Page 38 of An Unforeseen Kiss (Captivating Kisses #4)

V al awoke, feeling on top of the world.

It would be hard not to shout from the rafters that Eden had agreed to become his wife.

Still, he liked not only the element of a surprise wedding ceremony—but also the fact it was a secret the two of them held.

He only hoped that Con could get the axel repaired and reach Millvale in time to be at the wedding.

Since he had no Fisham to ready him for the day, having left the valet behind when he rode home, he shaved himself carefully, not wishing to appear with nicks upon his cheeks. He rang for hot water, wishing to have a bath after yesterday’s long ride.

As he sat soaking in the large bathing tub, his thoughts centered upon Eden. Contentment washed over him.

And love . . .

He dried off and dressed, going to his mother’s rooms, being admitted by her maid. A look of happiness appeared upon her face, and she dismissed the servant.

“Millbrooke,” she said, holding her hands out to him.

He walked to her and took them, kissing her on each cheek. “Mama.”

“How are your estates?” she asked, indicating for him to take a chair, while she did the same.

“Everything is in excellent working order,” he shared. “I had no idea how I would find the properties, but they are all fruitful and in the hands of excellent stewards. How are things here at Millvale?”

“If you are asking about Miss Snow—and the fete—I would say she has been in her element planning this event. It has also been excellent training for your sisters and my nieces. They have played an active part in putting this celebration together. It will do them well when they plan things for their own households. I believe they will be extremely confident when they do so because of this experience.”

“I know the fete begins this morning, and I hope you and Aunt Agnes will come for a while.”

“I thought to go when it first opened. It may not be so crowded then.”

He winced inwardly, knowing he needed her there at the end of the day.

“I think it a good idea you make an appearance then, Mama, but I would have you come to the closing, as well. Everyone is looking forward to the two riding events, which will end the fete, and it would be lovely if you were there to present the prizes alongside me.”

She looked pleased and said, “If you insist, I will be happy to turn out later in the afternoon.”

“I will send word to you when those contests are beginning. You and Aunt Agnes can leave the house as soon as you receive my message.”

He rose, and she did the same.

“I am glad you were able to make it home in time for the fete, Millbrooke. Miss Snow has done an incredible job, pulling off the impossible. You must make certain to give her ample praise.”

Grinning sheepishly, he said, “I plan to do so, Mama. By the way, Con will be arriving at some point. I stopped in town for a quick visit with him, and he was eager to attend the fete. We had trouble with the carriage. An axel broke. Knowing I must be back for today, I rode the rest of the way home, while Con stayed with the carriage to see to its repair. Hopefully, it will be ready sometime this morning, and Con will be here by noon or early afternoon. If you would, have a room made up for him.”

“It will be good to see my nephew. Agnes will be thrilled as well.” She paused. “Did you know Constantine came to Millvale while you were away?”

Val decided to play ignorant. “No, he did not mention that to me. I am sorry I missed him. At least the rest of you got to enjoy his company. I will see you at the fete, Mama.”

He left her rooms, thinking that she would need to vacate them soon so that Eden might have them. Then again, he planned to keep his duchess with him, so perhaps Mama might not need to move right away.

In the breakfast room, he saw all four girls were finishing up their meal. They all greeted him with enthusiasm, four voices talking at once.

He embraced each of them, saying, “One at a time, please. My head is already aching by trying to listen to everyone at once and decipher what you are saying.”

Tia took the lead. “It is about time you got home, Val,” his sister scolded. “You are the one who wished for this fete to occur on Millvale lands. It would have been awkward if the host had not made an appearance.”

“You cannot imagine the amount of effort which has gone into planning something of this nature,” Lia said. “While all four of us have worked extremely hard on your behalf, you owe a great deal of thanks to Miss Snow.”

“I knew by leaving things in Miss Snow’s competent hands that everything would prove to be successful. I will make certain to seek her out and sing her praises to the rooftops.”

“Well, we must get going,” Justina told him. “We all have stations in order to organize our volunteers. We are glad you are home, Val.”

Verina echoed the same. “We are very glad to have you back, Cousin.”

