Page 6 of Forever and a Duke (The Bridewell Sisters #1)

CHAPTER 5

“ T ell me again,” Ivy insisted as she paced the rug in Lily’s bedchamber, where all of them had gathered to hear the news of her betrothal. “How exactly did this come about?”

“I’m sure it came about in the usual way,” Daphne told her with uncharacteristic pertness. “Griffin got down on one knee and asked.” She shot a beaming smile at Lily.

Lily didn’t want to dash Daphne’s fairy tale notions, but she needed them to understand. “Actually, there was no getting down on any knees. He…simply asked me.”

Ivy gave her an arch look, as if she’d just revealed some very informative clue regarding whatever mystery she was attempting to solve.

“So,” Ivy said thoughtfully, “did you have any notion that he felt this way about you?”

Daphne, who could never hide her emotions, immediately snapped her gaze to Lily’s. A bit of the enthusiasm had ebbed from her expression—the realization that this engagement was not about romance.

“No, I did not, Ivy, and I don’t know that this marriage will be about feelings.”

Marigold and Hyacinth exchanged a quizzical frown.

“What does that mean?” Hyacinth asked.

“She means he swooped in because of Edwin, I suspect,” Ivy surmised from the spot near the fireplace where she’d stopped to plant her hands on her hips. “It’s not a coincidence.”

“No,” Lily allowed, “it was not a coincidence.” She turned to her youngest sisters. “And what it means is that Griffin and I are marrying for very good, practical reasons. It suits us both.”

“Practical,” Marigold repeated, as if trying to make sense of the word.

“I thought it was one of those perfect moments when exactly what you need comes precisely when you need it.” Hyacinth frowned and then cast her gaze around at the rest of them. “Like in a storybook.”

“That sounds like coincidence,” Marigold whispered to her twin.

“More like serendipity,” Daphne put in.

“In life,” Ivy started in her oft-used tutorial tone, “much as in the investigation of criminal matters, coincidences are rare. Indeed, they are often a sign that something is wrong.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Daphne rebutted softly.

“You’ll understand one day,” Ivy told her.

“Don’t speak to me as if I’m a child,” Daphne bit back.

All of them turned their attention to Daphne. It took a great deal to raise her ire, but Ivy seemed to do so with ease these days.

“Ivy,” Lily cut in, “will you please sit down?”

Ivy gave a little sniff and settled herself on a straight-back chair near Lily’s escritoire. At least it used to be her writing desk before it had been inherited by Edwin.

“I’m sorry I was not able to tell all of you before Griffin and I?—”

“You’re calling him Griffin again, just like you used to,” Mari said with a little grin.

Hyacinth nodded. “Rather than Duke of Edgerton , like you called him at the—” Her eyes grew wide, and she swallowed nervously.

The last time Lily had addressed Griffin at all had been at Leo’s funeral. She’d felt it necessary to be formal and call him by his new title.

“Yes, it seems right to call him Griffin now.” Lily reached out and gave Hyacinth’s hand a squeeze to let her know she’d done nothing wrong.

Though all of them struggled to speak of Leo, and none of them wanted to recall that rainy day when he’d been lowered into the churchyard cemetery, it was no mistake to acknowledge it.

“Soon, she’ll call him husband.” Daphne lit up with happiness again. Her passionate heart would insist on seeing this marriage as a romantic one, even if Lily knew differently.

Husband.

Looking into Daphne’s clear blue eyes, Lily suddenly felt a bit queasy. Since accepting Griffin and speaking to Edwin, a bit of the relief of what she’d agreed to had ebbed. Doubt had begun a slow creep into her mind.

Had she made the right decision? Could she endure a cool, logical marriage to a man she’d had improper dreams about for years?

“I'm so happy for you,” Marigold said, matching Daphne for earnestness.

“Thank you, Mari. I’m excited for all of us because soon we’ll be moving to Rosemere.” Lily infused excitement into her tone, ignoring her own misgivings. Change was hard, and they’d already endured an enormous one when they’d lost Leo.

“We can come and visit Briarfield, can’t we?” Hyacinth couldn’t disguise her worry. Of the five of them, she seemed to carry the weight of the world on her narrow shoulders at times.

