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“Then trust me when I say your cravat isperfectlypositioned, folded, and tied and does not need any meddling with whatsoever.”
Arthur dropped his hands with a sigh, electing to stuff them in his pockets for the time being. “And you…”
“Have the rings in my pocket. The guests are arriving as scheduled when last I checked. Annabelle says everything is going smoothly for the bridal party.” David recited the list with an air of long-suffering and much put-upon exasperation. “Lydia is happy, and she has had her snack. Scarlett and Annabelle are keeping Nora occupied and relatively calm, the flowers are all in place, the rector is here already and getting ready, and there is absolutely nothing for you to fret over.”
“I might forget my vows.” He’d had a nightmare of doing just that only two nights prior.
“Then I’ll either whisper them in your ear, or you’ll make up new ones that will doubtless sound as if you’ve been practicing them night and day rather than inventing them on the spot, and all will be well. And Nora will likely not even notice, seeing as she’s almost as nervous as you.”
Arthur made a soft, disbelieving noise in the back of his throat but subsided, trying for a dignified calm rather than the nervous tension he currently felt.
He’d spent a month chafing under the slow passage of the days, impatient for his wedding day to come. Now it was the day he had waited for, and he wished for more time.
He was pulled from his thoughts by Samuel bustling into the small room off the main chapel, where he was waiting. “They’re almost ready.”
Nerves set butterflies fluttering through his gut. It was almost time…
The minutes crawled past like treacle in winter. Finally, his ears caught the sound of music, and it was time.
He marched out into the main chapel, Samuel and David flanking him as he tried to conceal his uncertainty behind a mask of calm and dignity. The seats closest to him held his mother, and the seats on the other side held Nora’s family—her mother, two sisters, their husbands, and her aunt Evelyn, who was also keeping watch over Lydia for the duration of the ceremony.
He took his place beside the priest, swallowing the urge to run for the door as the music changed.
Annabelle came first, then Scarlett, both beautiful in gowns of green with golden embroidery. And then, on her father’s arm…
Nora. A vision of glorious, breathtaking beauty in her gown of ivory and green silk, decorated with tracings of sky-colored and gold, her hair flowing in a shining wave over her shoulders, and her face radiant with joy.
David’s elbow reminded him to breathe, and he inhaled deeply, trying for an appropriately dignified expression, though he had doubts about his success. It didn’t seem to matter, however, his concerns about dignity and propriety fading away as Nora came to stand beside him.
“Who gives this woman in matrimony to this man?” The resonant tones of the priest echoed through the chapel.
He thought Nora might faint from happiness as her father replied. “I, Nelson Beaumont, father of the bride, do give her this day into the keeping of Lord Arthur Russell.”
Then their hands were being joined together, her soft fingers curled in his. Words blurred through the air, barely distinguishable through the pounding of his heart. As if from a distance, he heard the priest ask if there was anyone who objected to the match.
There was not. He had made certain that Ralph Huxley wasnotsent an invitation to the wedding or to the wedding breakfast and had furthermore instructed Bradstone and the other male servants in his employ that any appearance by Huxley would result in a quick removal from the premises, with a threat to call the guard if he chose to persist.
He feared for one moment that someone else might object, but none did. More words were spoken, and then he was murmuring his vows and sliding the thin gold band David handed him onto Nora’s finger.
Then she was speaking to him, words of love and acceptance and promises of fidelity that washed over him like a wave, heard but not truly registering, so lost was he in the blue of her eyes and the clear joy on her features.
He felt her slide the thin metal band onto the finger of his left hand, heavy with all the promises and devotion that lay between them.
A final blessing and the rector bade the witnesses come forward. The wedding record was signed, and his heart nearly burst from his chest at the sight of the delicate looping script inscribing ‘Eleonora Beaumont Russell, Duchess of Bedford’ across the page.
Then they turned to face the crowd, and the priest was proclaiming behind them. “Lord and Lady Russell, Duke and Duchess of Bedford!”
A quick, chaste kiss to seal the union, a far cry from all he wanted to do to show her his affection, and enough to make his trousers feel uncomfortably tight. Together, they walked hand in hand down the aisle amid the applause of their family, out into the sunshine.
* * *
Nora would have liked for the carriage to take them directly to the country home, so she and Arthur could enjoy their newly wedded status. The last month had been maddening for her, so close and yet unable to indulge in anything more than the most innocent of touches and light teasing kisses.
She suspected, from the heated look Arthur gave her, that he had similar feelings. However, there remained the wedding breakfast to attend. Only after that meal was concluded could they seek the solitude of the country estate.
It was a trial to keep her hands to herself when she wanted to kiss him until they were both breathless, to feel his strong hands caressing her... and more. She forced her thoughts away from the images that wanted to dance through them, knowing she would never survive the meal with her dignity intact if she did not.
Their arrival at the Bedford estate was a welcome distraction, allowing her to focus on exiting the carriage gracefully, then checking on Lydia, who had ridden with her aunt and the Dowager. After that, it was time to lead the rest of the wedding party into the house and direct them to the front receiving room for refreshments while she and Arthur took up their positions and prepared to welcome the rest of the invited guests for the first time as a married couple.
