Page 3 of Dubious about the Duke (Second Sons of London 5)

Chapter Two

London—June 1816

Excitement rippled throughSera as the ship moved closer to the dock. She scanned the crowd below and found Minta. They began waving wildly at one another. Her twin then turned to two men standing behind her, gesturing and pointing.

Who could they be?

She supposed they might be suitors of Minta’s, gentlemen her sister had met during this current Season, and wondered if Minta had brought them to the docks so that Sera might meet them and pass judgment. She glanced at the one on the left. He was tall, with dark blond hair and an athletic frame and quite pleasing to the eye. The other was slightly taller, his shoulders broad and his frame more muscular.

He was also devastatingly handsome.

She swallowed, her gaze connecting with his for a moment even from a distance. He nodded to her and she did the same. She supposed this was the one Minta would prefer because of his looks and size. Sera would be intimidated by a man so large.

She glanced back to the other one and then noticed her aunt and uncle now stood next to him. Her smile widened and she waved again. Aunt Phyllis began blowing her kisses and Uncle West beamed at her. Oh, how she had missed the two of them!

It took several minutes for the ship to dock. During that time, Sera made her way to the gangplank. She wanted to be the first off the ship.

Finally, a crew member removed the barrier and nodded at her. She went flying down the gangplank and saw Minta charging up it. The twins met halfway and fell into one another’s arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

“I have missed you so much,” Minta said, pulling back and looking Sera in the eyes. “We can never be separated like this again.” Her twin embraced her once more, hugging her tightly.

“Can we get by?” a voice called.

Turning, Sera saw they were blocking the way of other passengers who wished to disembark. Slipping her arm through Minta’s, they moved quickly down the rest of the gangplank and moved toward their aunt and uncle.

“You look beautiful,” Sera told her sister as they walked. “You are glowing.”

Minta paused and faced her. “It is because I am in love,” she declared.

Sera wondered if that were the case, why had Minta brought two suitors to meet her? Then she swallowed, worried that her twin meant one of the gentlemen for her. Panic filled her. She wasn’t ready to meet strangers, much less be paired off with a gentleman.

“I feel the tension pouring through you,” her twin observed and stopped their movement. “What’s wrong? Are you upset that I have found my soulmate?”

“Of course not,” she protested weakly.

Being separated from Minta had been bad enough—but marriage would separate them for good. Minta would wed and her new husband would want his wife all to himself, not wanting a sister to be hanging about.

“You will adore Percy,” Minta said. “I do believe he is at least as shy as—if not more so—than you.”

“Truly?”

Minta nodded. “It is one of the things that drew me to him, oddly enough. You know how outgoing I am. Yet Percy called out to me in a way I cannot explain.” She paused. “We are already wed, Sera. I am now the Marchioness of Kingston.”

Shock rippled through her. “You... are already wed? But... the Season has yet to end.”

It worried her that Minta had wed so quickly. Her twin had a tendency to be impulsive. Oh, why hadn’t she waited to hear what Sera thought of this marquess?

But Minta had said she was in love. Her headstrong sister’s emotions ran strong. If Minta truly loved this man, then nothing would have stopped her.

“He deliberately compromised me at a garden party,” Minta revealed, mischief lighting her eyes.

“He... ruined you? And yet you love him?” Confusion filled Sera. “But you said he was reserved. This makes no sense at all, Minta.”

Her sister hugged her. “Oh, I have so much to tell you, Sera. Just know that Percy loved me and wanted me so much that he acted totally out of character. He was afraid some other gentleman would dazzle me. And then there was that wicked Lady Vickers who tried to tarnish my name and blackmail Percy.”

“What?”

Minta laughed. “You’ll hear it all. I am sorry I am speaking in riddles. Come meet Percy. He’s here with Aunt Phyllis and Uncle West. Percy’s cousin, the Duke of Woodmont, also came to welcome you back to England.”

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