Chapter 13
The Briarwoods knew how to throw a party that was the envy of the ton. If Muriel had not been certain of that before, Muriel was now educated to this fact. Now, there was no questioning it!
All her life, she had read of Briarwood balls, Briarwood garden parties, Briarwood extravaganzas, and Briarwood weddings in the newssheets.
There were cartoons depicting the fantastical parties and grand experiences. There were sketches, prints, and whole penny papers devoted to regaling the public with their goings-on.
Her own wedding, like a few of the other Briarwood ones, was quite small in the chapel next to Heron House.
It had been perfect, with just her family and Perseus’s exceptionally large one.
The vicar had been full of good cheers. As a matter of fact, the whole sermon had felt like a jolly performance rather than something serious.
Flowers had decked many a surface and the families had watched with great pleasure as she and Perseus had said their I dos.
Now, they were joined in marital bliss. Linked together. Legally bound. And she could hardly believe it.
Both families had supported the wedding being arranged by special license, since she and Perseus were so eager to marry.
But that did not mean there was to be no great celebration, apparently. Much to her delight and amazement, the Dowager Duchess of Westleigh and all the other ladies of the family had arranged a fantastical affair, and now she was about to experience it.
Her husband pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. His sensual lips caressed her, teasing her, causing her skin to shiver with delicious anticipation. Part of her wanted to race up to their rooms and throw herself onto the bed and let him make love to her.
But not yet. They had to celebrate first.
“My darling,” he murmured against the curve of her neck, “do you think you can ever forgive my family for putting you on such display when you asked for a little wedding? You’ve been such a good sport about this party.”
She laughed, arching towards him, longing for his kiss to trail along her skin, to kiss further down.
But she had to push such thoughts aside, and she drew in a breath.
“Forgive them? I cannot believe how fortunate I am that they wish to celebrate the two of us so thoroughly. Most might’ve thought you were marrying beneath you when you picked me. ”
He snorted and lifted his gaze to hers. “Beneath me?” He shook his head, arched a brow, and said grandly, “I grovel at your feet, my love.”
And he did begin to lower himself to his knees, smiling up at her, as if he would be quite happy to worship her there. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her towards him.
“Get up, Perseus, get up,” she tsked, fighting a smile. “You will distract me entirely and then I will not be able to be a good guest at my own wedding celebration.”
Hordes of people were already arriving. The invitations had gone out, and though it had been short notice, everyone was coming.
True, it was cold, but the first breezes of spring were actually coming to Heron House. Bluebells lined the paths, if one could but see them. Night had already fallen after the wedding. The dark sky lingered above, kissed by stars.
The moon hung white and round in the sky, beckoning to them all with its ancient power.
Music filled the air, wafting from a full orchestra that had been set up under a silken tent of red and gold.
The dowager duchess had arranged lanterns all throughout the garden paths, fire-eaters, magicians of various kind, tightrope walkers, and dancers, all who often graced the pleasure gardens that surrounded London, were here.
Their brightly colored costumes replaced the absent summer flowers in the garden.
Apparently, the Briarwood family had decided to end the darkness of winter with a gigantic celebration.
Perhaps that was like her marriage, out of the darkness, into the light, though her life had never really been dark before. But this did feel like an awakening.
Perseus took her hand, wound their fingers together, and led her out of the house, then out to the beautiful terrace overlooking the gardens.
Lords and ladies were dressed in finery, with great warm cloaks to keep them toasty in the chill air.
Great braziers had been set up so that those who felt the cold could warm themselves.
“Is this all right?” he said. “Or will you freeze to death?”
“I shall never become an icicle with you present, my dear,” she teased. “You warm my blood in more ways than one.”
He waggled his brows at her. “Do you promise?” he asked, and then he leaned down and kissed her, which he could do now whenever they pleased.
And she did expect him to kiss her often! There was nothing to hold them back now. No worries of ruin or scandal.
She kissed him back, wrapping her arms about his neck.
“Now, now. We mustn’t do such public displays. This is not a performance,” called Lord Ajax, his uncle.
“Oh, I think that I shall have to give everyone a good performance,” Perseus said. “What is life for except for such displays?”
