Patience found herself staring into the garden, yet not seeing anything.
“It will all be fine,” Grace said. “I promise you. I will write you so often about the children you will feel as if you are here.”
“I know you will. The girls are in good hands.” Still, that wasn’t it, at least not all of it. “I have never managed my own home before. I will be expected to know things that I do not.”
Leaning over, Grace took Patience’s hands in hers. “You will learn, and Wolverton does not seem to be the type of man who will become angry with you, and I am always a letter away. Make allies of your housekeeper and cook. The rest will fall into place. I promise you.”
What Grace said was all true. She had witnessed Grace do exactly that before her marriage to Matt. Still, there was a fear she had not previously voiced, even to Richard. “What if I cannot give Richard an heir?”
Grace’s brows came together as they rose, wrinkling her forehead. “My mother was several years older than you are when she gave birth to Mary. Had my father lived, there would have been more children. As to their sex, that, my friend, is for God to decide.”
“You are right. I am worrying over nothing.” Still, her qualms would not go away.
Squeezing Patience’s hands, Grace said, “Your concerns are never nothing. These are things you had to give voice to in order to be able to work through them. I had my doubts before marrying Matt, yet our union has proved better than I could have hoped for. Speak to Richard.”
* * *
The evening before the wedding, Richard still had a strong feeling that something was wrong with Pae. Her stepson had told him about her first marriage, and even though the man had been dead for several years now, he had the strong desire to plant the old earl a facer. It also made Richard want to punish himself for not absconding to Scotland with Pae before her marriage to the man.
After dinner he suggested a stroll in the garden. The moon was full, and small lanterns twinkled throughout.
When they reached the rose arbor in the back, he wrapped his arms around Pae. “Will you tell me what is bothering you? Whatever it is, I will do my best to make it better.”
She took a shuddering breath and blinked as if she was holding back tears. “What if I cannot give you an heir? What if I only have girls?”
By not marrying her when they were young, he had caused her to suffer. He had, in truth, been responsible for the pain of her first marriage. “I vow to you that I will love and cherish all of our children, no matter their sex. All I have ever wanted is you by my side. Can you forgive me for not returning in time?”
“It is just like you to take the blame for something that was not entirely your fault. If I had not been so angry and hurt when you did not come home, I might have been able to talk my parents into allowing me to wait for you—”
He placed one finger over her lips. “With me not present, there was no way your parents would have allowed you to turn down an earl. Your father viewed my voyage as a way of escaping my duties at home.”
“I suppose you are right. It is time for me to stop blaming both of us and be thankful we found each other a second time.”
He coaxed her lips apart as he kissed Patience. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
* * *
The following morning Richard was more anxious than he had thought possible. Rubbing his hands down his black breeches for a second time, he asked his friend, “Do you have the ring?”
“Right here.” Bellamny patted the pocket on his vest. “You look as nervous as a cat.”
“Believe it or not, this is worse than being chased by headhunters. I’m terrified she will change her mind.”
“I know what you mean,” Worthington said with feeling. “But the children are here. She will not fail you.”
Yes, the children were there. They seemed to fill up the church. “What are the twins and Madeline wearing on their heads?”
Worthington gave an imperceptible shake of his head. “After the girls were stymied in their attempts to take a hands-on approach with the wedding plans, Grace and Patience allowed them to design their own bonnets.”
Richard had never seen anything like it. Not even his mother’s hats were so—so full. “I shall make a point of complimenting them.”
“I’d appreciate it if you did not encourage them. They were in the process of raiding the garden when Louisa and Charlotte suggested the girls use silk flowers and fruit instead of denuding the flower beds.”
The noise level began to rise and Richard glanced to the entrance. Pae had finally arrived. She wore a blue gown the color of her cerulean eyes, trimmed in darker blue ribbon. “She is exquisite.”
“I do not believe I have ever seen her happier,” Worthington commented.
