Page 21 of Her Lion of a Duke
And yet…
And yet she could not stop thinking about the warmth of his hands when he covered her with his coat. She had been freezing, and she did not understand how he could emanate such heat. She wished that he had not smiled at her as he had done it, that he had thrown the wretched thing at her out of duty.
She wished she did not like him so much, because it made everything far too complicated.
When she returned to her room, she laid the ribbons out before her. She had bought several in pink, blue, yellow, green, purple, and orange. She took the blue one for herself, as it was her favorite, and then pointedly set the pink one for Dorothy.
She was tempted to give her the yellow ribbon to tease her about the awful gowns she once had to wear, but she decided against it. Instead, she gave the yellow one to Beatrice, the orange one to Clara, and the purple one to Emma. They would be arriving in a matter of days, and she had suddenly begun to feel nervous about their arrival.
Clara had accepted the invitation in the end, and though Cecilia was pleased to see her favorite ladies all at once, she dreaded the questions about her marriage. They were very perceptive, and though she enjoyed her own playful interrogations, she knew that she would not like theirs half as much.
“Will you be doing any preparations before their arrival?” Leonard asked her at dinner that night. “I know that they will be here soon, but there are a few things we can arrange.”
“Not as of yet. If we begin arranging too many things at once, they will only be half completed, and that would look worse. The manor is not even in need of anything, only a few touches.”
“As you wish, though I shall arrange for the candles to be replaced with new ones and fresh flowers to be brought.”
“Perfect.” She nodded. “Which reminds me. How are we going to find that boy’s mother? I do hope that he is not in any trouble for what he has done.”
“I am going to locate her while you make preparations for your friends’ visit. Do not worry about it—although you are, of course, most welcome to come with me.”
“No, it is all right. It can be a small adventure for you while I guard our post.”
He laughed softly, giving her a mock salute.
At last, things seemed to be returning to normal. They spoke easily with one another, and all she had to do to maintain that was pretend that she was not falling for him.
It was easier said than done, but she was capable of it. If hiding how she truly felt meant an easier marriage, then that was what she would do.
She spent the following few days making sure that everything was as it ought to be. It kept her distracted, so she welcomed the challenge.
As promised, the candles were exchanged, and flowers were displayed lovingly, and already the manor was becoming warmer. There was still quite a way to go, but it was enough. Her friends would not notice, and even if they did, they would not comment on it. They had been there before, except for Clara.
Even so, on the day of their arrival, she found herself wringing her hands.
Beatrice was the first to arrive. Without thinking, Cecilia threw her arms around her and embraced her tightly.
“You look wonderful!” Beatrice smiled. “Life as a duchess clearly suits you.”
“It would appear so. Come, I shall send for tea.”
They sat in the drawing room and waited for the others. Emma and Levi arrived next, explaining hastily that they had left their children with their nanny for the week, as they did not want them to be a bother, and then Dorothy arrived with the same explanation.
The two gentlemen left to find Leonard. Clara arrived shortly after, and conversation shifted from Dorothy’s newest addition to her glasshouse to Beatrice’s new cake flavors, of which she had brought several. Each tried one, Cecilia once again hoping that her friend would marry someone who would nurture that side of her.
“Have you any suitors yet?” she asked. “I suppose you are having a far easier time without me guarding you.”
“Not as of yet,” Beatrice replied meekly.
“Beatrice will not dance,” Clara explained. “She and I have quickly become friends, but each time I am taken to the dance floor, she refuses to join me.”
“I have not yet danced! I do not know what will happen. I may well fall on my face and be horrifically injured.”
“Or,” Emma countered, “you may find yourself a husband. I would argue that it is a risk worth taking.”
“Yes, well, not all of us are granted clandestine meetings and gentlemen friends.”
The three ladies chuckled. Emma had met her husband at Leonard’s house party, Dorothy had had her marriage arranged by her parents, and Cecilia just so happened to have married her only male friend.
