Marrying Mr. Darcy (Love Manor #2) - Kate O'Keeffe Page 0,93

“Congratulations on your nuptials, Emma.”

I raise my chin. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you to say.”

“Yes. Well. We will expect an heir before too long, you know. That is your role in the family now.”

Seriously, this woman lives in a freaking Dickens novel. I’m sure of it.

“We’ll get working on that just as soon as we can,” I reply, and Kennedy stifles a giggle beside me. “What?” I say to her under my breath. “I didn’t mean right this minute.” I smile at Geraldine and she looks at me as though I’ve just announced that I’m the leader of a Satanic cult and Sebastian is my latest recruit.

But you know what? I do not care. I will always try my best to be civil and inclusive of her, but gone are the days when I tried to impress her—and inevitably failed. As Mom said to me the day that lightbulb lit up in my brain and I went to go get my love, I will never let her opinion of me dent my love for Sebastian.

And anyway, if she wants to be a miserable old woman, then I’m gonna let her be just that.

“Emma, darling. Welcome to the family!” Jemima pulls me into a warm hug, and I breathe in her scent. “You make such a beautiful bride. Doesn’t she, Mummy?”

“She does,” Geraldine sniffs.

“Hello, Emma,” a voice says from behind me.

I turn from Jemima and Geraldine to see Jilly standing before me, looking as nervous as a mouse in a garden of cats. I smile at her and bring her into a hug. “I’m so glad you came, Jilly.”

“I’m glad I did, too. I know I’ve said it before, Emma, but I truly am sorry for everything I did. I-I should never have tried to steal Sebby from you. It was wrong of me. I can see how now much he loves you.”

“Jilly, you’ve apologized about a gazillion times, so quit it, okay?”

She gives me a shaky smile. “I’ll try.”

“Good. Who knows? You might meet one of those cute Texan cowboys while you’re here.”

Her face lights up, and I see a hint of the Jilly I once knew. “Called Maverick or Gunner?”

“Sure. Why not, now?” I reply with a good-natured shrug.

I collect her in a hug, I know the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart had wanted “Sebby” for years. Now, I just hope it moves on quick so Sebastian and I can get on with the important business of being happy.

“Did you like the climbing frame for Frank?” she asks me.

I think of the ridiculously huge cat jungle gym Jilly delivered to Martinston the day we left for Houston to get married. All I can say is it’s a good thing the ceilings are so high. The thing is massive.

“He loves it. Thanks, Jilly.”

“I thought it would be fun for the production company to film him climbing in and out of the tunnels when they start Saving Pemberley in a couple of weeks.”

“Oh, he’ll totally steal the show, I’m sure of it.”

I feel a sudden flutter of nerves.

After Sebastian insisted Jilly go to Heather McCabe with her tail firmly between her legs and tell her that she’d made it look like Chris and I were having an affair, Heather did some quick damage control with some new photos of Jilly lip-locked with Chris and a stream of loved-up images of Sebastian and me. One of the accompanying articles was about how I’d been lending an ear to poor Chris that day at the café. According to the article, he suffers from social awkwardness and finds it hard to understand women. I’m sure he was more than ecstatic to read that particular gem.

I may or may not have had something to do with writing that article, but my lips are sealed.

“But I brought Chris Hampshire back into Sebby’s life. I can never forgive myself for that.”

“Jilly, as I’ve said before, you didn’t know what Chris had done to Seb’s dad.”

That’s one good thing to come out of the whole mess. Sebastian opened up to his family and told them about his father’s relationship with Chris and how he had felt responsible for their loss of fortune. Everyone was shocked and told him he wasn’t to blame. Even Geraldine. But then, Sebastian is her favorite grandchild, so it makes sense.

“Let’s just enjoy today, okay?” I say to her hopefully.

She nods, attempting a smile. “Okay.”

“Can we please get out of this heat?” Geraldine says, looking uncharacteristically pink. “It