Page 180 of The Wallflower Takes All
“A proper one?”
Gabriel bowed slightly. “A very proper one.”
“With a house?”
“Several.”
“A ballroom?”
“I have not yet had confirmation.”
“Wine cellars?”
“Almost certainly.”
“Portrait galleries?”
“Likely.”
Lady Viva pressed one hand dramatically to her chest. “Oh, Poppy, darling, I may become interestingly ancestral.”
Algernon dropped his snuffbox. It landed on the carpet, burst open, and sent a small cloud of snuff across his polished shoe.
Freddie barked once, sharply, clearly approving the new order of things.
Algernon stared at Gabriel. “The Duke of Alderbury?”
Gabriel inclined his head. “So I am informed.”
“Your Grace,” Jenkins said, bowing.
The butler’s tone was perfectly discreet, but Poppy detected unmistakable satisfaction in it.
Gabriel looked faintly pained.
Poppy nearly laughed again.
Lady Viva swept forward and took Poppy’s face between her hands. “My darling girl. You shall be a duchess.”
“Mama.”
“A duchess,” Lady Viva repeated, softer now.
The glittering delight in her eyes shifted, and, beneath it, Poppy saw fierce, trembling relief tangled with remorse.
“You will be safe,” Mama whispered, tears filling her eyes.
“We all will,” Poppy said. “But you must let Gabriel and me decide what happens next.”
Lady Viva’s mouth trembled before she gave a true nod, quiet and stripped of performance. “I shall try.”
“I mean it,” Poppy warned.
“I know.” Mama kissed Poppy’s cheek. “You have kept things standing long enough, darling. I have complete faith in you.”
It was not a promise of perfection. After the hotel, Poppy no longer required one.
Gabriel stepped nearer. “The Grosvenor Square house may be opened immediately, if the documents are as Mr. Wetherby represented. Lady Montague, you may stay with us, of course. Or, if you prefer, we may discuss a nearby house of your own once matters are settled.”
