by Platt, Meara
Bishop Farraday looked befuddled.
Lady Withnall had caught her bouquet. Oh, heavens! The lore had it that whomsoever caught a bride’s bouquet would be next to marry. No. It wasn’t possible. There was not a man alive who would wish to marry her. Was there?
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lady Withnall grumbled, reading Heather’s thoughts. “It only works if you throw the flowers after you are married, not before.” She tossed them back to Heather. “Stop gawking at me. Go marry your handsome Scot. Be quick about it. I have winnings to collect from the Strand bookmakers.”
“Gladly, but how is it possible? We would need a special license and my father’s permission. How—”
Robbie withdrew a parchment from his breast pocket. “A special license like this one?” He turned to her father. “Will ye shame yer daughter and deny her heart’s desire? I’ll be marrying her with or without yer permission. We only need to ride to Scotland to make it happen. But yer daughter deserves better, and it would break her heart not to have yer blessing. So, I ask ye, please. Put her sweet, soft heart at ease.”
Her parents looked exceedingly pained, but after a long moment, her father nodded. “All we ever wanted was happiness for our daughters. Yes, you have our blessing.”
Heather did not believe such joy was possible.
As the men retired to the church rector’s office to quickly sign the necessary papers, Heather spent the minutes hugging members of her family. When she heard the men returning, she made her way to Lady Withnall and fiercely hugged her. “I had nothing to do with it,” the old woman grumbled. “It was all your handsome Scot’s doing.”
Heather laughed. “Then I shall hug him, too.”
And she did before they exchanged their wedding vows and immediately afterward as well. “We’re married, Robbie,” she whispered, holding on to him with all her being, and was surprised by the depth of feeling he expressed in response.
“Mo chridhe,” he whispered back, holding her in his arms and returning her hug with an exquisitely tender kiss. “I love ye, Mrs. MacLauren.”
As everyone hopped back in their carriages and made their way to Tilbury’s residence for the much-awaited wedding breakfast, Heather noticed Robbie had stepped away and was bent on one knee before the statue of a saint in a quiet corner of the church. She went to his side but did not speak so as not to disturb him.
He sensed her presence and took her hand.
“Married five minutes, and you’re already praying for a way out?” she teased, sinking beside him.
“Och, my pixie. Ye know it is no’ so. I loved ye at first sight. When ye agreed to marry the marquess, I despaired of losing ye. My heart was in pieces. I could no’ bear to stay in London and watch the two of ye together. But it dinna matter how far away I rode…and Caithness is at the end of the world. I could no’ get ye out of my shattered heart.”
“Robbie, I was so stupid. I’m so sorry I put you through such torment.”
“It does no’ matter now. There’s no blame to be cast. Ye’re my wife. I’ll love ye forever. My heart is healed. I was just giving thanks to Saint Brigid for the miracle she brought about. I got used to praying to her on the battlefield. But I dinna always behave myself, and I’m sure she felt the need to kick my arse a little, or she would have brought Tilbury and Melinda to their senses much sooner.”
She kissed him lightly on the lips. “I needed a few swift kicks myself, didn’t I?”
“No, sweetheart. Ye were trying to follow a dream.” He lifted her up along with him. “Do ye love me, my pixie?”
“Hopelessly, utterly, and desperately. Will you tell me how Saint Brigid brought this miracle about? Were you giving her thanks for delivering The Book of Love to you?”
“Well, in this instance, we needed all the miracles and magic available to us. Tilbury was a hard nut to crack. So was Lady Melinda.”
Heather nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t think it was a miracle or a magical book so much as your tenacity and refusal to ever give up hope.”
“I’m a stubborn Scot, that’s all.”
“I’m glad for it. I doubt anyone else would have put up with my stubborn determination. I spent last night searching my heart. I knew as I came here and stood waiting for Tilbury, that I could never accept to be his wife. I was ready to crawl on my knees in front of all our guests and beg him not to hurt my parents. Even if my pleas fell upon deaf ears and he took everything they owned, Holly, Dahlia, and I would always look after them. They would never be destitute because we love them and would always protect them and provide for them.”
