Splendid (36 page)

“I'm sorry I didn't get it right the first time,” he said softly.

Emma felt a smile tugging across her lips. “Actually, I think that was the second time.”

Alex nodded. “You are correct. But if you recall, I didn't get it right the first time either.”

Emma sighed, remembering the awful scene in Alex's parlor. Good Lord, was that only two days ago? It seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. “No, you didn't,” she said softly. “But I think we ought to put all of that behind us. It would be nice if we could start our marriage on an optimistic note.”

“I agree,” Alex replied, absently stroking her hand with his thumb. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to kiss her senseless. But he was a little afraid. Of what exactly, he wasn't sure, but he somehow knew that his entire life hung in a very delicate balance, and he didn't want to upset it. So he just stood there, stroking her hand, not knowing what to say, and feeling like a fool for being so unsure of himself. “I will try not to be so controlling,” he said finally, his voice grave.

Emma's eyes flew to his. He looked so serious, so earnest that it was difficult not to throw her arms around him. “I will try not to be so stubborn,” she replied.

A ghost of a smile touched Alex's face as he gathered her into his arms and held her gently against his large frame. Emma wrapped her arms around his waist and let her cheek rest against his chest. She sighed softly, feeling the beautiful warmth that radiated from his body. His heartbeat thumped loud and strong against her ear, and she decided that he was going to have to be the one to eventually break the tender moment, because nothing in heaven or on earth could make her move.

But no matter how perfectly splendid she felt at that moment, she couldn't quite stifle the thought that she was marrying a man who cared for her, yes, but who didn't quite trust her. He said he realized that she was different from the
ton
ladies who pursued him relentlessly, but Emma was afraid that some of his old scars simply ran too deep. She wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to trust a woman completely.

And then, of course, he hadn't said that he loved her. Emma stiffened slightly at that thought but then reminded herself that she hadn't yet told him of her feelings either.

Alex felt her posture change and dropped a gentle kiss atop her head. “Is something wrong, darling?”

Emma let herself relax again, savoring the warmth of Alex's embrace. “No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking, that's all.”

“About what?”

“Nothing, really. Just wedding details,” she lied. “We don't have very much time to take care of everything, I imagine.”

Alex drew back slowly and led her to a nearby sofa where they both sat down. “Did you have your heart set on a large wedding?” he asked tenderly, placing two fingers under her chin, tilting it up so that he could see into her eyes.

“No. I know a lot of people here in London, but I don't know many of them well, so I shan't mourn their absence at my wedding. I would like a special gown, though,” she added wistfully. “And I do wish that my father could be here to give me away.”

Alex kept his gaze on her eyes, searching for some sign that she really did want a lavish affair. He saw only clear, open honesty. “I am sorry that we cannot wait for your father, but I want us to be married as soon as possible. I would rather not wait around while your aunt and my mother confer on flower arrangements.”

Emma let out a soft giggle. “Did you know that it was precisely because of flower arrangements that we met, your grace?”

“Don't call me ‘your grace, '” Alex warned.

“I'm sorry. It just slipped out. I've been too well trained in the ways of the
ton
, I'm afraid.”

“But do tell me why I owe my supreme good fortune to flower arrangements.”

“That was why I was walking to the store dressed as a maid when I saved Charlie from the hack. Aunt Caroline wanted me to help her with flower arrangements for the ball, and so Belle and I fled to the kitchens to escape her. We dressed in our maids' clothing because we didn't want to get any of our dresses dirty.” And then she added, “I really
hate
arranging flowers.”

Alex laughed out loud. “I promise you, my love, that in honor of our first meeting, we shall have
plenty of flowers at your wedding, but you won't have to arrange any of them.”

Emma stole a quick glance at his profile as he laughed. He couldn't be treating her so tenderly if he didn't love her a little, could he? She brushed aside her doubts. If he didn't love her yet, he did desire her, that much was abundantly clear. And he liked her a great deal, too. That was certainly a good start. Emma took a deep breath as she felt her infamous stubborn streak rise up within her. She could make this marriage work. She
would
make it work. She had to.

