“Seriously, sister.” Esme went to join her at the closet, threading their arms together. “Happiness is not the preserve of others. It is out there somewhere, waiting to be claimed and enjoyed. By you,” she added, with a nudge of her elbow.
“Well, I shall be sure to look out for it.” Isabella was brisk as she studied the gown. “But for now, let us concentrate onturning you into a bride fit for this man who has made you so very happy.”
*
Great boughs ofpine had been strung from the rafters of the chapel, so Adam breathed in the scent of yule as he stood by the altar, waiting for the ceremony to begin. His breath plumed ahead of him, for the chapel was high-ceilinged and draughty, but this only heightened his sense of anticipation.
He had dared to dream. And now his dreams were coming true.
Beside him, Jonah gave a small cough, pulling his sumptuous cloak of emerald green closer over his shoulders.
“The final guests are arriving. This is perchance your last chance to make an escape,” he commented, drily.
Adam clapped him on the shoulder, knowing that the slender man was a lot stronger than he looked. “Why would I do that, pray tell? I am about to become the happiest man in England.”
Jonah nodded, a small smile playing about his lips. “I am just making sure.”
“And I am exactly where I want to be.”
He spoke the truth, although Adam was careful not to raise his gaze further than the first family pews. Beyond them, all the way to the back of the chapel, sat the great and good of the English nobility, wrapped in silk and furs, flashing with jewels, and no doubt exclaiming to one another over Esme de Neville’s startling choice of husband.
Upon waking that morn, Adam had been unable to quell a faint hope that the snow would keep at least some of these guests away. But the brightness of the sun—together with the lure of Wolvesley Castle—had brought them all out, in their finery.
“I thought we were to have a small wedding,” he had murmured to Esme, a sennight prior, as she and Morwenna deliberated over seating arrangements.
She had gazed up at him, bewildered. “This is small.”
Standing in the chapel, Adam took a deep breath and focused on the intricate detail of the frescoes on the opposite wall. He would not allow any doubts, insecuritiesor other people, to spoil the wonder of this day.
Jonah cleared his throat. “I am sorry that ’tis I stood beside you, not Callum. I am but a poor substitute for the friend you have known since childhood.”
His words were heartfelt; Adam could see as much in his blue eyes.
He grasped his arm. “I am glad you are here, Jonah. In fact, I am honored by it. ’Tis no small matter, to be accepted by the mighty de Nevilles.”
Jonah inclined his head. “’Tis no small matter to see my sister so happy.” He glanced down the aisle as if looking for a glimpse of Esme, but there was so sign of her yet.
Adam knew this without looking; every fiber of his body was strained with awareness as to her presence or absence.
“I will remain a while here at Wolvesley; to give you and Esme some time alone at Ember Hall,” Jonah continued.
Adam’s heart leaped at the prospect of having his wife all to himself, but he shook his head. “Nay, you do not have to do that. Ember Hall is your home, and that should not change. Esme and I are only looking after the place until Frida and Callum return.”
“You know better than I that Callum will be required in the Highlands for a long time yet. He is the Laird of Kielder and has duties there.” Jonah’s voice was low. “Your arrangement benefits all and I do not seek to spoil it.”
The sound of fretful crying made all eyes swing to the second pew, where Mirrie rocked her new baby son in her arms.Comforted, the babe went back to sleep, and Mirrie and Tristan exchanged a look of relief.
The babe had been born on the night of the first frost. He was a strong, healthy boy with a lustful cry and a hearty appetite. His name was Lucan, after his grandfather’s older brother.
Adam turned back to Jonah. “After today, you will be my brother. I never had a brother before, but I am certain my mother would instruct me to share whatever I have.”
Jonah’s face was momentarily transformed by a wide and genuine smile. “Your mother must have been a wise woman.”
“Aye, she was.”
Adam swallowed a lump in his throat. His humble parents would have been overjoyed to see him here. Not because of the wealth of Wolvesley; but because he had found a woman he loved—and been accepted by her large and loving family.
He thought back to the day he first met Esme. He had sat by the window at Ember Hall, all but struck dumb by the beauty and vivacity of the golden-haired girl who teased her siblings and mimed a sword fight.
