Chapter 20
“Do something, Robert,” Edward called out to his son as the constables moved forward to arrest him. There was a desperation in his voice, but the younger gentleman did not return the same sense of urgency.
“Robert!” Edward shouted again, so furious that the veins in his face began to bulge. “What are you doing just standing there? Do something!”
Robert let out a long sigh, as though he had finally reached his breaking point. He stepped forward once, and Duncan wondered if he was going to try to intervene.
It would be a useless thing, Duncan thought to himself.
Edward had gotten himself into a terrible situation, and there was little chance of him walking away from it untouched.
He anticipated Robert trying to play the hero, but to his surprise, the man just shot Charity a final glance and then began to retreat with his hands in the air.
“Robert. Robert!” his father called out behind him, his anger giving way to surprise and then horror that he was going to have to face the consequences of his own actions, as no one was coming to save him now.
“Sir,” the first constable said, “you are under arrest for disturbance, threats, and refusal to cooperate while we investigate a serious allegation. You will come quietly, or you will be carried.”
The constables began to move Edward towards the door now, “Come with us, sir. There is little use in resisting your arrest.”
Edward shouted, and struggled as he was dragged away.
But finally, the door closed behind him and there was finally a sense of relief in the chapel.
The guests, who had been watching on with great anticipation, finally let out a sigh of relief.
But more importantly, Charity came running towards Duncan, and at once, she wrapped herself around him in an embrace.
It was rare for her to act this way, let alone in the presence of others. Duncan could not hide his surprise but at the same time, he could not help but embrace her back.
The softness of her skin and the manner in which she had leapt towards him made something inside of him unravel. It was as though a dam had broken, and emotions that he had long tried to suppress were now pouring out of him without him having any sort of control over them.
“Breathe,” Duncan said to her, holding her close. He could feel other people’s gazes on him, but propriety was the least of his concerns at the moment. All he wanted was to ensure that Charity was fine.
I love her.
The realization struck him like a thunderbolt, and he held her closer to him.
“Charity…” he said, putting his fingers on her chin to make her look up at him. The difference in their heights was about a footlong, and it was the ideal distance where he could just swoop down and…
Kiss her.
Duncan acted before he could stop himself.
A moment later, his lips were on Charity.
Thankfully, they were hidden behind one of the chapel columns, and the guests had congregated on the other side of the room so their moment was not immediately on display, unless someone peered behind the column.
But it shocked Duncan that even if someone were to see them, he did not care.
The only thing that he cared about right now was just how good she felt in his hands and how she was kissing him back. Their kiss was chaste, though it was not without passion. For Duncan, it was confirmation that whatever he had felt for her was real.
I cannot lose you again, he thought, and pulled her closer to him. She did not protest, and when they broke apart from their kiss, he rested his forehead against hers.
“Oh… my,” Charity said, gathering her breath. It was as though she was just realizing what had occurred between them.
“Did you wish to take it back?” he asked, immediately curious. The last thing he wanted was for her to regret kissing him, though it had not seemed like that. Still, it was hard to tell.
“Take what… the kiss, you mean?” she said, and Duncan looked down to see her cheeks burning as she said the word. He could not help but smile at just how adorable he found the sight to be.
“Yes, I do not think you would want to take your uncle’s arrest back,” he said and kept watching her.
Charity took a step back and began to look around the room.
“I don’t think anyone saw,” Duncan said, understanding the look of worry in her eyes. In society, it was a woman who had more to lose when it came to her reputation.
And even if they did, it does not matter. Because we are to marry.
Duncan did not say those words out loud because he realized that perhaps that did not hold true anymore. Now that her uncle was out of the picture, she no longer had to marry him to protect herself.
“What are you thinking?” Charity asked, observing him now.
“I am thinking you should sit down,” Duncan said, keeping his tone practical. “Your legs are shaking.”
“They are not,” Charity said.
“Charity,” he warned. “Sit down, and get yourself a drink of water. I will take care of everything else.”
She looked at him, and then towards the altar where not too long ago the two of them were about to take their vows. No one made any attempts to move towards it, and with constables still lingering outside the estate, it was perhaps decided that the wedding… for the time being…had been called off.
“Please, have another sip of water,” Alethea pushed the glass in front of Charity’s face, who politely shook her head.
“I am fine, please,” she said. Her friends had brought her back inside the estate, and they were inside of her bedchambers. Towards the door, Matilda and Augusta lingered with worried expressions. “It’s fine now, let’s not worry anymore.”
Augusta took a few steps towards her sister, hesitantly, “Are you certain about that? I did not expect Uncle to show up and make such a mess, though I suppose this is not out of character for him to do so. Of course, he could not stand the idea of you marrying someone who was not Robert.”
As Augusta was narrating the events back, it felt as though it related to someone else entirely. It did not feel as though Charity had just lived through what she had.
“I still cannot believe that this happened,” she admitted quietly to Temperance, who was the closest to her in terms of proximity.
“That’s because you are in shock, dear,” Temperance took her hands into her own, and squeezed them gently.
“I do not blame you, for if it was me in your position I would have been a sobbing mess. You’re handling it a lot better, considering that you were interrupted so rudely on your own wedding day. ”
“That’s the part that I’m still trying to wrap my head around,” Charity admitted.
“I beg your pardon?” Temperance raised an eyebrow in surprise. “The wedding, you mean?”
Charity nodded, biting on her lip. She had gotten so close to being married to Duncan, and then it did not happen. Her fingers round her rosary again, looking for relief.
“You don’t think…” she started, hesitating. Temperance gave her an expression of encouragement. “Well, it sounds rather silly when I say it out loud. But you don’t think… that the interruption was a sign?”
“A sign for what?” Temperance knitted her eyebrows together.
“A sign that our wedding should not take place.”
Temperance gave Charity a look as though she had gone crazy, “surely you do not believe in such superstition.”
“My life has been so absurd as of late that I’m wondering if I should start,” Charity sighed. In earnest, her mind was all over the place. “Maybe I will have some more water,” she said, louder so that Alethea could listen.
“Yes, of course,” Alethea had furnished a glass of water immediately and offered it to Charity. “I think it would be good for you to rest as well. Are we bothering you in any way?”
Charity shook her head, “No, it’s fine. But Matilda and Augusta, why don’t you get changed and get ready for bed?”
“Bed?” Augusta shot her sister a look. “But it’s only evening.”
“Yes, but I think that it would be a good idea if you were to retire early today,” Charity said. The two did not protest further, and Maria escorted them out.
Charity let out a sigh when her sisters had finally left and allowed herself a moment of honesty.
“I just wish for their sake that Edward does not return to our lives,” she said. Temperance and Alethea were by her side. “Even though he is gone now, who is to say that by some twist of fate, he should not return? I will forever be at risk if I am to be by myself.”
“Yes, that is why the match with Duncan is suitable,” Alethea said. “You would need protection.”
“What you say is rational,” Charity sighed, “and I am not denying that I will get certain protections from my marriage to the duke. But I think that things have changed for me now, and now it is no longer merely a marriage of convenience.”
Temperance and Alethea exchanged looks, shocked at first and then joyous.
“Oh, how lovely,” Alethea clapped her hands together. “Are you saying that you have begun to feel for him?”
“Rather intensely,” Charity said, her heart beating fast even as she said the words, “I believe… well, I believe that I might even love him.”
“Our Charity in love,” Temperance was grinning ear to ear. “Never thought I would live to see the day, but I am glad that I have.”