The world came into focus when he took her hand. She looked up into his dark eyes, those eyes that had stolen her breath away the first moment they had met and held her captive ever since. Looking at him now, she knew that she had never had a chance. She had been his, right from the start.
“You look absolutely beautiful, he told her quietly. “I’m so glad we’re here.”
She wanted to wrap her arms around him. She wanted to lose herself in an embrace, in a kiss. She wanted to curl up together and talk about the way the rest of their lives would look now that they were to spend them together.
Instead, there was a wedding to get through.
It occurred to Lavinia, as she spoke her vows, that for many ladies this might be the most exciting part of the whole affair. Many ladies might be so excited at the prospect of marrying a handsome duke that they might have no joy at all at the thought of what was to come next.
It was the way she would have felt if she had married Lord Hennington—and she was grateful that marrying him had not been her fate. She was grateful that she had achieved what she’d dreamed of and found someone she could love, even though—perhaps especially because—that love had come about in such an unlikely way.
She wasn’t sad at all when the wedding ceremony was over. “You look radiant,” Seth whispered to her as they receded down the aisle to the carriage that waited to return them to her father’s home. “I know I’m supposed to allow our wedding guests a chance to dance with you, but I must admit, I’m going to have a hard time letting go of you this evening. I may want to claim every dance.”
Lavinia laughed. “Why, Your Grace, I never would have believed that you would stoop to such unseemly behavior.”
“Me? Unseemly?”
“I learned everything I know about how to conduct myself at social events from you, in case you’ve forgotten,” she told him. “And I’m sure you would have told me tonevermonopolize someone’s time at a ball, no matter how much I liked them.”
“Well, I’ve never been very good at taking my own advice,” Seth said. “I told myself to never fall in love, after all, and yet here we are.”
“Neither of us proved to be very good at taking your advice,” Lavinia said. “I think you would have told me to just marry Lord Hennington, if I had asked you.”
“I thought that was your choice,” he admitted. “You did say you didn’t want to marry me.”
“I still can’t believe you thought that was the truth.”
“I didn’t have any reason to doubt you,” Seth pointed out. “My only question about it was what had changed—as I’ve told you. But I’m very glad itwasn’ttrue.” He chuckled. “You can’t imagine the way it felt to come to your home and tell you that I wanted to marry you knowing that the answer might very well be no.”
“I’m glad you did,” Lavinia whispered.
They had reached the carriage. He opened the door and helped her inside. The moment the door closed behind them, Lavinia felt an overwhelming surge of relief. It was powerful and wonderful. At last, she was alone with her husband.
He reached out and took her hand. She smiled and allowed it, feeling a thrill at the knowledge that there was nothing to stop them from holding one another’s hands—that there never would be again.
And there would be kisses and deep conversation and hours spent gazing into one another’s eyes, and everything else that came along with a marriage. Lavinia could hardly wait to enjoy all the adventures that lay ahead for her now that she had Seth—the love of her life—by her side. The world seemed bright and full of possibilities that she had never considered before the two of them had met one another.
But for now, it was enough to sit side by side, hand in hand on the way to their wedding ball, and Lavinia felt so full of wonder and contentment just to be holding his hand that she almost hoped they would never reach their destination.
The End?
WILL YOU GIVE ME YOUR HONEST REVIEW?
I hope you loved my story! ♥
If you did, may I ask you to please write a review HERE?
It would mean the world to me.
Your insightful comments and honest feedback help me get better!
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Do you want to know howLavinia and Seth’srelationship evolved? Then enjoy this free complimentary short story featuring the beloved couple!
Simply TAP HERE to read it now for FREE! or use this link: https://go.hazellinwood.com/OqxlP2QI directly in your browser.
I guarantee you, that you won’t be disappointed♥
