Chapter Thirteen
When Harriet entered the drawing room she took a deep breath. This was it and there wasn’t a thing she would change. What she hadn’t been prepared for was the fact her mother and father were there. The bishop was there as well, but he was performing the ceremony.
Walking past them, with just a hand squeeze to her father, Harriet proceeded to where Lucien and the bishop were standing. Lucien looked handsome as ever. He wore a dark-gray suit, was freshly shaved, and as she neared he smelled of wintergreen.
“Good morning, gentlemen. Are we ready?”
“Indeed,” the bishop said. He cleared his throat to signal to everyone it was time to begin.
In the background, Harriet heard her mother’s whispers but chose to ignore them. She hoped her mother would settle in and stay quiet.
Blocking out any outside noise, Harriet focused all her attention on Lucien and the ceremony. If it weren’t for the fact she knew what was going on, Harriet still felt that it was all a dream.
They repeated their vows and before she knew it, Lucien was placing a ring on her finger before the bishop deemed them husband and wife. Lucien leaned in and kissed her, sealing them together forever. In the background, the marchioness could be heard sobbing.
“The bishop has some papers for us to sign,” Lucien said. “Then we can all proceed to the dining room.”
Harriet looked up at him and nodded. She seemed to be at a loss for words suddenly.
Lucien tucked his arm around her waist and guided her to a table on the other side of the room.
The bishop explained to them what they were signing.
One of course was a book the church kept on who married and when.
Finishing that, all was official, they were husband and wife.
Lucien, Harriet, and the bishop all walked to the dining room then.
Everyone was seated and Harriet took a second to admire the room.
It had turned out splendidly if she said so herself.
Most all the flowers had come from two separate gardens: Arthur’s, and Lucien’s parents’ London home.
The remainder came from a shop in London the duchess used exclusively.
The results were beyond her expectations.
They sat at the middle of the table and their guests on either side.
Lucien’s mother to Harriet’s left, and her father to Lucien’s right.
Her mother was next to her father and the same with the duke.
Everyone was family now and rank didn’t exist. At least for this occasion.
It was what she and Lucien wanted, and it seemed to be working, though with the occasional sniff from her mother’s direction.
Harriet had warned Lucien beforehand her mother would play her act to the maximum.
“This has turned out beautifully,” Harriet said to the duchess. “You and Daphne thought of everything with such a short time to prepare.”
“Lady Daphne has an excellent staff and that made all the difference.”
“It does,” Harriet replied.
The wedding breakfast went smoothly. It was just what Harriet wanted. Not over the top, but still the best.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve eaten about everything I can manage. It was delicious,” Lucien said.
“I agree,” she replied.
“I know you’d like to visit with everyone, but we need to go.”
“Where are we going?”
He smiled. “That’s the mystery, my love. You will have to guess,” he said.
“I’m not good at guessing and if we need to get started, I suppose we should.”
Lucien stood up and picked up his glass of champagne. He thanked everyone for coming on their behalf and explained they had a journey to start.
Harriet and Lucien separately said their goodbyes to everyone. She noted her father speaking with Lucien. At about that time her mother came up to her, and Harriet held her breath for the worse.
“You should have called on me to help.”
“Sorry, Mother, it was short notice,” Harriet tried to explain.
“It doesn’t surprise me. You never listened about the correct way to do things.”
“I’m going to ignore that comment. Thank you for coming, Mother.”
“That’s all I get?”
“What are you talking about? Harriet inquired. She was going to lose her patience if they didn’t get out of here.
Rather than get penned in, her mother chose to change the subject. “I don’t know why you wore that dress when I’m sure you have a more appropriate one available to you.”
Her mother suddenly took her hand and stared at the dark-green, emerald ring Lucien had given her, along with a thin band of gold. “I can’t see why he gave you this ring. There’s nothing likeable about it.”
“The ring belonged to his paternal grandmother; that’s why he gave it to me.”
Her mother was about to say something, but Daphne approached. “I’m supposed to be taking you to your husband. He’s ready to go.”
“Yes, and he’s being very mysterious about where we’re going,” Harriet said.
She kissed her mother on the cheek. “I’ll let you know when we’ve returned.
“We can catch up over tea,” she replied.
Harriet acknowledged the invitation with the nod of her head, turned, and began walking towards Lucien. Her husband. That sounded so strange, something she never anticipated would ever happen to her, but now here she was—married.
Lucien met her halfway. “We need to get going.”
“Yes, I’m ready,” she replied.
They climbed into the carriage and said their goodbyes once more out the open window. Once they pulled away, Lucien closed the window and sat down next to her.
He gazed at her for a moment before leaning over and kissing her passionately. It left them both breathless. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look today, wife?”
