“You deserve more than a fast wedding and I promise to make it up to you. With your permission, I will also have Patience and Asher look into procuring a proper house. I can’t have you living in my bachelor residence once we return to London.”
She gave him a nod of approval while her heart raced at all the changes that were happening so rapidly she could barely keep up. “As you wish.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Be careful, my angel, and wait for me.”
She hardly had time to murmur a goodbye as Gideon left and went to his horse. He untied the reins from the hitching post, placed one boot in the stirrup, and then swung his leg over the saddle. With a wave of his hand, he turned his mount before galloping out of sight.
She closed the door and leaned against the wooden portal. Her chest heaved in excitement while any sense of worry left her. Gideon would keep her safe… she just knew she was doing the right thing by accepting her protective knight’s proposal of marriage.
“Mother!” she happily called out. “We have a wedding to arrange.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Violet pulled thethread through the fabric of what would be her gift to Gideon, a handsome waistcoat of blue with golden embroidery stitched by her own hands. She gave a short chuckle at the thought she was actually making a decent attempt at sewing anything, let alone something so important. This wasn’t something she normally indulged in but given that she would be married in the next week, she wanted to give him something personal, mostly made by her own hands.
Concentrating on the stitching to ensure it was in line and with what she and Arianna had discussed, she glanced up at her friend sitting next to her on the settee who was performing the same pattern on the hem of Violet’s dress. Her friend was much better at this business of sewing than Violet ever was and for an instant she wondered if she would make a mess of her gift. The needle pierced her finger while she became distracted and she realized the thread had become tangled. She dropped the garment in her lap as she raised her finger to her mouth.
“Hand me the waistcoat, Violet,” Arianna declared, reaching out for the material.
Violet watched while Ariana inspected her work. “Do you think it will pass for being anything but amateurish work on my part, Ari?”
Arianna untangled the thread and handed Violet a thimble. “You’re doing just fine and Captain Tyler will love it.”
Violet took the thimble and the garment and began to work again once her finger stopped bleeding. “I was never as good a seamstress as you but I suppose it will do. I wasn’t sure what else I could give a man who comes from a wealthy family.”
“At least I won’t have to worry about you becoming some high-and-lofty woman of Society. Thank goodness you fell for a second son.”
Violet laughed. “Even if Gideon was titled, and I’m thankful the title fell to Asher, I would never become some snotty lady who looks down on others,” she replied, shuddering and setting down her stitchery. “Still… there’s a part of me that wonders how I’ll ever fit in completely. I’m still going to end up attending parties and events held by the rich.”
“You would have done that anyway if you continued on with the plans Mrs. Dove-Lyon had for you,” Arianna said, stopping her own sewing to reach for Violet’s hand. “If your cousin Patience can fit in after her parents disowned her at one point, then so can you.”
“I never understood how my uncle and aunt could disavow their own daughter for falling in love with a soldier.” Violet tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I can still remember the day when Patience came to tell me she was running away with Stuart. He seemed like such a nice young man and she had been so happy. After he died in the war, Patience came back devasted, especially when her father refused to allow her to return back into the family.”
“You never really told me where your cousin went after she left Bracknell that last time. It must have been hard for her to survive after being rejected by her own family.”
“I must admit I lost track of her for quite some time. It was like shejust vanished into London without a word to anyone where she was living,” Violet said, as she remembered being concerned for her cousin. “Years later, she finally sent word asking that I keep her whereabouts silent to the rest of the family. A friend had taken her in and it was still much later when she wrote to me to not believe everything I might read about her in that gossip rag,The Teatime Tattler.”
“Pfft… as if we’d pay attention to anything that might be printed in that newspaper. Besides, Bracknell is almost forty miles from London so what do we care what thetondo or don’t do to in their daily lives.” Arianna took up the thread and needle to begin again and Violet did the same.
“I suppose being labeled as tarnished and part of some stupidWicked Widows Clubthat the newsprint claimed was the least of her worries,” Violet continued to explain and then smiled remembering how Patience had confided in her once the two cousins were reunited. Another love match made by Mrs. Dove-Lyon and Violet had been a bit jealous of how her cousin and her husband had the nicknames of Persephone and Hades from their first encounters at the Lyon’s Den. Now Violet had followed in her cousin’s footsteps when she and Gideon had labeled themselves Sir Knight and Angel.
She gave a knowing smile. “Patience is happy now and a countess of all things. And if we weren’t already related, now we’ll also strengthen our bond when I marry Gideon.”
“I suppose you’ll be moving to London,” Arianna said sadly.
“Yes. I suppose I will, although Gideon and I haven’t had time to firm up where we might live. Although he did mention trying to find a new house,” Violet answered reaching over for her friend’s hand. “Promise me you’ll come visit.”
Arianna swiped at a tear. “You couldn’t possibly get rid of me so easily once you’re a married woman, at least after a substantial time for a honeymoon with your husband,” she declared, before tossingViolet a sheepish look. “Are you excited to be… well…”
“Be what?” she asked in amusement knowing where this conversation was taking them.
Arianna quickly glanced around the parlor to ensure they were still alone. “You know… intimate,” she whispered and a pink blush rushed up her cheeks.
“Whatever do you mean, Ari?” Violet teased.
“You know exactly what I mean. Gideon is a handsome gentleman. Surely you are excited to be with him as husband and wife, aren’t you?”
An amused grin lifted at the corners of Violet’s lips noticing her friend’s embarrassment even as heat flamed her own face at the thought of what marriage would ultimately bring. She dared to glance Arianna’s way and Violet could see for herself how she made every attempt not to laugh. They both gave in to the merriment and shared a moment of a friendship that had lasted their entire lifetimes.
