“I knew it,” Matilda said into Charity’s skirt. “I knew you wouldn’t go. It just didn’t make any sense.”
Charity held her, and she looked up at Duncan over Matilda’s head, and Duncan’s gaze stayed on her as if he had decided he would not let her out of his sight again.
“Does this mean that the wedding is back on?” Augusta asked after a moment. She was trying really hard not to look curious about the whole thing, but failing.
“The duke and I are to marry,” Charity replied with the biggest smile on her face.
“Are you sure you’re not going to call it off again a second time?” August said, still looking fully convinced.
“There is nothing that will prevent our wedding from happening this time,” Duncan stepped in. He said the words with such certainty that it made Charity’s heart leap into her throat.
Oh.How good it felt to be with someone who was sure about you.
“Well, then. I suppose we should get to preparing again,” Augusta said. “I’m happy that both of you have finally stopped pretending you don’t love each other. It was pretty obvious to the rest of us.”
Charity smiled and blushed, while Duncan only laughed.
Around them, the staff pretended not to watch too closely, but Charity could feel the lift in the air anyway, the sense of relief spreading through the hall in small.
Things had finally fallen into place.
EPILOGUE
“Inow pronounce you Man and Wife.”
Cheers and applause filled the church hall as the minister concluded the wedding ceremony. Everyone that Charity loved and cared about was present in the audience, but the only person who she had her eyes on was Duncan.
Her Duncan.
“How does it feel to be my wife?” Duncan said to her as they made their way down the aisle, hand in hand. He had a smile on his face, one that hadn’t left since he had set his sights on her at the start of the ceremony.
The wedding had been a whirlwind. They had not waited very long, and within just a week of confessing their love to one another, they had married.Why wait for a good thing,Duncan had said to her, and she could not have agreed more.
In fact, she could not wait to spend the rest of her life by his side. It all felt like a dream to her still, but in the best possible way.
“Do you wish to take a guess?” she said, mirroring his smile, but it was not without the faintest hint of blush on her cheeks. Even now, the butterflies in her stomach were constant whenever he was around. She hoped that it would stay like this forever.
“Oh, I am not sure about that. You know I am not the most apt at guessing feelings,” he laughed. It had become somewhat of a running joke between them that neither of them could gauge the feelings that they had for one another.
“Well, then, let me put your mind to rest and tell you that I am the happiest I have ever been,” she beamed.
“I can say the same, Duchess,” he grinned. Charity’s blush deepened.
Duchess.It felt like such a foreign title, but it was hers now.
“Congratulations to the new couple,” Temperance’s chirpy voice greeted them, and she stood next to the rest of her friends, who all took their time congratulating the new couple. The men engrossed the duke in conversation, giving Charity the opportunity to have a few moments with her friends.
“Why, I didn’t let it show before,” Maria said, “but I was incredibly disheartened when I got news that the wedding hadbeen postponed, or rather, even called off. I did not want to believe it, but I am glad that has been sorted out.”
Charity laughed.Sorted outwas one way of putting it.
“Oh, would you believe that she had every intention of running off back to London?” Augusta said, jumping into the conversation. “It was a tremendous turn of fate that got them both to understand that they cannot find anyone else better suited for one another. Yes, well, it was rather romantic.”
“I am happy that she married him,” Matilda said, innocently. She was still carrying the flower basket, for she had been designated as the flower girl for the occasion.
“My darling, you were perfect in your role,” Charity said, pinching her younger sister's cheek, which the latter scrunched up her nose but then dissolved into a warm smile.
“In my opinion, it was all rather perfect,” Alethea spoke. “I could not have imagined it going any better. In fact, it was just soyou.Intimate and simple. But classy, and just so well done.”
