Yours et cetera,
The Duke of Northmore.
Ophelia smiled at the words and hid the letter in the pocket of her dress. She could pretend to like Lord Chester for one evening. Soon, she would be free of him forever.
***
“Pick your jaw up off the floor, Harrison.” Elliot had to elbow his friend to do as he asked.
“Can you blame me for my surprise?” Harrison muttered. They both fell silent as the priest approached the altar.
“Smile, Harrison,” Elliot whispered through his teeth.
“Is all ready, Your Grace?” the priest asked with a kindly smile.
“We are just waiting for the bride and the second witness,” Elliot explained and glanced to the door of the church. It was not how he had pictured being married someday, in the smallest church he could find and in such a rush, with Harrison elbowing him every few seconds to check he was certain of this. “Would you calm yourself, Harrison?”
“How can I be calm?” Harrison said through gritted teeth. When the priest cleared his throat, they both fell silent.
Elliot knew well enough what his friend thought of this moment, for they had spent the evening before discussing it. Whilst Harrison was glad Elliot had found a wealthy bride, doing it all by special licence under the nose of her guardian wasn’t something he was impressed with.
The door to the church opened and Elliot turned to look for Miss Townsend. She approached quickly through the doors with her friend, Miss Blakely, at her heels. Elliot swallowed when he saw that despite their rushed occasion, Miss Townsend had dressed quite beautifully for it.
The gown was made of pale blue silk and exquisitely wrapped her body, hitched under the bust before it fell to the floor in gentle waves. The sleeves were short, pinned as if they were rose petals, and the silver jewellery she wore around her neck and from her ears looked like diamonds, glittering.
“Now you should be the one to pick your jaw off the floor, Elliot,” Harrison hissed in his ear. Elliot did as he was told and smiled as Miss Townsend approached him. She smiled too, though she looked as nervous as he felt. She kept fidgeting with her hands as she stopped beside him.
“Are we ready?” the priest asked, looking between the two of them.
“We are,” Elliot confirmed.
“Then, please, join hands.”
Elliot offered his hands forward and Miss Townsend took them. At once, her fidgeting stopped, and Elliot felt a calm settle over him, too. This may have all seemed like madness at times, far too rushed to be sensible, but if he was going to do this with any woman then the woman who could dive into the Thames to save him from drowning felt like the lady to do it with.
I can trust her. I know that.
The priest began the ceremony, keeping to the most basic of vows and prayers. When he got a little flowery, Harrison cleared his throat and checked his pocket watch, quietly making a point. The priest hurried again, knowing there was a sense of urgency.
As Elliot placed a wedding ring on Miss Townsend’s finger, he looked down at it, surprised at the feeling that swelled within him. It was his grandmother’s ring. His grandmother was really the only one that had shown him and Grace affection, especially when their parents had been unable to do it. Seeing that woman’s ring on Miss Townsend’s finger felt a strangely personal touch.
Ophelia. She will be Ophelia now to me, not Miss Townsend.
When it came time to sign the registry, all was done with ease and speed. Miss Blakely and Harrison added their signatures as witnesses, then they hurried back to the altar for the final prayer.
“You two have made your vows to one another in the sight of God. They are vows of fidelity, loyalty, and above all, love.”
The words made Elliot look at his new wife, surprised to see she was looking at him too.Love. It is a big commitment to make.Elliot had never really known if he was capable of falling in love.
“Join hands together one last time,” the priest instructed, then he said a prayer. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Hearing the words made Elliot look around, realising how much had changed in that moment. When his eye caught, Harrison’s, he could see some humour in his friend’s face.
“I hear grooms quite often kiss their new brides,” Harrison said, that smile still in place.
Elliot flinched and could feel his wife do the same.
Is she remembering the heat of our last kiss?