“Yes, I realize.” The duchess gave Adele a furtive smile. “You are not one of the money-grubbing society chits who has had her eyes on my son. I have seen your reluctance in these last two weeks. I do believe that you and Hugh are marrying because you are fond of each other. And I know I have not been terribly supportive. I’m sure you understand why.”
“Yes,” said Adele, because she did.
“I only want what is best for my son. You will understand one day when you have children of your own. But Hugh is determined to see this marriage through, so I will see it through, and I will accept you as a member of our family.”
“But?”
Helena sighed. “I would like to get to know you. You seem to be a good woman, and Hugh keeps reminding me that you are not your father, whom I have made no secret of not caring for. This is the way of things, I suppose. My friends keep telling me the youth of today have different notions of propriety than we did in our day.”
“If it makes you feel better,” said Adele, glancing at her reflection again, “I am dreading the wedding itself. I think I will feel much happier when it is over and I do not have to be paraded in front of society like… like a pet peacock.”
Helena laughed. “Well, we still live in England, my dear. There may yet be some parading. That is the nature of marrying into a family like Hugh’s. I was not completely comfortable with it at first, either, but I adjusted.”
Adele glanced back at the mirror. She felt so unlike herself. Oh, she felt beautiful and she imagined Hugh would agree, butthe trappings of being a duchess were not at all familiar to her. She could only hope that she was not making a grave error.
*
Hugh supposed everygroom knew a moment of doubt as he stood at the front of the church, wondering when, or if, his bride would appear. Even knowing she’d been dressing for this very event when he passed her the emerald had not assuaged the fear that had plagued him the whole carriage ride to the church.
It was his mother’s off-hand comment as he’d been leaving. She’d mentioned she’d had a talk with Adele, which had brought a startling cold fear to Hugh. “What did you tell her?”
“I gave her the Waterdown Tiara and told her that since she is about to be duchess she should look the part. She is uneasy with the role, I think.”
Hugh had suspected as much. It hadn’t seemed to sink in until the last few days that Adele would be not just any wife, but a duchess, one married to a powerful, wealthy man. And although she kept telling him not to spend money on her, he had anyway, and he saw how it made her uncomfortable. He appreciated that. But now he wondered if she might be so uncomfortable that she’d decide they should not be married after all.
But then she appeared at the back of the church like an angelic vision. Her gown was such a pale yellow that it looked almost white underneath the lights of the church. It made her skin look pink and creamy. And there was the emerald at her throat, and it brought out the color of her eyes. And there was his mother’s most precious Waterdown Tiara, an object that had belonged to Duchesses of Swynford for more than a hundred years. It all looked like it belonged to Adele, that she would bethe most stunning of all the duchesses past and present, and she was about to marry Hugh.
When she arrived at the front of the church, she smiled at him and Hugh’s heart stopped.
He hardly heard the words of the priest. He spoke when prompted to do so, but otherwise, he concentrated on his lovely bride. Her eyes were blue like the sea and her hair was bright like sunshine and poets should really be writing sonnets about her attributes because there had never been a more beautiful woman. And she was clever and kind and all that Hugh had wanted.
It was then that he had his moment. It hit him quite suddenly, somewhere in the middle of the recitation of vows, that he loved this woman.
Helovedher.
He felt giddy with this knowledge, happy beyond anything he could have anticipated, and he could not wait to tell her, although bursting out with it right at this moment seemed inappropriate.
When prompted to do so, Hugh kissed Adele, probably a little more forcefully than was appropriate in church, but he didn’t care.
The priest declared them man and wife. Hugh wanted to jump with glee.
He held out his arm to escort Adele back down the aisle. She smiled as she took it. It was only now that Hugh allowed himself to see who had attended. His mother, of course, and Lord Canbury. A few women Hugh did not recognize, likely friends of Adele’s. Lark, Owen, and Fletcher sat together. All of the Baxter cousins who lived within half a day’s ride of London, including Collingswood.
As he made these observations, Adele seemed to be yanking him down the aisle.
“There is no rush now, my love,” he said. “We are married.”
“I know, but I wish to leave before—oh.”
The church doors opened and a massive crowd had gathered outside. Hugh knew immediately that they were here to see the new Duchess of Swynford, and he also knew that this was the last thing Adele would have wanted. The way between the door and his coach was blocked by a great number of people.
Hugh looked around. Ventnor, Hugh’s valet, and a number of footmen in Swynford livery were standing behind him. He leaned over and told Ventnor to ask the footmen to create a path.
Thus it took several minutes to get Adele from the door of the church to the coach. And it was only once they were inside that Adele seemed to breathe.
“We’ve done it now, Adele. We just promised to love, honor, and obey each other for the rest of our days in front of God and our friends and families.”
She laughed softly. “I hope the worst part is over.”
