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“Are we supposed to just forget about everything?” Samuel uttered, but he was immediately met by a sea of groans from both his relatives and the Pratts.

“Son, if you wish to keep this feud going by yourself, you are more than welcome. Just be prepared to pack your things and leave,” Charles suggested, with an uncharacteristic strictness in his voice.

“Let it be known to both sides,” Sophia said as if she was continuing Thomas’s speech. “Should any one of my family wish to keep this foolishness alive, you will be answering tome.I believe I don’t have to remind you that Iamthe Duchess, and therefore, I outrank everyone in this room, bar one.” She looked at Thomas as she finished her sentence.

“The same thing goes for my side of the family as well.” Thomas looked at his relatives. “We were all hoping for a peaceful resolution, and I will deliver swift punishment to anyone who tries to disturb that peace, whether from inside or outside the family. Sophia and I lived a lie of a marriage to begin peace, but we ended up turning it into a real one, and if that is not a way to end hatred, I don’t know what is.”

He extended his hand with a wince and held Sophia’s as she turned and looked up at him with sweet eyes. She could tell that a lot of the ton would always find reasons to doubt their dedication to their marriage, but not when they looked at the living proof of Thomas’s sacrifice.

The servants brought tea and started pouring cups until everyone had one, and starting with Thomas, everyone went around the table, raising their cups and declaring their belief in this marriage and the unification of the families.

They had barely made it through Charles and Lydia before a voice called out, “Lord William! I challenge you to a duel!”

Every head in the dining room turned and looked at Samuel, who had abruptly jumped up to his feet and, stalking towards William, dropped a piece of paper on his lap.

Sophia’s eyes immediately went wide. “Samuel! What did wejustsay?”

The young man raised his hands in surrender. “Let me specify—let me specify! I meant, anon-lethalduel.”

William unfurled the piece of paper in his lap and looked at it. It simply had a rough drawing of a horse.

“And my weapon of choice is?—”

“A horse?” asked William, his eyebrow raised.

“Listen here, young Lord William.” Samuel could barely conceal a grin. “We are now one family, right? And I have heard that you are the most knowledgeable around here about horses. Meaning, I have lost my title. I simply can’t have that, so I challenge you in order to win it back.”

William let out a chuckle, while the rest of the room expelled one collective, long sigh of relief.

“In that case, I accept,” he answered and stood up. “Keep in mind, I have no intention of losing this one.”

They shook hands firmly and, ignoring the protests of their mothers, rushed off to the stables.

Sophia felt Thomas’s hand squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

“I honestly don’t know if this is better,” she whispered. “Judging by their rivalry, they might run the poor horses into the ground.”

Thomas gave her shoulder another squeeze. “I’ll make sure the stablemaster keeps them on a leash, so they don’t gotoowild with this new… brotherhood of theirs.”

With the departure of the youngest, everyone else soon dispersed, including Thomas and Sophia. They headed to the balcony and peered eastward, where they noticed both young men dashing off with zeal to the horses.

From duels to the death to horse riding companions. I just hope they don’t drag me into this rivalry.

Sophia’s eyes wandered to the courtyard below them, where she noticed two familiar men sneaking away, clutching a bottle and two glasses—a rather peculiar but comical sight.

“Thomas.”

“Hm?”

“Is that your uncle and my father?—”

“Preparing to down a bottle of whiskey like it’s water? Yes, yes, I believe that is exactly what they’re doing.”

Sophia could hear them giggle, surely the aftermath of an old and probably hilarious story… unless they had already begun imbibing before the family meeting as a means to get through any unpleasantness.

“That bottle is really old,” Thomas remarked. “And really expensive.”

Sophia leaned into her husband. “I’m sure this newfound friendship is worth it.”