This time they were too loud, and they barely had time to straighten their appearances before George and Caroline came through the door to find out what Fanny’s answer had been. Her shy, happy smile told them everything, and they hugged her closely.
Caroline immediately started to talk about the wedding, wanting Devlin to say what his preferences were, and she exclaimed at her luck when he told her she could do whatever she wanted, as he trusted her judgment.
Caroline slapped her husband’s arm when he mumbled, “Are you really sure you do?” to Devlin before she bustled out, hunting for paper to do lists about everything, including a list of her lists.
George pounded Devlin on the back and invited him to White’s for a drink, and Devlin couldn’t say anything but yes, as he was practically dragged away by his future father-in-law.
Fanny just smiled and shook her head, a bit relieved to have her solitude, because she needed time to think. The passion she had felt in Devlin’s arms was starting to fade, but this time she didn’t let herself fall back into her earlier misery.
Devlin had said he would tell her everything she wanted to know, and she believed him.
Being her mother’s daughter, she rushed to her room and started to write down a list of all the questions she wanted to ask him.
She wasn’t going to forget anything.
Chapter 20
The following months were the happiest in Devlin’s life. Every day turned out to be more precious than the day before, and it all was because of the wonderful minx to whom he was betrothed.
Even Fanny’s colorful family was happy for her, although her brothers and uncles were patronizing whenever they had a chance. His patience seemed to be endless, though, because he only smiled at them, not once showing how irritating they were to him.
It wasn’t the constant bantering that disturbed him, because he knew exactly how to close his ears to their nagging voices. No, it was the way in which they effectively made sure he and Fanny had no time alone that he found most disturbing.
Even Fanny had agreed with him, as he sighed over the obnoxious crowd that followed them during an innocent stroll down Rotten Row. Sometimes her family was a little too much.
The passion of the proposal day still haunted him, both day and night. A couple of times he had even dreamt about her—so vividly he had stained his linens. She was such an odd mixture of innocence and sultriness, and he sometimes thought she must have a secret twin sister.
They spent most of the days together under the surveillance of one or more of her relatives. She held on to his promise of honesty with an admirable stubbornness, and asked him every question she could think of, and he answered her truthfully, as promised.
He told her about his job for Lord Saxton, with his commander’s blessing. It had caused him more than a few bad moments, though, as he had to convince her it wasn’t a good idea at all for her to start working for the war ministry too.
The mere thought of her in danger made him nauseous, and he even thought about quitting completely himself, so she wouldn’t do anything stupid, like trying to save him if she thought he was in danger.
In the ton, the engagement between the Duke of Hereford and Lady Francesca Darling was a sensation without end. Wherever they went, they found themselves the object of gossip.
Fanny shrugged everyone’s excitement away, only intriguing Devlin further. Her indifference toward the pettiness of other people was something fresh for him, and her honesty was like balm on his scarred heart.
As the Season passed and May turned into June and then July, it was soon only a couple of days until the wedding, and they travelled to Chester Park. To have the ceremony performed at the family’s country estate had been Fanny’s only demand. Her Grand-Papa Hannibal would prefer not to make the trip into London, she had declared. He never liked to leave the castle’s grounds.
It had been harder than ever to find solitude together with Fanny at the castle. Hannibal Darling, the Duke of Berkeley, was even more patronizing than all his offspring together. His cold eyes, under those bushy eyebrows, didn’t miss a thing, and every attempt Devlin made to spend some time with his fiancée alone was met with failure.
Not until the last day before the wedding did an opportunity present itself. Hannibal had invited all the servants and everyone living on the vast lands surrounding the castle to a wedding party. The evening was calm and amazingly warm, and the dark blue sky was full of twinkling stars.
In the barn, close to the stables, long tables had been set and decorated with loads of flowers. Such enormous quantities of food had been placed on the tables it would have taken at least three times as many people to eat it all.
Children were laughing and running everywhere, and the adults grew louder and laughed more easily the more ale they drank.
The Darling family sat in the midst of the tables, interacting with the servants as if all were equals and not masters and employees.
As the evening grew darker the dance started, and the bride and groom were ushered up onto the dance floor for the fastest country dance ever played. One after another, more couples joined, until the floor was filled with a twirling mass of happy, laughing people.
When Devlin realized they all were too busy having fun to waste time watching the soon-to-be-married couple, he grabbed Fanny’s hand, giving her a wicked grin. She blushed, but he need not have worried whether she was willing to go with him, as she practically dragged him outside, where they disappeared into the darkness outside the barn, away from searching eyes.
Silently they ran together over the dewy lawn until they came to the small gazebo hidden among large magnolia bushes.
Fanny giggled as she climbed the two steps. His hands were already on her clothes, undressing her. Hot with passion, he turned her to face him, and she threw her arms around his neck, pressing him closer to her as her lips found his.
