“I believe we should speak with Evelina. I am hoping she will house you until we can be wed?”
“She will most definitely agree to that.” Theodora beamed at him.
Alexander knew that Theodora’s sister would not deny her. He was so enraptured by Theodora that he had not noticed her mother following them.
As soon as she kissed Theodora goodbye, he leaned closer to Lady Dowell and whispered, “My attorney will handle your separation with Lord Dowell, and my home is open to you.”
Lady Dowell pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob.
Alexander winked at her before he climbed into the carriage beside Theodora and closed the door. The horses started forward, pulling them away from the Dowell estate and awayfrom the life Theodora had been forced into enduring. Alexander reached for her hand again and she let him take it.
He did not speak for a long moment and neither did she. They simply sat there, breathing each other in, and holding on to each other as if their lives depended on it.
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
The church bells rang across the Wiltshire estate, and the sound rolled over the fields like a warm announcement to the world that something long-awaited was finally happening. Guests filled the church, whispering with excitement, adjusting gloves and hats, turning to catch glimpses of every new arrival.
Alexander stood at the front of the chapel with his hands clasped behind his back, trying to appear composed but failing miserably. His heart had been pounding since dawn, and every time someone approached to speak to him, he nodded politely but barely heard a word. He kept glancing at the entrance, waiting for the doors to open.
Spencer leaned towards him. “You look like you are about to be sick.”
“I feel like I might.”
His friend grinned. “Good. That just means that you are doing it right.”
Damien, the Duke of Winterleigh, stood behind them, and added, “If you faint, I will drag you upright before the bride notices.”
Alexander did not respond. He was too busy staring at the closed doors and waiting for his sorceress to arrive.
What if she changed her mind?
Panic began to rise but then the music began and everyone rose.
“This is it!” Spencer said and clapped him on the back.
The doors opened slowly and revealed Theodora in an ivory gown and veil that took his breath away. She smiled at him and he smiled back, unable to keep the tears at bay.
Her hair was pinned back, and she held a bouquet of white roses and lavender which was Rosalind’s idea. Alexander turned briefly to his sister who was also in tears. He had never felt happier, and he hoped that somehow his parents were watching them. Theodora walked slowly down the aisle on her mother’s arm, who also looked radiant, proud, and free in a way Alexander had never seen before. The change in both of them was unmistakable.
From that moment onward, Alexander only saw Theodora. Her smile was enough to steady him, and make his world fall into place. When she reached him, her mother kissed her cheek and whispered something that made Theodora’s eyes teary. Then she placed her daughter’s hand into Alexander’s and stepped aside.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered so only she could hear.
Theodora blushed.
“Thank you, and you look charming as always,” she whispered back.
The ceremony began and the vicar spoke, but Alexander barely heard him. He heard only fragments of “union,” “commitment,” “honor,” and “cherish” but the words felt distant, secondary to the overwhelming reality that she was standing beside him, her hand in his, her pulse fluttering beneath her skin.
Theodora took a slow breath; Alexander felt her fingers tightening around his. When she finally spoke, her voice trembled, but she did not look away from him.
“I never imagined myself standing here,” she said softly. “Not because I did not want a future, but because I did not know I could choose one for myself.”
Alexander felt that familiar warm feeling in his chest.
“I promise to be your partner,” she continued. “Not just in the easy moments, but in the difficult ones. I promise to respect you, your mind, your strength, your fears, and even the parts of you that you try to hide from others.”