She groaned and cast him a wistful smile. “They were not very kind to you, but they are not bad people. They only meant for their daughters to have the best, as misguided as their intentions were. They will come around and love you as I do.”
“I know, my pixie. Even if they never warm to me, it does no’ matter. They are yer parents, and ye love them. Fortunately, they will no’ have to worry about reprisals from Tilbury now. He is the one who broke off the betrothal.”
“You won’t find a bride happier to be jilted at the altar.” She could not suppress her happiness. “How in heaven’s name did you convince Lady Melinda to marry him?”
Chapter Seventeen
Robbie waited until the wedding breakfast was over and all the guests returned to their homes before he began his explanation. The breakfast had taken place at Lord Tilbury’s home, but the marquess had not remained with them. He’d gone off with a flourish, leaving everyone to the feast that had already been prepared.
Certainly, this wedding day would be spoken of long afterward.
“Enjoy,” he had told Robbie, taking him aside before he’d left and pointed to the resplendent array of game fowl, roasted meats, loins of pork, and for lighter fare, puddings, cheese, fruit, bread, and cakes of every variety imaginable set out on tables in his opulent ballroom. “This is my gift to you and Heather for putting you through such torment. You have my sincere apologies.”
The doors had been thrown open, and smaller tables and chairs could be seen around the shade trees in his manicured garden. More tables and chairs were placed indoors for those who did not wish to be out in the sun. The marquess left as soon as the festivities were underway, heading to the Duke of Stoke’s residence to take his new bride on the wedding trip, originally planned for him and Heather.
Robbie had glanced around once left alone with Heather, noting the abundance and splendor. “Love, I canno’ offer ye the grand tour he–”
“You offered me your heart, Robbie. Nothing can be better. Who cares where we are as long as we’re together?” She had followed his gaze around the ballroom and then smiled at him. “Beautiful, isn’t it? So is his home. Magnificent paintings, delicate vases, splendidly woven carpets. But these are just things. They are no replacement for the joy I feel when I am beside you. They are no replacement for love.”
And that put an end to any doubts he might have felt about depriving Heather of the riches a marquess could offer.
“Tell us, Robbie. We are itching to know how you pulled this off,” Dahlia said.
It was now evening, and they were seated in the parlor of the Caithness townhouse, joined by Heather’s sisters and their husbands. Her parents had gone off with the family elders. Robbie silently reminded himself to thank John, Rupert, and George for keeping her parents occupied. While they were resigned to her daughter marrying him, they had not yet accepted him with open arms. He did not want their frowns or snide comments to dampen Heather’s spirits, for unlike their daughter, they were quite impressed by all the beautiful objects in Tilbury’s home and regretted their daughter not having them.
“Yes, we are all busting to know,” Holly agreed. “How did you manage to bring this about?”
Robbie took Heather’s hand as he sat beside her on the settee. “I knew we’d won yesterday the moment Lady Melinda slipped the sapphire ring on her finger.”
They had returned to the Earl of
Caithness’s residence quite full from the wedding celebration. But the Crawfords had insisted on setting out more refreshments for them. They now fussed over Heather as they did so and interrupted his explanation. “It is pleased we are ye had the good sense to marry our Robbie,” Mr. Crawford took it upon himself to tell her.
Heather laughed and responded with sincere warmth, not a trace of snobbery in the soft lilt of her voice. “Thank you, Mr. Crawford. It took some doing, but true love won out. Didn’t it?”
Mrs. Crawford became teary-eyed. “Och, we knew it from the very first time he set eyes on ye. This is what he told us. I’ve met the lass I’m going to marry.”
Robbie dismissed them with a groan. “Dinna give away all my secrets.”
