinched her eyes shut. “You are quite the optimist.”
“Violet,” Daphne said gently, leaning forward, “you’re not alone in this. You’ll have people to guide you. And if anyone tries to tell you how to live your life, you send for me. I’ll handle them.”
“And me,” Isadora added with a grin. “Between the two of us, we’ll keep the wolves at bay.”
That drew a reluctant smile from Violet. At her lowest, at least she had the support of her friends. “I don’t know what I’d do without you both.”
“You’d be bored out of your mind,” Daphne quipped, grinning now.
“And possibly married to Lord Kembert,” Isadora added, wrinkling her nose in concern. “Which, frankly, would be a tragedy.”
The three of them burst into laughter. For a brief moment, Violet felt the weight on her shoulders lighten, her worries momentarily eclipsed.
Daphne smirked. “Oh, I think Nicholas would have something to say about that. You are hiswife to benow.”
“He’d probably find you both exhausting,” Violet muttered.
“Well, he’s about to find out how exhaustingyoucan be,” Daphne teased. “And I, for one, can’t wait to see it.”
“Does my plight amuse you?” Nicholas asked, his tone sharp. Across him sat his long-time friend, Duke Ambrose—unable to control the smirk from forming on his features.
Nicholas had asked to meet urgently at the Gentleman’s Club. Ambrose, however, had been tardy, giving the former a chance to down his miseries in his drink beforehand. He had already drained his glass of whiskey before Ambrose showed up, grinning.
“Not at all. If anything, I believe some congratulations are in order, are they not?” Ambrose grinned, “I heard about the wedding. Short notice, yes, but I think I can make it.”
Nicholas narrowed his eyes, setting his empty glass down with a sharp clink. “Spare me your mockery, Ambrose. I have no interest in congratulations, least of all from you.”
Ambrose chuckled, unbothered. “Mockery? Nonsense. I’m genuinely impressed with how quickly you have managed to secure yourself a match. Quite the expeditious young lad, are you not?”
“I had no other choice,” Nicholas shot back, his tone biting. “This was the only thing I could do to ensure theleastamount of damage after that… incident.”
“Well, that’s certainly one way to describe getting caught in the gardens with an innocent young lady.”
Nicholas’ jaw tightened, his irritation palpable. “I mistook her for someone else. It wasn’t intentional.”
“Ah, of course,” Ambrose said, nodding sagely, though the amusement in his eyes betrayed him. “An innocent mistake. One that just so happens to have you standing at the altar within the week.”
“You’re not helping,” Nicholas said, glaring at his friend. “And if you’ve nothing useful to say, then you can keep your thoughts to yourself.”
“You wound me, Nicholas. I’m here to offer moral support.”
Moral support.Nicholas would have been amused if he was not so irked. “I do not know how I ended up in this situation.”
“You’re doing the honorable thing, Nicholas. Marrying her to protect her reputation—that’s more than most men would do in your position.” Ambrose’s tone softened slightly.
Nicholas sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “I could care less abouthonor.You know that. For me, this is about responsibility. She doesn’t deserve to have her life ruined because of my carelessness.”
“Quite mature of you.”