Ajax rolled his eyes. “Well, if you want everyone to know exactly how happy you are, then you are doing a very good job of it. No one shall think that this is a wedding that was forced.”
“Glad to hear it,” she said to her now uncle.
“And that is exactly what my mother wanted, you know,” Ajax said jovially. “It’s quite lovely that the two of you could not wait to wed. That happens quite often in this family. But she did want everyone to know that this was a wedding celebrated and welcomed by everyone.”
“We all did,” Perseus’s father, Lord Zephyr, called. His beautiful, wise wife was upon his arm.
Lord Zephyr was a handsome man who seemed kind and quite droll. Perseus’s mother was lovely, and Muriel had been quite astonished to find out that she had been a governess.
The Briarwood family really was a marvel. Her rank had not mattered a whit. The only thing that mattered was that Lord Zephyr had loved her and that she was interesting and kind.
And from what Muriel had seen, she was a wonder with all the children on the estate. But more than anything, she was a beloved wife to her husband and a wonderful mother to Perseus. It was clear that their devotion to her had come through her strength and her loving nature towards them.
And so far, she had been most kind to Muriel, even offering Muriel a beautiful lace veil from Europe for the wedding. She had placed it upon her bonnet, kissed her upon the cheek, and wished her happy.
“Now my dears, let us go into the fray,” Lord Zephyr said, “and show you off to all the company.”
They headed out down the paths, winding through the amusements. There was even a stage set up where performances were taking place.
“How do you think your grandmother knew this was exactly the sort of wedding celebration that would suit the both of us?” she asked Perseus.
“Because grandmama knows everything,” he said without jest.
She laughed. “Does she indeed?”
“Oh, yes,” Ajax said.
Zephyr nodded, as did his wife.
“It’s true,” Perseus affirmed, leading her along the colored lantern path. “Grandmama might as well be a seer or a crystal ball reader. We could dress her up in a cloak, put her in a tent, and charge admission for the way she can read a person and then tell them what’s going on in their life.”
She waggled her brows. “Do you think she’s always known that I would be in the family?”
“Almost certainly at least from that first day. By dinner, I’d wager,” Perseus said. “Grandmama can spot a match better than anyone.”
“She’s like a hound with a fox,” Ajax said ruefully.
She marveled at the crush of people surrounding them, smiling and enjoying the entertainments.
Perseus led her away from his family to the stage where the actors were putting on a scene from The Taming of the Shrew.
Not everyone liked the play, and she could understand why.
Petruchio could come off as quite a monster, but if one paid very careful attention to the text, sometimes there were different interpretations to the relationship between good Kate and her Petruchio.
She loved the fiery exchanges between them, and she also understood that a great deal of the dialogue was quite naughty.
Perseus pulled her into his arms again and whispered, “He says a few things that I should like to do to you.”
She glanced up at him. “Perseus,” she said, “I am still quite the innocent.”
“So you are,” he murmured, “but I cannot wait for our mutual education of each other.”
“Nor I,” she agreed, gazing up at her husband.
They were so happy. It was impossible to believe how happy they were.
When she glanced out over the company, she spotted her mother drinking a spiced hot punch.
Her sisters were speaking to their gentlemen.
She had a very strong feeling that in the next few days, the proposals from those gentlemen would roll in.
After all, now her family was attached to a duke’s. So there would be little waiting for those weddings and all of that wedding cake Cassius feared. Her mother looked so triumphant, and Cassius was dancing upon an elevated floor across the way with a beautiful young lady.
Still, Muriel wanted to help him to meet Celia and Emilia.
“Will your cousins be in attendance at our wedding celebration?” she asked.
“Which cousins?” Perseus asked.
“The ones who are always in the East End.”
“I don’t know,” he said, “but I’m sure that if you were to invite them to celebrate with you, they happily would. They just like being with each other and don’t necessarily enjoy crowds.”
She nodded. “I see. And I can’t blame them,” she said. “For the longest time, I really felt the same until I realized that my purpose is not to be in a crowd.”
“But to be in front of one?” Perseus teased her.
“Perhaps,” she said, grinning up at him, more at ease than she could ever recall.
The dowager duchess stood like a queen near the stage, and as if she could sense her and Perseus, she gazed towards them.