by Bryn Donovan
Abigail opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say or do. There were no lessons on moments like this. “But what if we are found out?”
“Who will know? We are identical.” Serena turned around. “Hurry and unfasten my dress. We have little time.”
Abigail obeyed her sister’s commands unsure of what she was really doing anymore. It was not until she was wearing Serena’s wedding gown that the situation hit her again fully. She faced Serena, who was now wearing her green dress. “You look beautiful,” Serena whispered.
“Serena …”
Serena shook her head. “There is no time. Just go and get your Duke.”
The organ played their cue, and Abigail had no more time to think. Serena pushed the large bouquet into her hands and then she was being ushered through the door. Her heart raced as she kept her eyes down.
Abigail tried to imagine herself as Serena. She straightened her back and walked as she had seen her sister do so many times. She could see Serena ahead of her, pretending to be her. When Serena stopped next to the altar, she gave Abigail an encouraging smile.
The surprise that she had made it to the altar without their mother calling a halt to the ceremony gave Abigail confidence. If her mother did such a thing, it would be a scandal, and their mother would not stand for such as that.
It was a moment later that Abigail allowed her eyes to come up for the first time and look in the direction of the Duke. He had stepped down off the raised platform in front of the altar. Her heart ceased its beats and stuck in her throat.
How she did not faint right then at the sight of him was beyond Abigail. His hand reached out to her, and she felt herself reach back, even if she had made no conscious choice to do so. He smiled at her as he helped her up onto the platform in front of the clergyman.
I am lying. I am lying in front of God and the clergy. I am lying to the Duke. Abigail’s thoughts were jumbles of confusion. Her mouth opened, but she snapped it shut. She glanced over at Serena who gave her the tiniest of nods.
The ceremony started, and Abigail repeated the vows as she was expected to do. She had helped Serena prepare and knew the ceremony, as well as the bride-to-be, did. The Duke’s voice, warm and deep, echoed the words of the vows back to their source.
It was as if time had slowed down and speeded up all at once. Abigail swallowed as their hands were placed together. The clergyman’s words rang out loudly for all to hear. “It is with esteemed honour that I present The Duke and Duchess of Richmond. You may kiss your bride, Your Grace.”
Abigail’s mouth moved as if she were going to protest, but then the Duke looked over at her with a boyish grin. There was something playful in the way he leaned in. Abigail felt the warmth of his lips against hers, and her eyes slid shut.
His lips felt so much better than her dreams. He was real and solid under her fingertips. Her Duke, her mind whispered.
Then he was gone. Her eyes came open. There was an amused smile on the Duke’s lips. He whispered, “Nice to finally meet you.”
“And you.” It was all Abigail could manage in a strangled whisper.
It was only when the Duke turned her towards the crowd that she realised the guests were applauding, and warmth came to her cheeks. The din of noise had not bothered her when she was within the Duke’s embrace, but now it seemed all too much. She clutched her bouquet to her chest defensively.
Serena was at her elbow. “Congratulations, Serena,” she said.
Abigail awkwardly thanked her sister. The depth of the deception she had committed to suddenly hit Abigail. She had stepped into her sister’s life. She was Serena, and Serena was her.
“You look so beautiful.” Their mother was in front of her. The woman’s eyes darted towards Serena and then back to Abigail. For a fraction of a second, Abigail saw recognition on their mother’s face. She knew. Abigail held her breath until the woman’s gaze swept over to the Duke. “Congratulations, Your Grace. We are honoured to welcome you to our family.”
Lord Honeyfield gave Abigail’s mother a bow. “Thank you for the gracious welcome, Lady Grey.”
The pressure of the Duke’s hand at her elbow made Abigail lift her eyes to meet the man’s gaze. The well-wishers were pressing in, but she felt a million miles away as she looked into his eyes. She just dragged her eyes away from the warm brown eyes of the Duke as a shrill voice called for her attention.
