Chapter 3 #2
“Percy is… a tough character. He is very committed to his duty and work, but he knows how to treat a lady well and with respect, even if he can come across as standoffish. Do not take it to heart, Lady Verity. You’ll be free in your marriage.
He will leave you in peace if you want to, but I imagine he will also be there for you if you ever need him.
Vincent got along well with Percy…” He paused.
“Most of the time.” His lips quirked into a smirk.
“I think he would approve. Also, do call me Sebastian. Your Grace is far too formal for what I am used to. Percy might still insist on formalities, but I do not care.”
Verity nodded, assured by his words.
She had spent the last three days wondering if she had made a mistake, especially when the Duke had not joined them at the townhouse at all. She had spent a lot of time alone, so that wouldn’t be a problem, but she was going to be bound to him forever.
“Are you considering running, My Lady?” Sebastian grinned at her, cocking his head as if in challenge.
“No.” She lifted her chin.
She had endured grief and her uncle’s horrible treatment. Marrying a man who would leave her be when she wanted would be nothing. Besides, this was for Archie’s sake, too.
And Vincent, she thought. I will find Vincent. These two men could lead me to him.
She considered asking Sebastian how he and her betrothed knew Vincent, but she bit her tongue. There would be time for questions later.
“Shall we?” Sebastian prompted.
Verity nodded, and she let him lead her into the church.
In the front pew, her closest friend, Lady Katherine Jarvis, stood tall, her long red hair tumbling down her back in lustrous waves. She gave Verity a smile that conveyed there would be questions to answer later.
Of course, there would be. Verity had disappeared from Ravenwood House without a word, and if Katherine had tried to visit, she would have found it empty.
Verity really should have told her friend.
The Marquess of Ashthorpe stood at his daughter’s side, smiling fondly at Verity. He gave her a slow nod, and she smiled back.
And then she was at the altar.
The Duke looked down at her.
Percy, she mused, now that she knew his Christian name.
As Sebastian handed her over, he leaned into him and whispered, “Do look after her, Percy.”
The Duke scowled at his friend, batting him away before they turned to the vicar, ready to begin the ceremony.
It was short, and there were no vows or a kiss. Verity was acutely aware of her family’s absence, apart from Archie. By the time she was pronounced the Duchess of Whitestone, she was still processing her new title.
Although Vincent had inherited the duchy, she had never thought she would become a duchess. She had resigned herself to always being the sister of a duke. She had never imagined she would become the wife of one.
Once the ceremony was over, she was immediately tugged to Katherin’s side.
“Verity?” Katherine cried, laughing and frowning at the same time. “You are now a duchess? This is such an unexpected turn of events; I am so confused.”
Verity pulled her friend into a quick embrace and then drew back with a nervous laugh. “It is a very long story, Kitty, but I promise to tell you everything soon.”
“Is it a happy story?” Katherine asked, studying her.
Verity glanced away. “It is… simply a long one,” she repeated, unsure of how else to describe it.
“Then I will trust that you know what you are doing,” Katherine said softly. “I wish you the best and all the happiness, Verity. And, of course, who could ignore the best man?”
Verity laughed as her friend crouched down to pet Trinket, who had trotted up to the two of them.
He had developed a decided fondness for Katherine after the Hyde Park incident, an event Verity still remembered with a mixture of horror and disbelief.
Trinket had slipped his leash at precisely the wrong moment and thundered across the grass to Katherine, who had been minding her own business until a massive dog deposited himself at her feet and attempted to investigate her pockets with great enthusiasm.
Verity had been halfway through an apology when Katherine burst out laughing, declared him magnificent, and promptly fed him half a biscuit meant for herself.
The two women had ended up walking together, Katherine confessing to a lifelong affection for animals and a father whose country estate resembled a small, unruly ark.
Trinket, having secured both treats and devotion, appointed her his dearest friend on the spot, and from that day on, Verity had little choice but to follow suit.
“A St. Bernard is one of the most loyal dogs to have.” The two of them turned at Sebastian’s approach, his eyes already fixed on Katherine. “I imagine Percy will be thrilled to have this beast around.” He laughed, ruffling Trinket’s fur.
“They have been introduced with a fond hand lick,” Verity revealed, and Katherine giggled. “Katherine, this is Sebastian Halshore, the Duke of Talwyn. Sebastian, this is Lady Katherine, the daughter of the Marquess of Ashthorpe.”
“Ashthorpe,” Sebastian mused. “I do know that name. Perhaps your father and I have partaken in a card game or two.”
“Most likely,” Katherine answered. “He does enjoy a bit of gambling.”
She started when Sebastian took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She blinked down at him, her eyes following him as he straightened again. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she ducked her head.
“Well, if that is true, perhaps I will tell him how I met his very enchanting daughter over our next card game.”
“I—” Katherine giggled, the sound high-pitched and awkward. “I—ah, thank you, Your Grace.”
“You may call me Sebastian,” he purred. “And I may call you—”
“Lady Katherine,” she said quickly.
“I was going to say I may call you at any time. But of course, we may remain formal.”
At that, Katherine blushed even harder. She cleared her throat, suddenly interested in Trinket’s bow.
She was saved from Sebastian’s flirting when her father joined them, his arm already extended to embrace Verity.
He had been good to her in the past year, a good father figure in her life when she had lacked one.
“My dear Verity,” he greeted. “Congratulations on this most unexpected marriage. Kitty and I did not even know you were being courted.”
Sebastian coughed quietly in his hand.