“I suspect we can,” Ivy opined, “but Edwin will be here. It’s his house now.”

When Hyacinth’s lower lip began to tremble, Daphne reached out to wrap her in an embrace.

“You will grow to see Rosemere as your home, and it’s not far from Briarfield at all.” Lily didn’t know why she was mentioning distance. No matter how close it might be, they could never call it their home again.

“We’ll visit,” Ivy insisted. “We’ll have Mrs. Spears tell us when he’s not at home.”

Lily bit her tongue because a row with Ivy wasn’t what any of them needed, but they would not be sneaking into Briarfield if she had anything to say about it.

Marigold straightened from where she’d been curled up on the chaise. “Isn’t Mrs. Spears coming with us?”

This was a topic she’d not yet discussed with any of the staff, or Edwin or Griffin, for that matter. She doubted Griffin would wish to take on their existing staff, except perhaps Nell Green, who served as a makeshift ladies maid when needed but had most often served as a housemaid. They’d never been terribly formal with their staff, but she knew Rosemere would run quite differently.

“That’s not yet been decided,” Lily told them honestly.

She planned to ask Edwin if he wished to maintain their staff, and she hoped he would agree, since she knew their man of all work, Mr. Jones, who’d served their family longest, was particularly worried about losing his post.

Lily could feel the energy of the room shift. Not even Daphne’s joy about the engagement could forestall the worry the twins clearly felt about their futures.

“I’m certain we can find a room at Rosemere that you’ll love and can make your own.”

“Will we truly be able to make it our own?” Ivy asked sharply. “It’s a ducal estate and there will be rules.” For a moment, her moss-green eyes softened. “No one will face more rules than you.”

Lily nodded as if the prospect didn’t terrify her a little. She had to be strong for all of them, as she’d always been. “I have a great deal to learn, and Griffin will be there to help us all.”

“And the gorgon dowager too,” Ivy mumbled.

“Ivy!” Daphne chastised, her soft voice only rising slightly.

“I didn’t make it up. I heard Lady Westmoreland say it more than once.”

The baroness was acerbic at the best of times, and she had no love for the Dowager Duchess of Edgerton. The dowager was bold with her opinions. In truth, she was known to be quite a force to be reckoned with. But, as far as Lily knew, she could not turn men to stone with a single glance.

“So,” Hyacinth said hesitantly, “he did not confess his love for you? Isn’t that how it is supposed to be?”

Hyacinth, an avid reader like all of them, always preferred stories with happy endings.

“He cares for me a great deal.” Lily didn’t believe any man would make the offer he had if he did not care. “But it is also a logical solution. He needs a duchess. And I need?—”

“A place to live,” Ivy put in.

“Someone who cares,” Hyacinth said almost at the same time.

Lily reached out and cupped her little sister’s cheek. “Yes, Cinthy. We’ve been friends most of our lives.”

“So you’re marrying your friend?” Mari tipped her head to the side.

“Yes, I am.”

“I like that,” Mari said approvingly.

Ivy scoffed from her spot near the writing desk. Lily drew in a sharp breath and prayed she would not argue further. Ivy knew, of course, that Griffin and Leo had teased Lily when they were all younger.

By some miracle, Ivy held her tongue.

Lily met the gazes of each of her sisters. They understood, even if Ivy had misgivings.

“So we should begin packing. Griffin says we need have no fear about taking what’s ours.”

“ All my books?” Hyacinth asked.

“All of them,” Lily assured.

“We should start now,” Hyacinth told her twin.

Mari nodded, and they both rushed to Lily, giving her a tight hug before heading off to their room.

Ivy stood too. “I take it there will be a special license, and we’ll be removing to Rosemere soon.”

“That is the plan.” Lily wanted a hug from Ivy too, but she rarely demanded one. Ivy was much like a cat. She gave affection when it suited her.

“Very well. I’ll start packing too.” Ivy gave Lily a nod, but her brow remained pinched with worry. Then she departed for her own room.

Daphne remained seated on a wingback by the fire. She stared at the flames, and Lily wondered what was going through her mind.

After several moments, she turned back to Lily.

