“Finn will have men all over the place. If nothing else, we can get a warning to his wife tonight, if he even comes. He may not show his face. If he has an ax to grind, he’ll be here. But he may just want to live a quiet life now that his debts have been paid and he’s settled back into society.” Claire nibbled absently at a nail. “He threatened to throw me from the turrets last year,” she said. “He isn’t aware that I can fly.” She laughed lightly.
“Not much use tossing one of us off the tower,” Cecelia agreed.
“Whatever he does, it will be cowardly,” Sophia reminded them.
“Well, this conversation has turned morbid,” Claire chirped. “Happy wedding day, Cecelia,” she said, taking a glass of champagne from a nearby footman. She handed one to each of the other ladies as well. Claire reached out to squeeze her hand. “You’re happy, aren’t you?” she asked, her gaze searching Cecelia’s.
“Despite Mayden and the threat he proposes, I couldn’t be happier,” Cecelia said.
Marcus caught her gaze from across the room. He motioned with his eyes toward the staircase.
She shook her head, laughing. They couldn’t leave their families just because they wanted to be alone. Could they? Definitely not.
***
Marcus nodded toward the staircase again, and Cecelia smiled and shook her head. His sisters looked over at him,
and Claire shot him a scolding glance. Sophia shook a finger at him. Good God, would he never get the woman alone? He supposed there would be time enough to spend with her, a lifetime in fact, after the celebration.
He nodded toward the staircase again, and she grinned, shaking her head. Her cheeks pinkened. “No,” she mouthed.
He walked over to her, his gait slow and unhurried. The part of her bosom that was exposed by her bodice flushed, and Marcus wanted to peel her clothing off to see if she was that flushed everywhere.
“Oh, dear,” he heard Claire say. “Your wings are blushing, Cecelia.” She laughed. She was right. Cecelia was a delicious shade of pink.
Marcus put his hand at the small of Cecelia’s back and began to draw tiny circles. She flushed even more. “Worried about tonight?” he asked.
“Which part of it?” she asked.
He leaned down and spoke, his lips moving against the shell of her ear. “The part where I get to show you your wedding gift.”
“Wedding gift?” she asked. “We weren’t supposed to purchase wedding gifts.”
“We needed a house to move into, didn’t we?” he asked.
“You bought a house?” she squeaked.
“Just a small one.” He held his fingers a small space apart. “And I didn’t buy it. I just rented it. I thought you might want to help me pick the house we’ll eventually live in. This one is only temporary.”
“Tired of living the bachelor lifestyle?” she asked.
“Ainsley and Allen will live in our old quarters for a time, after their wedding. It’s not big enough for all of us, and I’m a little plumper in the pockets than Allen right now, so I volunteered to move out. I think you’ll like it.” He looked down at her. “And no one will be around to hear you scream when I have my wicked way with you,” he said softly.
“I do not scream,” she scoffed. But a new blush crept up her cheeks.
“Not yet,” he whispered.
Claire made a gagging noise at the back of her throat. “If the two of you are going to carry on like that, I would suggest that you go ahead and leave. Or I’ll have no choice but to cast up my accounts.”
Marcus looked down at Cecelia. “Do you want to go and see your new home?” he asked.
“What about all the people?” she whispered.
“All the people know what you’re going to do,” Sophia whispered back dramatically. She leaned in to hug Cecelia. “Go. Enjoy the afternoon. You’ll be back tonight for the celebration.”
“No one will mind?” Cecelia asked.
“No one will care,” Sophia said, waving a breezy hand in the air.