Page 23 of Her Lion of a Duke
Cecilia dramatically feigned an ailment, and the ladies laughed, but once again, she noticed Emma studying her. Once, it had been the other way around, where Cecilia was quite convinced that Emma was falling for her husband and Emma was denyingit, and she knew that she was doing a rather terrible job of hiding it from her.
“Oh!” Dorothy squeaked, suddenly rising to her feet. “I almost forgot. Morgan and I bought you a wedding present, but with such short notice, I had to wait for today to give it to you.”
“Oh, Dot, you did not need to do that.”
“I know, but you are my first friend to marry while I am a duchess, so it brings me joy. I shall be just a moment.”
She vanished in an instant.
“I also have gifts for all of you,” Cecilia admitted, “though they are very small.”
“You are hosting us,” Clara sighed. “You do not need to do anything more.”
Dorothy reappeared and pressed a box into her hands. “We wished to find something for both of you. This is yours.”
Cecilia opened it to reveal a dressing case. Hers contained jewelry compartments and perfume bottles, and Dorothy explained that Leonard’s contained razors and grooming tools. Each was engraved with the Pridefield family crest. They were beautiful, incomparable with the simple ribbons Cecilia had purchased.
She thanked Dorothy profusely before producing her own gifts. She handed them to her friends, and they smiled brightly and fastened them into their hair without second thought. Dorothy seemed particularly grateful to be given a soft color.
Cecilia turned to Beatrice, who was toying with her hair, and nudged her.
“When you next wear a yellow gown,” she explained, “I want you to wear these ribbons in your hair to match it. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course.”
“Good. I would also like you to talk to a gentleman when you do. Consider it something to bring you good luck.”
Beatrice did not seem as certain about that part of the deal, but she agreed nonetheless.
Cecilia was pleased that her friend was at least willing to try. She was also pleased that the conversation had veered away from her marriage.
The gentlemen returned later that evening, in time for dinner. Cecilia sat beside Leonard as he told her about their day. They had gone into the village and, at last, found the little boy’s mother.
“She was very kind,” he noted. “She tried to refuse at first, stating that her son had done what was right, but she gave in eventually. We agreed that she would not say anything to her son, as he had done a very kind deed, and we do not want to make him believe that he had done something wrong.”
“Wonderful. I am pleased that it was not too much trouble for the three of you either.”
“We rather enjoyed it. It was, as you said, an adventure. It also gave me the chance to buy you something to put in your new dressing case.”
Cecilia blushed, knowing that Leonard had been told about the gift she had received. After dinner, he took her to his study so that there were no grand displays. He gave her a delicately wrapped package, and a rather heavy one at that.
She opened it to reveal a silver necklace with gems the same shade of blue as the ribbons in her hair. She gasped, admiring it, then gave him a look.
“I knew that you would keep the blue one for yourself.” He chuckled. “It is your favorite color, after all.”
“Did you truly remember that? I do not believe I have ever told you.”
She turned her back to him so that he could fasten the necklace around her neck.
“You have not, but I could tell. You wear it more than any other color, and when you looked at the ribbons at the market, your eyes fell on the blue ones first.”
Cecilia thought that there was a sort of intimacy to him remembering her favorite color, but it was more than that. She had never needed to tell him, because he watched her so intently that he already knew.
She wondered just how much about her he had already deduced, and how accurate he had been. She turned back to find him still smiling, gesturing to a mirror so that she could look at herself.
And when she saw her reflection, she realized that she was smiling too.
CHAPTER 8