Waves of passion hit him, and he moaned and gave up undressing her. Instead he lifted her, pressed her against the wall, and in one swift motion thrust inside her. He felt her bite into his shoulder, and he knew she was trying to keep quiet as passion overtook her body and mind. But when the ecstasy reached its climax, she couldn’t stop herself, and her scream mixed with the groan that left his own lips.
They fell to the floor together, panting, their hearts racing, too content to care about the cold, hard wood beneath them, where they lay still until their breathing became even, and they could move again.
Devlin lifted his hand and felt a strand of Fanny’s hair, enjoying its velvety softness. In the moonlight filtering into the gazebo he watched her as she lay with closed eyes, and he savored every second of their solitude in this special moment.
As he had many times before, he sent a thank you from his heart to whoever had put Fanny in his way. She was such a lovely young woman, and he adored how she continued to surprise him every day.
And he adored how she truly enjoyed making love, not only for the passion but for the closeness it gave them, the intimacy they shared. He could hardly wait for the rest of their life together, where moments like this would be his as often as he liked.
As if she had the same thought, Fanny sighed happily, and Devlin couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You look like a cat that just ate a mouse,” he said with a laugh.
“I feel so good right now, I can’t help it.”
“My pleasure, I assure you. Whenever you need me, I’ll be at your service.”
“Well, how nice of you.” She winked. “And as I intend to need you for the rest of my life, you had better go and get some rest, because starting tomorrow you are all mine.”
Something warm filled his chest as he looked at the young woman beside him. He felt an overwhelming urge to hold on to her and never let her out of his sight.
It was amazing how she completed him. She was the last missing piece in the puzzle of his life. He could hardly believe she had been at his side for only a couple of months. He seemed to ha
ve known her forever.
He enjoyed her company much more than he had ever thought possible, considering she was a woman. Deep inside, he sent out a heartfelt wish for it to take some time for her to get pregnant.
He really didn’t want to live without her. Somewhere during the last months he had fallen in love with her, something he had thought impossible earlier this year. She had knocked him off his feet, and now he was standing here eagerly waiting to fulfill her every whim.
“Starting tomorrow, my dear, it’s only you and me,” he murmured, and kissed the faint freckles on her nose. And he just had to kiss the freckles on her cheeks, too. When he tried to kiss her mouth, she laughed and pushed him away. He let out a disappointed growl, making her laugh even more.
“No, no, my dearest almost-husband, don’t you start kissing me again. I’m still unwed, and as such I must live by my parents’ rules. And the most important rule right now is to not stay out of their sight too long!”
He gave her a wicked grin, and tried to reach her again, but she slipped away with light laughter. Before he had a chance to react, she was on her feet, straightening her clothes.
“And by the way,” she continued, while stroking away the wrinkles in her skirt with her hands, “it won’t be just you and me in the nearest future. Don’t you remember? I told you about my family’s yearly get-together, which we have in the beginning of August.”
He must have looked just as bewildered as he felt, because his lovely bride-to-be frowned at him.
“What?” He smiled.
“You forgot!” she cried out as the truth hit her. “How could you forget about something as important as this?”
His smile vanished as he stood to face her. “I have had many things on my mind lately, as you are well aware.”
“One would think that courting me would mean you remember what I tell you, especially about important things such as family gatherings we are to attend.”
“You are important to me, not your family!”
“My family is important to me, and if I am important to you, they should be too.”
He looked at her teary-eyed face, not really understanding what her problem was. So what if they missed the family gathering? They had it every year. They could attend the next year, or even wait for the year after that.
She was almost a married woman, and as such she should know her husband was now her family, not the heap of relatives she had grown up with. He shook his head at her silliness. She obviously didn’t like his indifferent attitude, and turned her back to him.
Without a word, he left her standing alone in the gazebo, not once considering a continuation of the discussion.
He needed a drink. No, better make it two.
Lord, he longed for tomorrow, when the ceremony was through and they could be on their way to Pendragon. If luck was on his side, they could leave before high tea and reach as far as Swindon before they needed to stop for the night.
He’d had enough of her family over the last couple of months. Solitude, with time to think things through, had become a necessity. His life had reached a crossing, and he nourished a desperate need to figure out which way to go.
Tomorrow he would have a new responsibility in his life, a wife, and he wanted—no, he needed—time to come up with a plan as to how to handle her with the care and respect she deserved.
When he entered the hallway, he called out orders to the sour-faced butler Ivanoff, who stood at the bottom of the stair, before continuing to his room.
He smiled toward Bear as he closed the door behind him. His aristocratic valet arched an elegant eyebrow at his friend’s obvious happiness.
“You look content,” he grinned, as Devlin seated himself on the bed, facing him.
“I know I do, and amazingly enough I really am content. For the first time in my life, I know what I want and need in my life, and it’s Fanny. She is such a wonderful person, and I can’t keep myself from smiling when I think about her. She is a handful; I won’t lie about it, but at the same time, she is not too hard to handle. However, more importantly, I have no doubts about her turning into a perfect duchess, with a little loving molding.”
