“I had gathered both already,” Duncan said.
Temperance grinned. “Then we shall get on.”
Charity looked at him at that, and he looked back, and for one quiet second in the middle of all the noise and interruption, she felt something settle in her chest.
He looked comfortable.
Not guarded in the way he often was with strangers. Not polite and distant. Comfortable.
Temperance clapped her hands once and broke the moment.
“Now,” Temperance said, already taking command of the blanket as if she had always belonged there, “someone must feed me immediately, and then one of you is going to explain everything from the beginning, and if any part is left out I shall simply ask the staff.”
“You are not asking the staff anything before you ask me,” Charity said, laughing again.
“That depends entirely on how honest you are,” Temperance replied, sitting down and reaching for the basket with complete confidence.
Augusta sat beside her at once while Matilda climbed into Temperance’s lap as if no time had passed at all.
Duncan remained standing for a moment longer, watching the scene with an expression Charity was beginning to understand better now, and then he sat beside her on the blanket without comment.
The picnic had been a great success.
CHAPTER 19
“Your Grace, you are already familiar with Temperance,” Charity said to her husband-to-be. “But I must make you acquainted with my other friends.”
One by one, Charity introduced Alethea, Prudence, and Maria, and then their husbands. Duncan had been cordial with all of them, even striking up a conversation with the other dukes. Her friends had arrived the day before with their husbands, all of them with the familiar warmth Charity had missed so much that it had made her chest ache when she saw them step out of their carriages. With her friends here, it seemed that the wedding day had arrived too quickly.
“Oh, you must be truly excited,” Alethea had said to Charity on the morning of her wedding day as she got ready, “I have to say that he does seem like a gentleman.”
“I know you always see the best in people,” Charity replied, knowing all too well of this habit of her friends.
“Are you saying that he is the exception?” Maria stepped into the conversation, fixing a stray piece of hair on Charity’s face back in place. “You must know, given that you have already spent some time with him in courtship.”
“I can testify that he is a good man,” Temperance cut into the conversation in her usual unabashed manner, “and of course, my word holds some weight in this context, as you know I am quite the good judge of character.”
The ladies laughed, feeling themselves slip into a familiar sort of dynamic. Since they had left the nunnery, each of their lives had changed so drastically, but there was still the comfort of having a close friend who sustained them even in their most difficult moments.
“But what does the bride to be, think?” Prudence nudged her softly. It was that moment that Augusta walked into the room, a rare smile plastered across her face.
“You better hurry up, sister dear,” she announced cheekily, “the ceremony is to begin very soon, and you do not want to keep the Duke waiting. He is far too patient, and should not be disappointed on his wedding day.”
It felt like a sobering moment for Charity. Initially, Augusta had been so against the marriage but now that she had come to know Duncan more, she had become quite fond of him.
“Well, then,” Charity bit down on her lip, “I suppose that there is no more time to waste then, is it?”
She lifted her skirts, which were gorgeous and flowy in satin. The dress had been arranged by the duke, and it fit her perfectly. She had never owned something like this, but was pleased to find that her tastes were aligned with herhusband to be.Heavens, even when she thought of the concept, it made her flush.
One of the staff announced that the ceremony would begin in fifteen minutes, and all of the women made their way over to where the wedding was supposed to take place. The chapel was set within the estate, which felt just private and intimate enough to suit Charity.
When Charity reached the front and saw Duncan waiting, she had to hold herself still, since her body wanted to do too many things at once. He looked formal and controlled, and he met her gaze directly, and for a moment Charity felt a strange calm settle in her chest.
We are to be married.It did not make her want to bolt or retch. No, it was a rather comfortable feeling, if she was being honest with herself.
Temperance and the others took their seats. Malcolm stood a little to the side, ready to intervene if anyone tried to create trouble, which Charity appreciated.
An officiant had been arranged, and he looked like a man of a serious disposition. He stood next to the Duke, adjusting the thin wire frame of his glasses before clearing his throat.