“Will it be enough for you? Being married to a friend when you love him so desperately?”

Lily didn’t rush to answer. She couldn’t. A lump of uncertainty caught in her throat.

It was a question she’d asked herself when Griffin proposed. But the real question, of course, was whether he could ever love her in the same way. She told herself she should not expect it.

“It will have to be enough.”

But she didn’t know if she could stop herself from hoping.

His grandmother reached out a bejeweled hand and laid her palm against his forehead.

“What are you doing?” Griffin looked up at her from where she’d insisted he take a damask-covered seat in her chambers and explain himself .

“Trying to determine whether you have a fever. Whenever your father had a fever, he did things that were reckless and irrevocable.”

“I’m not feverish, Grandmama. I made this decision with my full faculties. And it’s the right decision.”

She waved that same bejeweled hand, her diamond bracelet glinting in the light. “Tosh, my boy. It is impetuous. It is foolish. It is thoughtless.”

Griffin shook his head. “I disagree. It is potentially the most thoughtful choice I’ve ever made.”

For once, he hadn’t considered only of himself—seeking his own pleasure, his own satisfaction. He wasn’t yearning for approval or trying to best someone else, as Kingsleys were always supposed to do.

Grandmama groused as she took to her favorite chair and settled the skirt of her beaded silk day dress around her. She fussed with her bracelets, then lifted a hand to run her fingers across the pearls at her throat.

Griffin’s middle tightened a bit out of long habit. When his grandmother grew quiet and fussed with her fripperies, it meant a lecture was brewing in her clever, fearsome mind.

Finally, she lifted her cool green gaze to him. “This,” she declared in her haughtiest tone, “is a typical Kingsley mistake.”

“It is not. I’ve considered this?—”

“For how long? All of half an hour?”

Griffin bit back a reply and took a breath. He wasn’t going to be an impulsive fool anymore. “She will make a wonderful duchess.”

Another wave of her hand, this time with her embroidered kerchief clutched in her fingers.

Griffin swallowed hard. If he caused his grandmother to cry…

“You have no notion of whether or not she will be a wonderful duchess.” She dotted the kerchief against her upper lip and scowled at the blazing fire in the grate. “She has not been trained for it.”

“Nor was I trained to be duke.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You cannot catch me out in this, Griffin.” Though she paused and picked at the lace edge of her kerchief thoughtfully.

He prayed she’d relent because she was a key part of making Lily’s transition into her new role a success.

“All those girls are unapologetic bluestockings. Their parents encouraged it!”

“Marigold and Hyacinth are not yet ten.”

“Bluestockings in training then.” She huffed, tapping her finger against the arm of her chair.

Griffin was heartened. A huff usually indicated she was beginning to relent. Or scheme.

“Has she ever planned a soiree? Has she ever even made a guest list? Heaven forbid she be left to organize a house party.”

Griffin edged forward on the dainty little stuffed chair. “No, I doubt she’s done the latter, but neither have I. And you would be perfectly willing to teach me.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you to plan alone, that is certain.”

“I wasn’t prepared for this role, but I intend to do it well.” He took a breath when she didn’t argue with him. “Lily is intelligent. She is kind, gracious, well-mannered…” He arched a brow. “Shall I continue? I could sing her praises all day.”

His grandmother snapped her gaze to his at that. “Have you formed some sort of attachment to her? Has something happened?”

“Yes, a great deal happened. I went to visit the Bridewells and realized that Lily would make a perfect duchess. It struck me as unalterably right.”

She tsked at him. “I meant something scandalous, my boy.”

Griffin barked out a laugh. “No, Grandmama. Lily would never do anything scandalous.”

She actually gave a concurring nod to that declaration. “The Bridewells are largely well liked and have the goodwill of everyone in the county, especially after their brother—” Her eyes ballooned. “Ah, I see.”

Griffin’s whole body tensed. “What do you see?”

“You heard Lady Harrington and I talking and realized they were facing dire circumstances if their cousin chose to toss them from the family home. So you decided to rush in like a chivalrous knight of old.”

Griffin chuckled and barely resisted rolling his eyes. “I’ve never thought of myself as a knight.”

