“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the vicar said.
Jacob kissed Audrey’s cheek and whispered in her ear, “Later, my darling, I’ll give you a proper kiss.”
He could see his wife’s cheeks pink, and it thrilled him to know he would be the only man kissing her sweet lips for the rest of their lives.
“If you’ll follow me,” the vicar said, “you must all sign the church register.”
“Of course,” Jacob said, holding out his arm for his new bride. It thrilled him to see their names officially written down in the register as husband and wife. He’d never been happier.
After the ceremony, they headed back to the Devon townhouse, where Lady Devon had graciously offered to host a wedding breakfast for them.
“Are you happy, my darling?” he asked as they rode in the carriage to the Devon townhouse.
Audrey looked at him with love shining in her eyes. “More than I ever could have imagined, and it’s all because of you. I adore you, Jacob Stanford.”
“And I adore you, my lady wife.”
“Must you two carry on so?” Mia asked in a huff. “Everyone knows you two love each other. There’s no need to demonstrate it at every turn.”
“Just wait until you fall in love,” Grace interjected.
“What if I don’t want to fall in love?” Mia asked. “Then what?”
“Mia, dearest, you have plenty of time to decide what direction you’d like your life to take. You’re only five and ten,” Audrey said.
“Soon to be six and ten in the autumn,” Mia said.
“She’s right, Mia,” Jacob chimed in. “You’ll have our support in whatever you choose to do when the time comes for you to decide.”
“I’m more excited to go to Dandridge Manor. When can we leave?” Mia asked.
“Why don’t we leave in three days? I think we’ll need a day to recover from these festivities, and I need to purchase our own carriage,” Jacob said, knowing he also wanted to spend as much time with Audrey in their marriage bed as possible before heading to the country. “Will that suit?”
Mia nodded enthusiastically.
“I’m looking forward to seeing our country estate as well,” Grace said. “I do hope there’s a lovely garden.”
“Grace, if one hasn’t already been established, I give you permission to design one.”
“Really?”
“Of course. As far as I know, there isn’t a full-time gardener on staff, so I’ll leave you in charge of it.”
“Thank you, my lord. That would be wonderful.”
“I think it’s about time all of you called me Jacob, at least in private. All this ‘my lord’ and ‘Fletcher’ seems so formal, especially when we’re alone,” he said.
Both Grace and Mia smiled.
“Jacob, it is,” Grace said. “It suits you.”
When they entered the Devon townhouse, he and Audrey exchanged surprised looks at seeing so many guests in attendance. The ballroom had been turned into a spectacular garden, with vases of flowers on every surface and large potted plants along the walls. Candles flickered in the chandelier overhead, as well as in the wall sconces located around the room. The French doors had been thrown open to let in the breeze. Refreshments had been set up at the opposite end of the ballroom, and the tables were piled high with many delectable dishes.
Audrey had warned Jacob that some in thetonwould frown upon their union, but he didn’t care what they thought. All he cared about was that Audrey was happy. To see so many here to wish them well warmed his heart.
222
“Lady Devon, you’ve outdoneyourself. Everything is so beautiful,” Audrey said, greeting their hostess. “I don’t know how we’ll ever thank you.”
