Frances feigned a smile, trying to tame the storm of nerves that brewed inside of her.
“Shall we go?”
Her father took her by the hand and led her to the aisle. The journey passed by in a flash, and Frances inched closer to the new life that awaited her.
A life together with Christopher.
As they reached the altar, her father placed her hand in Christopher’s.
Sensing her tension, Christopher leaned in slightly, his voice low enough for only Frances to hear. “I promise I won’t step on your veil when we walk together, if you promise to forgive me when I inevitably do,” he whispered.
The unexpected humor broke through her nervous facade, and a genuine smile spread across her face. “I shall hold no grudge if you do.”
Christopher took in her appearance, a smile forming on his lips. “I have to say that you do look beautiful when you dress up.”
Frances blushed at his compliment. He injected humor into everything, making things seem lighthearted. It was a quality that she was quickly learning to appreciate.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a whirlwind of vows and blessings.
Frances and Christopher moved through the crowd, accepting congratulations and well-wishes from family and friends.
Esther and Phillip were among the first to offer their congratulations.
Esther’s eyes sparkled with tears of joy as she hugged Frances tightly. “You look radiant,” she whispered. “I’m so happy for you both.”
Phillip clapped Christopher on the back, his grin wide and teasing. “Well done, my friend. You’ve finally found someone who can put up with you. Of course, you failed to mention to me thatFranceswas the mystery woman talked about. I was quite surprised when Esther told me of the union.”
Frances caught a small part of the conversation and looked to Christopher for an explanation.
Had he been speaking about her? Was it good things that he had been saying?
He avoided her gaze and instead focused on Phillip. “Well, I suppose it must have slipped my mind…”
“Christopher.” Esther smiled. “Welcome to the family. You could not have made a better choice—you too, Frances. I am so happy about this union. Is it not funny how God works in the strangest ways? I never thought that this was even possible.”
Frances grew embarrassed at how much her sister was gushing. It was one thing to be excited, but another one entirely to act as though their match was made in heaven.
Or maybe…
A thought came to her mind.
Could it be possible that Esther saw something in them that they did not see themselves?
Frances suddenly became very aware of how she was being perceived. Surely, the news was going to travel fast now that the ceremony had taken place.
Christopher Grant, Duke of Huntington, married.
She could already imagine it being in the papers tomorrow.
The thought made her quite nervous. But Christoper remained unfazed.
“Well, do you have a word of advice?” he asked Phillip, a sheepish smile on his face.
“For the newlyweds?” Phillip grinned and then looked at his wife.
“Who else?” Christopher’s tone was sarcastic.
“Well, I will tell you now that you should always assume that your wife is right.”