His grandmother gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Griffin Arthur Kingsley, I may be of an age, but my memory is sharp as a blade. You adored stories of King Arthur and were mad for the notion of becoming a knight yourself.”

“I was a child, for heaven’s sake. I outgrew those notions.”

She tapped her chin with one bejeweled finger. “The stories and the fantasy, yes, but perhaps the impulse remained.”

“Nonsense.” Griffin wouldn’t be cornered by her memories of what a fanciful child he’d been. Marrying Lily wasn’t about being a knight. He was anything but. An honorable man wouldn’t have been a drunken fool and lost his best friend.

But he did need his grandmother’s help.

“You’re a wonderful strategist,” he told her, hoping to gain her as an ally in this endeavor and, in the future, for Lily and her sisters. She could guide those young women in ways he couldn’t. “You’re my most valuable advisor. I know that my next step is to obtain a special license, which I’ll do posthaste. Then I’ll speak to the staff about preparing rooms for the Bridewell sisters.”

She closed her eyes and drew in a long, shaky breath. “I feel a megrim on the horizon.”

His grandma was as hardy as she was sharp-minded.

“Grandmama,” he said softly. “I have no wish to make you unwell, and I do understand this decision may seem impulsive or hasty.”

“Thoroughbreds at the Epsom Derby are plodding by comparison.”

Griffin leaned forward, his hands clasped before him. “I know you may have some reservations, but I also know you wish for me to be happy.” He leaned a bit farther forward. “Look into my eyes.”

She did, but with one silver brow arched dubiously.

“I feel different after making this decision. More like the man I wish to be than I ever have.”

“Are you in love with her?”

Griffin swallowed hard and turned his gaze toward the fireplace. He couldn’t meet his grandmother’s eyes because the truth was he did feel something more than simple esteem for Lily. Her beauty was entirely provoking and undeniable, but he admired her spirit too. Her intelligence. And, yes, damn it, he was bloody eager for the first time he could kiss her and make her his own.

But what could he admit to his grandmother? If she knew the thoughts in his head, she’d call him besotted and claim his bride would be a distraction. The truth was he did not know precisely what he felt or how their relationship would grow.

“I love her as someone who I have been close to my whole life, and as the sister of my best friend. I admire her. Perhaps it’s not a love match in most people’s estimation, but we trust and know one another.”

“A man can lose his head for a lady, forgoing his duties, forgetting his responsibilities. A duke cannot indulge in such a way, and I hope that won’t be the case here.” His grandmother scrutinized him as if trying to read his thoughts. “I remember a time when you used to tease that girl madly, but you and Leo were terrible in that regard. You said she was too studious.”

“It’s ironic because I admire her cleverness now. She’ll adore Rosemere’s library.”

“We’re all fond of the library.”

“But the Bridewells are voracious. They’ll read every book.”

“The bluestocking brigade,” she said archly.

“I would like you to meet her as soon as can be arranged.”

“I have met her, my boy.”

“That was years ago.” Griffin shot her a look. “I mean now that she’s my betrothed.”

His grandmother inhaled and let out an enormous sigh. “Very well, I’ll invite Miss Bridewell and her sisters to a luncheon so that we may become reacquainted.”

“Excellent.” A weight of worry lifted in Griffin’s chest.

“We should still go forward with preparations for the house party. It will give us a chance to introduce her as your duchess. I will help with the planning.”

Griffin smiled. “Thank you, Grandmama. I knew you would.”

She reached up and tugged at her ear, a worried frown pulling her brows together.

“Never forget, my boy, that you’re choosing a young women with no preparation for what lies ahead. That choice will have consequences. Some of which you may not like.”

“Sounds like a challenge, and Kingsleys are always up for a challenge, are they not?”

She nodded thoughtfully. “We do relish challenges, but we also make mistakes.”

“Marrying Lily is not a mistake. I’ve made my share of those already. There won’t be anymore.”

“You’re so hopeful of a sudden and I cannot be displeased with that turn.” She reached out and cupped his cheek as she used to do when he was young. “We shall see what the future holds, dear boy.”

Griffin knew it held promise now. So much more than when he’d woken this morning from another nightmare.

Whatever challenges came, he and Lily would face them together.