Caroline looked up at him, her eyes bright with amusement. “Are we not?”
“Well,” he amended, “we are in some rush. But I am willing to be patient. For a few weeks.”
“How generous of you.”
“I thought so.”
Lewis shook his head, but there was something almost fond in the gesture. “I will leave you both to discuss the details. Try not to scandalize my household any further while I am gone.”
He left, closing the door behind him with a quiet click, and Anthony was alone with Caroline in the study. She looked at him, her expression softening, and he pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her waist.
“That went better than I expected,” she said.
Anthony arched a brow. “He threatened to shoot me. I would call that a qualified success.”
Caroline chuckled, her cheeks resting against his chest. “He would never actually shoot you.”
“I am not entirely convinced of that.” He kissed her forehead, then her temple, then the corner of her mouth. “But I am willing to take the risk.”
She smiled against his lips. “You are impossible.”
“You have mentioned that before.”
“And I will keep mentioning it. For the rest of our lives.”
“Good,” he said, and kissed her properly. “I would not have it any other way.”
Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER
“You are going to crush the bouquet.”
Caroline loosened her grip on the white roses, though her fingers still trembled. “I cannot help it.”
The door opened, and Lewis stepped inside. He stopped when he saw her, and something shifted in his expression. His features showed the particular ache of a brother realizing his sister was no longer the girl he had raised.
“You look beautiful,” he said quietly, and her throat tightened. He crossed to her and took her hand. “I am sorry. For trying to choose your husband for you. For nearly losing you because of it.”
Caroline struggled to speak past the knot in her throat. “You did not lose me. You are my brother. And you let me marry the man I love.”
Lewis’s eyes softened. “He loves you. That is all that matters.”
“The guests are waiting,” Esther said softly.
Lewis offered his arm. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
The doors opened. She saw Lady Hayward in the front row first, and then she saw Laura beaming. She saw a sea of faces that quickly dissolved into nothing because…
Then she saw Anthony.
When their eyes met, his composure cracked, and she saw the same raw want from the night he told her he loved her.
When they reached the altar, Lewis placed her hand in Anthony’s. “Take care of her.”
Anthony’s expression was somber. “With my life,” he promised.