Page 107 of Snapdragons
“You are not selfish or unfeeling,” Niles said. “That your brother has convinced you otherwise is inexcusable.”
“I have begun to feel relief at knowing I’ll be living in England and he will be in Ireland.” She leaned her head against Niles. “Which adds weight to his accusations regarding my selfishness.”
“Wanting a respite from unkindness is not selfish.” Niles kissed the top of her head.
“Will you promise me, Niles, that you’ll always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Kiss my head like that. I never fail to feel better when you do.”
His arm slipped from her shoulders to her waist. “For you, my Penny, I would do anything at all.”
She stopped and turned to face him. They stood at the end of the corridor, far enough inside to escape the chill but not near enough to the drawing room or dining room to be overheard. “Does that ‘anything at all’ include getting married in Dublin?” Liam ought not to be demanding this of them, but since he had, there was no avoiding the decision they had to make. “I realize it would mean you wouldn’t be married in the chapel where your family always has been, and very few of your family members would be in attendance. And with the state of Lucas’s father’s health, he and Julia most certainly wouldn’t be there. And Henri and Nicolette’s income does not allow for such journeys, especially after having very recently made several. Aldric has anew estate to see to. Digby has not been granted much peace at his estate and must long for a bit of it. Kes and Violet must long to be back home as well. It is possible not one of the Gents would be there, and they are so important to you.” Emotion cracked through the words.
He brushed his hand along her cheek. “Penelope Seymour, do you not know thatyouare important to me?” He smiled softly. “Fate has given us this miraculous chance for us both to pursue the dreams we have but to do so together. I would marry you on a mountaintop or in the depths of the sea or at the farthest reaches of the earth, with only the two of us there if need be.”
“Dublin seems a less complicated option than any of those,” Penelope said. “And unlike underwater or mountaintop weddings, those solemnized in a chapel of the Church of Ireland are recognized and binding in England. That makes Dublin the less scandalous option as well.”
“Far less.”
She breathed more easily. “This isn’t the insurmountable obstacle I thought it was?”
“We have overcome far more difficult impediments.”
Penelope sighed; she couldn’t help herself.
He tipped her head upward. Their eyes met. “We should tell your brother to begin planning a Dublin wedding. But we’ll keep our decision to ourselves for a few minutes.”
“Why?”
Niles brushed his hand along her hair, tucking a tuft of it behind her ear. “Because Liam deserves to stew for a while.” He leaned closer. “And because I intend to take my time kissing you.”
“Yes, please,” she whispered.
He lowered his mouth to hers, his lips caressing hers unhurriedly. Penelope’s cape fell back as she hooked her arms around his neck, holding him close, reveling in the feel of hisarms wrapped around her.
“We’re getting married, Penny,” he said, his breath tickling her lips.
“Yes, we are.”
He lifted her from the ground and spun her about. Though she hadn’t giggled a day in her life, she did so then. And that giggle turned to a laugh of absolute joy as she spun with him. They were going to be together. Always.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Dublin, one month later
Niles had never before wonderedwhat the horses at Tattersalls must feel like, being out on exhibit and inspected by everyone who happened past, but he was currently skipping over wondering about it and jumping straight to knowing. He had now been on exhibition and subjected to inspection for a fortnight in Dublin.
Liam Seymour had wasted no opportunity to prove to local society that he had managed a good match for his sister. Niles’s many important connections were rattled off to anyone who would listen. The Greenberrys’ standing in Cornwall was, perhaps, a littleoveremphasized. While it was deeply uncomfortable for one who preferred being unnoticed and overlooked, Niles was far more put out at the treatment Penelope was subjected to.
In every public interaction, his fiery and fearsome Penny deferred to her brother. She gave Liam credit for the match, for the connections their family had gained, for essentially every success anyone referenced or even hinted at. And through it all, Liam preened and smugly accepted the acclaim heaped on him.
“We need never return to Dublin if we’d rather not,” Penelope had said when Niles had expressed his concerns to her. “I can endure this for the next few days.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” he had insisted.
And in true Penelope Seymour style, she had smiled confidently and said simply, “I know.”
