“Can you blame me?” She gave an indignant huff.
“Yes,” he shot back. “But all right. Apology accepted. What are your plans for Edward? Or are those to be kept secret, too?”
She cast him a smug smile. “I am certainly not going to tell you, Ramsdale. You’ll protect your brother as you always do. Just worry about your own wife and do your best to keep her smiling. She has the prettiest smile, don’t you think?”
“I have always thought so. Ah, here we are,” Jonas said as the carriage drew up in front of the vicarage. “We have drawn a crowd,” he muttered as they strode in and he recognized many of the villagers packed in the church. “I don’t see Ailis.”
“Do you think she ran off?” Edward teased.
“You are such a dolt,” Jonas said with a laugh. “I cannot wait for your turn to come around.”
He was about to say more, but the breath caught in his throat when Ailis and her uncle walked through a small door behind the altar and took their places.
She looked so pretty.
And she would soon be his.
Her uncle was officiating, which could not have been more perfect and meaningful for Ailis, who was all about sentiment.
Jonas noticed she was not cradling her arm in a sling. This was of concern to him, but he would not remark on it, since this was her day and she wanted to look like a bride, not an injured patient walking out of an infirmary.
Whispers of approval echoed off the stone archways and wood rafters as he strode down the aisle to join her at the altar. He stood beside her and would remain protectively by her side throughout the day to make certain no one accidentally bumped into her sore shoulder.
She was still a wounded dove.
Hisdove to now love and protect.
She looked strikingly beautiful in a gown of ivory silk, a simple circlet of pearls threaded in her golden hair.
“Ready to marry me, Temple?” he asked with a grin.
“Hmm, still thinking about it, Your Grace,” she teased. “But since I am here already, and you seem to be in desperate need of a wife…”
He chuckled. “Desperate, am I?”
“Well, perhaps I am the one who loves you desperately,” she remarked.
Once the ceremony began, their jesting came to an end, and everyone in the chapel hushed. Jonas took hold of Ailis’s hand and held it throughout, not caring whether it was customary or not. Theirs was a bond of love, and he meant to deliver that message to all who were with them today. Ailis would be his duchess from this day forward, and he would not tolerate any disrespect toward her.
Not that he expected any resistance from the villagers, who adored her and already considered her their angel. It was no leap to now consider her as his duchess, too.
When it came time for the exchange of vows, Jonas did so without hesitation. It felt liberating to commit to this partner he adored and could trust with all his heart. He could tell by Ailis’s expression that she was thinking the same, for her voice also rang clear as she said, “I do.”
Although it was not the custom to end a wedding ceremony with a kiss, Jonas was never one to conform.
“First kiss as husband and wife,” he whispered, and closed his mouth over hers.
Their wedding kiss was the last moment he had alone with Ailis until much later that evening, when the celebrations finally came to an end.
He led her upstairs to his bedchamber, eager to spend the night with his new bride.
She seemed at ease with the arrangement of sharing his bed, no doubt feeling comfortable because she had spent so much time in it already. “Would you prefer a lady’s maid to assist you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I am almost as stubbornly independent as you. We’ll manage just fine on our own tonight. Will you help me unlace my gown? Do you need my help in undressing?”
“No, love.” He cleared his throat. “Ailis, I do not think you need to see—”
“Let me stop you right there,” she said, putting a finger to his lips. “Here’s my promise to you. If you undress, then I undress. If you keep your clothes on, even a stitch, then I shall keep mine on, too. It is your choice. Do we keep our bodies hidden? Or are we going to be sensible about this and bare all?”
