Page 83 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
She arched her eyebrows. “And you look like you’re trying very hard not to mention my brother,” she replied lightly, reaching for a pearl pin on her vanity and sliding it into her hair. “Have you heard anything?”
He didn’t answer, which was answer enough.
So she turned back to the mirror, checking her veil. “He’s always been difficult,” she murmured. “But I didn’t think he’d run.”
“I don’t think he’s run,” Magnus murmured, his voice quiet and measured. “I think he’s hiding. And I think he’s ashamed.”
Lily’s hands froze on her veil. Although the words got to her, she still managed to tilt her chin up, proud as a princess in a portrait. “Well, we all carry our burdens differently.”
Magnus’s eyes didn’t leave her reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t stop staring at her face. But whatever he was about to say was cut short when a sudden squeal sounded in the corridor.
“Lily Starks?—!”
The door flew open, and three elegant women stormed into the room in a flurry of silk, satin, and perfume.
Cecilia. Ava. Eveline.
Three duchesses. Three friends. The only people in the world who could make her laugh without trying.
When she turned around and saw them, her face lit up.
Cecilia ran straight to her and threw her arms around her. “I still cannot believe this is happening. You’re marrying my brother. I spent so long telling you all the reasons I hated him and now you’re marrying. I don’t know whether to be glad we’re becoming sisters or to pity you.”
Eveline stood back, her eyes wide with mock horror. “What do you mean you’re not running away? Lily, this is your last chance. We can still smuggle you out through the kitchens,” she said, before elbowing Magnus, who already took a step back.
Ava burst into a laugh, before stepping closer to take Lily’s hand. “You look stunning. Absolutely radiant.”
“I’m pretending not to notice how pale she looks,” Cecilia quipped, tugging on her veil playfully. “Is it because of the Duke, or because you haven’t eaten?”
“It’s because of you three descending like crows on the poor bride,” Magnus cut in.
“Oh, he speaks,” Eveline said with a grin, before looping her arm through her husband’s, who appeared quietly in the doorway. “Well done, Duke. You’ve officially frightened your bride speechless.”
Lily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling now—genuinelysmiling.
She didn’t realize how much she had been drowning under the weight of lying to her friends but now that she had their support, she felt she could face the journey ahead.
“Now, let’s have the best wedding,” Ava said, before hugging Lily.
As Ava stated, ‘best’ but not ‘biggest.’
The ceremony was intimate, precisely as they had planned. Or rather, precisely as Magnus had arranged, just as he managed everything else. There was no fanfare, no extravagant reception, just a quiet gathering of close friends, followed by a warm meal and enough toasts to keep the wine flowing.
Cecilia and Theo. Ava and Edwin. Eveline and William.
Three ducal couples. Each with their own stories and scars, seated around the dining table, watching Magnus and Lily intently.
“You know,” Edwin said, his tone casual as he passed the wine, “when Magnus told me he was getting married, I assumed it was a ruse. Some elaborate scheme to seize another estate or ruin an enemy.”
“I’m still not ruling that out,” Theo piped up with a smirk. “There’s something suspiciously domestic about you lately, Blackmore.”
Magnus didn’t respond. He simply glanced at Lily across the table. She knew she must have looked a fright with her cheeks were flushed from laughter and reached up to smooth a hand over her hair.She caught him staring, and for the briefest of moments, she wondered what he saw when he looked at her like that.
Then, she looked away, turning to Cecilia to whisper something that made both of them dissolve into happy giggles.
William raised an eyebrow at him. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re enjoying yourself.”
Magnus took a sip of his wine. “You don’t know better.”
