AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I am thinking for the both of us since you have clearly lost your mind. Who gets married in the middle of the night?"
"What day is it?" he suddenly asked.
"Er… Friday?" Edwina replied.
"Perfect!" He beamed down at her. "The parson is most certainly not asleep at this hour. He always studies late into the night on Fridays and Saturdays."
"You seem very certain." Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Well…" he looked slightly sheepish now, "he is afraid of owls."
"I beg your pardon?" Edwina’s mouth opened. "What has that to do with—”
"Elaine and I studied his daily agenda when we were children so we could get him alone at night and make owl noises outside his window to frighten him." Before Edwina could react to this pronouncement, he took her hand once more, leading her out of the study. "Now come along. We need to get married."
“Wait!” She stopped him. “Look at our dress. It is improper to leave the Mansion like this, much less get married.”
Albert closed his eyes. “I forgot. We will go and put some proper clothes on. Donottake long,” he warned.
She grinned. “I shall take my time, kind sir.”
They rushed up the stairs and parted before her door. “Do not take long,” he reminded her.
In the sitting room, she pressed her hand to her stomach, unable to believe what she was doing. She hurried into the dressing room and picked the first dress she saw, the dress she had worn to dinner that evening. It was a lovely one, and it would do for the occasion.
She slipped it on, but was unable to fasten the tiny buttons on the back. Nearly all of her dresses had buttons like that, thus changing was not an option. Huffing a breath, she put on her slippers and stepped out to meet Albert. He was pacing the hallway.
When he saw her, he sighed with relief. “I almost thought you changed your mind. What took you so long?”
She turned around to show him her bare back with the buttons undone. “I thought I could fasten these myself.”
He began to fumble with them, but in the end, he took her hand and pulled her down the hall. “We shall cover you with one of my coats.”
“But I have a cloak in my—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “I am not allowing you out of my sight until you bear my name.”
“Lud, Albert!” she giggled. He dragged her into his chambers where he fetched her a coat. She glanced at the large bed in the middle of his bedchamber and swallowed.
When they married, they might return to this room and consummate the marriage in that bed. Heat spread through her body. She started when he wrapped the coat about her shoulders. He kissed her neck. On their way out, they encountered Chessman.
“Oh, Chessman! Good to see you,” Albert said with a grin, which must have surprised the butler because his eyes widened a fraction. “I thought I would need to wake Rufus to stand in as a witness at our wedding but since you are here, you are coming with us.”
“You are marrying this night, Your Grace?” Chessman asked.
“Yes, why not?”
“My felicitations. I would be honored to stand as your witness.” Chessman began to grin, bowing to Edwina. She interpreted that as acceptance from him. Inclining her head as she had observed high-ranking noblewomen do, she smiled at him.
“Excellent. Come along then.” At the manse of the parson, Mr. Martins, Chessman preceded them to knock on the door. After a moment, his wife opened the door. She was still fully dressed, which told Edwina they were still awake as Albert had said. She appeared bewildered to find such a party at her doorstep at that hour.
“Good morning, Mrs. Martins,” Albert said. “We wish to be married by your husband.”
She curtsied. “Good morning, Your Grace. Mr. Martins just had tea and he is reading in his study.”
“Tell him we shall be awaiting him in the chapel,” Albert said.
“Yes, of course, Your Grace.”
