Vanity's Pleasure
Page 19
He brought the horse to a high stepping trot before it lowered its head to greet Lady Wilhelmina. Nigel reached down from the mount, sweeping her into his arms and seating her upon his lap as he took a slow trot around the back garden while he kissed her thoroughly and then deposited his lady on the back doorstep. She presented him with a silk scarf that he tied around his neck before galloping back up the hill to join her brothers for an early morning ride.
Will was frowning, but David only nudged his younger brother.
“You have to give it to him, that was rather romantic,” David said.
Will, still frowning, replied, “Yeah, it was. Well, he did promise to sweep her off her feet in grand fashion.”
Nigel joined the group, a full-blown grin on his face, “Let’s ride Mates!”
He took point as the group galloped over the hill. The morning ride was short. Showers, change of clothing and the need to have the entire family bussed over to the Keep for the wedding ceremony.
The wedding took place that afternoon, quietly, with little to no fanfare as Nigel and Vanity committed themselves to one another a second time. David Sr. was happy as he raised his daughter’s veil and kissed her cheek before once more, placing her hand in Nigel’s. Vanity’s brothers along with Arthur, Sir Roddy and Sir Thomas served as Nigel’s groomsmen. Halley, Jaelon, Khalea, Cookie and Phan served the bridesmaids to Lady Wilhelmina.
Everything almost went without a hitch until Lisbane started to throw a tantrum during the end of the ceremony. Nigel gave her a stern look but it was not enough to get her under control. The pretty pink frock she wore was about to be ruined as she made an attempt to throw her little body to the ground in a tantrum. Babette tried to carry her out, but she turned her little frame into a dead weight until Vanity had to stop the ceremony to address the child who was adamant that Nigel should marry her as well.
Lisbane protested, “I am part of the family too! He should marry me too!”
Vanity shrugged her shoulders as she motioned to Giles, who brought up a chair for the child to stand in. Nigel’s eyes were wide in disbelief.
“Are you bloody kidding me, Wilhelmina?”
Nigel pointed his finger at Lisbane, who had stopped crying as she held Wilhelmina’s hand. Her large blue eyes stared at him with love and adoration. A large grin upon her little face, showing off where she had lost a tooth. When the minister pronounced them man and wife, instructing Nigel that he may kiss the bride, Lisbane puckered up for her kiss as well. Nigel looked at the audience that began to clap as he bent to kiss her little lips.
Lisbane faced the small crowd and yelled, “Yeah! We are married!”
“Well, you can never say you will be bored as my husband,” she told him as he took her in his arms.
“I have not had a dull moment since I met you,” he said, as he lowered his head to kiss his wife, but his kiss was halted by the blowing of a horn.
A tractor trailer pulled up to the front of the Keep and rolled its way into the courtyard. Everyone was shocked at the interruption of the ceremony as the driver climbed down and began to unhook his cargo.
“Bloody Hell! What is the meaning of this blatant intrusion?” Nigel wanted to know.
“I have a delivery here for the Guv’Nah of Happytown, Nigel Strathmore eye vee. My instructions were to get it here before 3 pm. It is 2:56 and I got it here.”
Nigel corrected the driver, squinting his eyes.
“That is the Roman numeral four. Not the letters I and V,” Nigel said.
He also turned slowly to look at his wife, who seemed delighted at her jab at him. When the driver opened the rear door and lowered the gift, Nigel’s jaw dropped. From the back of the trailer rolled out a 2019 Silver Cadillac CTS with mag rims with a gigantic bow on it.
The Duke was all smiles as he looked at his wife.
“A modern piece of American beautiful,” he said with a grin.
Vanity stood at his side, “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“No, only to my wife.”
LADY JAYNE SAUNTERED slowly along the tables of food and walked upon David Sr. who turned and bowed over her hand, “Your Grace,” he said with his deep baritone. Even at nearly seventy years old, he was still a very dashing figure of a man with serious eyes and a toothy grin.
“Your children are absolutely wonderful people,” she told him. “I feel so blessed having your daughter as part of our family.”
“It does my old heart good to hear you say that Lady Jayne,” he said as he sipped at the glass of champagne, but he knew better. She wanted something. Never one to mince words he asked, “So, what would you like to know?”
“I want to know all of it,” she said as she placed her arm in his to guide him towards the family room.
“What do you mean?” He asked in all seriousness.
“I mean, my friend Elena was going to America to study music and her father was the newly appointed ambassador of Portugal. Then I heard she had run off with some black man and had gotten married and her father left the US in a scandal. So, I am asking, because she will not discuss it, what happened?”
David Sr grinned as he watched his wife sit down behind the Blüthner to play a song for the reception. All of these years later, she still had not lost her touch on the ivories. Today, she was equally as beautiful as she’d been years ago, during the height of the civil rights movement. He a young attorney freshly appointed in Washington, D.C. with a clientele only the history books would annotate upon his death. They were in love and willing to risk it all.
“I want to say it was a simple as two people falling in love during one of the most turbulent times in American history, but it was so much more than that. Because as you well know, that when Elena decides she wants something...”
-Fin-
Discussion Questions?
1. How many times have you been surprised when people have believed you to be one way and learn you were someone totally different?
2. Sometimes, as women, we have difficulty communicating our sexual needs to our partners. Did you understand Vanity’s fear?
3. We each have a public persona and private persona. Vanity was concerned that Nigel was in love with her public image. How did the two differ?
4. Nigel was patient as he taught his wife to trust him. Did you feel he gave her enough time?
5. Did you finally understand David’s relationship with his sister?
6. David Sr was not pleased with Nigel. Discuss some of the matters in which he took exception to a foreigner and why.
7. There were several large changes in Vanity throughout the course of the book. Discuss your favorite moment as her character came to terms with her new life.
How about some holiday cheer?
Santa’s Big Helper, Available December 24, 2014
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivia is a USA Today Best Selling and multiple award-winning author who loves a good laugh coupled with some steam, mixed in with a man and woman finding their way past the words of “I love you.” An author of contemporary romances, she writes heartwarming stories of blossoming relationships about couples not only falling in love but building a life after the sensual love scene.
2015 Swirl Award Winner, Best Erotic Romance, Thursdays in Savannah.
2017 IRAE Award Winner, Best Contemporary Romance, Wyoming Nights
2019 IRAE Award Winner, Favorite Series, The Men of Endurance
2019 IRAE Award Winner, Reader's Choice Award
2019 Nominee, Top Female Authors, The AuthorShow.com
When Olivia is not writing, she enjoys quilting, playing Scrabble online against other word lovers and spending time with her family. She is an avid world traveler who writes many of the locations into her stories. Most of the time she can be found sitting quietly with pen and paper plotting more adventures in love.
Olivia lives in Hephzibah, Georgia with her husband, son, grandson and snotty evil cat, Katness Evermean.
Learn more about her bo
oks, upcoming releases and join her bibliophile nation at www.ogaines.com
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Did you love Vanity's Pleasure? Then you should read Killers by Olivia Gaines!
Yunior Delgado has been inadvertently taken by a group of human traffickers who don't know who they have. One phone call to Saxton Blakemore and the wheels are placed in motion for the daring rescue.
In the wee hours of the morning, four technicians load up to collect the heir apparent, with telling results. The fixer, the tracker, and the retrieval agent are joined by a blast from both the past of Saxton and Mr. Yield.
The story deepens as Yunior begins to understand the man he is supposed to be, versus the man he believes walks in his shoes. At the end of the day, surrounded by Killers, his role as the impending Czar of the Americas unfolds incrementally as he tries on the loafers which are a perfect fit.
Read more at Olivia Gaines’s site.