Nathanial snorted. “You should not have made such a foolish bet, Wilcox.”
“I was in my cups,” Lord Wilcox replied, as though this was some sort of excuse. “But I am afraid I must prevent you from taking Lady Amelia to be wed. It will not take place, else I shall be quite ruined.”
For some moments, Nathanial did not know what to say to the gentleman. Did he truly think that he would be able to bring the carriage – and their marriage – to an end simply by demanding it? Yes, he recognized that he had made a foolish bet but whether or not he would be ruined by it, Nathanial did not care. Lord Wilcox was the one to blame in that regard and the consequences of his foolishness were on his own head.
“So you may tell Lady Amelia and whoever is accompanying her that there is no reason for you to make your way to the church,” Lord Wilcox demanded, swaying slightly which suggested to Nathanial that the man might have already indulged in a little liquor. “If you do, I will stand before the clergyman and make my objections.”
“Except there are no objections.” Nathanial lifted an eyebrow. “What would you say?”
“It does not matter.” Lord Wilcox waved a hand. “I will say whatever I can and whatever I wish to make certain your marriage does not take place. You will not succeed,Your Grace.I will be the successful one, I will see an end to your courtship and your supposed engagement and thereafter, I will keep my standing and my fortune. You tried to keep this marriage a secret but thetonhas many a wagging tongue within it! I heard of your procurement of the Special License. I heard of your desire to wed with the greatest haste but you have now been denied that! I will do whatever I have to, whatever I must to – ”
“Except we are already man and wife, Wilcox.”
Nathanial could not help his grin as the broad smile which had settled on Lord Wilcox’s face immediately began to fade away. The light in his eyes diminished, the triumphant lift of his shoulders dropped away completely and his expression fell flat.
“You are too late, Lord Wilcox!” he continued, his voice a little louder now as, victorious in his defeat of the gentleman, he stepped closer, leaving the lingering safety of the carriage. “I am already married! There is no-one else besides mywifein the carriage and we are now on our way to our wedding breakfast at my own townhouse.”
“I – I do not believe you.”
The thin voice of Lord Wilcox made Nathanial laugh, shaking his head. “Yes, you do. I can see your defeat in your eyes.You have lost, Lord Wilcox. I am afraid that your bet is lost and you will now owe a great many gentlemen a great deal of coin!”
Lord Wilcox took a step back, the color draining from his face. Nathanial noticed how some other carriages had come to a stop, how there was many a curious face looking out at them and he chuckled to himself, seeing the small gathering of society folk watching them. His heart swelled and he stood tall, looking them all as he spread his arms wide.
“I am wed to the most wonderful, beautiful, marvelous young woman in all of England!” he declared, hoping Amelia could hear him. “She has given me more than I could have ever asked for. She has ignored those who called me, ‘the beastly Duke’ and has found me out for who I truly am. Despite my failings, despite my frustrations and my darkness, she has given me her heart. She has shown me what true light is, what it is to offer up oneself out of nothing more than love and generosity. There has been a change in me, both in my character and in my heart and it is solely because of her.”
Turning, Nathanial held out one hand to the carriage and, as though she knew what he had intended to do, Amelia stepped out from within it at that very moment. Her eyes were rather round and she was looking here and there, color in her cheeks and her lip caught between her teeth.
“My darling Amelia.” Caught up with all that he felt, Nathanial rushed over to her and caught her hands in his. “My beautiful bride. My wonderful wife. I cannot tell you how much I adore you.”
Amelia looked up at him, her eyes fixed to his and suddenly, it did not matter to Nathanial that Lord Wilcox was still present or that there was a small crowd watching him. All he cared about was his wife.
“You have told me that you loved me,” Nathanial murmured, looking at her, moving himself closer to her. “Do you know how much that means to me?”
She blinked. “I hoped that it would be something you delighted in, Ashbourne.”
His fingers pressed hers. “And do you think that I do not?”
Amelia pressed her lips tight, her eyes searching his.
“I love you, Amelia,” he whispered, ignorant now to the eyes watching them, to the sounds surrounding them both. “I love you desperately. I have not found a way to say it, have not found the right words with which to tell you this but it is true. I love you. Iloveyou. And I am blessed now because you love me in return.”
Her eyes filled with soft tears as she pressed one hand to his cheek. “I am the one that is blessed, Ashbourne,” she whispered, as his head began to lower. “I love you.”
His lips brushed against hers in what was their first kiss as husband and wife. “Not as much as I love you.”
Epilogue
Having heard that Ameila was wandering through the rose garden as she often did, Nathanial hurried to find her. Seeing her walking through the rows of roses, the trellises filled with blooms of color and the air filled with wonderful scents, Nathanial paused for a moment and smiled as he watched her.
“My dear? I have something I wish to tell you.” Nathanial smiled as Amelia turned to him, thinking quietly to himself just how beautiful she looked. It was a very fine summer and one full year since they had made their vows and Nathanial could not help but grow in love and tenderness for his bride with every day that passed. The welcoming smile on her face pulled him to her and he hurried towards her, his heart thrilled to once more be in her company.
“It must be urgent if you are rushing to find me.” Amelia smiled and leaned into him as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. “What is it that you want to say?”
Nathanial dropped his head and let his lips brush her temple. “First, I wish to tell you just how beautiful you look today.”
She laughed softly, tipping her face up to his so that he might kiss her on the lips. He lingered, aware of the passion which built in him as he began to wrap her in his embrace.
Amelia laughed and then pulled back just a little, her eyes searching his. “You are becoming distracted, my love. Was there not something that you wanted to tell me?”