“It is a long story, Papa,” Katherine interjected, and Verity gave her a grateful look. “Have you met the Duke of Talwyn?”
“I have not,” Lord Ashthorpe answered firmly. “But I overheard enough on my way over.”
“He seems to think the two of you have played cards together.”
“I believe His Grace is playing a different game of cards.”
Verity bit back a laugh, realizing Lord Ashthorpe was keenly aware of Sebastian’s flirtatious designs upon Katherine.
“Duchess.” The four of them looked up at the Duke’s voice. “It is time to leave.”
“I was just introducing our friends,” Verity said quickly, not quite ready to leave Katherine yet. “This is the Marquess of Ashthorpe, and his daughter, Lady Katherine.” She turned to her friend. “And this, of course, is my husband, the Duke of Whitestone.”
“Pleased to meet you,” was all her husband said before looking back at her. “As I said, it is time to go.”
Verity nodded and hugged her friend goodbye one last time before calling for Archie.
With her brother and Trinket in tow, she and Sebastian followed the Duke outside St. George’s church.
Once outside, Miss Grimsby took Archie’s hand. “We shall ride with Trinket in a different carriage, all right?”
Archie was already opening his mouth, likely to protest, when the Duke shook his head.
“There is no need,” he said. “Lord Archibald may ride in our carriage. You may take the carriage I arrived in.”
Archie tugged on his tailcoat. “Your Grace, you do not have to call me by my title. I am only seven, and I like my name, so you may use just that.”
The Duke only raised an eyebrow and nodded.
Verity’s heart softened. Still, she was glad he was allowing Archie to ride in their carriage.
“What about Trinket?” Archie asked as they set off towards the two carriages.
“What about him?” the Duke questioned.
“Well, Trinket never leaves me. I do not want to be without him.”
Trinket whined at Archie’s feet, as if he understood the threat of being parted from him.
The Duke looked at Verity, and she was unsure whether he wanted her to fix the problem or whether he was questioning the choice he had made. Trinket ambled over to her and licked her hand, as if trying to convince her to argue in his favor.
Verity gave her husband an apologetic look, and he sighed, glancing skyward for a minute.
“Fine,” he exhaled exasperatedly. “Fine, the dog can ride with us.”
“Capital!” Archie cheered, throwing his arms around Trinket. “Did you hear that, Trinket? The Duke is letting you stay with me!”
Trinket gave a happy yip, and Archie shot off towards the carriage as his governess went to the other one. Verity followed, but not before she watched the Duke scoop up the St. Bernard as though he weighed nothing.
He gave her an impatient look, and she realized she had been staring, marveling at the ease and strength with which he handled the dog. She hurried into the carriage.
The Duke had barely set Trinket down and opened his mouth when the dog clambered onto the bench between Archie and Verity. He let out another exasperated sigh before sitting across from Verity.
As soon as he settled in, he instructed the driver to take off, all while scowling at Trinket, who sat proudly with his tongue hanging out.
“We will stay in London,” he said moments later. “It will make the search for Vincent easier.”
Verity nodded and opened her mouth to ask where they would start their search, but Archie cut her off.
“Has your hair always been silver?” he asked. “Were you born like that?”
“No, I was—”
“My mama told me I was born with lighter hair than this, but then it darkened a bit.”
Verity couldn’t help but bite back a laugh as the Duke blinked, as if wondering when he was supposed to answer.
“Ah, I see—”
But once again, he was cut off by her overexcitable little brother.
“Do you like your townhouse? I do. I have found it quite comfortable, but I did notice some rooms look unused.”
The Duke didn’t try to respond this time, likely guessing he was going to be interrupted again.
When Archie remained silent, the Duke opened his mouth to speak, only for the boy to ask another question.
“What is your favorite breakfast food, Your Grace? I like blueberry tart!”
“Archie,” Verity chided, pulling her brother back onto the bench, where he had leaned forward in his eagerness to question her husband. “Perhaps try not to interrogate His Grace.”
“But I am curious,” Archie insisted, all but ignoring her.
“I do like the townhouse, but I prefer the country estate,” the Duke answered.
Archie nodded impatiently, indicating that he was waiting for the answers to his other questions, but the Duke pointedly looked away.
Archie pouted. “Your Grace, I want you to be nice to my sister because she is the very best. Do not ignore her, as you have just ignored me. You must answer her questions, all right?”
The Duke looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. “I promise to protect you and your sister. You will want for nothing beneath my roof.”
“Can I climb trees?”
“That is up to your sister.”
“Can Trinket sit on the sofa with me?”
The Duke sighed. “You will be taken care of, Archie, and that is all you need to know. We will figure out the rest as it comes.”
“Good,” Archie said, satisfied, before turning to Verity. “He will be nice to you, I am sure.”
Verity grimaced, nodding. She placed her hand on her brother’s and smiled when he started talking to himself.
“When it comes to trees, you have to know which ones to climb,” he began. “Some are too weak to climb, and the branches will break, and then—”
Verity sighed and listened to him prattle on.
She caught the Duke’s eye, but forced herself not to look away, surprised that he did not either. She couldn’t help but feel drawn to him—his unusual hair and piercing eyes, the solemnness that only made her want to get closer to him and uncover his secrets—despite knowing he was hiding so much.
It is too soon to probe him, even if he knows something about Vincent that he should tell me.
As the carriage took them back to Whitestone House, she told herself that she would keep her distance and live independently in their marriage until it was time to search for her brother.
That was her only focus: finding Vincent.