Chapter 20
To say that the wedding was “a grand affair indeed” would have been, without doubt or question, the understatement of the century.
There had been equally huge and elaborate nuptials in London in everyone’s recent memory, of course.
A great many members of the peerage had gotten married with astonishing excess, all of whom ranked far higher in the city’s social circles than the Weatheringtons did (or Matilda’s family either, for that matter), to say nothing of the sensational glamor on display for the occasional royal wedding.
Even so, the overwhelming wealth and exquisite taste which were on display were a rapture to behold.
Matilda’s money paid for surpassing grandeur, and naturally, Harry made sure that anyone in London who was considered to be of importance or status was invited.
He was delighted to find that most of them chose to attend rather than snubbing him for being relatively new to wealth and title.
(Losing face in such a way and so publicly had been positively keeping him awake at night.)
Although the ceremony itself was magnificent and certainly worth attending in its own right, it might have been fair to say that many of the more well-to-do people who came to see it did so out of a sense of morbid curiosity since Cameron’s family, and many of their dearest acquaintances and allies, were there as well.
It had been quite the caravan to behold: a line of grand carriages flanked by banner-bearing guardsmen, making the enormous trek all the way from Wallace Castle to London as one.
They made camp together each night, telling stories from Cameron’s childhood and wondering what it would be like to see London firsthand.
Laird Cawley was particularly excited due to his longtime fascination with England.
The healers had advised him against making the trip, saying that it could worsen his condition.
Likewise, Logan suggested that his father remain behind so that potential enemies of the clan would not mistake his absence for a prime opportunity to attack.
But Cawley waved these concerns away. He maintained that he would not dream of missing the momentous wedding of his beloved eldest son, nor would he miss an opportunity to see London for himself before his days ran out.
He left his most trusted advisor as steward, and during the entire journey, he seemed to be in higher spirits than anyone had seen him in for quite some time.
And then the week of travel had passed, and they found themselves surrounded by the sights and sounds of London.
Cora and Cameron greeted them warmly upon their arrival. As they did, Cora could not help but notice that Edwina was staring all around with her eyes wide and her mouth open.
“I know it takes a bit of getting used to,” Cora began, “but…”
“It’s amazing!” Edwina marveled. “I cannot believe so many people live together in such a space as this! And there are so many wondrous things I’ve never seen before!”
“Perhaps we shall get to do a bit of exploring,” Fionna suggested eagerly.
“I don’t much care for the smell,” Ella commented solemnly, “but the people seem interesting enough, at least.”
Cora ended up taking all four Wallace sisters all around town so that they might see the sights and better understand where she came from. Matilda joined them during one of these excursions and bought a beautiful new dress for each of the girls.
“Will I have to put it away forever after just one season?” Fionna asked, twirling in her new clothes in order to show them off to the others.
“You may wear it as many times as you like for as long as you like,” Matilda informed her with a smile, “and I hope it brings you much pleasure.”
“I hope mine brings boys,” Edwina quipped.
Sure enough, when Edwina wore her new dress to the wedding, she found herself the recipient of many lads’ attentions.
And not only that, but they were fascinated by her since she came from a faraway land they’d never been to.
Their parents and guardians kept scolding them and reminding them to “only consort with your own kind,” but that did not stop them at all.
(Indeed, knowing that they were earning their elders’ stern disapproval even made some of them redouble their efforts.)
The ceremony was held at Fulham Palace, which was known for its magnificent gardens.
Laird Cawley wandered in them for hours before the wedding, taking in their splendor as best he could while Carstairs pointed out the various types of flowers for him to admire.
It had been decided that Carstairs would accompany them back to Scotland after the wedding and that he would begin his service as Cawley’s personal valet.
When Cawley’s children asked him—or rather, teased him—about why he felt he needed a valet, he only smiled mysteriously and told them that he might need an extra hand to help him here and there in the times to come.
He had not yet informed them of his malady, but he knew the time to do so was drawing close at hand. He had resolved to reveal it during the journey back so that his son’s special day would not be darkened by the shadow of such ill news.
At last, the appointed hour came, the guests took their places, Cameron stood at the altar (next to Logan, who, of course, had been chosen as his best man), and the wedding march played. Since their parents were gone, Harry walked Cora down the aisle so that he might give her away.
Even he had to admit that his sister had never looked nearly so radiant before or so filled with joy.
He was delighted to see it and confessed that if all of this had led her to this happiness, then he was pleased for her…
and for Cameron, as well (though he had rather mumbled that last part under his breath, his face turning red as he did so).
But no one was more thrilled by the sight of Cora in her wedding dress than Cameron himself. His breath was entirely stolen from him at her impeccable beauty to the point where he almost had difficulty repeating the words of the vows.
Still, he managed to get through them, and when their marriage was sealed with a kiss, his heart felt as though it might burst through his chest.
The celebration that followed was like nothing the lords and ladies of London had ever seen before. The Scots drank, sang, danced, and told loud and improbable stories with wild abandon. Their customs were strange indeed to the English people, and at first, both groups largely kept to themselves.
