At the front, before the altar, stood Lucy. She wore a white silk gown, plain but exceedingly well-cut, and a circlet of roses was in her red-blonde hair, supporting the trailing gauzy veil. Beside her stood Nicholas, dressed in a dark navy tailcoat and knee-breeches, his dark brown hair brushed and shining. He gazed at Lucy with a quiet adoration. Lucy looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with love as she gazed back.
“Will you, Nicholas Alfred Brentley, take Lucy Emilia Harwick to be your wedded wife; to live together in mutual regard and constancy; to cherish her, honour her, and protect her in times of ease and in times of hardship; and, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her for as long as you both shall live?” The vicar asked.
“I will,” Nicolas said firmly.
“And will you, Lucy Emilia Harwick, take Nicholas Alfred Brentley…” The vicar began to repeat the question to Lucy.
“I will.” Lucy’s voice, clear and firm, rang out through the small church.
Evelyn looked up at the ceiling, fighting the urge to cry, as Nicholas took Lucy in his arms and pressed a kiss upon her forehead that spoke of adoration.
Beside her, Sebastian exhaled softly. Though his face remained composed, Evelyn saw the glimmer in his eyes. She slipped her hand into his; he closed his fingers around hers at once.
When the ceremony ended, the congregation rose as Lucy and Nicholas made their way down the aisle, radiant in thedappled sunlight from the high windows. Evelyn’s heart felt full to bursting.
Because they had been seated near the front, she and Sebastian waited while the others departed—the guests behind them included Gemma and William, and to her other side sat Mama and James. Evelyn caught her mother’s hand and squeezed it gently.
“It is so beautiful, Evelyn,” Mama whispered, tears filling her eyes. “Love is so beautiful.”
“Yes,” Evelyn murmured, blinking quickly. “Yes, it is.”
She felt it keenly—standing beside Sebastian, knowing he loved her, knowing she had found a home in his heart. His hand tightened around hers, and when she glanced up, he was already watching her, tenderness softening his blue eyes.
Nicholas and Lucy stepped out into the bright churchyard, and Sebastian leaned closer.
“Who is that?” he murmured.
Evelyn followed his gaze to a tall woman with greying hair arranged in an elegant twist, dressed in a silvery-grey gown. Her breath caught.
“It is…” She hesitated. She hardly needed to say it; Sebastian had already recognised her.
His mother.
No letter had come, no word, not even a message of apology. Ever since he had required her to remove to the Ellwood Place, she had been utterly silent. But somehow she had heard of Nicholas’s wedding—and chosen to attend.
Sebastian looked from Evelyn to the doorway again. His expression softened, the tension in his jaw easing. Evelyn smiled faintly and squeezed his hand. He was glad she had come; that much was unmistakable. Though he had acted rightly—everybody, even Gemma, admitted the household was calmerwithout Lady Brentfield—Evelyn knew how deeply the rift had wounded him.
Lady Brentfield passed out of the church. After Gemma and William followed her, Evelyn and Sebastian stepped forward, and then Mama and James behind them. The procession spilled out onto the green, where Nicholas was helping Lucy into the waiting coach.
“Congratulations!” Evelyn called, raising her voice over the cheerful chatter.
“Blessings on you both!” Mama added, though her voice was not quite strong enough to carry to the coach.
Sebastian raised a hand. “Congratulations!”
Nicholas grinned back and reached into his pocket for the small purse of coins. He tossed them into the air, and the village children shrieked with glee as they dove to gather them.
Moments later, Nicholas turned back to the coach and clambered in beside Lucy. Evelyn and Sebastian stood and watched for a while, then proceeded to their own coach, which was waiting for them.
“Here, my dear,” Nicholas murmured, taking Evelyn’s hand and helping her up.
Evelyn smiled and blushed. Though she had known him for a few months now, her heart still leapt whenever he called her that, and she gazed up at him as she sat down. He smiled back, his smile edged with desire that set her heart pounding for an entirely different set of reasons.
The coach rolled off towards Brentfield Manor, where a luncheon had been prepared for the guests. Evelyn gazed out of the window, watching the trees flash past as the coach moved through the short length of woodland that separated Brentfield Village from the manor that bore its name. Her thoughts were divided between Lucy and how happy she was and her own happiness.
Sebastian’s hand strayed to her knee, and Evelyn gasped, gazing up at him with desire.
The coach rolled on, down the hill and left and into the white gravel drive that led up to Brentfield Manor.
