Page 86 of Raising the Duke’s Unexpected Twins

When the guests arrived, all dressed in various Shakespearean characters with accompanying masks, it was all Cordelia could have dreamed of.

You would love this, Helen. This is just what you envisioned, I think.

They greeted guests at their new countryside manor, two hours from London, where the air was fresh, and she and Nicholas and the children could breathe easy and make their dreams.

She was delighted when her family arrived, her sisters and mother looking happier, healthier, and more well-dressed than since their father had died. Danae’s mouth was wide as she took everything in.

“What a wonder! Cordelia, Nicholas, you are masters at the craft of creating a masquerade ball.”

“You shall have to thank Mrs. Wright mainly, for her direction, and guidance of all the staff,” Cordelia said modestly. “She truly is an inspiration.”

“My wife is being modest,” Nicholas said, placing a hand on the small of her back. “She is the mastermind behind it all.”

Danae giggled and rushed off into the crowd, Emma rolling her eyes after her.

“Welcome, Mama. I hope you enjoy the night.”

“Of course we shall. What a delightful ball, and what a delight to see the two of you so gloriously happy,” she said, with a beaming smile, and then she too, left for the crowd.

Once the guests had all entered, she and Nicholas went to the front of the room, and Nicholas hit his glass.

“Welcome friends, family, and honored guests,” he said. “The duchess and I should like to honor our friends this evening. David and Helen, Lord and Lady Riverton. Helen especially loved a Shakespearean ball, and they were our dearest friends.” He looked to Cordelia, whose eyes were filling with tears. “Raise your glasses to them as we remember their kindness, good spirits, and zest for life. May we all be like them, and may we raise their children in a way that honors their legacy.”

“Hear, hear!” the crowd cried, and they all drank, Cordelia’s heart warming at the thought of her friend.

The musicians began, and Nicholas grabbed Cordelia, pulling her into the first dance.

“You will not be able to get away from me this evening, wife,” he said, pulling them into the waltz while other couples gathered around them.

She looked into his bright blue eyes. He wore a dark, well-fitting coat that stretched over handsome shoulders. His cravat was crisp white, but his boots were shiny black. His dark, beaded mask only made him look more devil-may-care. He had cut his hair in the last few months, but he continued to keep his roguish stubble, and Cordelia had grown to crave the feel of it against her skin.

In his arms, she grinned. “Whyever should I wish to get away from you?”

“To be a good hostess and greet our guests or whatever it is that good hostesses do.”

She laughed. “I am a duchess after all.”

“Yes, you are.” He spun her and then pulled her close again while music swelled around them. “You are my duchess and I your duke, and apparently, we look gloriously happy.”

She sighed, her fingertips making little swirls on the back of his neck, which she knew he loved. His darkening gaze told her so.

“I think that very true, although I should never wish for you to get a big head, my love.”

He shook his head. “It is already so, so you might as well admit it.”

The rest of the evening passed in a delicious blur. As promised, Nicholas did not stray far, and she enjoyed at long last feeling like she was leading her own life, no longer victim to the whims of money or evil men who wished to ruin her. Instead, she had a home, a loving husband, two beautiful children, and a life of satisfaction and contentment.

She was tired in a lovely sort of way as they waved goodbye to their final guests, those who were remaining having already gone upstairs to their beds.

“Let’s go check on the children,” she said with a yawn, taking Nicholas’s hand as they rose up the steps.

“Do you like the house, my love?”

“I adore it! As do Tim and Olivia. So much room to play.”

In the last few months, they’d gotten a dog too, who’d become entirely devoted to the twins. When she and Nicholas creaked open the door to the nursery to look upon them, the dog slept comfortably on the floor between the two beds. Nicholas wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed his chin to her shoulder.

“Are you happy, my love?”