Chapter 23 #2
“Forasmuch as David and Nora have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
Nora turned toward him, a single tear spilling to her cheek.
David barely heard the final blessing spoken by the clergyman, seeing only his beautiful, radiant wife as if it were only the two of them standing together.
Her hand was now clasped in his own, and every part of him ached to draw her close, to kiss her lips gently for the first time as his wife.
“This way, my lord,” the clergyman said, gesturing toward the vestry where the register awaited. “Might I offer you both my hearty congratulations.”
“I thank you.” Stepping forward together as husband and wife, David’s heart sang a song of joy, greater than anything it had ever sung before.
Hearing the ripple of warm approval from their guests behind them, David stole a glance over his shoulder, seeing a sea of smiling, joyous faces.
His heart swelled. He had never felt himself as blessed as he did in this moment.
The vestry was quiet and intimate, a single rectangular window casting a soft, glistening light across the table where the marriage register lay.
A quill and inkpot sat to the right-hand side of them, just waiting for him to sign his name.
Releasing Nora’s hand, he sat down to sign the simple act of writing his name, sensing the profound moment that now settled upon him.
The door opened again, just as he was about to begin, revealing not only Lord Broadford but also Lord Hawkley, the two witnesses who would sign their names also.
The longing to be alone with Nora grew fiercely, but he wrote with a steady hand all the same before rising from his seat and gesturing to Nora so that she might now seat herself.
Nora moved with a quiet grace, her smile directed solely towards him as she sat down, her hand brushing his fingers for only a moment.
David watched her as she, too, wrote her name beside his.
He smiled.
“We are husband and wife now,” she whispered, rising to her feet as Lord Broadford came to sign his name also. “At last, we are joined forever.”
“Would that I could have a moment alone with you,” he responded, her hand settling at his heart, her eyes twinkling as the desire to be alone with her grew to frustration. “Alas, it may be some time yet.”
“We have waited so very long for this, have we not?” she responded, her smile softening. “I am sure I can wait a few minutes more – but then, I pray, you will take me in your arms and swear to me you shall never let me go.”
David could not resist her, lowering his head and catching her lips with his for the smallest, briefest kiss that still sent a surge of heat through him. “I swear it,” he promised, holding her gaze steadily. “You have my heart, Nora. From this day onwards until forever.”
Nora walked directly towards the study, her fingers tangling in front of her as she wondered exactly what Hampshire would say.
She had rehearsed these words over and over and over again and had tried on two separate occasions to tell him before this moment but she had not been able to even begin.
With family soon to arrive, however, Nora was determined to tell her husband all, knowing it could not wait for too much longer.
“My love?” Pushing open the study door, she smiled at her husband as he lifted his head at once, a delighted smile spreading across his face upon seeing her. “Might I come in for a few minutes? I know you are very industrious indeed at the moment and I do not want to interrupt you for long.”
“You are always a welcome interruption,” he responded, making her flush.
“Come in, Nora.” Coming from around his desk, he held out one hand to her.
“Is there something the matter? It will not be long before everyone arrives and you have already done marvelously well in ensuring the house is prepared.”
She smiled softly, pressing his hand and looking up at him. “There is nothing the matter but there is something I wanted to share with you before everyone else arrived.”
“Oh?”
The words tangled on her tongue but she took a moment to breathe, settling her free hand lightly against her stomach and holding his gaze as she spoke.
“Soon, my dear husband, it will not only be you and I who reside here together.” When he did nothing but frown, she laughed softly and then took his hand to her stomach, seeing his eyes flare. “I am with child.”
For a moment, the entire world seemed to hold its breath.
Hampshire’s eyes were fixed to where his hand now lay, the colour fading from his face until, with a shake of his head, he lifted his eyes to hers.
“You – you… ” Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. “We are to have a child, Nora?”
Happiness swelled in her heart, tightening her chest. “Yes, my love. We are.”
A short, jerky, joyous laugh tore from his throat as he drew her into his arms, gathering her there as he had done so often before – but this time with an increased gentleness.
Pressing his lips to her hair, he breathed out her name and then pulled back so he could look into her eyes. “You are quite certain?”
“Yes, I am. The doctor confirmed it to me this morning.”
The smile on his face grew even stronger, his hand at the curve of her cheek, his thumb dancing lightly across her skin. “I cannot quite believe it. A child of our own.”
She nodded, her eyes damp as he lowered his head and kissed her tenderly, not wanting the moment to end as she settled her hands around his neck, that familiar place one of both safety and longing.
“I wanted to tell you before our guests arrived,” she said, as he lifted his head. “This is the most wonderful news, is it not? I do not think I have ever known such happiness as this!”
“You have given me so much already, Nora,” he responded, his hazel eyes swirling with the depths of emotion that now swept through him.
“And now you give me something even more wonderful, I do not know how my heart shall bear the joy.” Kissing her again, he held her close once more and Nora, her head on his shoulder, let out a long contented sigh, her eyes closing.
It did not matter now when her parents would be arriving, did not matter that the bedchambers were not entirely prepared.
All that mattered was this moment, when she was held securely in Lord Hampshire’s arms, her joy complete.
The rest of the world could wait.
“Frederica!”
Nora moved forward quickly, her smile wide as she embraced Frederica, thinking to herself just how well the lady looked.
There was a brightness in the lady’s face that had not been there before, a vivacity about her that had only come from her marriage to Lord Dumfries. “How glad I am to have you join us.”
“I have been very eager indeed to come and visit again,” Frederica replied, stepping back and then embracing Hampshire instead. “It has seemed like an age since we last met!”
“It has been three weeks, my dear.”
Nora chuckled as she greeted Lord Dumfries, who quickly settled an arm around his wife as she smiled at him.
“Ah, but three weeks can seem like an eternity when one is separated from one’s family,” she answered, as Lord Dumfries grinned.
“We are delighted to have you join us for a time. When is your honeymoon to begin?”
“In a fortnight,” Lord Dumfries told them, as Hampshire gestured for them to step inside. “We will go to France, I think. Frederica is somewhat overwhelmed by the thought of going so very far – ”
“It is only that we must take a boat to reach there and I am not entirely convinced that I am altogether prepared for a voyage!” Frederica exclaimed, making Nora laugh. “Dumfries is quite determined that we shall make our way there, however, and I would do anything to please him.”
Lord Hampshire chuckled softly as they reached the front door of the house. “Then I think to France you shall go, Frederica.”
Everyone laughed at this but Nora’s attention was caught by the sound of carriage wheels on the gravel.
Excusing herself, she turned back and hurried down the stone steps, eager now to greet her mother and father.
Waving as the carriage drew near, she was forced to wait as the footman prepared the steps and then opened the door for Lady Somerset to step out first.
Nora saw it as she turned toward the sound of the approaching carriage — a small thing, easily missed in the commotion of arrivals and greetings, but she caught it in the periphery of her vision and it stopped her for a moment, a smile rising unbidden.
Lord Dumfries had placed his hand at the small of Frederica’s back as they climbed the steps.
The gesture was unremarkable in itself — a husband steadying his wife on uneven stone — but it was the way Frederica responded that held Nora’s attention.
She did not flinch. She did not stiffen, or pull away, or perform any of the hundred small protective retreats that Nora had come to associate with the lady over those weeks in London.
Instead, she leaned into the touch.
It was a brief, instinctive thing — a shifting of weight, a softening of her posture — and it spoke volumes about what had changed.
The woman who had once pressed herself against windows and jumped at shadows now trusted the hand at her back.
The woman who had arranged cushions and gloves and teacups with compulsive precision because the world beyond them was out of her control now walked with the loosened gait of someone who had found her footing.