 

The next few days passed by in a flurry of activity. Alex tried to stick by his initial idea of having the wedding that weekend, but after five minutes of “discussion” with Caroline, he reluctantly agreed to push the date back by a week. Emma wisely kept out of the fray.

“A week and a half is still dreadful,” Caroline remarked. “But at least we can put together something nice. Two days would have been impossible.”

An hour after Alex finally left that morning, the dowager Duchess of Ashbourne arrived on the Blydon doorstep, insisting that she be allowed to take part in the wedding preparations. No one pointed out that it was only half past seven in the morning. Eugenia seemed to regard her son's forthcoming nuptials as nothing short of a miracle, and the mere fact that the early hour was beyond unfashionable wasn't going to stop her from making sure that the marriage went off without a hitch. After about fifteen minutes with Eugenia and Caroline, Emma finally threw up her arms, asked the two ladies to please consult her on any decision of large importance, went upstairs to her room, and
promptly went to bed. She hadn't had very much sleep the previous night, after all.

When she awoke, some six hours later, she was famished. Someone had managed to pull away from the wedding plans long enough to thoughtfully see that a tray was brought up to Emma's room, so she quickly gulped down the slice of meat pie and juice that had been left on her dressing table, took a bath, and got dressed. After a day in men's clothing, she found her jade green walking dress somewhat confining but decided that it really wouldn't do to continue walking around in breeches. Then she sat down at her desk and penned a quick note to her father, explaining her circumstances and promising to write him a more lengthy letter soon, telling him all about Alex and the wedding.

When she finally headed downstairs at three o'clock, Caroline and Eugenia were exactly where she had left them, tossing names back and forth as they prepared the guest list. Belle and Sophie had joined the party and were having a heated argument over Emma's bouquet. When they saw the bride arrive, they immediately turned the matter over to her.

“Oh, roses, I think,” Emma replied. “Don't you?”

Both women rolled their eyes. “Yes, of course, but what color?” Belle asked.

“Oh. Well, that depends on what color I choose for my attendants' gowns, I suppose.”

Belle and Sophie looked at her expectantly, and Emma realized that she was going to have to make a decision. “Well, the two of you will be my only attendants, so what color would you like to wear?”

“Peach.”

“Blue.”

Emma swallowed. “I see. Well, perhaps we ought to just go with white roses in my bouquet for now. White will match everything. Especially me!” she added with a jaunty smile. “I
can
get married in white, can't I?” she asked quickly. “I know it's not the height of fashion, but I have a friend in Boston who wore white for her wedding, and it was so beautiful.”

“You can get married in whatever color you want,” her aunt replied. “Your first fitting is this evening. Madame Lambert is staying open late tonight so that we can get the dress done in time.”

“That's very kind of her,” Emma murmured, wondering how much extra Caroline had offered to persuade the dressmaker to extend her hours. “What else have you decided upon?”

“We'll hold the wedding at Westonbirt, if you don't mind,” Caroline said. “It's too late to get any of the large cathedrals here in London.”

“I know it's customary for the wedding to be held at the bride's home,” Eugenia put in. “But you do live in Boston, after all, and Westonbirt is several hours closer to London than your cousins' country home.”

“No, no, that's fine,” Emma replied. “Westonbirt is lovely. And after all, it's soon to be my home.”

Eugenia's eyes filled with tears as she took both of Emma's hands in her own. “I'm so glad that you're joining our family.”

“Thank you,” Emma said, giving Eugenia's hands a squeeze. “I'm glad to be joining it.”

“Now then,” Caroline said breezily. “Back to the guest list. What about Viscount Benton?”

Emma gasped. Anthony Woodside? “No!” she cried out.

Caroline and Eugenia both turned to look at her, their expressions quizzical.

“I—I really don't like him,” she said quickly. “And I think he makes Belle uncomfortable.”

Belle nodded.

“Very well,” Caroline said, making a dark slash through his name on the list she was preparing.

