Genevieve stared down at her hand, the long fingers all fish-belly pale…and the ruined nailbeds on all fingers save the smallest. The empty places where nails used to be made her curl her hand into a fist. Shame crawled up her throat. How strange it was that this, after all that had happened to her, was what she was most desperate to hide.
Kendrick took her hand with his own strong, calloused one, with its own nicks and scars. He gently uncurled her fist before slipping the gold ring onto her fourth finger. “Withthis ring, I thee wed, with my body, I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
The vicar said, “Let us pray.”
And then they were married. And before Kendrick dipped his head to kiss her lips, he lifted their entwined hands and kissed her fingertips first—every ruined one of them.
Elspeth and Sparrow embraced her on the steps of the parsonage, squeezing Genevieve tightly. “I’m so happy for you,” Sparrow said in a thick voice, looking beautiful in a claret-colored gown.
“Don’t worry about the boy today,” Elspeth assured her, her smile lopsided. A rose-colored hat had been pinned carefully to her hair. “I will look after him, and so will Robbie and Joseph.”
“What do you mean?”
Her friends exchanged an amused glance. “Genevieve, every bride deserves a honeymoon, even a short one.”
A hand rested on the small of her back. Kendrick’s.
“What have you all conspired on?” Genevieve asked, even as her heart thumped at the contact.
“We have a reservation at the Langham before sunrise.”
“TheLangham?” It was the largest and most modern hotel in the city—she heard it had electric light in some portions now. “But the risk—”The expense, she added internally.
“Don’t worry.” Kendrick took her hand—he had helped put her gloves back on after the ceremony—and tucked it in the curve of his elbow. “I’ve taken care of everything.”
He assisted her out of the hansom cab as the sky was greying in the east. The entrance to the Langham shone bright and yellow; she could hear the hum from the light bulbs that illuminated the portico. Bellboys dashed forward to accept the luggage from the cab driver as Kendrick escorted her through the entrance and over the plush carpet to the front desk. A large tree festooned with ribbon and baubles took center stage in the lobby, one of the Queen’s fads that had gained popularity. Elsewhere in the hotel, greenery and holly had been artfully placed for the Christmas season.
“Welcome, sir, madam,” the night concierge said, a small furrow between his brows at a guest’s arrival at six in the morning. His eyes widened at the sight of the sword hilt over Kendrick’s shoulder.
“We have a reservation, under Kendrick,” Kendrick rumbled, catching the man’s eye and holding it.
“Ah—yes, here it is.” His face smoothed out into a smile as he produced the information in the reservation book. “Fuller will show you up.” He indicated the waiting gentleman. “Your luggage will be delivered momentarily. Will you require a maid or valet’s service?”
“No,” Kendrick said. “And we request not to be disturbed. Should we need anything, we will ring.”
“Very good, sir,” the concierge said. “We strive to accommodate all our guests.”
As she and her new husband followed Fuller up the grand staircase, Genevieve whispered, “Did you magichim?”
“I’m tired. I wanted to stop answering questions,” Kendrick replied in an undertone.
“Hmph.”
When he opened the door to the room, Kendrick immediately did a circuit through the suite, making sure all the window curtains were closed. Genevieve waited in the main room, after glancing into the bedroom at the massive, four-poster bed. The luggage arrived momentarily, and after refusing help to unpack, Kendrick kindly sent the man away with a tip.
“Did I tell you that you looked beautiful this morning, Genevieve?” he asked, propping the sword against the bed and divesting himself of his coat.
“You did,” she said, swallowing. “But it’s nice to hear.”
“It’s true. I think there ought to be a nightgown in the luggage. I told Elspeth to pack one. Do you want to change before the sun comes up?”
“Are we not going to…?”
“Have a wedding breakfast? Not if you’re not hungry.”
She stared at him blankly.
“The breakfast is me, Genevieve. And there’s no rush. Let me know if you need help.”
