Chapter Twenty-Four
Edward couldn’t stop his frown at the reminder that Otto had been betrothed to his soon-to-be wife. But he had to admit to a morbid curiosity about what happened to the man. He raised a brow, waiting for the skittish investigator to regale them with the tale.
“Oh…well, I’m afraid…” Travers stuttered.
His obvious reluctance to avoid sharing the information only served to convince Edward Selena might not wish to hear the answer as much as she thought. But he doubted he could persuade her. In her place, he would want to know.
“In Greece,” von Richter said, tossing the letter to the table with a disgusted huff.
Travers deflated a bit at someone stealing his biggest reveal. But when one dawdled, one dealt with the consequences.
“Greece?” Selena repeated, sounding thoroughly astonished.
The sigh that dredged from the depths of von Richter’s soul was one with which Edward, with two younger brothers of his own, was intimately familiar.
“With an opera singer named Maria with whom he is apparently completely infatuated.”
Selena flinched, a movement so slight Edward doubted anyone but he noticed. He took her hand again, cradling it in his own, and she gave him a grateful smile.
“He asks my pardon for his prolonged absence and requests that I give his love to our mother.” Von Richter snorted and pushed his chair away from the table. “He can do so himself. I do not wish to be within a day’s ride of our mother when she discovers where he’s been.”
He began striding for the door without another word. But they still had one rather important matter of business to discuss.
“I take it this means you withdraw your objection to our marriage?” Edward asked.
“Do what you must,” he said, not pausing until he reached the door. “I still say there is something dangerous about that woman,” he added, glancing over his shoulder at her.
“You have no idea,” Edward said, giving her a heated look that he knew didn’t come close to conveying the fire that burned in him for her. She sucked in a trembling breath that had him aching to toss her over his shoulder, marriage certificate or no.
Herr von Richter snorted. “If you insist upon taking your life into your hands by marrying her, then by all means do so. I have a brother to fetch.”
“Wonderful,” Edward said, grabbing Selena’s hand and pulling her with him. “Tell the vicar on the way out, would you?”
Von Richter marched out the door, Edward and Selena not far behind him, and Anthony, Mrs. Haddon, and Mr. Travers on their heels if his hearing did not deceive him.
They all barreled out of the back room, only to stumble to a halt when they reentered the main sanctuary to find the vicar in mid-marriage ceremony, staring at them with wide, shocked eyes while the bride and groom looked on with growing horror.
Johann, however, continued his march to the main doors.
“I withdraw my objection, vicar,” he shouted over his shoulder, with an apathetic wave. “Marry whomever you please.”
“Lovely,” Mr. Burgess said. “Would you mind if I finished this ceremony first.”
“My apologies everyone,” Edward said with a wave. “Please carry on. You three, have a seat,” he said to the others. “You…” He grinned at Selena. “Come with me.”
He grasped her hand again and towed her back into the back room. She, thankfully, did not protest but followed him with a delighted smile.
The second the door shut behind them, he pushed her up against it and captured her mouth with his, groaning as her lips opened for him and welcomed him inside.
He plundered her mouth for a blissful few seconds until she squirmed against him. Which only made him groan louder.
“Edward,” she said, briefly breaking from his lips to speak.
“Hmm?” He didn’t bother to lift his lips from hers.
“The handle,” she murmured, before going right back to kissing him.
“Hmm?” He stopped and glanced behind her. “Oh.” He chuckled and spun her a few feet away, then pressed her back against the wall.
“They’ll hear us,” she said with a gasp as he moved to her neck.
“I don’t care.” He nipped at her collarbone, and she shoved her fingers into his hair, holding him in place.
“Glad to hear it.” She tugged on his hair, dragging his face back to hers so she could crush her lips to his once more.
His hand trailed up her side to her silk-and-lace-covered bosom, squeezing at the bounty he found here until she arched against him with a moan.
He heard the click of the latch just in time to unhand her breast before the door swung open.
“My lord!” Mr. Burgess said, properly scandalized at the scene he’d walked in upon. He would have needed a doctor if he had walked in a few seconds earlier. “This is a house of worship! You must desist at once!”
“Then marry us with haste, Mr. Burgess, because I cannot guarantee my good behavior for much longer.”
“What? Here? Now? We can go out into the—”
“I will not move another step until this woman is my wife.” He leaned down to press another kiss to Selena’s radiantly smiling mouth, ignoring the sputtering of the vicar.
