Page 105 of Duke of Wickedness
“Fine,” he said. “Fine. I consent to this marriage.”
“Thank you,” said David.
“I didn’t need your permission,” scoffed Ariadne.
Upon seeing the exasperated look on Godwin’s face, David considered that perhaps it wasn’t the worst thing that he didn’t have siblings. He loved his bride-to-be more than he could say, but she was proving extraordinarily capable at turning her stern-faced brother into a man who seemed to lack less and less will to live with every passing moment.
“Fine,” Godwin said again. “But,” he added in the tone of someone who was desperately trying to regain control of a situation, “since there is gossip, youwillbe married immediately. I will send for the special license at once.”
Ariadne didn’t budge, her arms remaining crossed tight across her chest.
“I shall have to consult with my betrothed to see if he is amenable,” she said so sweetly that David felt his teeth practically start to ache.
Though likely not as much as Godwin’s teeth, as David could hear them grinding.
He let out a low, grumbling sound from the back of his throat, then turned to face David, apparently sensing that he would gain no ground with Ariadne.
David felt a funny little twist of pride. His little bird could use her beak and talons, it seemed.
“I will leave you two to discuss matters between you,” Godwin said through gritted teeth. “Come to my study when you are prepared to sign the marriage contract.”
“Of course,” David said, offering a bow. It was so very easy to be polite in victory.
Godwin stalked off. Ariadne gave a self-satisfied shimmy.
And David had to kiss her, obviously. There simply wasn’t any other choice.
“You are a menace,” he said, when he was done kissing her—which was to say, when he felt too afraid of Godwin’s return to continue kissing her. David didn’t consider himself a coward, but rather a pragmatist; if he got killed, he couldn’t marry Ariadne.
“There is an art to being the littlest sister,” she said modestly. “I am simply better at it than most.”
He laughed, then stole just one more kiss. It was worth the risk.
“I fear you’ve made your brother hate me, though,” he confessed.
She shook her head. “No, he’s just cross that we all keep getting betrothed without consulting his opinion. Don’t worry. Once he gets over his snit, he’ll begin to treat you as one of us.”
David found that he liked the sound of that. He’d never had a family, at least not a close one like these lunatic Lightholders, and he found that it was an oddly appealing benefit, getting the rest of the clan alongside Ariadne.
And his bride, in her infinite wisdom, turned out to be right. After David pulled himself reluctantly away from Ariadne’s side, he went to go sign the papers as Xander had instructed. When all was said and done, Xander stuck out his hand to shake.
David considered that this might be a trick but accepted, anyway. There wasn’t much else he could do.
And, indeed, all Xander did was clasp their hands together tightly.
“Welcome to the family,” he said. There was a pause, during which David felt genuinely touched, and then Godwin added, “And if you ever think about trying to change your mind, Iwillshoot you.”
“You look so beautiful,” Helen sniffed into her handkerchief as Catherine fussed over Ariadne’s hair. She had been uncommonly weepy all morning. Ariadne kept trying to recall if Helen had been the same way when her own younger sister, Patricia, had married Ariadne’s brother, Jason.
“So you’ve said,” Ariadne said, laughing and making eye contact with her sister by marriage through the looking glass. “A dozen times already today.”
“Well, it’s true,” Helen said peevishly. “I’ll say it a dozen times more if I want to.”
Ariadne turned to give Helen a warm smile, which made Catherine swat lightly at her shoulder.
“Stop that,” she chided. “I don’t want to mess up your hair.”
“You won’t muss my hair if you stop fussing with it,” Ariadne pointed out. She felt this was extremely reasonable—her maid, after all, had been the one to put up her coiffure in the first place; Catherine was just fluttering about—but Kitty and Helen exchanged a look that saidlittle sisters are so absurd.
