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“Yates, better to show poor Rosaline the damage now.”
The butler opened the door and stepped back, giving Rosaline a view of the busy town street beyond.
“Ah…” Rosaline sighed, looking out at the rain that was pouring down. Whereas the day before there had been a bright blue sky and a golden sun, today, the rain was coming down hard, creating puddles in the street and turning the front stoop that led up to the door into a practical waterfall.
Where the carriage in the road waited for her, the footman hurried to set the roof in place on the phaeton carriage, to shield where she would sit.
“Autumn is indeed here,” Rosaline remarked. It was perhaps not the perfect wedding day when it came to the weather, but then she remembered just who she was going to meet.
Simon…
The last time she had seen him was in this very building the day before. They’d had a special goodbye, where he had stolen a quick kiss, far away from their chaperone. Rosaline could still feel the tingle of his lips pressed to hers.
‘Soon, we won’t have to say goodbye to each other again.’
He was right. It was worth getting through any weather to have that moment together.
“Oh well,” Rosaline stepped forward, making her tone buoyant. “I would go through a thunderstorm if it came to it. Besides, with the leaves beginning to fall, it might be quite beautiful, all those russet colors.”
“Beautiful and damp,” Chloe muttered. “Ow.” Rosaline looked round to see the Duchess had stood on Chloe’s toe to make her be quiet. “We best get you to the church, before I suffer any more injuries.”
They laughed together as they hurried toward the carriage, with Alfred standing by the coach and helping them all up one at a time. Once inside, they laughed together at how wet they already were.
Rosaline didn’t mind. She had never pictured a perfect wedding, never had she even thought she would have as grand a wedding as she was having now. Simon had been very particular in only wanting to invite the guests that mattered to them, so the party was to be small, yet his mother had urged him to invite her own guests too. The wedding had grown bigger and no expense had been spared on other matters, such as the flowers and the wedding breakfast.
Simon’s mother, who he had recently reconciled with after the argument with his father, had been most insistent that an earl should marry in style. That meant a grand church had been hired for the ceremony, and judging by what Rosaline had overheard, she suspected the wedding breakfast to be quite a spectacle in itself.
“Nervous?” Alfred asked as he took Rosaline’s hand. She held tightly onto her father’s palm, finding she needed the support just then.
“Yes, but also excited. Deliriously so.” Her words seemed to comfort Alfred, who smiled all the more.
“I hope he takes care of you,” he whispered, so low that only Rosaline heard him as the Duchess and Chloe continued to talk together.
“Take care of me?” Rosaline frowned, confused by this choice of words. “Who do I need protecting from?”
“Nothing, no one. I’m being silly. Ignore me.” Alfred shrugged off the matter. “So, what do you expect to be served at this wedding breakfast of yours?” he asked, lifting his voice a little.
“I have some ideas,” the Duchess said from across the carriage. “I believe the Dowager Countess is going to some lengths to secure something impressive.”
“Does that mean lots of saffron and spices? Or jewels on the table?” Chloe asked, smiling at her own jest. “I hope it is not the latter, I might struggle to chew them.”
Rosaline laughed hard before looking out of the window, trying to see some glimpse of the church.
I’m coming, Simon. Very soon, I will be with you, and we won’t have to part again.
Chapter 2
Simon
“How is that?” Simon asked as he stood back, staring in the mirror. His valet had long since left, having finished the cravat once, but Simon had fidgeted so much that he had quite knocked it out of place and had to start again himself.
“It looks a little…” Lord Felton put his head on the side as he looked at Simon in the reflection. “Like it has had a drink or two.” He pointedly leaned sideways in emphasis.
Simon hurried to redo the cravat as the Duke of Suffolk chuckled on his other side.
“Were you like this when you got married?” Simon asked, hurrying to tie the cravat. At one point he tied the material around his fingers and had to shake it loose.
“Me?” the Duke asked, controlling his mirth. “I wasn’t so bad. I managed to get dressed and knock a bowl of water over my shoes, so they had to be changed. If you want more stories of disaster, ask Leo what happened at his wedding.”
