Page 74 of The Duke Meets His Match

George laughed. He laughed! “If the indomitable Athena herself is made vulnerable by her affection for me,” George said with much hyperbole, “then I am forever the victorious conqueror.”

She snorted and then covered her mouth with her hand and laughed until the tears rolled from her eyes, while he watched her, a look of smug humor on his face, before he laughed with her.

He wrapped his arms around her, drew his handkerchief from his pocket,and began dabbing at her cheeks. “Tsk-tsk. Once again, I find you without ahandkerchief when you need one. I hardly know how you managed from day to day without my being at your side. Thank goodness that is about to change.” He dabbed the end of her nose with it and followed it with a kiss on her lips, soft and caressing, which turned into two kisses and then three, and then Susan stopped counting and simply breathed and tasted and savored.

His beautiful eyes were filled with emotion, and Susan's heart swelled with recognition. “Have a quiet night with your parents and a peaceful day tomorrow, my love,” George whispered.

She watched him while he descended the stairs and entered his carriage and continued watching until his carriage was no longer in sight before returning to the parlor and the others.

***

On Saturday morning, George called his entire staff together. “As most of you already know,” he began, “I am to be married this Monday, and for the first time in thirty-five years, there will be a Duchess of Aylesham.”

To his great surprise, a few of them began to clap and then more and more until they all were clapping and cheering.

He looked at them all as a group and then individually. Henshaw, withwhom he had a meeting scheduled for later in the afternoon; Talbot and Mrs. Birch and Mrs. Bradley, even Bentley, his coachman, was there, along with the maids of all work and the footmen. And good old Evans, his ever-faithful valet, the person who had been like a father to him. His entire staff.

They were his family, George realized as they then broke out in song. He shook hands with each one, except for the women, of course; he bowed over their hands as though they were the highest ladies in the land while all around him the words, “For he’s a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us” rang out.

He shook Evans’s hand last. “Evans,” he said as the singing began to wind down, “I would be humbled if you would agree to be my best man.”

“I—” Evans, probably for the first time in his life, seemed at a loss for words. “Why, thank you, Your Grace! I’m deeply honored by your request.” He paused and searched George’s face carefully. “Are you absolutely certain, Your Grace?”

“Most assuredly,” George said. “As long as you make certain I am fitted out for the day in perfect finery first.”

Evans laughed and then became completely sober. “Your father would be proud to see the fine gentleman you have become. Proud, as I am proud of you.”

“Thank you, Evans,” George said, touched. “You are all invited to the wedding, of course,” George added before the tone in the room turned maudlin, “which means we must make hasty preparations, for I wish to invite those who are attending the ceremony to a banquet afterward. Do you think we can manage it?”

“Indeed, Your Grace!” Talbot said, looking quickly at Mrs. Birch, who nodded her assent.

“Absolutely, Your Grace,” Mrs. Birch said.

“And you, Mrs. Bradley? What say you?” he asked his cook.

“I have been waiting for this day for years, Your Grace,” she said, “if you’ll beg my pardon for saying so. You shall have the finest feast London will see this Season; you mark my words!”

“Thank you all for your dedicated service and your enthusiasm at my good news,” George said. “I am grateful beyond words. I am also completely confidentI will be bringing my duchess into the best-run house in London. What sayyou?”

They cheered as one again. It was jolly nice to hear it too. In fact, after all of these years of thinking himself a solitary being, it felt blasted good to be a part of this unity. “Carry on,” he said. “And thank you all again for your well-wishes.” Then he left to his library and allowed them to do what they all did best.

***

“Efforts to have the final agreements in place with all of the parties involved areproceeding fairly well,” Jennings told George once the two of them, along withHenshaw, were settled in George’s study. “You’ve had your hands full dealing with Prinny—and my sister,” he added with a smirk, “so I took it upon myself to visit the Foreign Office this morning. The documents are nearly ready, and I should be able to leave for the Continent the day after you and Susan are wed. They’ve already heard from Osbourne, by the way, and I suspect if they’ve received correspondence from him, you should be receiving a letter from him shortly too.”

“Excellent,” George said.

“I shall go see if the post has arrived,” Henshaw said, rising to his feet.

“Ask Talbot to have luncheon sent in to us while you’re at it,” George said. He was already feeling hungry again, despite eating a large breakfast this morning. Perhaps his body was finally in the mood to fully recover from his illness and he’d start to find all that weight he’d lost. It was a good omen.

“I shall, Your Grace,” Henshaw said.

Once he’d left the room, Jennings leaned forward to George. “I have it ongood authority that Prince Ernst was entirely effusive and financially supportive ofBonaparte and his army—until the prince’s own little principality of Schönberg-Nusse was mediatized, at which point he severed ties with the French. So theinformation we heard previously regarding his being a Bonapartist wasn’t farfrom the truth. Apparently, he’s now decided he bet on the wrong horse, for despite the failed marriage attempt between you and his daughter, he intends to remain in England for a while.”

“Interesting,” George said. He was relieved to know he hadn’t put Susan through all of this based upon a faulty presumption.

“I have been instructed by my terrifying mother that after our meetingconcludes, I am to hunt down my ne’er-do-well baby brother so he is there in attendance at the wedding, since we have it on good authority that he and his friends have returned to Town.”

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