“Your Grace, let me be the first to welcome you to our family. I am Colin’s mother,” the woman before Abigail said as she put her hand on Abigail’s arm in a warm embrace. “You are every bit as enchanting as I recalled from seeing you at the Templetons’ Ball.”
Abigail did not know what to say, but she smiled anyway. She wanted to thank the woman properly but hesitated. Abigail whispered, “Forgive me, but I do not know what to call you.”
Colin’s mother laughed brightly. “How sweet of you to consider it,” she purred to Abigail. “I suppose Colin’s father and I will probably take up a family name to keep the confusion down. I think there are enough Honeyfields around. For now, just call me Abigail.”
“I have always loved that name,” Abigail said with sincerity.
Abigail smiled and tapped Colin on the arm. “I like her.”
“So glad, Mother,” Lord Honeyfield said with obvious amusement at his mother.
Soon enough the pressing of well-wishers caused even the Duke’s mother to scurry off, and Abigail found herself overwhelmed by the outpouring of congratulations. Most of the people offering her hugs or smiles Abigail did not even know. She assumed those were the ones that were there as the Duke’s guests.
Abigail knew there was to be a celebration at the Duke’s residence after the wedding, but she had not expected to be one of the guests of honour. She was escorted out to a carriage and lost sight of her family. Abigail knew she was finally on her own; this was her life now.
The Duke’s strong arm flexed under her fingers, and she looked at the man. His attention was on the footman as the man put down the stool so Abigail could step up into the carriage. “Mind your dress hem,” the Duke whispered as he lifted her into the carriage more than helped her step up.
Abigail settled into the carriage seat and eyed the Duke as he too got into the carriage. When the door closed, the world shrank, and there they were all alone. “You really do look breathtaking in that dress,” the Duke said. There was a deep tremor to his voice that made Abigail shiver.
“Thank you,” she whispered.“Your first name is Colin.” It was an awkward thing to say to someone that had just married you, but it was what came to mind.
“Yes,” the Duke said in amusement. “Disappointed?”
Abigail shook her head. “Never. I’m Ad—Serena”
He gave her a curious look. “Often forget your own name?”
With a nervous laugh, Abigail gave a helpless shrug. “My sister Abigail has been helping me so much with the wedding; I guess I was just thinking of her.”
He grinned at her, and Abigail forgot how her lungs worked. She felt lightheaded for the want of air, then he leaned into her, and she decided breathing was not really all that necessary. His lips on hers made her gasp out the breath she had been holding.
Colin chuckled, the vibrations of it tickling Abigail’s lips. “Was that a good gasp, or a bad one?”
Abigail pressed her tingling lips together. She whispered, “It was good.”
His fingertips traced her chin as if he were testing to see if she were solid. “You are not quite what I expected.”
“Oh?” Fear went through Abigail followed by guilt. She was a fake, and she knew it. Perhaps even the Duke could see that she was merely playing at being a lady.
The moment passed, and her apprehension was swept away as his lips were suddenly on hers again. It was as if they had silently agreed to kiss, even as they were in the middle of a conversation. Abigail decided that kissing was a far better idea than talking.
It was with anguish that Abigail reali
sed the carriage ride was already over. How had it been so short? She must have made a groan because Colin chuckled.
His fingertip tapped her nose, and she laughed at the oddly endearing gesture. “Time to go put on a show for all the good people of society,” he said with little enthusiasm. Despite his words, he gave her a bright smile and offered her his arm. “Ready, Your Grace?”
Serena felt a rush of emotions as she watched her sister and the Duke leave the church together. Of all the things she felt, relief was at the forefront. She saw her mother walking towards her and turned swiftly to escape into the crowd.
She collided with another person and apologised out of habit. “Excuse my clumsiness.”
“Fault was entirely mine,” a reasonable male voice said.
Serena looked up at the face of the person she had run into and saw a man who looked vaguely familiar. His hair was curly and ran rampant over his soft face. He had the face of a poet, Serena decided. She knew that he was friends with the Duke as the man had stood beside the Duke as she had stood next to Abigail, yet his name evaded her.
