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Chapter Twenty-Three
Byron wished people would just do the job he paid them to do instead of arguing with him every step of the way. The priest and shop owner kept questioning the need to have the wedding in a clothing store. The whole thing baffled him. He wasn’t asking them to do anything illegal or immoral, and yet, one would think he was. Why couldn’t they just be happy with getting paid? If he put up this much protest when his clients wanted him to do something, he would be fired. But he didn’t protest. He always did the job he was paid to do. It was beyond frustrating that he couldn’t get the same respect from the people he was paying.
If he hadn’t wanted to marry Eleanor, he would have found her someone else to marry. Off the top of his head, he could think of a couple of good gentlemen who would be good to her. They didn’t have a title or wealth, but they were better off than he was. But he did want to marry her. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to be with her. If he didn’t marry her, he was going to regret it.
He didn’t think she would mind a marriage to him all that much. She had assured him that she knew what she was getting into, and she seemed fine with it. So why not put aside logic for once in his life and follow his heart? Eris had done that when she married Charles, and she was happier than ever. Why shouldn’t he do something that would make him happy as well?
He ended up using almost all of the money he had to convince the priest and shop owner to allow the wedding to happen. He would have to get right back to work after he and Eleanor returned to London, but it would be worth it to be with her.
“I suppose having a wedding in here wasn’t so bad, after all,” the priest said after the wedding was finally over.
The shop owner rolled his eyes but counted the money Byron had given him for renting the space.
Byron gave Eleanor the hat he’d bought her so the Duke of Winnett would assume they’d only gone into the store to do some shopping. Byron had taken all of the precautions he could think of. If the Duke of Winnett saw through the ruse, there was nothing he could do about it.
He didn’t know about Eleanor, but the whole experience left him in a foul mood. In an effort to cheer them both up, he decided to buy her some flowers from a woman on the street who had a cart full of them. Not only did the woman appreciate it, but he noticed that Eleanor’s eyes lit up as he gave the bouquet to her.
“If you hang those upside down, you can keep them forever,” the woman told Eleanor. “They’ll dry up, but the petals won’t fall off. Then you can put them in a vase where they will remind you of this day for as long as you live.”
“Thank you for the idea,” Eleanor said. “I think I’ll do as you suggest. It would be nice to have a keepsake of this day.”
Byron’s mood improved considerably. He didn’t care if the hat lasted, but it would be nice to see those flowers with them throughout the years. The woman selling them had been much more pleasant than the other people in this town. And Eleanor looked far happier with the flowers than she had with the hat, anyway.
Byron scanned the people before he escorted Eleanor across the street. He didn’t see any signs of the Duke of Winnett. That didn’t mean the duke wasn’t watching them. It just meant Byron didn’t see him.
“You know what I love most about flowers?” Eleanor asked. “Even though they’re small, they have so much detail in them. When I was younger, I used to collect all the flowers I could find and compare them to each other.”
When they were on the other side of the street, he took a moment to peer into the flowers. “I used to only think they appealed to ladies because of their color and smell.”
“Those things are nice, too.” She smiled. “You didn’t have to get these for me, but I’m glad you did.”
He returned her smile. “When we get to the inn, I’ll ask the innkeeper if he has any vases we can put them in.” He slipped his arm around hers and walked her to the inn.
As it turned out, the innkeeper was more willing to lend them a vase than he’d been to talk to the priest. For that, Byron was relieved. He didn’t think he had it in him to engage in another argument.
Byron carried the vase up to the room and set it on the small table close to the window. While Eleanor poured water into the vase, he checked the room to make sure no one had been in it while they were gone. There was no key to secure the room while they’d been gone. Anyone could have slipped in here. At least there was a lock from inside the door. He tested it to make sure it held in place when force was put on it.
“If you’re trying to get out, you should remove the latch locking the door in place.”
Noting the teasing tone in Eleanor’s voice, he turned from the door and looked at her. She giggled then went back to arranging the flowers in the vase.
His lips curled up into a smile, and he approached her. “You enjoyed that joke, didn’t you?”
She glanced his way and laughed harder. “I know you’re being careful, but sometimes I think you’re overdoing it.”
He considered arguing that he was only doing what was prudent, but she would probably see through the lie. He might as well come out and admit the truth. “I am doing more than I usually would. I don’t want to risk losing you.”
She stopped chuckling and turned to him. “You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.” He wasn’t prone to physical affection, but he felt the urge to draw her into his arms, so that’s what he did. “I want to keep you safe with me.”
Her face brightened as she put her arms around his neck. “Does that mean you care about me?”
“I don’t just care about you; I love you. I meant every word I spoke in the vows. I gave you my name, and I’m going to carve out a place for us where we’ll always be together.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Now, I’m not saying it’s always going to be easy. I work long hours, and sometimes I’m out all night. Also, there will be no servants to do the housework for you. You’ll have to cook and clean and take care of the children. But I will dedicate my life to doing the best I can to provide for you and our children, and my heart will always be yours.”
