Vow of Deception (The Ministry of Curiosities #9)(90)

"Where will you go on your honeymoon, Charlie?" she asked.

"I don't know. I think Lincoln has something planned, but we can't go yet." I didn't dare glance in Alice's direction. "When things settle down."

"You must go," Leisl declared. "Alice has her destiny and it does not involve you or Lincoln."

"Destiny?" Alice echoed. "What do you mean?"

Seth sat up abruptly. "Who else does it involve? Me?"

"Not everything's about you." Gus threw another strawberry at him. Seth caught it and popped it in his mouth.

Leisl waved away their questions and claimed she could see very little, although I could tell from Eva's face that she didn't believe her mother. Fortunately, further interrogation was headed off by Lady Marchbank.

"What's Lincoln holding?" she asked.

He strode across the lawn toward us carrying a basket considerably smaller than the picnic one.

"Is the cake in there?" I asked Cook.

"No, but thanks for the reminder." He got up and headed toward the house.

Beside me, Gus chuckled. "Is this the thing you were sent to fetch after the ceremony?" I asked him.

He smiled smugly and refused to answer.

Lincoln knelt before me and set the basket down on the rug. "My wedding gift to you, Charlie." He leaned across the basket and planted a light, airy kiss on my lips that promised more later.

"But you've given me so much already," I said. "The wedding dress, jewelry, all of this today and everything to come."

"Those weren't my wedding gift. This is. Open it."

What could he possibly give me that had to arrive in a basket? And why was the basket moving? It yapped.

I lifted the lid and a little brown ball of fur with long floppy ears and a white patch on its chest leapt up. "A puppy! Lincoln, you got me a puppy!" I gathered up the wriggling dog and snuggled him in my arms. I giggled as he licked my hand. "He's adorable."

"You mentioned wanting a dog."

"Oh, Lincoln, he's the sweetest thing. What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one yet."

I set the puppy in my lap but he wanted to explore so I let him go. We had to put away all of the leftover food but he seemed happy enough to wander around sniffing everything and everyone.

"Where did you find him?" I asked.

"An advertisement in the paper. I took a look at the litter last week and picked him out. It was the day I came home smelling like lavender."

"Why lavender?"

"I didn't want to smell like dog or you'd guess, so the owner gave me some lavender water to wash my hands in after handling the puppies. I didn't consider how it would seem to you until later. Then I worried you might think I'd been doing something else."

I smiled. "No, Lincoln. It never entered my head."

He settled behind me and I leaned against him, watching the puppy explore. Lincoln put his arm around me and murmured, "Happy, Mrs. Fitzroy?"

I tilted my head back to peer up at him. "Very. You?"

"Yes." He languidly stroked my chin with his thumb and held my gaze. "I never thought I would be this happy. Never allowed myself to even consider it. Never felt I deserved it," he added in a quieter tone.

I turned in his arms to look at him directly. "You deserve it more than anyone I know, Lincoln. And if anyone says otherwise, they'll have to answer to me."

He smiled as he touched my hair near my ear. "If you believe I'm a good person, Charlie, then I believe it too."

He kissed me, his lips pecking and teasing mine. It wasn't enough. I leaned into him and deepened the kiss, only breaking away when the puppy yapped at us.

A while later, when the sun lost some of its heat, we packed up our picnic and headed inside. The Marchbanks went home, the Cornells too, and Cook, Gus and Alice packed the leftovers, including slices of wedding cake, for Mrs. Sullivan and her orphan charges. Seth and Lincoln had quiet, serious words in the library. The snippets I caught mentioned the army and Wonderland. I didn't want to think about that now.

I went to my room to rest, only to find Lady Vickers there, waiting for me. She patted the bed beside her.

"We need to talk," she said crisply.

I groaned. "No, Lady V, please, spare me. I know you want to discuss marital relations, but I already know how everything works."

Her spine stiffened. "That wasn't what I was going to talk to you about."

"Oh." I sat beside her and she took my hand. "Is it about Seth and Alice?"

"It's about you, my dear." Her eyes filled with tears. "You're the closest thing I have to a daughter and I wanted you to know that I couldn't be prouder of you if you were."

I felt my own eyes well. "Thank you, Lady V, you're a wonderful mother figure. I'm very lucky to have you in my life." I drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

She hugged me back then pulled away. "Now," she said, "I've brought up some water and dropped in a few rose petals." She indicated the basin on the washstand. "You must prepare for your husband."

So it would seem we were having that discussion after all. Would it be rude if I ordered her out?