Page 48 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

A wicked, hungry grin stretched across Lavinia’s face, and she nodded. “Let us go now,” she urged him. “The hunger I have is not for food anyway.”

“I must say, dear wife,” Arthur teased, helping her out of her chair, “you are the most delightful creature I’ve ever met. Thank heavens you tricked me into marrying you.”

“Bite your tongue.” Lavinia laughed as they walked away from their plates of untouched food.

“Bite it for me,” Arthur challenged.

* * *

“Do you truly think your mother is still angry at me?” Lavinia asked as she and Susan dressed together in Susan’s quarters.

After her little mid-day tumble with Arthur, which had been as lovely and satisfying as always, she had met with her sister-in-law again, and they had worked together to coordinate the final arrangements. Now, there was nothing left to do but dress and be ready to receive their guests.

“Mother is angry, period,” Susan replied dismissively, pointing somewhere in her reflection.

The maid behind her touched up her rouge dutifully, and she gave a satisfied nod.

“I do not think she is angry at you. I believe it must be hard for her to watch her legacy be passed on to someone she didn’t approve of,” Susan continued. She turned away from her mirror and smiled at Lavinia. “But you have gone above and beyond in your royal duties in regard to the estate, and seeing how happy you’ve made my brother, I have no doubt that you will also fulfill your duty of providing an heir. Do not worry about her. Once you are with child, she will have no room for anger.”

Lavinia smiled, looking down at her stomach. It was still too early to tell, but she hoped that her and Arthur’s future child was already in there, silently growing. She had pictured what their children would look like many times in the past month. Her curly hair. Arthur’s green eyes. Her wit and his strength. The thought of them made her extremely happy.

“Your brother is happy, then?” she asked.

Her sister-in-law rolled her eyes as she smiled. “Are you joking?” She laughed. “I’ve never seen my brother like this, not even when we were children. I don’t know how you did it, but you fixed him.”

“I don’t know about that.” Lavinia laughed dryly. “But I have certainly enjoyed getting to know that part of him that he had buried so deep.”

Their conversation faded as they finished getting ready. Susan had chosen another pink gown, this one a blindingly brilliant shade of fuchsia, while Lavinia dressed in a green one the exact same shade as Arthur’s eyes. As always, she adorned her look with black accessories and wore green satin shoes with black buckles.

After showering one another with compliments regarding their chosen attire, they descended the stairs. Lavinia had thought that no one would show up on time, but to her pleasant surprise, dozens of their guests began arriving promptly at seven. Even Susan looked taken aback by the drove of guests coming their way, and she seemed to bounce with giddiness as they went to greet them.

“Lavinia!” Agnes’s voice called above the fray of arriving carriages.

“Pardon me, Lady Sumter, Lord Sumter,” Lavinia said to her most recently arrived guests, “I believe I hear my baby sister.” She turned just in time to feel Agnes’s arms wrap tightly around her waist. She giggled happily and hugged her back. “Whatever are you doing here?” she chastised in a teasing tone. “You are not old enough for this party.”

“Papa said I could come if I promised to stay with the nanny upstairs,” Agnes replied, looking displeased with the supervision. “I told him I was much too old for a nanny and that I could busy myself perfectly well, but he refused to let me come otherwise. Besides, we are still invited to stay for the weekend, are we not? It was better that I arrive with Papa and Rebecca today than on my own tomorrow. I detest carriage rides by myself. They are too lonesome.”

Lavinia pulled her youngest sister back into her arms, giggling. “Of course, loneliness can be quite dreadful,” she replied.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father, Rebecca, and a handsome young man making their way up the steps. Excitement filled her when she saw the gentleman escorting Rebecca, happy to see that he wasn’t imaginary, as she had feared.

In front of her, Agnes made a face and leaned in. “Donotmention loneliness to Papa,” she warned in a whisper. “Now that you are married and Rebecca is betrothed, he’s been an awful bear, going on about how I will leave him soon as well and he will have no one.”

Lavinia felt herself flinch as she turned her gaze back to Kenneth. He didn’t deserve to be lonely. He wasn’t perfect, but he had been a good father, and she was certain he’d make a doting husband to some lucky woman. Though he’d never mentioned it, Lavinia sent up a silent prayer that her father would soon find love again.

“My darling girl.” Kenneth beamed, pulling Lavinia into his arms and kissing her cheek. “How happy you look!”

“Hello, Papa,” Lavinia whispered emphatically, kissing his ruddy cheek. “I am! My marriage has done me wonders.”

“I am happy to hear it,” he replied, pulling back. His eyes glittered with a mixture of sadness and happiness. “I may have been quick to judge this arrangement at first,” he went on, “but now that you and Rebecca are clearly so joyful, I believe that it has worked out exactly as God intended.”

Thankful for her father’s final approval, she hugged him once more before turning to her sister.

Smiling from ear to ear, Rebecca rushed into Lavinia’s arms, hugging her tightly before pulling back to take her fiancé’s hand. “Lavinia, may I introduce my intended, Sir Lawrence Abernathy, Lieutenant of Her Majesty’s Royal Navy Ship,The Elizabeth.”

The young man at Rebecca’s side bowed politely in front of Lavinia as she curtseyed and took her hand to place a chaste kiss on her knuckles.

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,” Lawrence said warmly. “I hear it is you I must thank for the upkeep of Rebecca and mine’s union. I am eternally in your debt.”

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