Page 96 of The Best of Friends
“Truly.” Artemis motioned toward the bedchamber doorway.
Daria turned in that direction to find Gillian rushing toward her. “You’re here!”
Gillian threw her arms around her. “I’m here!”
Knowing the financial straits her friend was in, Daria hadn’t let herself even hope that Gillian could somehow make the journey. But having her there drove home how desperately she’d wanted her to be. For as long as she lived, she would be grateful to the Pack for making this miracle happen.
“I’m getting married,” Daria said.
“To the luckiest man in all the world.” Gillian gave her one more squeeze before stepping back and dropping her arms. “Give Artemis and Rose a chance to set to rights any havoc I’ve wreaked, then let’s get you to the chapel.”
When they did arrive at the chapel, Toss was there, watching Daria with unmistakable love in his eyes.
And at the end of the ceremony, when the vicar declared that they were each other’s henceforth and forever, Toss’s look of love somehow grew deeper.
To the hoorahs of the wedding guests, they climbed into an elegant closed carriage, lent to them by the Duke and Duchess of Kielder for the specific purpose of bringing them from the chapel to Lampton House for the wedding breakfast Mater had arranged for them there. The generosity they had received from so many was nearly overwhelming.
The carriage door closed with a click, and Daria released a slow breath, a sigh of happy exhaustion. “What a perfect morning.”
Toss, sitting beside her, slid his arms around her. “I couldn’t agree more.”
She turned a bit, facing him more fully. “And your brother behaved, which is rather miraculous.”
“My darling”—Toss nuzzled her neck—“this will be a disappointingly short carriage ride.” He kissed her jaw. “I don’t want to spend a single moment of it”—he trailed kisses to the corner of her mouth, her heart pounding harder with each brush of his lips—“talking about my brother.”
Daria wrapped her arms around his neck. “You intend to kiss me instead?”
“Mm-hmm.”
And he did. Thoroughly and enthusiastically. And as he’d predicted, the carriage ride had proven irritatingly brief.
“Do you suppose anyone would notice if we stayed in here instead of joining the celebration?” Toss kissed her neck, something she had quickly discovered she liked.
“Everyone would notice.” She answered as much in response to his question as to remind herself. “And your sister would be disappointed.”
He sighed. “She would be.” He sat up quite straight and proper and assumed an expression of ridiculous dignity. “I shall be wonderfully well behaved.” Then with a wink, he added, “For a time.”
He held her hand as they entered Lampton House. No arguments about the strict requirements of propriety could have convinced her to slip her arm through his instead. They kept to the tender arrangement as the guests arrived.
Only when a young girl with Toss’s dark, wavy hair and brown eyes approached with a shy smile did Daria release his hand.
He pulled his sister into a hug. “Oh, Rosamond, I have missed you.”
The girl’s sweet smile overflowed with adoration. There was no doubt she had missed her brother as well. “You’re married, Thomas. I can hardly believe it.”
“Didn’t think anyone would be willing or able to endure me?”
Rosamond bumped him with her shoulder, blushing a little. “Youarea little obnoxious.”
Daria would never grow tired of the sound of Toss’s laugh.
He turned his sister to face Daria, keeping an arm around the girl’s shoulders. He beamed with palpable brotherly affection. “Daria, this is Rosamond.”
“Our sister.” Daria clasped her hands together, even more excited than she’d expected to be.
Rosamond’s eyes lit. “I’ve always wanted a sister.”
“So have I.”