“Mold her into perfect?” Bear chuckled. “And here I thought she already was perfect.”
Devlin looked at his friend sideways, a bit unsure with him for the first time during their friendship.
What did Bear mean? Did he have a crush on Fanny too, or was he only trying to tease? It was hard to say.
To save himself from illogical tantrums, Devlin decided to ignore the other man’s remark. Instead he leaned back and closed his eyes, continuing with their conversation as if he’d never had doubts.
“I want a wife who will be feared, loved, and respected, and who would never be close to doing anything that could be called a scandal.”
“Then I guess you have found your perfect duchess, as Lady Francesca is born into respect, and she would never do anything wrongful against you, or your marriage.”
Devlin smiled without opening his eyes. “When I think about our immediate future at Pendragon, a wave of contentment washes through my body. Fanny and I didn’t have much time before the announcement of our engagement. Since it became official, we have been guarded closely by her family, and the only thing I can think about now is to have her to myself. I’m so bloody relieved we’re leaving for Pendragon tomorrow that I don’t even feel at all bothered about her wanting to stay on for a while. As my wife she will respect my wish.”
Devlin could feel uneasiness oozing from Bear, and he tried not to be affected by his friend’s feelings. Tomorrow he would have the right to do whatever he wanted with Fanny, and if his wish was for them to leave, she had nothing to say about it, thank God.
How amazing it would be to have someone to come home to after a long day managing the large machine that a holding like Pendragon was. She would always be there, just for him, eagerly awaiting his arrival.
“You do realize she has a will just as strong as yours, and she won’t back down if she thinks you are wrong?”
“Nothing to get excited over.” Devlin snorted. “I am, after all, the man in this marriage, and it’s my right to have it my way. She will have to bend.”
“Oh, indeed?”
Devlin opened his eyes and gave Bear a hard look that his friend just shrugged off before, without another word, he stood and left the room.
Devlin muttered with indignation as he undressed without the assistance of his pretend-valet and, naked as the day he was born, lay down on the satin sheets. He could hear the music playing in the barn as he closed his eyes.
Bear’s anxiety had affected him more than he liked. What if his friend was right? What if life with Fanny as he pictured it wouldn’t be just that—as he pictured it?
He sighed deeply and shoved his newly found doubts aside. It didn’t matter what Bear said. He was going to marry her anyway. And maybe life wouldn’t be as pleasant at first, but he wouldn’t fret about it.
He was a patient man. Sooner or later he would have his way.
Chapter 21
Fanny sat at her dresser, looking at her image in the small mirror. She looked disheveled, with her hair all mussed and the dress slightly torn and dirty. She looked a mess—and it was kind of a relief, as she felt like a mess.
What had happened down in the gazebo? It had been as if she had tried to talk to a wall.
A brick wall.
A very inconsiderate brick wall, with no respect for her feelings or for the traditions of her family. How could he forget about the upcoming family gathering? They had it every year, and she had told him about it twice.
Twice, for goodness’ sake!
She grabbed her hairbrush and started to work through the tangled knots in her hair with swift, almost brutal movements, so that her scalp ached satisfyingly.
A part of her wondered why she was surprised. They had been talking constantly for months, and not once had he interrupted all her questions with one abo
ut her. He hadn’t even asked her why she had been so upset the night of his proposal. He still didn’t know about Penelope and how her friend’s situation had affected her, and she had a sinking feeling he wasn’t interested in knowing, either.
All in all, she had started to doubt if they were such a perfect match, despite what everyone kept telling them. How could they be, if he wasn’t interested in her? A part of her wanted to cancel the wedding, but the other part wanted to know if such doubts were reason enough.
She looked at the wardrobe where her bridal gown hung for display. It was such a beautiful gown, with layers upon layers of heavy ivory silk. The seamstress had outdone herself this time and created a gown worthy of a princess.
Or a duchess.
She sighed, a deep pitiful sigh, before she quickly changed into her nightgown, threw a shawl around her shoulders, and sneaked out into the corridor. She knocked softly at Penelope’s bedroom door before opening it to slink in and over to her friend’s bed.
Penelope stirred sleepily as Fanny slipped down under the quilt.
“Is everything okay?” she yawned.
“I have doubts about marrying Devlin, and I need you to tell me I’m stupid.”
Penelope moved slightly to offer her friend a little more space. “You are stupid.”
“How can you call me stupid, when you haven’t even been told why I am upset yet?”
“Easy. You are my friend, and I want to humor you the night before your wedding.”
“As my friend you are not supposed to humor me. You are supposed to tell me the truth, and nothing but the truth. And you are not supposed to call me stupid.”
Penelope moved to a more comfortable position, as if she could sense this was going to take some time. “So, what happened?”
“He’s not interested in me!”
Penelope gave Fanny a look that clearly told exactly how ridiculous she found the comment. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” Fanny said, a bit hurt over how lightly her friend seemed to take this. “He doesn’t listen to a word I say, which is quite upsetting since I have been talking constantly for months.”
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