She turned to face him, and he touched her chin to raise her face to meet his. He kissed her gently, wishing he could prolong this moment for an eternity before their lives changed forever. But luckily, the practical side of him won out. They both needed rest before the wedding, after all. He pulled away. “Sleep well, sweetheart. I cannot wait until the morning.”
She smiled. “Neither can I, my love.”
CHAPTER 44
Mary and Mrs. Lucas both helped her get ready for her wedding. Even with the two of them, it took almost two hours to be ready, all before nine in the morning. Joanna stared at herself in the mirror when she was ready, feeling a sense of excitement.
She stood, wearing a fine gown made of white muslin and a matching white shawl, embroidered with small, blue flowers along the edge. Mrs. Lucas had helped her fix the fine handmade lace veil on her head.
“You look beautiful, my lady,” Mary said when they were finished. “Like a princess.”
Joanna smiled. “I feel like one, to be honest. I never thought I would look like this on my wedding day.” Any dreams of fine lace veils and white wedding gowns had died when she learned of her father’s gambling debts all those years ago. Until meeting Evan, she would have been lucky to have a wedding at all, where she knew she would be wearing a morning dress three years outof fashion and her best bonnet, which had been repaired at least three times now.
Of course, Evan insisted on giving her the wedding of her dreams. He didn’t care how much it cost, as long as she was happy. Of course, she would be happy to marry him even if she was wearing an old morning dress and bonnet to her wedding. She still could not believe how lucky she was to have him.
Joanna took a deep breath, feeling nervous but excited. “I suppose it is time to go,” she said. “I don’t want to be late to my own wedding.”
The housekeeper and lady’s maid helped her go downstairs to the carriage waiting outside. Her parents had already gone ahead to the church.
Joanna could not help but giggle and smile with anticipation as they arrived. The church was decorated with blue floral garlands for the wedding. The carriage driver opened the door for her and helped her down. She restrained herself from running inside, even though she could hardly wait to be married to Evan.
Mary and Mrs. Lucas followed her inside, carrying the modest train of her dress to keep it from getting dirty on the London streets.
Inside the church, her friends and family were already seated. On the groom’s side, she saw Peter and Martha, who were both grinning broadly at her as she entered the room.
There were a few more people on the bride’s side of the church. Her parents were both there. Her father was smiling kindly while her mother was already dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Penelope was sitting in the pew behind them, dressed in her Sunday best. But the attendant next to her was the best surprise.
Her little sister, Aurelia, was sitting primly next to Penelope, and practically glowing with excitement and pride for Joanna.
Delight filled Joanna, and for a moment, she almost forgot herself and ran to her sister. But movement out of the corner of her eye redirected her attention to the front of the room, where Evan was waiting for her, dressed in a fine, dark blue suit and cravat. He gazed at her with a soft smile on his face.
She could not remember the first time she had seen him, when he looked angry and merciless. Now she could not imagine ever being afraid of him.
Joanna walked to the front of the room, where he was waiting, along with the clergy man. She smiled as she took her place.
The clergy man started the ceremony, but she could barely pay attention to it. Instead, she gazed at Evan, trying to commit everything to memory. She wanted to remember how he looked on his wedding day for the rest of her life.
The ceremony was short and sweet. Evan gave her a chaste kiss on the lips as it was finished. As he did so, he whispered in her ear, “I love you, my wife.”
Joanna felt like she had died and gone to heaven.
After they signed the wedding register, everyone left the church, talking excitedly about the wedding breakfast at Blackwell Manor. As soon as they were outside, Joanna pulled Aurelia into a hug. “I am surprised to see you here!” she said. “What about school?”
“The last few days of finishing school do not matter, not really,” she said. “I wanted to see you get married, so I arranged to leave as soon as I could. I only arrived in town just this morning.”
“I am so happy you are here,” Joanna said, grinning. She hugged her sister again. “I have missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” Aurelia said. “But it looks like you have kept yourself occupied this Season.” She glanced at the duke and grinned before looking at Joanna again. “I am so happy for you. But I admit, I hope my own search for a husband is less eventful.”
Joanna laughed. “I hope so, too.”
Evan gently grabbed Joanna’s hand. “Come on, my dear,” he said. “We don’t want the wedding breakfast to get cold.” He nodded in greeting to Aurelia before steering Joanna to the carriage. Joanna let him take her, knowing she would be seeing Aurelia and the others at Blackwell Manor soon enough.
Excitement filled her as they entered a carriage together alone, even though they were in broad daylight. She would never need a chaperone again. She could do what she pleased with Evan and never have to worry about being mentioned in the scandal sheets again.
He turned to her, grinning. “You look absolutely stunning today.” He pulled her in for a kiss. He leaned down to whisper to her. “I admit, I am looking forward to getting you alone. I have half a mind to steal you away, and let the others enjoy the wedding breakfast alone.”
Joanna giggled. She had to admit, the thought of being stolen away was tempting, but she hadn’t seen her sister in months. “After breakfast, I am all yours. But not a moment before that.”
