Devil in Spring (The Ravenels #3)(65)

Pandora smiled and leaned her head against his chest.

“. . . we’ll want it to occur soon,” she heard Gabriel saying to Kathleen.

“Yes, but there’s so much to plan—the trousseau, the ceremony and reception, the wedding breakfast and honeymoon, and of course things like flowers and bridesmaids’ dresses—”

“I’ll help,” Cassandra exclaimed.

“I can’t do all of that,” Pandora burst out anxiously, whirling around to face them. “In fact, I can’t do any of it. I have to submit two more patent applications, and meet with my printer, and look for factory space to lease, and . . . no, I can’t let the wedding stand in the way of all the important things I need to take care of.”

Gabriel’s lips twitched at the comparative importance of the wedding to her board game company.

“I’d rather elope, so I can go right to work,” Pandora continued. “A honeymoon would be a waste of time and expense.”

She was well aware, of course, that a honeymoon had become traditional for upper-and middle-class newlyweds. But she was terrified of being swallowed up in a new life while all her plans and dreams fell by the wayside. She wouldn’t enjoy going away somewhere, thinking about all that awaited her at home.

“Pandora, dear—” Kathleen began.

“We’ll discuss it later,” Gabriel said in a relaxed manner, and sent Pandora a reassuring smile.

Turning back to Devon, Pandora muttered, “Did you see that? He’s managing me already. And he’s good at it.”

“I know the feeling well,” Devon assured her, his sparkling gaze flickering to Kathleen.

In the evening, the Challons and Ravenels gathered in the family parlor before going down to dinner. Champagne was brought out, and toasts were made to congratulate the betrothed couple and celebrate the union of their two families. Gabriel’s entire family received the news with a warmth and ready acceptance that almost overwhelmed Pandora.

Taking Pandora lightly by the shoulders, the duke smiled and bent to press a warm kiss to her forehead. “What a welcome addition you are to the family, Pandora. Be forewarned—from now on, the duchess and I will consider you as one of our own children, and spoil you accordingly.”

“I’m not spoiled,” Ivo, who was standing nearby, protested. “Mother thinks I’m a jewel.”

“Mother thinks everyone is a jewel,” Phoebe said dryly, as she and Seraphina came to join them.

“We’ll have to wire Raphael right away,” Seraphina exclaimed, “so he can come back from America in time for the wedding. I wouldn’t want him to miss it.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Phoebe said. “A wedding this large will take months to plan.”

Pandora lapsed into uneasy silence while they continued to chatter. None of this seemed quite real. In a mere week her life had changed entirely. Her head was full of commotion, and she needed to go somewhere quiet and sort out her thoughts. She tensed as she felt a gentle arm curve behind her shoulders.

It was the duchess, her blue eyes radiant with kindness and a hint of concern, as if she understood how frightening it was to have made the most important decision of her life based on a few days’ acquaintance. But there was no way this woman would understand what it was like to face the prospect of marrying a virtual stranger.

Wordlessly the duchess drew Pandora away with her through one of the doors that led to the outside balcony. Although they had spent time together in the company of others, they hadn’t yet found an opportunity to talk alone. There were more or less constant demands on the duchess’s time: everyone from her infant grandson to the duke himself desired her attention. In her quiet way, the duchess was the hub around which the entire estate revolved.

It was cold and dark out on the balcony, the breeze causing Pandora to shiver. She hoped the duchess hadn’t brought her out here to say something disapproving. Something like, You certainly have a lot to learn, or You’re not what I would have chosen for Gabriel, but it seems we’ll have to make do.

As they stood side by side at the railing, facing the dark ocean, the duchess took the shawl from her shoulders, unfolded it, and draped it over them both. Pandora was still with astonishment. The cashmere was light and warm, fragrant with lilac water and a hint of talcum. Tongue-tied, Pandora stood next to her while they listened to the soothing chirr of a nightjar, and the musical trills of nightingales.

“When Gabriel was about Ivo’s age,” the duchess remarked almost dreamily, staring out at the plum-colored sky, “he found a pair of orphaned fox cubs in the woods, at a country manor we’d leased in Hampshire. Has he told you about that?”

Pandora shook her head, her eyes wide.

A reminiscent smile curved the duchess’s full lips. “It was a pair of females, with big ears, and eyes like shiny black buttons. They made chirping sounds, like small birds. Their mother had been killed in a poacher’s trap, so Gabriel wrapped the poor th-things in his coat and brought them home. They were too young to survive on their own. Naturally, he begged to be allowed to keep them. His father agreed to let him raise them under the gamekeeper’s supervision, until they were old enough to return to the f-forest. Gabriel spent weeks spoon-feeding them with a mixture of meat paste and milk. Later on, he taught them to stalk and catch prey in an outside pen.”