“That is good,” he replied, though she could see the level of concern in his eyes. “I hope that you will enjoy it.”
“I hope that you will as well,” she replied and he gave her a wry grin.
“That may be a bit much to hope for. But I shall be happy enough if you are happy.”
She smiled again and a ghost of a smile appeared on his face as well.
“There shall be some time for you to grow used to the idea. And perhaps when the time comes you shall feel happy about it. Perhaps even happy enough to host a second.”
“Ah, you are getting ahead of yourself, Diana. We have not even had the first party yet and already you are expecting more.” But his admonishment was delivered with a smile and she was quite confident he was jesting with her. And that he would allow her to have another party, even before he knew what the first would entail.
“Perhaps we shall have the party of the Season after all. With all the ton in attendance and a full orchestra and all.”
“Is that not the spectacle that you made of our wedding?” Again, teasing and she could not help the smile that spread even wider across her face.
“Perhaps. But we shall have to do even better, do you think?”
“I think a small party is certainly not going to be considered the party of the Season. And it is a small party I have agreed to host.”
“Ah well, we shall see what the future may hold,” was her reply.
“I shall let you get back to the planning then. For a small party only,” he told her, striding quickly away, but this time when he did it there was no sense of his running away.
“I shall consider that a successful conversation,” Diana muttered to herself with a smile as she made her way back to her room. “And a sign of good things to come.”
“Matthew has agreed to a party of ten, which shall, of course, include himself and me. It shall be Mother and Father, and Marigold and Valery and Arabella and John and Isabelle and Matthew’s uncle. It’s not quite the type of ball that I would wish to have, but it shall do for a first one. And perhaps I shall be able to convince him that it is an excellent idea to host more parties in the future.”
“Do you believe it is likely?”
A few days ago, Diana would have said no. But now… now she felt that she knew her husband well enough that it was, in fact, a possibility. And not only did she know him well enough, but she fancied that he cared about her enough to want her to be happy.
So she nodded. “Indeed, I do.”
“That is good, Your Grace,” Margaret told her with a smile of her own.
Diana knew that Margaret had been worried about her as well. Had wondered how she was going to continue in this fashion.But things had gotten much better, and now she wondered just how much more she could expect. How much better things could possibly be.
Today was the first time that a conversation between herself and Matthew had gone quite so well. Though, to be honest, things had certainly been getting better between them over the last couple weeks.
To now spend time conversing and jesting with one another … it was almost as if they were friends. And that … well, it was certainly more than she had ever expected.
She sank down into her chair and pulled out the papers of notes for the party again, though for a long time she stared at them without seeing. Because all she could focus on were those large brown eyes, sparkling with pleasure as he looked at her.
“It seems that you have a great deal planned for your small party, Your Grace,” Margaret noted as she glanced down at the paper Diana was writing on.
Diana started as the voice broke through her thoughts and saw the way Margaret raised an eyebrow, as though she knew Diana had been thinking about something else entirely.
“I do,” Diana admitted, gazing down at the paper. “I had planned to keep everything small and ensure that it was an easy event for him, but I have perhaps gotten a little carried away. I do so want him to enjoy himself and to see that a party can be a wonderful way to pass the time. And I am also excited to see my familyagain. It has been too long, even though it has only been a few weeks.”
“You have not spent this long away from your family before,” Margaret replied gently.
Diana gave a sad smile in response. “No. But I am going to see them again at the party, and it shall be worth it.”
“You have planned out the supper?” Margaret asked, tapping a finger on a list near the top of the page.
“Twelve courses of all the best. All of my family’s favorites. And I’ve gotten him to share with me some of his favorite dishes as well. We shall have something for everyone.” Diana was excited about the plan and could only hope that Matthew would enjoy it as much as she did. “We shall have a string quartet, and entertainment and everything that a wonderful party should have.”
“And all this for only your family? Goodness, Your Grace, and what would you have planned if he had allowed you to host a full ball?” Margaret teased.
