Chapter 28

Lady Theodora folded her arms. "You made Lucien attend a village meeting."Mabel smiled slightly. "He owns the village."Lady Theodora raised an eyebrow. "He does not own the villagers."Mabel nodded. "Exactly."Lady Theodora looked at her for a moment. "You are not what I expected."Mabel kept her voice dry. "Neither is pudding."Lady Theodora studied her. "I'm beginning to understand why he likes you."Mabel nearly dropped the glove box. Mabel kept her voice steady. "He has said that?"Lady Theodora smiled slightly. "He has said many things, mostly to himself while pretending to read."The wedding ceremony was held again, properly. Mabel had insisted that if she was to remain married, she deserved a celebration without a contract hidden in a drawer.The guest list included the railway workers, Jasper, Mrs. Crest, Aunt Prunella, the trustees, and nearly every lady who had once wanted Lucien. Lady Honoria arrived with a new poem; Mabel confiscated it at the door. Lady Caroline brought a portrait of the horse from the gallery.Lady Caroline held out the painting. "I thought you might appreciate it."Mabel took it. "I do. He has excellent judgment."Lucien wore a dark blue coat with silver embroidery; Mabel wore a rose-colored gown made by a seamstress who had listened to her: Mabel had told the seamstress she wanted to breathe, sit, and eat.When Mabel entered the ballroom, every head turned. The difference was that this time, she noticed: she noticed the admiration, she noticed the curiosity, she noticed the envy. She noticed the delighted shock of people who had assumed the Duke would choose a woman shaped like a portrait; they had discovered that he had chosen the woman who had challenged his accounts, protected his staff, saved his railway, and insulted his pudding.Lucien crossed the room toward her. Lucien stopped in front of her. "You were late."Mabel smiled. "I was eating."Lucien raised an eyebrow. "Before the ceremony?"Mabel nodded. "Especially before the ceremony."Lucien kept his expression serious. "I admire your priorities."Mabel looked at him. "You should. They include you."He offered his arm; she took it.At the altar, Reverend Thorne asked Lucien whether he accepted Mabel as his wife. Lucien glanced at the congregation, then he looked at the woman beside him.Lucien kept his voice steady. "I accepted her before I understood the question."Mabel whispered, "That is not a safe answer."Lucien smiled slightly. "It is an honest one."Mabel raised an eyebrow. "You're still breaking rules."Lucien nodded. "I have improved at it."When the vows were complete, Lucien kissed her in front of everyone. The kiss lasted long enough for Lady Honoria to sigh, Lady Caroline to applaud, and Mrs. Crest to tell a footman to stop staring at the cake.The catering business opened the following spring in a bright corner shop near the market. Mabel named it The Unobserved Pear. Lucien argued that the name suggested poor fruit supervision.

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