He tilted her gaze upward to meet the dark glint of his eyes.“It is done and we will make the best of it.”
He glanced at the other family members who were still gathered in the hall, the elders now being peppered by questions from her cousins.But he kept his attention on Tulip.“I would kiss you,” he said softly, “but I do not like to have an audience when undertaking such matters.”
“Do you often kiss ladies?”
He cast her a surprisingly affectionate smile.“There’s only been one, lately.”
She cast him a look of confusion, for she had not seen him escorting any young lady around London or heard his name connected to anyone else.“Do you mean me?Am I the one lady?”
“Yes, Tulip.Who else?See you tomorrow,” he said and walked out.
Did he mean it?
No one but her?
Was this not remarkable?
CHAPTER 4
TULIP KISSED JOHNand Sophie before retiring to bed.“Thank you for all you are doing for me.”
Sophie hugged her.“I will admit these hasty weddings overwhelmed me, at first.But I can prepare them in my sleep now.What matters is that you are betrothed to a good man who will be a caring and attentive husband.”
“We’ll take a shotgun to him if he isn’t,” John muttered.
Sophie gasped.“John!”
He shook his head.“Just letting Tulip know she can always come to us if she is unhappy.She needs to know we will always protect her.”
“Thank you, Uncle John.”Tulip went to bed thinking about all that had happened tonight.
Her dreams ought to have been happy ones, of weddings and new beginnings.
After all, she had snared a handsome duke.
Unfortunately, he happened to be a Davenport duke.
For this reason, her dreams were of dark skies and crashing waves, of roiling seas and dangerous turmoil.In her dreams, she saw a rundown manor house isolated atop a hill.Thornwycke Hall, no doubt.She had only ever seen it from a distance, and hoped not to find an ominous house with secret rooms, ghostly hauntings, and a housekeeper with shifty eyes.
Davenport was also in her dreams, handsome and brooding.
Full of his own secrets.
She could not shake off this malevolent aura and it caused her to wake up abruptly several times during the night.
“I have to stop reading those scandalous novels,” she whispered each time and fell back into a fitful sleep.
She awoke grudgingly when Sophie’s maid drew aside the drapes to allow in the bright sunshine.“Good morning, Miss Tulip.It’s to be a lovely day.Congratulations on your betrothal, and to such a man as Mr.Havers.Well, he’s His Grace now, isn’t he?And you’re to be his duchess.You must be so thrilled.”
“Thank you, Annie.Yes, he is quite something.”Despite not feeling her best, she did not hesitate to get out of bed and ready herself for the day.
She did not want to miss the very important meeting with Davenport’s solicitor.
John was waiting for her as she came downstairs.“Are you ready?”
She nodded eagerly and took his arm as they strode to their waiting carriage.
Sunlight sparkled upon the Thames waters as Tulip and her uncle rode to the Inns of Chancery where Davenport’s solicitor had his office.The morning light fell soft and gentle upon the waves, and she found it a welcome distraction from her worries.