Fortunately, his friends were not going to give him a hard time since they’d felt no different about their wives. He’d never met two men who were more doting, besotted fools than Joshua and Ronan. “Ye wish to hear the rest of the story?”
“Yes,” Heather said, squeezing his hand, and the others nodded.
“As I said, she put on the ring. He’d made an arse of himself, shocked everyone by openly courting Melinda the day before his wedding day, standing amid a roomful of flowers, prepared to make a laughingstock of himself before all their friends. I was afraid his heart would rupture when he saw Heather seated beside Melinda. But ye’d done yer job, lass.”
“I thought you didn’t want me to be there?”
“I dinna, but someone needed to talk to Melinda, and ye were right to do it. She had to be assured her marquess dinna love ye and that ye dinna love him. Her father also had to be made to understand just how deeply his daughter and Tilbury cared for each other.”
“And how badly they’d botched their own courtship,” Ronan added.
“Aye.” He grinned at Heather. “I thought I’d made a mess of ours. In truth, I never courted ye properly, and for this, I am deeply sorry.”
Joshua laughed. “Don’t feel too badly. I’m sure you would have botched it with or without Tilbury’s interference.”
Robbie chuckled. “Thank ye, Josh. Glad ye always have my back.”
“But Tilbury takes the prize without question,” Ronan said. “He did everything wrong when it came to winning Melinda’s heart.”
“Och, aye. All he ever had to do was trust her and be honest with her, let her know how important she was to him.”
Dahlia sighed. “By making a fool of himself, she finally got the message. I’m glad I could be of help.”
“An immense help, Dahlia. It took everything to move that pair. The flowers were perfect. She understood their meaning, and it finally softened her heart. Then the ring. She realized what the sapphires represented. Tilbury finally did something right by telling her what the diamonds meant to him.”
He raked a hand through his hair and continued. “As I mentioned, Heather was right to visit Stoke and his daughter. But I will admit, my heart stopped when I saw her seated beside Melinda. I canno’ imagine what went through Tilbury’s mind as he walked in and saw them together. But the shock of it might have helped to finally knock down his barriers and allow him to stand in front of all their guests with his heart exposed. He left it right there in the center of the floor for her to stomp on if she pleased, dinna he?”
“I never believed he could leave himself so open and vulnerable,” Heather remarked.
“Nor did I, lass. That is what worried me most. But he finally managed to express what he’d hidden inside all the while, and this is what it took to convince Melinda. As I said, when she put on the ring, I knew we’d won. All I had to do afterward was find Tilbury before he ran off and did something stupid. Although I dinna think he’d go very far because he is a man driven by duty, and he meant to show up at St. Mary’s for his wedding today.”
“Where was he when you tracked him down?”
“Drinking heavily in his study. I told him to stop drinking and stay put because he’d won. He dinna believe me at first, but he finally relented and gave me his word. Then I went to Stoke and Melinda and dragged them over to Tilbury’s home. Some of their guests were still there, but I dinna care. Melinda was still wearing his ring, and I needed to get them together before she took it off.”
Ronan arched an eyebrow. “You dragged them?”
“Lifted is more like it.” Robbie grimaced. “I picked her up and flung her over my shoulder. The lass is stubborn and too proud for her own good. But her father understood what needed to be done. He dinna let his footmen stop me. The three of us rode over to Tilbury’s together, and then we left her and Tilbury alone in his study to sort it out.”
Holly laughed. “That was brave of you. How did you know they weren’t going to kill each other?”
“Before I left to fetch her, I told him what to do.”
“And that was?” Dahlia asked.
“To shut up and kiss her. The less talking he did, the better. The advice applied to both of them. They dinna know how to speak to each other without wounding with their words.”
Joshua glanced at Holly and cast her an affectionate smile. “Good thing kisses work, or we’d all be in trouble. Men never think clearly when we’re in love. If we open our mouths, we’re going to say something stupid. The less said, the better. But how did you manage the special license? His license had to have named Heather.”
