by Brenda Hiatt
Applause broke out, along with nods of approval from all family members and many of the guests. The announcement had hardly been a surprise, but it was a nice climax to the evening, nonetheless, most were saying. Ravenham allowed the congratulations to run their course before lifting his hand for silence once again. After several minutes, the assembled company obliged, though by their expressions, few expected that he might have anything else of interest to say.
"And now, one more announcement before you return to your suppers. I would like to introduce you to the next Duchess of Ravenham, my promised wife, Miss Gabriella Gordon." He drew Brie from behind him and held her close to his side with one arm. There was a startled murmur interspersed with a smattering of applause before Elizabeth spoke up.
"Dexter, you fox! You might have told me first! Oh, Brie, I'm so happy for you!" And in front of the cream of Society she embraced her new sister-to-be, while both girls shed a few tears of joy. That impulsive act set free the company's tongues and a new clamour, mostly approving, arose. Only Lady Alicia left in a huff, her interested niece in tow, but nobody particularly noticed.
The two happy couples took their seats, long before the commotion at this unprecedented double announcement subsided, to have a cosy chat amongst themselves. They had barely started, however, before Brie felt a gentle hand upon her shoulder and turned to see her mother, with Sir Seymour just behind her.
"I'm so glad I made it in time to hear, my dear," she said warmly. "I'm certain you will be very happy."
"Oh, Mother," cried Brie, rising hastily to embrace her. Then her attention was drawn to Sir Seymour, who was taking his leave of the Duke.
"I fear I must go to my wife immediately," he was concluding, which words would have alarmed Brie if her brother-in-law had not looked so happy.
"What is it?" she asked her mother.
"In a few months, you will become an aunt," Mrs. Gordon replied complacently. "Angela wanted me to tell Sir Seymour at once. It seems that I got to London just in time to settle both of my daughters' lives satisfactorily." And indeed, she seemed convinced that all had been brought about by her contrivance.
"I'll return with Sir Seymour now and see you at home later, or tomorrow if I am asleep when you return. I just wanted to be here to wish you happy, Gabriella." She took her son-in-law's arm and departed to be with Angela, extremely well satisfied with herself.
Brie watched her go with a smile. She and her mother had never been close, but it pleased her that she finally had her full approval— possibly for the first time in her life.
Dexter touched her hand and she turned to see the love in his eyes, realising that her life from now on was going to be very sweet indeed!
THE END
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Gabriella was my very first published novel. It is set in the same "world" as all of my Regency-set books, both my traditional Regencies (like this one) and my single title Regency historicals, with a few of the same (fictional) peripheral characters. Each of my books stands alone, complete in itself, though some readers prefer to read them in order. My traditional Regencies, in order, are: Gabriella, The Cygnet (originally The Ugly Duckling), Lord Dearborn's Destiny, Daring Deception and A Christmas Bride. Azalea (part of a two-in-one volume, Regency Diamonds) was actually my first novel written, though my seventh published. I have hopes of eventually publishing it as a stand-alone novel. My Regency historicals, in order (both chronologically in the period and in order of publication) are: Scandalous Virtue, Rogue's Honor, Noble Deceptions (originally published as A Rebellious Bride), Innocent Passions and Saintly Sins (originally published as Wickedly Yours). These last four comprise my "Saint of Seven Dials" series. Linked to those, but not quite a part of the series, are also Tessa's Touch (originally published as Taming Tessa) and The Runaway Heiress. While preparing my traditional Regencies for e-book release, I chose to keep the British spellings and slightly more omniscient viewpoint of the originals, to preserve the classic feel of those books. For all of these reissues, I have taken the opportunity to clean up a few small errors of fact and proofing, and am delighted to again share my stories with you in this new format. Enjoy!
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For information on my other books, please visit https://brendahiatt.com or connect with me online at https://www.facebook.com/BrendaHiatt or https://twitter.com/#!/Brenda_Hiatt