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Richard took another small sip of the cognac. “I have watched you over the past couple of weeks, and I know you care for Lady Eleanor very much. I have seen what the two of you have. I have seen the relationship grow.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but he held his tongue a moment. He wanted to protest that there was nothing between them, but that was not true, at least not for him. There was a desire to be with her, and he had trouble resisting her.

If it had been anyone else, he would take what he wanted, what he needed, but Nathaniel was his friend, and he had betrayed Nathaniel enough with what he had done.

“I shall speak with Lady Eleanor,” Gabriel said. “Still, there is not a lot of time for preparation.”

“And you are a man of great resource,” Richard said. “If you wish to give Lady Eleanor the celebration she deserves, then you are the man who can make that happen.”

“Yes, perhaps,” Gabriel said.

He didn’t need a large wedding celebration, and given the reason behind the wedding, he was sure Eleanor wouldn’t want to celebrate it. They were only getting married because they had been caught, and there was no reason to celebrate.

Gabriel brought his fist to his mouth, resting a knuckle against his lips as he pondered the situation. The fist hid the slight smile. Outwardly, there was no reason to celebrate, but inside, he was triumphant that he had claimed Eleanor as his.

Still, he must consider her somewhat.

In some ways, he was considering her, but not so much the wedding itself as what would come after. Once they were married and alone, he would do his duties as a husband, and from how Eleanor had reacted to his touch at the ball, he knew she wanted that as much as he did.

Though he had also seen the look on her face when they had almost been caught: the horror, shock, and regret. In the moment, she had been his, but with some clarity, her feelings had changed. He couldn’t say for sure what she truly wanted.

“You only have days to prepare, but that still gives time for preparation,” Richard pointed out. “There is a lot that can be done in only a few days. Still, I understand your eagerness. Lady Eleanor is a fine woman.”

“She is,” Gabriel admitted, without telling his uncle the real reason. Only he, Eleanor, and Fairfax knew the truth.

Make sure Eleanor enjoys her Season. Not survives. Enjoys.

The first line of the list came to Gabriel. Perhaps he had not followed that line as well as he could have, but she had certainly enjoyed parts of her Season.

Gabriel would carry that through into their marriage. Perhaps she didn’t love him, and she’d watched her parents live a loveless marriage, but she could still enjoy her marriage and her life. Gabriel could still give her that.

He wanted Eleanor, and he would make her happy.

CHAPTER 25

“There must be lots of flowers,” Charlotte told Eleanor. “The gardeners will know which flowers are in season, but I have been to so many weddings over the last three years where those are not the top choices. I believe it is no longer fashionable to use seasonal flowers. I can check for you.”

“I don’t…Yes, perhaps,” Eleanor replied. “I will be happy with any flowers we have at the breakfast after the wedding. There must be flowers at the wedding, but I don’t need them to be fashionable.”

“Oh, Ellie,” Charlotte said. “It is admirable that you don’t think about it like that, but you must think of what people will talk about. You don’t want to give them something to talk about at the wedding.”

I could give them something to talk about if they knew the reason for the wedding.

Eleanor looked around the grand hall at the duke’s residence. It was where they would host the wedding breakfast. Eleanor had accepted the proposal with no expectations. The duke had already done enough to help her.

Yet, he had given her more.

“His Grace asked me to talk to him about anything I wanted for the wedding,” Eleanor told her friend. “He has informed me that I can have anything I want at the celebration.”

“As he should,” Charlotte said. “This is your wedding as much as his. It will be the best and biggest day of your life, and you should have whatever you want. You must ask for the best of everything.”

“I am getting more than I deserve,” Eleanor replied.

“Ellie!” Charlotte gasped. “His Grace asked for your hand after only spending a few weeks with you. He fell for you quickly, and it is easy to see why. Any man who spends time with you would surely fall in love. His Grace wants you for his wife, and you must have what you want in return.”

“I don’t…” Eleanor smiled. If she told anyone what had happened with the duke that drove them into marriage, it would be Charlotte, but she still didn’t dare. She couldn’t tell anyone. “It will be a splendid day.”

“Of course, it will,” Charlotte gushed.