Robbie nodded. “That’s where Stoke’s influence came to the rescue. He took us straight to the archbishop of London. Stoke tore up the first special license and stood over the archbishop while he issued a new one for Tilbury and Melinda. But as a favor to Dahlia, the duke had the archbishop issue a special license for Heather and me.”
Ronan arched an eyebrow. “He did this for Dahlia? My love, should I be worried?”
She laughed and patted his hand. “I think you are safe…for the moment. There are so few people who will tell him the truth. He finds me delightful and refreshing. I’m sure he will soon find me irritating and opinionated.”
She then turned to Robbie. “I like that he thought of you and Heather. He is a decent man but so lost without his wife. Theirs was a love match, although I’m sure it began as a business alliance among families. Having known love, he wanted this for his daughter. He must have appreciated the effort it took for you to bring it about.”
“Aye, he did.” He smiled as he spoke, now that all he’d accomplished in the span of a day was sinking in. “I also suggested the archbishop marry them on the spot. Stoke heartily agreed. He loves his daughter, but she’s a stubborn handful. And Tilbury can be a dolt, too. The sooner they were bound in a holy union, the better for all of us.”
“Amen to that,” Joshua said.
“When we left the archbishop, Melinda and her father returned to their residence so she could pack for their grand tour.”
“The one meant for me,” Heather murmured, but she was grinning and looked relieved rather than wistful, so she put Robbie’s mind at ease.
“Tilbury returned to his residence with the promise to come to St. Mary’s with me and stand by me as Heather and I were married. I thought it would help stem the malicious gossip that might spread about his jilting Heather. She’d be the one hurt, the innocent victim. Is it no’ often the case?”
The others agreed.
“We all got our happy ending, although I dinna know how long that pair will be happy if they dinna learn how to talk to each other.”
Heather nodded. “This was our perfect ending, just like in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the couples awaking and finally properly matched. Robbie, I think you are now Tilbury’s best friend. He will turn to you for advice if ever they stumble. I hope Melinda will turn to Dahlia for advice instead of running away from the poor marquess. They could do with The Book of Love, but I dare not give it to them. It needs to stay within the family for now.”
“Who gets it next?” Joshua asked, genuinely curious.
Heather glanced at her sisters. “We talked it over earlier this afternoon. Our Devon
shire cousins will have it next. Juniper, first. We call her June. She’s the eldest, about Holly’s age. Her sisters, Willow and Camellia, are close in age to me and Dahlia. They’ll be coming to London for their debuts. Uncle John just got a letter from his cousin regarding their expected arrival. But it won’t be for a few months yet, so we are sending the book to them and urging them to read it before they reach London.”
Joshua and Ronan burst out laughing.
“I pity this year’s crop of bachelors,” Ronan said, grinning at Dahlia.
Joshua agreed. “Fortunately, there are no more Brayden men here for them to wreak havoc on their lives.”
“Or MacLauren men,” Robbie said, laughing with them.
When their laughter died, Holly rose and took Joshua by the hand. “My love, I think it’s time we left these two alone.”
Dahlia also rose and locked her arm in Ronan’s. “We don’t want to disturb Romulus and Violet this evening, but we’ll pack up Heather’s clothes first thing in the morning and send them over to you.” She grinned at Heather. “I think you’ll manage just fine tonight in Robbie’s care.”
They all left in haste.
Robbie found himself on his own with Heather, who was blushing furiously. He took her in his arms, knowing he would have to slowly ease her into the consummation of their marriage.
Warmth washed through his body as he wrapped her in his embrace. They were now husband and wife. It felt so good to know he had the right to claim her for his own without worry of shaming her. “I canno’ believe ye’re finally mine. I have to pinch myself to make sure this is no dream.”
“I know. Robbie, you must be exhausted. Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Not much, my pixie. But it was worth the effort to know I’d have ye in my arms for always.”
Her blush deepened. “Shall we go up to bed?”
He cast her a wicked smile. “Aye, lass. That’s an excellent idea.”