Fortune, don’t fail me now! Please let him grow to love me.
Her father released her and whispered, “I’m so proud of you, Clary.”
A sob welled up in her throat, and she swallowed it down with difficulty. How could he be proud of her under such circumstances? She was marrying in secret after a scandal. Granted, it hadn’t been of her making, but this is not the wedding day that any of them had dreamed of for her.
She turned to David and placed her hand in his. The gentle pressure of his touch filled her heart to bursting and grounded her. With her knight to defend her, there was nothing she could not face.
The minister furrowed his brow and murmured, “No hand holding yet. I’ll let you know when.”
David released her hand slowly, letting his fingers slide along hers as if reluctant to let her go, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?”
She turned to look at Papa as he stood, eyes misty with unshed tears.Oh, Papa! I know I’ve been nothing but trouble to you, but I promise to try my very best to be the loyal and loving gentlewoman you raised me to be.
“I do.” His rough voice carried the love and forgiveness she craved so deeply, and it was all she could do to stop herself from throwing her arms around him. She had the very best Papa in the world. The minister gave a subtle nod and Papa moved to stand beside Mama.
Then the minister cleared his throat and began, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
Though Clarissa had heard these words many times, never had they held so much meaning. Now each sentence wrapped around them, weaving an ancient spell to bind them for life. An invisible tether between them grew taut, and everything around them faded.
She couldn’t help leaning closer to him, filled with hope for the future she had dreamed of, praying with all the fervor she could muster that she could find the way to his heart.
Did the ceremony make him think of his first wife? If she was thinking of the woman who had broken his heart, then he must have been too. How could he not? She tensed at the thought, but a questioning look from him brought her back to the present.
She could trust him. He had sworn himself to her, and the fire in his eyes reassured her that he was there forher, not distracted by the past.
“David Preston,” the minister intoned. “Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”
Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes.
Her groom took a deep breath and let it out slowly before looking deeply into her eyes and saying in a resounding voice, “I will.”
Relief flooded her as the minister turned toward her.
“Clarissa Wellesley, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him?”
Her mind snagged on the wordsobeyandserve, just as they always did, but she trusted David not to bend her to his will by breaking hers. He’d given no hint of wanting to control her, unlike Jeffrey. On the contrary, he’d done everything in his power to maintain his distance and leave her free, even when she didn’t want it.
“Wilt thou love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”
She caught David’s gaze again, trying to communicate the full force of her commitment, before sealing her oath with the words, “I will.”
The minister murmured, “Nowplace your right hand in his right hand.”
She trembled a bit as she reached out, but the moment their hands touched, David’s strength filled her with confidence. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and ran his thumb over the backs of her fingers, making her breath catch.
Turning to David, the minister intoned, “Now repeat after me. I, David Preston, take thee, Clarissa Wellesley, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance and thereto, I plight thee my troth.”
Clarissa could hardly breathe.Will he do it? Will he speak the words and bind himself to me for life?That he was a man of his word, she did not doubt, but his reluctance from the moment they’d met left her uncertain even as they stood on the precipice of matrimony.
His grip tightened, and his gaze seemed to burrow into her very soul as he repeated the vows in a clear and unwavering voice. Each word filled her heart and buoyed her spirits until all vestiges of doubt were erased from her mind. Her loyal knight was hers, even if she had yet to win his heart.
At the minister’s direction, they released hands and clasped them again for her vows, which she spoke with all the joy, hope, and adoration in her heart.
Warmth suffused every part of her as he pledged himself once again, sliding a ring onto her finger. Something deep within her bloomed at his fierce regard. A less keen observer might have mistaken his expression for pain, but there was a hunger and yearning in the way he looked at her that convinced her that he desired this, despite himself. He wanted her, though he had gone to great lengths to conceal it, perhaps even from himself.
She could hardly wait for the ceremony to end so that she could have a moment alone with him to confirm her suspicions. Fortunately, she didn’t have long to wait before the minister spoke the words she’d longed to hear that she knew, in her heart of hearts, was a matter of fate and not contrived by circumstance: “I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
