Page 99 of The Duke’s Wager

Nothing else existed.

Only her. The music stopped, the guests vanished. Edward pressed a hand against his heart.

She was a vision in white – far more beautiful than Aphrodite could ever hope to be.

She was everything. She was love personified.

The road to recovery had not been easy. There were, in all honesty, days when he almost believed that it would have been easier for him to die. The gunshot had narrowly missed his heart and, according to Lucy herself, he had spent days drifting between life and death.

No matter how difficult it had been, however, it was worth it. This one moment, with Lucy walking slowly towards him, made everything worthwhile.

His heart beat wildly in his chest as she made her way to him, and it took all his self-control to turn away from her and face the parishioner.

He repeated the man’s words earnestly the second he was allowed to turn back towards the love of his life.

Somewhere in the far-off distance, the parishioner spoke, pronouncing them husband and wife.

Edward did not hear a word of it. How could he, when no one other than her existed?

For so many years, he had been blind. He had believed that love made you weak. But it did not. It was love that made you strong, love that made life beautiful.

It vaguely registered to him that he was granted permission to kiss his bride, and he leaned forward gently, allowing their lips to meet in a tender caress.

“Lucy Lockhart, I love you with all my heart.”

He whispered the words as his lips left hers, and she looked at him with shining eyes.

Looking at his wife, he once again realized that their lives up until this moment had not been easy. They have both faced their share of darkness. But one thing was certain.

Going forward, their lives would only be filled with light – and love.