Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
“Children!” Clara called for the third time, but again there was no response.
Breakfast was ready, but the table was empty.
Clara huffed and marched up to their rooms. She was ready to rebuke them for misbehaving, thinking that perhaps they were rebelling against the proposed changes to their lives.
When she saw the children, her heart melted. They were sleeping in the same bed together, a tangle of limbs and hair that made it difficult to tell where one of them ended and the others began. Duke was at the foot of the bed, as much a part of the group as any other.
Clara and Agatha had considered numerous possibilities for placing the children, but none of them seemed suitable.
Looking at them now, Clara understood why.
As she stared at them, Clara realized that it would be impossible to separate them.
It would be like severing her own arm. Possible, yes, but the pain was only necessary under the direst conditions, and only to serve the greater good of the body.
No greater good would be served by separating them. They saw each other as family, and sending them to different homes would only have caused distress. Instead of waking them, she let them sleep. They should be left to enjoy this comfort while it lasted.
Gerald walked into the kitchen a little while later with a confused look on his face.
“Where are the children?” he asked.
“I did not have the heart to wake them,” Clara said. She turned to face him. Glistening tears were evident on her cheeks. Gerald rushed to her side and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. She fell against him and sobbed. “Oh, Gerald.”
“My love, what troubles you?”
“Everything. I know the children need a permanent home, but I cannot bear to separate them or lose them. I know it is selfish of me and I’m sure I will get over it in time, but it is the hardest thing I have ever had to do and I’m not sure I shall ever recover from saying farewell.”
“I have been thinking the same thing,” Gerald murmured. “Clara, there is an alternative. I could not bear to lose them just as much as I could not bear to lose you. Clemont Hall is big enough for all of us. How would you feel about becoming guardians to the children?”
Clara’s eyes flashed with promise, although they were quickly shadowed with doubt.
“Are you certain? Do you really wish this, or are you only suggesting it for my sake?”
Gerald smirked and kissed the tracks of her tears.
“This is not something that I take lightly. I adore the children. They have awakened something inside me that I did not know I possessed. They are wondrous creatures and one never quite knows what they are going to do next. I have had plenty of order in my life as yet. Perhaps it is time to add a little chaos.”
A smile flickered upon Clara’s face, but there were still worries.
“What happens if we have children of our own?”
Gerald took her hand and squeezed it tightly.
“Clemont Hall is large enough to house us all. And do you not think our hearts are large enough to love all the children we may have?”
“Yes,” Clara said, the simple word heavy with relief, delight, and utter happiness. Gerald pulled her in for a tight embrace and kissed her head. Clara drew strength from him.
“Come, let us go wake them and tell them the good news,” he said. Together they walked up to the room and stirred the children. They awoke with yawns.
“Children, we have good news. We have found you a home, and you can all stay together,” Clara said.
The children looked at each other.
“We don’t want to leave you,” Teddy said.
“What are you going to do without us?” Oliver asked.
Clara and Gerald chuckled.
“I’m pleased to say that we shall never have to find out. Gerald and I would like you to invite us to Clemont Hall. We shall be your guardians. After the wedding, we can all live together. Will you accept?”
The children bundled towards her, all smiles and rejoicing laughter. Clara fell to the floor, swarmed as she by the children. Then, Teddy cocked his head.
“Can Duke come too?” he asked.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Gerald said, bending down to ruffle the dog’s fur. Clara smiled as she stretched her arms to embrace each of the children at the same time, reflecting on the fact that they had already created the family she was trying to find for them.
Their wedding was held in a small village church towards the end of summer.
The leaves were beginning to curl and turn red, and the sky was overcast with fluffy clouds.
Alfred and Mary were extremely proud and could not stop smiling.
Beatrice was in a good mood as well, and did not seem inclined to cause any trouble.
The rest of Clara’s family were present too.
As well as Agatha and Theodore, her cousins Charlotte, Edmund, and Lydia attended with their spouses and children.
The sheer number of them filled the church with liveliness and made the occasion feel far more grand than a tiny village church should have allowed.
“I must admit I feel a little like I am letting the side down,” Gerald confided to Eleanor, who helped adjust his suit. Their family tree was not as lush as Clara’s and only a few cousins and aunts milled about, keeping to themselves in one corner of the church.
“Don’t worry about that. Today is not about our families. It’s about you and Clara,” she said.
Gerald nodded. He took a deep breath and then took his position at the back of the church.
He clasped his hands together as a sense of excitement bubbled through him.
He stared at the door and waited for Clara to appear.
He heard her carriage arrive, the wheels trundling along the ground, the horses whinnying as they came to a stop.
Then he heard the sound of the children.
“I’m supposed to go before you, Teddy,” Emily said.
