The Duke brought his horse to a stop near the minister and dismounted. Someone emerged from the crowd to take the reins from him.
“Your Grace. Thank you for coming,” the minister said.
“I came as quickly as I could. What is going on?”
“He turned up an hour ago and started banging on the door. I don’t know who he is or what he wants, but the door is not locked. Still, he bangs and rattles it. I have tried to talk to him, but he will not listen to me, and I am scared to get too close.”
“I’ll take care of it,” the Duke told him.
Nicholas gestured for the two footmen to follow him. He had only taken a couple of steps toward the man when he stopped in shock. He had not looked properly until that moment, and it was not some vagrant or thief but the Earl of Lincoln.
Nicholas had forgotten all about Bridget’s father since leaving the seaside estate, but the problems came rushing back.
“No one will ruin this wedding,” he muttered. He took another few steps toward the Earl. “Lord Lincoln!” he called.
The Earl did not stop banging on the door and shouting. It was obvious now that he was deep in his cups. He had lost one shoe, and when the Duke looked around, there was no sign of it. His shirt was untucked and hung below his jacket, and the smell of cheap brandy became overwhelming when he approached him.
“Lord Lincoln!” the Duke called again. “You must calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” the Earl shouted. He turned to face the Duke, and there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes. He turned back to the door to bang on it some more. “Let me in! You can’t keep me out of here.”
“Lord Lincoln, this is a place of God.” The Duke reached out and grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Stop this at once.”
The Earl spun around quickly at the touch, his eyes wide and wild. He swayed from side to side. “They won’t let me in,” he snarled. “My daughter’s wedding, and they think they can keep me from her! Iwillwalk her down the aisle, no matter what they say, and no one will stop me. Not even you, Your Grace.”
“Ah, so you do recognize me,” the Duke said. “Now that we are at the crux of the matter, let me tell you something. Today is my brother’s wedding day, and no one shall ruin it, not even you. I can see you are looking for a fight, and I ask you to reconsider. If you wish to fight, then you will fight me, and you must believe me when I tell you that you will come off worse. A lot worse!”
“They locked me out!” the Earl shouted.
“They did not lock you out. The wedding has not started yet.” The Duke shook his head as he took the man in. “Dear Lord, look at you. Why have you done this on your daughter’s special day?”
“Done what?” the Earl asked. “Demanded the respect I deserve.”
“It is hard to show any respect when you have turned up this drunk, sir.”
“Drunk?” the Earl scoffed and waved his hand in the air, almost toppling over. “I had a drink to celebrate my daughter becoming a married woman. There is no shame in that.”
“There is a lot of shame in what you have done,” the Duke retorted. “You should not have come here today. You are no gentleman, Lord Lincoln.”
“You dare call me names in my own home!” The Earl looked around with some confusion. “No, not my home. Yours! Or someone else’s! We are outside somehow. Still, I deserve respect.”
“Yes, so you keep saying. You don’t deserve respect, Lord Lincoln. Not from the people you do business with, nor from your family. My brother is marrying into your family, and Lord help him. He is lucky to have found Lady Margaret but not to have you as a father-in-law. You need to get a hold of yourself!”
The Earl looked confused and turned to look at the church once more. He turned to the Duke again but stumbled as he shifted his feet. He grabbed onto the Duke’s trousers to stop himself from crashing into the ground. Nicholas had never been more thankful for a good pair of suspenders.
“Oh, please!” Ralph begged as he kept hold of the Duke’s trousers. “Please, Your Grace. You must help me. I am her father, and I have a right to be here.”
“I will help you, but I will help everyone else, too. I cannot let you walk your daughter down the aisle. I cannot let you attend the ceremony. I might take pity on you and let you attend the celebration afterward if you have sobered up by then.”
The Earl pulled himself up, gripping the Duke’s coat and then standing before him, still unsteady on his feet.
“I will not submit to your demands.” He swung his arm.
The Duke ducked easily, and the Earl spun around and collapsed to the ground. The Duke pushed him with the toe of his boot, but the Earl did not move.
Nicholas looked down at the shell of a man. It was hard to feel pity for him, but he did all the same.
“William!” he called. “Oscar! Load him onto my horse. We shall ride back to the estate, and I will keep an eye on him until then.”
