Page 15

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said, but he was not speaking to her; he was addressing the Duke.

That’s when she realised that in the frenzy of preparing for the wedding, she had completely forgotten about the customary kiss that made the marriage binding.

Good heavens.

Her first kiss.

A ripple of applause spread through the chapel. Guests smiled and cheered around them, though Eliza could not help noticing Alice and Cora standing with their arms folded in dramatic protest. Public displays of affection, it seemed, were deeply embarrassing when one was under the age of ten.

Heat swept over her face as she closed her eyes and rose onto the tips of her toes, tilting her face towards her new husband.

Before she had quite reached him, she felt his hand settle against her shoulder, steadying her, gently urging her back onto the balls of her feet as he took charge of the kiss that would bind them together in law.

The coarse shadow of his stubble grazed her as his lips brushed hers. It was swift and polite. The kiss lasted scarcely longer than a heartbeat before he withdrew, yet the warmth of his lips lingered on hers, sending another wave of colour flooding into her cheeks.

Eliza would never have guessed that walking back up the aisle would prove far more nerve-racking than walking down it.

This time she held the Duke's arm. Her husband's arm. The thought still felt surreal as they made their way up the aisle.

As they made their way through the church and out beneath the grand doors towards the waiting carriage, she found herself taking two steps for every one of his long strides.

The same gentleman who had opened the carriage for her earlier removed his top hat once more.

"Your Grace."

He bowed, but her attention shifted to the sudden swell of noise that had appeared behind them. Four children came bustling towards them with Mrs Didley hurrying after them, looking apologetic.

“I want to ride with you!” Cora cried, wrapping both arms around the back of Eliza’s skirts so that Eliza caught sight of the ribbon in her hair, clinging on for dear life at the top of her head.

Before Eliza could answer, a mop of copper ringlets wriggled between Eliza and the Duke's linked arms, and her darling Alice reached up to cling tightly to her free hand.

"Are we going home now?" Alice asked, her little voice wobbling as she knew the answer; Eliza had spent the better part of four weeks preparing the children for her departure.

She found herself glancing apologetically towards the Duke before gently slipping her arm from his. She lowered herself onto her knees until she was eye level with both girls.

"Now then," she said softly.

"Remember what we talked about? We've been practising, haven't we?"

Both girls looked unconvinced.

"I shall be living over here now..." She glanced up at the great house peeking out from behind a line of trees beyond the chapel.

"Well, not here in the church, of course, but on these grounds."

Cora looked around as though expecting to find a bedroom tucked behind a tree, and Eliza couldn't help but laugh.

"I will write to you often, so I expect you girls to practice your writing, and I'll come to visit you every time the moment allows,” she said. The children remained unmoved.

"You will all be riding home together in the next carriage, and before I left this morning, I hid little sweets from Patterson’s all around the cottage.” The Patterson family owned the best sweet stall at Windleham's market. There was never a shortage of toffee or brightly coloured hard-boiled sweets, and it was coveted by every soul with a sweet tooth in the village.

Alice's eyes widened.

"Your mission is to find every single one for me."

Henry, who until now had stood with flushed cheeks and tightly folded arms a few paces away, stepped forward, placing himself behind Alice as he spared a glance at the Duke.

"I think it's safer if you come home with us, Lizzie."