Selena could do naught but laugh as Edward stayed right where he was, arms around her, while the vicar stammered with indignation.
“My lord, I must insist…” Mr. Burgess said trying in vain to get them to move toward the door.
Frankly, even if Edward wanted to, he could not move, or it would become even more evident to all what had been going on behind that closed door. “We will stay right here until—”
“What is happening?” her mother’s voice carried in from the doorway. “Edward, don’t you dare get married until you come out from that room.”
Never mind. That handled matters quite satisfactorily.
Selena, by this point, was clutching her stomach from laughing so hard, though she was somehow managing to do so without making a sound other than a faint wheezing.
Fascinating, though he much preferred the actual sound of her laughter.
He couldn’t wait to get her alone and find out what other sounds he could tease out of her.
“Very well,” he said, “let us remove ourselves to the chapel proper. Post haste!” he said, pushing his way through the small crowd of their family and friends who had gathered at the door.
He and Selena took up their positions while their guests scrambled back to their seats, and a remarkably flustered vicar fumbled to liberate his hands from his voluminous robe and open his prayer book.
He finally got himself situated and glanced around to ensure everyone was in place.
Edward waved his hand at Mr. Burgess to begin.
“Dearly beloved…”
“I’m sure we can skip through a fair bit of this, vicar. We all know why we are gathered here today.”
“Oh, well, yes, I suppose…let’s see…First, it was ordained—”
Edward waved his hand like he was rolling a ball of yarn. “Yes, yes. Ordained for children, against sin, mutual society, et cetera, et cetera. We’ve all heard the ceremony and understand all the important bits. Yes?” he asked Selena, the only person whose opinion mattered to him in this moment.
“Yes,” she said, smiling up at him with those shining sapphire eyes.
“Well, this is unusual,” Mr. Burgess muttered. “Very well, therefore, if any many can show any just cause—”
“We already did that bit. I am certain there is no one else here who plans to object,” he said firmly, not bothering to turn his warning gaze on everyone. No one would dare.
“Oh, good Heavens, very well, let’s see…I require and charge you both—”
“Mr. Burgess,” Selena said, making Edward glance down at her with delighted surprise. “We both swear to you on our souls that we know of no impediment, as we have already stated.”
“Very well,” he grumbled, his finger skimming along the lines of the ceremony. “Oh, now I must insist upon this part,” he said, looking at them with surprising sternness. “You must recite your vows.”
“Gladly,” Edward said, smiling down at his bride.
“Happily,” Selena agreed, smiling back at him.
“Oh. Truly? I expected a bit of an argument there,” Mr. Burgess said. He shored up his shoulders, obviously pleased to be able to perform his duties at last.
“But, just the vows and the ring. Let’s just skip through all the prayers and psalms shall we? I swear upon my eternal soul we shall offer up enough prayers and psalms at a later time.”
“This is most unusual—”
Edward cocked an eyebrow, and the poor vicar sighed. “But very well.”
Edward would have to remember to donate a goodly sum to the parish to make amends for haranguing the man. But later. For now, he just wanted this ceremony legal and binding so he could start his life with his wife at his side.
“Edward Colwyn Laurence Brelsford, wilt thou have this woman to they wedded wife…”
Edward beamed down at his love, letting each charge of the vow settle into his soul. And when the vicar asked, ‘so long as ye both shall live?’, Edward did not hesitate to state, “I will,” with every ounce of his being.
The vicar pulled out a small slip of paper upon which had been written Selena’s full name.
“Selena Dampierre Fiorentino Albescu MacLaren nee Griffiths—good heavens, that is quite the name isn’t it,” the vicar said with a little chuckle.
“Shortly to add one more for hopefully the last time!” He grinned at them but choked it back when he saw their mirrored expressions of surprise.
Though Edward was quite sure he heard Anthony’s quiet chuckle from the pews.
He would glare at him later. At the moment, he was too busy gazing at his breathtaking wife.
“Yes, my apologies, where were we? Oh yes. Selena Dampierre Fiorentino Albescu MacLaren nee Griffiths, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband…”
She turned her lovely, joy-filled eyes back to him and proclaimed, “I will,” with a smile that made his heart skip a beat.
Sir Rawley waved the vicar on when asked who gave this woman away. He had already played that part several times over.