“No, but keep the compliments coming.”
He snorted and smiled. “You do have a wit about you.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.” He pulled her closer. She smelled so feminine. “You might as well remove your hat and get comfortable.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” She removed the hatpins keeping it secure. Taking the hat off, Harriet threw it across the carriage to the empty seat.
“I have something to confess,” Lucien began, “because of the Prince of Wales’s new order and one other we’re going to spend time together at my estate in Gloucestershire rather than go to the coast. Are you okay with this?”
“Yes, though I’m disappointed you’re going to work.” She stuck out her bottom lip as though she were sulking.
“You see, my love, everyone thinks that’s where we’re going. To Somerset. I thought it’d be easier if the prince and others thought we were on the coast. Only a few know of my estate in Gloucestershire as I recently purchased it.”
“Is this where we’re going to live when we’re not in town?” Harriet inquired.
“Yes, I thought it perfect for us. The moment I saw it, I knew it was ours.”
Leaning over to kiss her, Lucien was unexpectedly surprised when his wife playfully bit his lower lip. She giggled at her boldness. He tried again, and this time she melted into his kiss. She mimicked what he did, knowing nothing of being a lover to her husband.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she replied.
“I did something for when we arrive. I gave the staff the afternoon and evening off. The stablemaster who came with Onyx will be the only one on the estate.”
“You did?” she asked. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
“I wanted our wedding night to be just the two of us.”
She knew things occurred on a couple’s wedding night. The marriage was usually consummated, and she would no longer be a virgin. She hoped he wouldn’t be one of those men who only came to his wife’s bed to satisfy his carnal needs.
“I wouldn’t think there would be anyone else,” she said.
“If staff were there, they’d be listening at what we were up to. Just the curiosity of it all,” he replied.
She stifled a yawn. “Do you mind if I lie down? I didn’t sleep well last night and find myself getting sleepy from the movement of the carriage.”
Lucien patted his hand on his thighs and helped her get comfortable.
He threw a blanket over her to keep her warm.
Putting his hand on her shoulder, Lucien closed his eyes as he found himself nodding off as well.
This was the closest they’d ever been and he knew she was nervous.
He would be gentle. He wanted her to believe sex was something special between a man and woman.
They both fell asleep and failed to wake until the carriage stopped in front of the house. The sky was turning dark like either a storm was coming or it was later in the day than she thought.
She let Lucien help her down from the carriage as the footman had been busy unpacking their trunks and placing them inside the door. Harriet went to the front door and opened it. She walked into a darkened grand hall.
Lucien entered not far behind her. “Let me see if I can find some lamps. We’re going to need them.”
Nodding, Harriet found the grand staircase leading up to the public and family rooms. She decided to stay put until Lucien came back.
He was carrying two lamps when he found her. Both put off quite a bit of light giving her a better idea of what the house looked like.
“I’m surprised the staff didn’t leave lights lit and a couple of fires to warm the evening air.”
“There’s a fire in the drawing room if you’d like to go there,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, I’ll follow you to wherever you’re taking us.”
“Our bedchamber,” he replied.
At the top of the stairs, Lucien lit the second lamp and left it on a table while he took his new wife by the hand and led her to their bedchamber. To his surprise there was a fire lit in the hearth, making the room warmer than the other parts of the house.
“I can’t wait to go through the house tomorrow,” she announced.
“That’s one of the first things we’ll do. The staff will be back, and I can properly introduce you to the butler and housekeeper at least.”
“You should check on Onyx first thing. I know you’re worried about him,” Harriet said.
A loud crack of thunder rumbled across the sky. “I guess we got here just in time.”
“Hopefully the storm will have moved on by morning,” Harriet said.
“If it doesn’t, it’ll just keep us indoors, and I’m sure we’ll be able to find something to occupy our time.” Lucien smirked at what he said.
“Lucien!”
He chuckled and found a bottle of champagne he’d asked to be chilled next to a table. In fact, there were two bottles rather than the one he’d requested. He noted on the table there was a simple meal they could enjoy together.
Picking up two glasses and a bottle, he joined her on a settee in front of the hearth. He poured the cold champagne and handed her a glass. Lifting his glass, he made a simple toast. “To us.”
“To us,” Harriet parroted. She took a sip of champagne, having forgotten how it tickled her nose.
Lucien leaned in and kissed her. “Wife. I never thought I’d find myself such a loving, caring bride. You’re going to make a dazzling duchess when the time comes.”
She snorted but not before Lucien burst out in laughter. “What? What’s so funny?
“Dazzling duchess?”
“You don’t approve of my choice of words?” he asked.
“Of course, I do. It’s just something I never expected them to come out of your mouth.”
“Just you wait, my love, just you wait.”
He silenced her with another kiss.