The four left him in peace, and he helped himself to the breakfast buffet, the footman pouring him a cup of strong coffee. He sat almost smugly, holding his secret to himself, thinking tomorrow he would awaken with his Eden in his arms as they started their first full day together as man and wife.

He took time to go to his study and quickly looked over the correspondence he had received.

Three letters had come from Ariadne, and he read through them quickly, thinking he would reply to her tomorrow.

Nothing else was so terribly important that he must deal with it immediately.

Instead, he walked down to the stables to let Miller know that his carriage would arrive sometime later today.

“One more thing, Miller. I assume you will be attending the fete.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” the head groom said with enthusiasm. “Her Grace has given leave for all the servants to attend.”

“Might I ask a favor from you?”

“Certainly, Your Grace. What might I help you with?”

“I would like Andromeda to be saddled and brought to wherever the horse events will be held. I plan to include Miss Snow as a participant.”

The groom shook his head sadly. “I have encouraged Miss Snow to do that very thing. She will not budge. She claims she would have an unfair advantage since she has ridden the course several times. She also mentioned it should be a local who wins so that the winner can defend his title next summer.”

He recalled before he left that she had not wished to compete. That was just like Eden, thinking of others before herself.

“What about the actual race itself, the one without obstacles? She would have no advantage over anyone else regarding it.” He grinned. “Other than the fact she would be riding Andromeda, of course.”

Miller’s grin matched his own. “I think if you signed up Miss Snow for the race and I stood nearby with Andromeda ready to run, it would be extremely hard for her to disappoint a duke.”

“Then it is settled. Please have Andromeda brought wherever the race will be run. I will make certain Miss Snow competes.”

He caught sight of Rollo. “Walk with me,” he told the groom. “I wish to hear something about these two horse competitions.”

As the two men headed toward the group of stalls in the distance, Rollo told him about the design of the course and how riders would have to jump fences of different heights and clear trenches which had been dug.

“And the races for speed?” he asked.

“It will depend upon the number of riders who have registered for the event, Your Grace,” the groom explained.

“Miss Snow has it planned so that groups of four will race against one another. The winner of each round then competes in a group of two, with the winner of those contests finally meeting in the end.”

Rollo smiled at him. “I heard what you told Miller, Your Grace. There is no way Miss Snow will not win.”

“Do you think others might be upset if she did?” he asked. “Would it reflect poorly upon Millvale for the organizer of the contest to be the victor?”

“Everyone enjoys a good race, especially seeing a horse such as Andromeda running several times. I don’t think anyone could be upset with that horse winning. It would not matter who was on her back.”

“Then I will make certain Miss Snow competes.”

Val spent a few hours walking amongst the different stalls, greeting tenants and villagers alike.

He saw a few of his neighbors, knowing that most of the gentry currently were in town at the Season.

This fete was not for titled gentlemen and their families, however.

He wanted it to be for the people of Millvale and others who lived nearby.

He decided he would keep the date as the final Saturday in June.

He and Eden could attend the Season for a good two months or so before they returned to Millvale for the fete.

He would help her in organizing it before they left for town, so that all would be in place when they returned.

He was astounded at the size of it all, though. There were triple the number of booths that he would have thought would be there. He found the jeweler’s stall, realizing he had no ring to give Eden.

“Might you have any type of ring with you today?”

“I have a few, Your Grace. What might you be looking for?”

He leaned in and quietly said, “A wedding band.”

The jeweler’s eyes widened. “I only have two with me, Your Grace. Both are very simple. Of course, I can have it engraved inside if you wish to purchase it.”

He suspected that Eden would not like anything too fancy. A simple, gold band would be to her liking.

“May I see them?” he asked.

The jeweler removed one and handed it to him. Val inspected it and then the other.

Handing one back, he said, “I prefer this one. Might I keep it and pay you tomorrow?”

“Certainly, Your Grace,” the jeweler said, grinning from ear to ear. “And I will keep quiet about this.”

“See that you do.” Then he softly said, “But if you stay until the end of the fete, you may be a witness to the ceremony.”