Epilogue
January, Ridlington Chase, England 1817
“Is everything ready?”
Kitty Seton-Mowbray peered around a door into the corridor at Ridlington Chase.
Her sister-in-law, Rosaline, Baroness Ridlington, nodded from the other end. “Yes, all is in place. She can come down whenever she’s ready. Max is here at the bottom of the stairs.”
“All right.” Kitty closed the door and turned to the woman standing immobile at the foot of the bed. “It’s time, Grace. And oh my goodness, you look wonderful.”
Grace’s breaths were uneven and her skin flushed. “I think I’m coming down with something,” she moaned.
“Stop. That’s nonsense. Perry is downstairs waiting in the large parlour. Edmund is ready to escort you. Everything is perfect.”
“Except me,” she answered, touching the scars on her face.
“You can barely see them. Why you never used a touch of powder before, I’ll never know,” Kitty sighed. “But enough lingering. Head up, shoulders square and let’s get to it.”
Grace couldn’t help a chuckle. “Yes, Captain.”
“That’s the spirit.” Kitty opened the door. “I’m so happy for you Grace. You and Perry…the perfectly matched pair. And now Max and I won’t have to concern ourselves if we decide to take a long holiday…you and Perry will be there for us, to take care of Margaret.”
“B-b-but…” stammered Grace.
Kitty giggled. “Don’t worry. ‘Twas a jest. We aren’t going anywhere for quite some time yet.”
“Cheeky wench,” muttered Grace.
“Mind your skirt,” admonished Kitty.
The delicate blue silk swished around Grace’s feet with all the deliciousness she could imagine. It swayed and shifted, drifting down to her toes from the high waist, and overlaid with lace of the same colour—so delicate that it was as if a tracery of glittering blue cobwebs surrounded her.
She wore long white gloves, her mother’s pearl necklace, and three lovely silk flowers in her hair. Simple, understated, but very much her.
Max approved. “You are a delight to the eyes, Grace.” He held out his arm as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Wait…let me go ahead and take my place.” Kitty bustled around them. “Count to ten and then you can enter. Just like we rehearsed it…walk to the front, give her hand to Perry and after that you can sit down, Max.”
He sighed. “What would I do without you, my darling? Anyone would think we’ve never done this before.”
“Oh hush.” Kitty just shook her head. “Deep breaths now. I’m off.”
Max and Grace stood quietly in the hall. “You’re good for him, you know.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “I am?’
“Yes. He’s a good man with a brilliant mind. You bring out the best of both his sides. He can be intelligent around you and be kind to you. He wants to be both and you enjoy it all.”
“I love him, Max. It’s that simple.”
He smiled back at his sister. “If you knew the history of this house, you’d understand why all the Ridlingtons are so happy to be here, with you both, today.”
“Well I’m glad, then.” She took a deep breath. “Shall we?”
“We shall indeed.”
And so Mrs. Grace Chaney was given in marriage by her brother, Mr. Max Seton-Mowbray, to Sir Peregrine Hawkesbury, in the large parlour of Ridlington Chase.