“It is nice to see you again, Lady Haddington.” Serena must have looked confused at his words because the man said, “We were introduced at the home of Lord Chesterton, but perhaps you have forgotten in all the troves of introductions this Season. Lord Balfour, the Earl of Mornington,” he said his name and title as he laid his hand against his chest.
Serena nodded and laughed nervously. This was one of the gentlemen that Abigail had been introduced to, and here she was making a fool of herself. “Forgive me, Lord Balfour. My mind was still on my sister.”
“Ah, it was a lovely ceremony.” Lord Balfour seemed to completely take the excuse Serena gave as reasonable much to her relief.
Serena had to agree with that. Abigail had seemed just as entranced by the Duke as he had by her. Now if she could just keep her mother from cornering her and figuring things out too soon, then they would actually have a chance to pull off this impossible switch. Serena looked around, but her mother seemed to have been distracted by a group of ladies.
“You look as though you are avoiding someone,” Lord Balfour commented.
Serena gave the man a shy smile. “Is it really that obvious?”
“I get that look when I am trying to evade my mother and her schemes.” He gave her a wink which caused her to laugh.
Serena flipped her fan open. The cool air that it provided was heavenly in the warm evening air, made all the warmer by the crowd of people in the church. “You know His Grace well?”
“Lord Honeyfield is my cousin. We survived childhood together.” Lord Balfour held himself with an easy grace that Serena found comforting.
Serena ventured, “Will you escort me out front, Lord Balfour? I fear I have lost my party in the press of the crowd.”
He readily extended his arm to her which Serena took with a breath of relief. She would be headed away from her mother, but still, be respectable with the crowd as a chaperone. “Do you often travel, Lord Balfour?”
He regarded her with a bit of surprise at the question. “Not as often as I would like if I am truthful. I did not know you were interested in exploring the world, Lady Haddington.”
Serena thought about Abigail, whom the Earl thought she was. Yes, she could see why the man would think that. Abigail for all her boldness had never wanted much more than to have a family and home. Indeed, Adie was more the daughter that her father and mother wanted even if they chose to never see it.
“I dare say that I have had a change of mind recently. I have decided not to allow society to dictate what I do with my time.” She gave the man as bold a smile as she could muster. Her words were bold, and she intended to live up to them.
Lord Balfour’s face held an expression of, dare Serena say it, admiration. She dropped her eyes self-consciously to the floor. He guided her through the crowd and out front.
As they stepped outside, Serena saw her father. “Ah, there is my father. You have saved me, Lord Balfour.”
He gave her a smile that was sweet and mischief all rolled into one, and she could not help smiling back at him. “I do hope that I see you at the celebration, Lady Haddington.”
Her father had made his way over by this time. “Adie, there you are! Your mother went to search for you.”
“I got swallowed up by the crowd, but fortunately for me, Lord Balfour found me and helped me escape.” Serena gave Lord Balfour a curtsey for his act of courteousness to her.
Lord Grey held out his hand to Lord Balfour. The two men indulged in a hearty shake before Lord Grey boomed out, “Thank you for seeing that my daughter was returned safely.”
Lord Balfour waved off the sentiment. “I am grateful that I was in the right place at the right time for once.”
Serena caught Lord Balfour’s eye, and she gave the man a smile before he took his leave of them to find his own transportation. “I thought you said he was too dull?” Lord Grey chuckled at Serena.
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I have the right to revise my opinions.”
Colin turned from accepting yet more greetings and congratulations. As he did so, his gaze was caught by Serena as she smiled at one of her own well-wishers. The young lady’s eyes cut over to him, and he saw a depth in them that he had not imagined. She was different from the woman he had thought her to be.
Serena was lively, quick-witted, and full of surprises. This was a woman he could share a lifetime with, perhaps. He had no trouble envisioning falling in love with her, and that had been his biggest fear.
