Gabriel turned as Demon strolled up. His cousin looked disgustingly pleased with himself; Gabriel reasoned that Demon was yet too newly wed for his expression to ease into the deeply content expressions Devil and Vane now habitually wore. Richard was harder to read, but the glow in his eyes when they rested on Catriona was equally revealing. Gabriel knew a vain hope that he would not be quite so easy to read. "Almost." He turned back to the window. "Add the guests inside and it'll still be a goodly crowd, but hopefully we'll make it away in reasonable time."

"Where are you headed? Or is it a secret?"

"Only from Alathea." Briefly, Gabriel outlined his plans to whisk Alathea off on a quick tour of the shires, visiting cities like Liverpool and Sheffield that she'd never visited before but that featured prominently in his business dealings.

"We'll end by going directly to Somersham for this summer celebration our mamas have planned."

"Miss that at the risk of your life-or worse."

Gabriel grinned. "Richard's obviously taking no chances." He nodded to where his cousin's black head was bent over his wife's fiery locks.

"Not on any count," Demon agreed. "He says they'll be on the road north the day after the celebrations. He's not at all sanguine about having Catriona traveling in the condition she'll be in then."

"I'm sure Catriona will have everything precisely planned. Even if she hasn't, she'll just pass a decree and matters will fall out as she wishes-comes of being Lady of the Vale."

"Hmm. Still, I can understand Richard's feelings."

Gabriel glanced at Demon, wondering if that meant…

Before he could form a suitable question, Alathea appeared.

She swept into the room, and his heart stopped. She'd changed into a traveling gown of watered mulberry silk, the high upstanding collar a frame for her hair, rich and lustrous in the afternoon light. Her mother's pearls were coiled about her throat, the matching drops in her ears. She wore no other decoration, acquiescing to his anathema toward anything covering the glory of her hair. No other decoration except for the three white blooms fixed in a spray trailing over one breast, a filigree gold ribbon looped between.

They were the flowers from her veil, the flowers he'd sent her that morning, with another note even simpler than his last.

I love you.

That was all he'd wanted to say, but he knew as only a Cynster could that he'd be looking for ways to tell her that for the rest of his life.

She scanned the room, saw him, and immediately smiled. Her fine eyes bright, she glided to his side.

Gabriel raised a brow as she slid her hand onto his arm. "Ready?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "We have to give Augusta and Jeremy a few more minutes."

Not even that news could dim his anticipation; he knew his wife well enough to know the younger Morwellans would not have stepped over the line. All he wanted to do was to leave, and have her to himself again.

Flick, Demon's young wife, joined them in a froth of blue skirts, face animated, her eyes lit with an inner glow-an inner glow, Gabriel suddenly realized, now he'd grown accustomed to the sight in Alathea's eyes, that all the Cynster brides shared.

Interesting.

"Come on!" Flick claimed Demon's arm. "It's almost time for them to leave."

"Why are you so afire?" Demon asked. "It's not as if you need to catch any bouquets."

"I want to see who does." Flick tugged. "The steps are filling up."

Demon gave a little ground, looking back at Gabriel. "Where's Lucifer?" His demonic grin surfaced. "Thought I'd give him a little advice."

Gabriel scanned the crowd, then lifted a brow at Demon. "I suspect he's already fled."

Demon snorted. "Fool!" He cocked a brow at Gabriel. "Care to wager it'll do him no good?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Some things are meant to be."

Demon acknowledged the comment with a swift smile and a nod, then surrendered to Flick's impatience.

Gabriel turned his gaze on Alathea, and simply smiled. After a moment, she looked up at him. "Ready?" he asked.

She held his gaze. "Yes."

"At last." He covered her hand where it lay on his sleeve.

They walked out of the room, out of the house, and set out on a journey to last the rest of their lives.