However, after the bride and groom had several turns on the dance floor, the others began to loosen up a bit and cross the room to speak to each other.
The Scots were fascinated with the clothes and culture of English society, and—although some of their questions came across as a bit crude or uncivilized to those who were unaccustomed to such things—an open dialogue soon began to flow between them.
After a considerable amount of wine had been consumed, the English began to learn a few rather bawdy songs from the Scots, who in turn were quickly familiarizing themselves with the proper titles to address the English (having been thoroughly befuddled by such formalities at the start of the affair).
By the time the celebration neared its end, many toasts had been drunk and friends had been made, with each extending invitations for the other to correspond regularly and even visit if the opportunity presented itself.
“I daresay that next season,” Matilda remarked to Harry, “the majority of men in London society will wear tartan and kilt, the parlor floors shall be thoroughly trod by the steps of Scottish dances, and most of the English peerage will find themselves lured off to the Highlands for extended stays!”
“You may be right,” Harry agreed. “And if so, it would make us exceedingly popular since we’ve already married into such a family, wouldn’t you say? Why, we’d be considered positively ahead of the curve!”
She smiled at him, shaking her head. “Viscount Thornton, I believe it is fair to say that you are simply incorrigible.”
Slowly, the partygoers began to excuse themselves, yawning as they congratulated the happy couple on their good fortune.
In the end, Cameron and Cora returned to the townhouse that had been previously rented for Cameron by his father when he’d first embarked on this strange adventure.
The following day, they would be leaving the place behind to start their new life together in the place of Cameron’s birth.
There was only one thing left to make the marriage official, something they had both been longing for since they’d first seen each other.
The moment the bedroom door closed behind them, their mouths met, and their bodies swiftly followed.
Cameron fumbled with the laces and ties of Cora’s wedding dress; it was held together by methods far more complex and devious than any he’d encountered before, courtesy of the finest dressmaker in the city.
Cora gently assisted him, knowing that if she did not, there was every possibility that he might give up and tear the dress off her in impatience.
Not that the prospect of that was entirely unpleasant to her. But after all, it was a nice dress. And as Edwina had previously observed, such a thing could always be donated to a family in need once they made it back to Scotland.
For tonight, at least, it had served its purpose.
The dress fell to the floor in a white heap of frills and lace, and Cora slipped out of her underthings, revealing her nude form to her new husband. He surveyed the gorgeous curves and valleys of her body like a man who had wandered for interminable years, only to finally find a home.
Cora likewise coaxed Cameron out of his clothes (which proved to be a far quicker and easier process), and when he stood naked before her, she saw his manhood stiffen as though reaching out for her longingly.
She reached down and gripped the shaft of him gently yet firmly, relishing the shudder it sent through his entire body.
He was hers now, fully hers and no one else’s for the rest of time, and that knowledge thrilled her beyond measure.
She stroked him delicately, marveling at how hard he was becoming, how he throbbed with his unbridled desire for her.
It was time to reward such desire, she decided.
Cora gently pushed him backward until the backs of his legs connected with the bed, and he had no choice but to sit down hard on the edge of it.
Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees before him like a zealot about to worship before some potent pagan altar.
Then she took the length of him in her mouth, and he sighed with delight, settling back onto the bed.
His warm and delicate skin pulsed against her tongue, and she felt him grow even more engorged between her lips until the tip of him brushed against the back of her throat.
When she began to feel overwhelmed by it—when she was no longer certain she could fit such a thing in the confines of her mouth, and she knew that he might explode with lust for her at any moment—she withdrew and stood again.
Cameron looked up at her, his eyes glassy with sheer adoration, as she straddled him and lowered herself onto him.
Her nether regions were damp and slick, permitting him entry easily, and when he broke through her maidenhead, the pain and pleasure condensed into a single red haze that seemed to carry her away completely.
Cora moved her hips up and down in time with his, loving the way each thrust seemed to carry him deeper inside of her.
He was reaching into places she had never conceived of before, and the feeling that rushed through the core of her being was like a fiery shooting star streaking across a night sky, making it burn and blaze with its blinding intensity.
She shivered and shook, crying out his name as she felt his climax roar within her.
She adored his passion and smiled with the knowledge that it would be his gift to her every day of their lives.
“Cora, I love you so much. You should know that, and you should always remember it. I wanted to thank you for accepting me.”
“What do you say, my love? You chose me. I was afraid, Cameron, you see…”
“You don’t need to explain anything, Cora.”
“But I want to. I was afraid of the hatred between English and Scots, of the responsibilities as a lady… I was afraid of hurting your feelings, and I don’t want something bad to happen to you. I didn’t want to hurt you, Cameron. I apologize for acting like this…”
“The past is the past, darling,” Cameron said, and he kissed her gently on her rosy soft lips.
Cora let out a soft moan. “Oh, Cameron, I want you…”
Cameron dragged the sheets, and her naked body was revealed again in front of his eyes.
“I won’t be full of that view. Never!”