Page 61 of Wedded to the Forbidden Duke
“It was, don’t you think?” Nancy let out a tittering laugh. “Though I must admit, I almost lost my head with nerves! I half thought I might forget to sayI do.”
“You would have done no such thing,” Cecilia promised her, squeezing her best friend’s hands in hers. “You looked sobeautiful up there. And Zachary could not take his eyes off of you for one second.”
“I know.” Nancy flushed even as she said it. “I could not take my eyes off of him, either.”
“You know you must tell him that he must treat you absolutely perfectly,” Cecilia said threateningly, “or else I will see to it that he is most egregiously punished.”
“And how exactly do you plan to dole out this punishment?” Zachary said, bounding up to join them with Ian, Lady Lindbury, and Lady Sheridan in tow. “Shall you tell Mother on me?”
Cecilia pinched his cheek. “Don’t tempt me,” she said.
“Cecilia!” her mother chided her playfully. Zachary just shook her off, laughing good-naturedly.
“Excuse me,” a new voice said, entering the conversation.
They all looked over to see a young man, around Ian and Zachary’s age. While they did not recognize him, there was something about his eyes and his features that struck a chord of familiarity.
Lady Sheridan was the only one who showed immediate recognition. “Ah, here you are!” She turned to Ian. “Your Grace, may I introduce you to the new Viscount Sheridan.”
“Henry Banfield,” the newcomer said stiffly.
He was much younger than Cecilia had anticipated. A strapping young man, with cold brown eyes and sharp features made sharper by his perpetual scowl.
“I will not intrude upon your conversation for long,” he said. “I came over only to offer my congratulations to the newlyweds.”
“Thank you, cousin,” Nancy said, curtsying.
“Yes, thank you,” Zachary echoed.
“Ian Repington,” Ian said, reaching out to clasp the viscount’s hand in his. “Duke of Harwick. I am afraid both Zachary and I were away in Europe when you arrived in London, which is why we have not met. But I do hope you’ll join the rest of family the next time they come to visit my wife and I in the country.”
“Perhaps,” the viscount said.
Neither the expression of his face nor the tone of his voice betrayed any kind of emotion in any direction. It was a pity; he really would be such a handsome man if he didn’t look so constantly displeased. Now Cecilia realized why he had seemed both familiar and not. His features were so similar to Nancy’s, down to the precise hue of his eyes.
That said, where Nancy was perpetually smiling, this man’s expressions could not be more the opposite. His social graces, likewise, were perfunctory at best, unfriendly at worst.
“Thank you for the invitation,” he said, nodding with all the ease of a wooden puppet. “It is good to meet you all.”
When he had walked away, Lady Lindbury and Lady Sheridan huddled together.
“My, my,” said Lady Lindbury.
“Indeed,” said Lady Sheridan. “You know, my friend, he reminds me quite a bit of your new son-in-law before he met your Cecilia.”
“You are most correct, Lucinda,” Lady Lindbury replied, nodding her head. “And perhaps he is a bit like my Zachary, as well, before he wed darling Nancy.”
“Well. It is true that love can quite transform a man. And you know, given our rather impressive track record of successes…” Lady Sheridan gave a look in the direction of the two young couples, who were happily engaged in conversation just a short ways away. “Perhaps we shall simply have to take care of the new viscount, as well. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Lady Lindbury gave her a smile and a nod before they walked away.
In another corner, Ian and Cecilia watched as the newlyweds walked around the room, greeting the rest of their guests at the wedding breakfast.
“This is quite different,” Cecilia said, looking about, “from our wedding breakfast, wouldn’t you agree?”
Ian snorted. “That would be quite the understatement, I should think.”
“They do look very much in love,” she said wistfully, “don’t they?”
