Less than five minutes later, she slipped her hand in his and tugged him away from their family and friends.
Perhaps it wasn’t so bad to be alittlescandalous.
EPILOGUE - THE FOLLOWING YEAR
“Finally,”Kate exclaimed as she and Sophie stood just inside the foyer at Blackwell House in London, preparing to greet their guests. “Ifinallyget to host my ball.”
Sophie side-eyed her. “It was only delayed by one year.”
“Do you have any idea how much fashions can change in a season?” Kate demanded, a hand propped on her hip. “I hadplans. I blame you. I could hardly throw my first official ball as the viscountess without you and Nicholas present.”
Flashing her a smile, Sophie said, “We appreciate you waiting. Besides, surely it’s better to do it this way, debutingtwonew couples as society hosts and hostesses.”
Kate tilted her head. “It will certainly make more of a splash, and it’s nice to do it together.”
“Good evening, wife.”
Sophie turned toward the stairwell, where Nicholas and Theodore were descending side by side. Her gaze skimmed right over Theodore and landed on Nicholas, who’d had new attire created for the occasion.
His pale green shirt made his complexion seem warmer and softened his harsher features, while the rich blue waistcoatmatched the accents on Sophie’s gown and emphasized the breadth of his shoulders.
His hair was loose, glossy in the candlelight, and between that and the full beard…. Well, suffice it to say that she couldn’t wait to get her hands on him later.
“Nicholas.” She kissed him but dodged out of the way when he tried to grab her more firmly. The last thing she needed was for him to muss her before their guests arrived.
Beside him, Theodore was attired very differently—all in black, which drew attention to the harsh lines and angles of his face and made him appear paler than his brother.
With his clean-shaven jaw and neat, short hair, he and Nicholas were a study in contrast.
If one paid attention, the similarities were present in the shape of their faces, their matching sharp noses, and the color of their hair and eyes, but Nicholas’s eyes were crinkled at the corners, his mouth constantly on the verge of smiling and Theodore was much more contained.
They were clearly brothers, but Sophie doubted that anyone would identify them as twins.
Albert opened the front entrance, and a cool breeze whistled through, billowing Emma’s skirt as she stepped inside with Vaughan. Close behind them were Lord and Lady Carlisle. They must have shared a carriage—or perhaps they’d wanted to be supportive, so they’d been waiting outside for Albert to indicate that it was an acceptable time to approach.
Sophie bounced over and hugged Emma, who was looking around in wonder. Her sister smelled faintly of vanilla and something else sweet—like perhaps she’d eaten a piece of cake before departing Ashford House.
“You’ve outdone yourselves,” Emma declared, returning the embrace and then greeting Kate just as warmly.
“It was all Kate,” Sophie told her. “I just followed instructions.”
“Wait until you see the ballroom,” Nicholas added, bowing to her and then to Sophie’s parents. “Thank you all for coming. I hope you have a delightful evening.”
A maid appeared and offered them a tray of drinks.
Lady Carlisle helped herself to a glass of champagne with a satisfied little twist to her lips. She raised her glass. “To my daughters, all of whom are, thankfully, married—and decidedly better than I’d dared to hope.”
Sophie glanced at Emma and found her sister looking back, laughter dancing in her eyes.
“Best of luck,” Vaughan said, clasping first Theodore’s hand and then Nicholas’s. “There are others waiting outside, so we’ll see ourselves into the ballroom.”
They swept away—Lady Carlisle reaching back and snatching a second glass of champagne as they left.
Only seconds later, Amelia and Andrew wandered in, both slightly windblown and rosy in the cheeks.
“Can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the place,” Andrew declared to Kate, striding over and kissing her cheek. “I daresay you’ve had plenty of time to make preparations.”
Kate huffed. “You do realize I couldn’t use the same designs I was working on last season?”