“Well, hurry up then,” Teddy replied.
Their voices weren’t especially loud, but because a hush had descended upon the church as people anticipated Clara’s arrival, everyone heard them. Chuckles and titters of laughter passed through the church, some of which grew into guffaws as they heard Clara’s voice follow.
“Children, behave. This is my wedding day, and I won’t have you ruin it,” she said.
Alfred was waiting for her at the door. Gerald’s eyes melted.
Duke came in first, wearing a ribbon around his collar.
Emily was next, constantly glancing over her shoulder to make sure Teddy wasn’t going to overtake her.
In her hands, she held a colorful bouquet made of flowers picked from the gardens in Clemont Hall.
Teddy strutted forward, head held high, hands outstretched, clutching a box that contained the rings.
Behind him came Charlotte. She held another bouquet, this one larger than the one Emily held.
Her arm was linked with Alfred’s. Behind her came Oliver and Sophia, who were holding the train of Clara’s dress.
Gerald’s mouth went dry upon seeing her.
It was as though he was a tree and someone uprooted him.
He lost complete control of his senses and somehow forgot that so many other people were around him.
His mouth dropped open, and he teetered back and forth.
A hush rippled around the room, denoting that he was not the only one to be stunned by Clara’s beauty. She looked like an angel that had fallen to earth. No, more than that.
She looked like a goddess.
Clara’s sweet smile grew as she approached.
Gerald bent down to kiss Emily on the cheek, then he took the box from Teddy’s hands.
Teddy gave a steep bow. Alfred shook Gerald’s hand and gave him a smile, showing that everything had been forgiven.
Oliver mimicked this, although the handshake was not as strong.
Sophia scampered away to the shadows as soon as possible.
And then there was Clara.
He took her hands and stood with her in front of the people who meant the most to them. Her cheeks glowed with happiness, and her eyes shone with love.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he said, his words a whisper because he could not summon the strength to make them any louder.
“You are handsome yourself, Your Grace,” she said, dipping her head. A mischievous smile played upon her face.
“I do believe I’m falling in love with you all over again.”
“Why, Gerald, who knew you could be so sentimental?”
“Well, it is our wedding day.”
The reverend began the ceremony. The guests were seated. Gerald kept hold of Clara’s hands as they spoke their vows. As the words leaped off his tongue, he could feel the power of them. The promise imbued in them was a thing of beauty, and they possessed a kind of strength that was all too rare.
It was the strength of their love, something that had been flourishing between them the first time they met, although it had taken them both longer to realize the truth.
As they shared these vows, Gerald reflected on how far they had come.
From a controversial deal to a partnership built on mutual respect, and now a family as well.
Clara had brought so much into his life, and he honestly didn’t know how he could have existed without her. She was as vivid as any bolt of lightning, only she did not appear for merely a flash. She was perennial, and he believed she would fill his life with excitement for many decades to come.
When they were pronounced husband and wife, they shared a sweet kiss. Rapturous applause broke around them, and they turned, smiling triumphantly at the family. It was as though Gerald was looking into the future, and he couldn’t have been greeted with a more appealing sight.
Clara turned away. But Gerald remained. Nerves filled his heart as he fetched a box he’d hidden out of sight. He cleared his throat and addressed the church.
“Soon after Clara and I started courting, I was so impressed with her talents that I thought I ought to hone one of my own. In my youth I learned to play the violin, but I let the habit slip. However, I have been learning intensely for a while now, and the lessons did pull me away from some of my obligations. But I hope you will agree that it was worth it,” he said.
He closed his eyes and began playing. A sweet sound filled the church as his fingers pressed into the strings, and the bow was drawn over them.
He lost himself in the music. It was easy to do so when he thought about Clara, for she was in every note he played.
When it was over, he received a standing ovation, but there would be no encore. Clara had an amazed look on her face.
“Gerald, that was most unexpected. Was that why you were late arriving at the orphanage?” Clara asked, referring back to one of his early mishaps.
“I’m afraid it was. I’m sorry for the deceit, but I wanted to surprise you.”
“You should never lie to your wife, but I suppose you can make it up to me by playing for me whenever I desire it,” Clara said with a teasing smile.
“Anything for you, Your Grace.” He took her hand and kissed it.
They walked down the aisle out of the church and stepped into the carriage, which would take them for a ride around the village before returning them to the church. Gerald hadn’t let go of Clara’s hand.
“Well, we are married now. What is there to do next?” he asked.
“Live,” she replied, grinning broadly. He smiled too, then leaned into her. Their lips pressed together, this time in a kiss that was deeper and more sensual. He pulled her body close and murmured with delight, closing his eyes as he embraced his dream.