“I can't imagine that most people will be able to attend,” Emma said, somewhat hopefully. “It's such late notice, after all, and a three-hour ride from London.”

All four of her companions turned to her with shocked expressions. “Are you crazy?” Belle finally asked. “People are going to be tripping over themselves to get there. The Duke of Ashbourne is getting married. The duke of ‘I have no interest in marriage' is getting married. And he's marrying a relatively unknown quantity from the Colonies, no less. This is going to be the social event of the season.”

“The hurriedness of the affair is only going to make people even more interested,” Sophie added. “It adds a touch of scandal and intrigue. And romance, of course.”

“I see,” Emma said weakly. “But I think Alex wanted a small affair.”

“Oh, pish!” Eugenia said dismissively. “I am his mother, and I don't care what he wants. My son only has a wedding once in his lifetime, and I intend to enjoy it.” Eugenia sat back, and Emma decided that there was no point in further protests.

And, indeed, she didn't argue for the next week, letting herself get carried along on the wave of wedding preparations. The only break she got—besides sleep, which she wasn't getting enough of— was when Ned marched into the parlor and forcibly stole her away from her bevy of current and future female relatives. “We,” he announced, “are going for a ride.”

Emma was only too glad to escape, and the two of them took the carriage out to a popular shop for tea and cakes.

“I wanted to tell you what happened with Wood-side,” Ned said as soon as they were settled at their table.

“Oh my goodness,” Emma breathed. “I almost forgot! What happened?”

“He tried to collect the debt on Friday at White's.”

“And?”

“And I told him that I certainly wasn't going to pay my gambling debt twice.”

Emma clapped her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Ned, you didn't!”

“I did. He got all flustered and started to make a scene until I pulled the voucher out of my pocket. I raised my eyebrows and asked him how on earth I could have gotten the voucher back if I hadn't already paid my debt.”

“He must have been furious.”

“That, my dear cousin, is an understatement. I thought he was going to explode. And everyone heard what happened. I don't think he'll be accepted at respectable card games for years.”

“Oh, this is brilliant,” Emma said. “You know, I think I must be developing a vindictive streak because I'm really enjoying his distress.”

“How unladylike of you,” Ned teased. “But seriously, Emma. He was really angry. I think we might want to watch out for him. He'll want revenge.”

Emma took a sip of her tea. “Really, Ned, what can he do to us? Spread rumors? No one will believe him.”

“I don't know. I just think we should be careful.”

“Careful, maybe. But worried? I don't think so. He's not exactly the murderous type.”

“Oh really?”

Emma shook her head as she raised her eyes heavenward. “He's far too fastidious.”

Chapter 21

B
efore Emma could catch her breath, she found herself at Westonbirt, watching as over a hundred workmen and servants put the finishing touches on what must have been the most hastily arranged wedding in decades. Caroline and Eugenia were in their element, and Emma had to admit that they had performed no less than a miracle. Caroline often remarked that she could have done better if she'd had a little more time, which made Emma laugh because the arrangements far exceeded anything she had ever dreamed of back in Boston.

After some good-natured bickering by Sophie and Belle over blue and peach, Emma finally declared that mint green would reign as the color of the day, which turned out to be a wise decision because both women looked perfectly marvelous in their gowns.

But it was the bride who would capture everyone's heart. At her final fitting for her wedding dress, Belle had gasped and said that she had never seen Emma looking quite so beautiful. The gown was a slightly old-fashioned style, with the waist where it was supposed to be rather than following the latest rage, which dictated that it be located right under the bust. Emma liked the new style and had many dresses cut that way, but she declared that it just wouldn't do for a wedding dress. Madame
Lambert had agreed instantly and had fashioned a sumptuous gown of ivory silk with a modest neckline that just barely grazed her shoulders, long tight-fitting sleeves, and layers of underskirts that made the dress billow out gracefully from Emma's waist. Emma had decreed that the gown be kept relatively simple, and so no jewels or bows adorned it.