Her gaze turned from him as quickly as it was on him. Reginald approaching him for a handshake took his attention away from his wife as well. “Fine on you,” Reginald said with a grin. “Glad to see you have left the rank of bachelor to join the rest of us. Now if you could just talk James into doing the same.”
“I do not think Aphrodite herself could persuade James to give himself to marital bliss.” Colin glanced around then to try and find his cousin but could not locate him in the crowd. “You are welcome to try, Reginald, but I fear it is a lost cause.”
Reginald shook his head and tutted. “I dare say he has enough to spite me for.”
Colin gave up and clapped Reginald on the shoulder. Reginald had a point, he supposed. James certainly would not look upon advice from his old nemesis any better than he looked on it from Colin.
Reginald excused himself to find his own wife. Colin felt a light touch on his arm and turned to see Serena eyeing him curiously. “Are you speaking of Lord Balfour?”
Colin nodded his head. “Yes. I did not realise that you had been introduced beyond him being in the wedding.”
“Oh, Abigail told me of him. She said he was a very nice gentleman.” The look of embarrassment on her face made Colin chuckle. “That must seem such an odd thing to say.”
Colin assured her, “Not at all. My cousin told me that he had been introduced to your sister and found her very lovely as well.”
“That was sweet of him; he is a kind man,” Serena said with a smile.
He laughed. “Do you not think your sister lovely?”
Serena’s hand hit his arm softly. “That is not what I meant. My sister is an odd one, though.”
“How so?” Colin really was intrigued, but their conversation got interrupted yet again as they were approached by another couple intent on getting their well-wishes heard. When they had fended off the congratulations, Colin turned back to his wife. “You were saying about your sister.”
Serena hid a laugh behind her hand. Her red hair catching the light of the candles as her eyes twinkled with amusement. “I think you are more interested in my sister than in me.”
“Never!” Colin decried the accusation with a smile on his lips. “It is just likely to me that twins would be similar. So, if I can learn about your sister, then I can learn more of you.”
Serena shook her gloved finger at him. “So that is your devious plan.”
“Shall
you thwart or aid me?” Colin thoroughly enjoyed how easy it was to banter with the woman, the small touches she bestowed on him fuelling his desire to get closer to her. Yet all they really could do at the celebration was tease.
Serena pondered his word as she tapped her chin with the same accusatory finger. “I suppose I could be of help.” She leaned a bit closer and whispered, “Abigail did not wish to get married. She would rather be out in the world than trapped in a sitting room.”
“She sounds a lot like my cousin,” Colin remarked. “He is more interested in travelling.”
Serena’s eyes locked onto his gaze, and Colin could not help looking back at her green eyes. “What of you my Duke? Do you wish to travel?”
“I have scarcely had time to give it thought,” Colin replied honestly. “With all my duties, I had just hoped I might have time to spend more of my days at the country estate. I know it might not seem thrilling, but that was my aim.”
Serena wrapped her arm around his. “I think that sounds wonderful. I never gave much thought to things either. I suppose I must seem boring.”
Boring was not the word that that came to mind when Colin looked at Serena. He gave her a bright smile. “Enchanting,” he corrected.
She laughed that shy, breathy laugh that she had when he embarrassed her. It was such fun to bring out the coy side of the woman that Colin found himself seeking out ways to make the colour rise to her cheeks.
“Lord Honeyfield,” a syrupy sweet female voice called out. Colin reluctantly took his gaze off his new bride to look at the newcomer. Lady Wilton was being pushed along in one of those wheeled chairs that doctors often prescribed for those too infirm to get about on their own.
“Lady Wilton, my good aunt, I had heard that your ankle took a turn for the worse. Is it truly no better?” Colin turned to his wife. “Serena, allow me to introduce my aunt, Lady Wilton.”
Serena dipped down into a curtsey before the older woman. “It is a pleasure to meet my husband’s relations. I feel I have much catching up to do with the rush of our wedding.”