Natalie celebrated one happy event amidst it all. For one ofthe events she, her mother, and godmother attended was the wedding of Miss Abigail Wright to the Duke of Monfort, no less! Taking full credit for their courtship, she wished another duchess well and assumed she’d learn of that story another time, perhaps.
And all the while, like a storm on the horizon, her own nuptials loomed nearer and nearer.
What was Garrett thinking? What was he feeling? At the water party, he’d denied being angry with her. He’d also told her it didn’t matter either way. She wished she could feel as certain of his love now as she had this summer. Shehadfelt certain then, but only after they’d been alone together a great deal. Everything felt different now. They’d not talked,really talked, since she’d left Maple Hall with her parents.
And she was to marry him.
In one week.
In five days.
Tomorrow.
This morning.
Oh, Lord, the day was finally here. Her wedding day. God willing, Garrett would present himself at the church on time.
God willing, he would present himself, period.
She’d die if he abandoned her at the altar.
She’d rather undergo physical torture than for him to be late.
Hundreds of guests had RSVP’d, and a large wedding breakfast awaited at Burtis Hall. Natalie’s parents had decided that, after spending the wedding night in town, the bride and groom would remove themselves for a few weeks to London Hills, Natalie’s dower property. It was assumed they would return to Maple Hall for the winter. There was also some discussion of a Christmas house party at Summers Park, the Duke of Cortland’s principal seat. It would be a family gathering. Yes, Garrett was family now.
Wedding day nerves attacked her with a vengeance. One moment, tearful sentimentality engulfed her, and the next, nausea-inducing terror. She would do well to make it down the aisle without shattering into a million pieces. She wished she could act with the same confidence she’d had when originally undertaking this plan.
Just as Sissy finished pinning a charming little bonnet into Natalie’s hair, Lady Ravensdale entered the room. She’d visited Natalie the night before to reveal to her only daughter the details of the physical act that would be expected on her wedding night. Natalie had nodded and acted as though it was all new information, but in truth her mother’s words were much less informative than her experiences with Garrett.
Natalie had no dread of her wedding night. She simply dreaded the wedding itself.
This morning, her mother was tearful yet happy.
“Oh, my darling,” she said with a sigh, catching her daughter’s eyes in the mirror. “You are going to be the most beautiful bride ever to marry at St. George’s!”
With that Natalie scrunched her nose, marring the effect of serene beauty the veil on her bonnet helped to create. “Mama, I am terrified. What if I was wrong? What if he does not love me? He will hate me forever knowing I’ve trapped him. For that’s what I did, Mama, I trapped him.”
Her mother turned Natalie away from the mirror and took her hands between her own. “A man such as your fiancé would not allow himself to be trapped. Lord Hawthorne is marrying you because he wants to.” She tilted her head and gave Natalie a watery smile. “I’ve seen how he looks at you, my darling. He loves you. You are the best thing that man has ever known, and he knows it. He is not a fool.” Seeing her tears form, her mother moved Natalie’s veil aside and, with a handkerchief, dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “Now, we don’t want to be late. I will see you at the church.” With that,she kissed her on the cheek and then left Natalie alone with her thoughts.
And then her father appeared to escort her downstairs and out to the carriage. Everything was moving along as planned. With lightning speed.
Consideringthe events of the past several weeks, Garrett ought not to have been surprised when he stepped out of the vestibule near the altar to see the church bursting at the seams. There were even several guests left standing near the back. Garrett pulled at his cravat. Marcus had tied it much tighter today than usual. Ah, yes, Marcus took his job very seriously.
His dedicated valet, in fact, had insisted Garrett dress in the latest formal wedding attire, with white breeches, a silver waistcoat, and a silver and blue jacket. Garrett felt conspicuous. He would have been much more at ease in his normal black attire and a pair of riding boots.
When he went to tug at his cravat once again, Stone, his best man, leaned in and whispered, “You’re going to ruin the knot.” His friend’s voice rumbled with more than a hint of laughter.
Garrett suppressed a growl. “There will come a day when we trade places, my friend, and then you shall know the feeling.”
Stone chuckled.
And then a murmur rose at the back of the church.
She was here. A hush fell over the sanctuary, and then the music trumpeted, signifying the beginning of the ceremony. The vision at the end of the aisle glowed. Carrying yellow roses, she wore a dress made up of gold and white.
His breath caught. Natalie was going through with it. His bride. She was beautiful, courageous, the light of his life, and itseemed that all would be well after all. The sky wasn’t falling, and the earth had not collapsed upon itself. A warmth unlike anything he’d known blossomed inside him at the stunning epiphany.
Everything was going to be all right.
