Page 119 of Holding Onto Love

“Reg?” His eyebrows rose. “No. That’s the sort of slight he won’t even notice.” Then he’d grumbled, because evidently, he was hurt. “I would have asked Crispin, had he deigned to grant us his presence.”

She was hurt too by Crispin’s absence but mollified by Hazard’s arrival shortly after Jasper’s request. Hazard was clearly touched to be asked.

It had been a difficult but delightful few weeks. Jasper’s mother was not the ogre Vanessa had believed her to be. She didn’t apologize. And Vanessa did not allude to her long-ago spurning. Or the reason behind it. They simply started afresh, which was what Vanessa also preferred. Lady Taverston—“Beatrice,” but not “Mother,” thank goodness—gave her gentle pointers about the quirks of the house and its staff, and then moved quietly to the dower house a week before the wedding.

When Vanessa told her there was no rush, Beatrice said, “The dower house is more comfortable. The memories here…it’s too much. Besides, I’ll just be a stone’s throw away.”

Of course, Beatrice’s welcome had limits. She assigned Vanessa a guest chamber in a different wing than the earl’s apartments.

They respected propriety, despite their impatience to make up for lost time. They made love only once, out at the folly, a pretend medieval ruin a good long walk from the house.

They went out to the folly a second time, but someone had beaten them there. Fortunately, before they stumbled on the copulating couple, they heard them. Jasper looked shocked. He grabbed her hand and ran, pulling her along. When they were a decent distance away, he said, voice shaking with either horror or laughter, “That was Reg’s voice.”

“For pity’s sake. They’re married, Jasper.”

“Yes, I know, but you don’t understand. That was Reg!”

Georgiana and Reginald had arrived the day before, ten days before the wedding. There was no mistaking Georgiana’s interesting condition. Vanessa was glad the family’s focus turned to her. She wasn’t jealous of Georgiana’s place in the Taverston family: a duke’s daughter, exquisitely pretty, the very definition of respectability, and now the proud bearer of the first grandchild. She wasn’t even jealous that Jasper had tried courting Georgiana.

But, ridiculously, she was jealous of the easy-bantering friendship between Georgiana and Hazard. Evidently, even he had proposed to her once, which was absurd. In addition to all her other gifts, Georgiana was witty, and it was particularly evident because Hazard was too. Vanessa could appreciate wit, but it was not her own talent.

She confided in Jasper while they were walking in one of the gardens.

“She’s wonderful. I love her. I do. But she’s so perfect. And I don’t want to be crabby around her or people will think I hold a grudge because of you.”

Jasper laughed. “A ridiculous notion!” Then he’d wrapped his arms around her. “You are perfect.”

“I’m not—”

“Georgiana is perfect for Reg. You are perfect for me.” He gave her a loud kiss.

“Yes,” she sighed. “And I do know Hazard likes me, too. I suppose he appreciates seriousness sometimes.”

“Ah,” Jasper laughed, “he does. But for serious Hazard, you’ll have to fight Alice Fogbotham.”

“Alice?”

“Georgiana’s cousin. She’ll be here for the wedding.”

She gave him a long look. She didn’t mind that Georgiana’s cousin was coming but found it a little odd when the wedding was so small.

Jasper cleared his throat. “Actually, I asked Georgiana if I might invite her. To keep Haz company. Draw him out.”

“Draw Hazard out? What on earth?”

“It’s a very long story. Ask me another day. We’re out of sight of the house. I’m going to kiss you now.”

*

Suddenly, it was her wedding day.

Georgiana, Olivia, and the delightfully clever Alice Fogbotham helped her to dress, two maids hovering in the background, waiting to lend their hands.

When Vanessa was nearly ready, Beatrice appeared in the guest chamber. She was very composed and plainly beautiful in mourning black but with a yellow rose tucked into her widow’s cap. She put a sparkling pair of diamond earrings into Vanessa’s hand.

“These were a gift from Jasper’s grandmother on my wedding day. They were her mother-in-law’s before. I’d like for you to have them. You needn’t wear them today—”

“Oh, but of course I will!” A little awed by what the jewels represented, she stripped the silver bobs from her ears to exchange them. “Thank you, Beatrice.”