Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Then finally, Edward turned to Selena, took her hands in his, and they plighted their troths.
He took the ring the vicar blessed, that Anthony, bless him, had kept hold of during all the commotion.
And when he slipped it on Selena’s finger, it felt like he was locking in the last puzzle piece that had been missing his whole life.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed where the ring lay against her skin, ignoring the surprised breath the vicar sucked in.
At this point, Edward had no doubt the man would be neck deep in a bottle of wine before they were fully out the door.
“Now, let us…no, you wished to skip this part…and the psalms, no song I suppose, then this, then…ah yes. Amen. Forasmuch as Edward Colwyn Laurence Brelsford and Selena…MacLaren have consented—”
Selena made a strange squeaking noise and Edward looked down to find her biting her lip in a vain attempt to keep from an all-out smile.
Though her shoulders were shaking with laughter.
He was finding it quite hard to contain his merriment himself.
Of all the things he insisted the vicar skip over, he was tempted to make the man repeat her full set of names.
Before he could say anything, the vicar proclaimed—with more relieved gusto than he likely did at most weddings—“I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together. In the name—”
“Excellent!” Edward said, gripping Selena’s hand as they hurried together toward the back room where the register had been laid out.
The vicar was attempting to stumble through the rest of the prayers and psalms at a truly remarkable speed, but Edward wanted only to sign the register and take his wife home. They had fought too hard to get to this moment. He did not want to wait any longer.
“Witnesses!” he called over his shoulder, laughing when Mrs. Haddon and Anthony jumped from their seats, beating out any number of others who could have served just as well.
The vicar wisely wrapped up the rest of the ceremony and hurried after them, sputtering about the sin of impatience and likely a few other choice utterances as well.
Edward, Selena happily smiling at his side, waited only long enough for their witnesses and the vicar to get through the door before signing his name with a flourish in the register.
Selena took the quill from him and did the same.
And then laid it down, glancing at him, her brows raised in question.
He looked to the vicar. “Is the ceremony complete and binding now?”
Mr. Burgess glanced at the register—unnecessarily in Edward’s opinion, seeing as how the man had just watched them sign—and nodded. “Congratulations.”
Edward beamed. And then he turned to Selena, wrapped one arm about her waist, and hauled her to him for a resounding kiss.
“Lord Lockhaven!” Mr. Burgess exclaimed again. “I really must protest this behavior. You are in a church, my lord, not a tavern!”
Selena broke away from him with a laugh. “Our apologies, Mr. Burgess. But this is the first moment in my life where I have truly understood the twenty-third psalm. My cup truly runneth over. It is difficult to contain such happiness.”
“Oh, well, yes, of course,” he said with a slight blush to his cheeks.
Selena could charm the devil himself when she smiled as she was smiling now.
That he had even a little to do with such an exquisite expression gave Edward a greater sense of pride than anything else in his life so far.
He would do a great deal, commit any number of sins, to keep such a smile on her lips.
Mrs. Haddon handed Selena her bouquet of flowers and gave him a smiling nod.
“Shall we?” he said, holding out his elbow for his wife to take.
She did so with a smile, though there was still worry shadowing her eyes.
He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face until she met his gaze. “Do not worry so, love. I have taken all the precautions I can to ensure we end this curse of yours.”
She blinked at him, eyes wide. “You have?”
“Oh yes.” He wrapped her hand through the crook of his arm and escorted back down the aisle toward the door.
“My stable hands were instructed to choose the most docile horses to pull our carriage this morning—and I will stay well away from them aside from riding in the carriage. My cook will serve only lemonade, cider, tea and coffee, and water at our wedding breakfast. Not a drop of anything more spirited. Avoiding bodies of water should be easy enough, but I have had the servants erect a temporary barrier around the fountain in the garden at Brelsford House just in case. And the doctor has been placed on call and will be passing the night at Lord Goodwin’s residence, which is just a few doors down from ours. Just in case he should be needed.”
They’d reached the doors to the chapel and stepped out into the sun.
“You truly did all that, just to allay my silly fears?” she asked, her eyes shining up at him with so much love his heart ached.
“Your fears are never silly to me, my love. I will always battle them with you.”
“Let us go home then, husband.”
He beamed at her and led her through the columns to the steps of St. George’s.
Startling a group of wood pigeons that had been loitering about the columns.
Two flew directly at him and his foot missed the first step.
He had a split second where he realized he was going to topple down, and he immediately loosed his grip on Selena so he wouldn’t bring her down with him.
Or he tried.
Instead, she grabbed his arm and yanked hard enough his shoulder popped as if he were cracking his knuckles, then turned with a banshee yell to chase down the birds, swatting at them with her bouquet until every last one had flown off.
He hurried toward where she stood, chest heaving, bouquet upraised like a conquering knight with his sword. She heard his step and rounded on him, dropping her arm once she saw it was he.
“I think you got them, love,” he said, unable to keep his grin hidden.
“I thought you…you started to…the birds…” Her words tripped over themselves, stumbling from her lips in a jumble of concern and righteous fury.
He just nodded and pulled her into his arms. “Yes, the birds nearly made me fall. But you saved me.” He pressed a kiss to her lips.
Then another one, and another, until the tension that fear had put into her body changed to a different kind of tension.
One that was sweeter. Hotter. And infinitely more delightful.
“My lord,” Mr. Burgess said. “I feel I should remind you, you are still on the steps of the church. Perhaps—”
“Oh, give them a minute, vicar,” Anthony said, laughing. “They just broke a curse, after all.”