Saving The Lord’s Title (The Regency Renegades - Beauty and Titles) (A Regency Romance Story)

by Jasmine Ashford

  “Harold, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”

  “I will,” Harold replied, his voice strong. He meant every word of those vows, from having her to be his wife, to being faithful to her for as long as they lived. There had never been another woman in the world who caught his eye. It was always Annabelle, from the moment he saw her.

  “Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?”

  “We do,” chorused the congregation.

  “Bless, O Lord, these rings as a symbol of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord,” the priest said. Gwendolyn had been chosen to hold the rings, an honor that the crowd would see as condolence for her dead father. She had triple checked every three moments that they were with her, and now, she proudly came forward, handing them over. Harold received his ring for Annabelle first, taking her delicate hand.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he said, slipping the gold band onto her delicate hand. She was his, and the whole world now knew it. Anyone who glanced at her would see a married woman, blessed by the love of a wonderful husband.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” she repeated, putting the sturdy ring on his finger.

  “Now that Annabelle and Harold have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder,” the priest spoke loudly and Annabelle almost cried. At last, at last, they were one.

  “Let us stand and pray together the words our Savior taught us, “the priest said, and everyone bowed their head in prayer.

  “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

  “Amen,” chorused the congregation.

  “God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve and keep you, the Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come, have life everlasting. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always," he said, blessing the two of them. It had been quite a whirlwind preparation in the end. Despite how prepared Annabelle had been, she had not been prepared for the events of the last few days. The priest was just glad to see her standing here at all, pledging her love.

  “And also with you,” chorused the congregation again.

  “Annabelle and Harold, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife. Harold, you may kiss the bride,” he said.

  Harold leaned her back, putting a gentle kiss on her lips.

  “I now pronounce to you, for the first time,” the priest looked up at the crowd. “Annabelle and Harold Harper...Lord and Lady Bamber!”

  There was a burst of pleasure and cheers. At the back of the church, on the railing of the balcony, was the crest of the Bamber family. Above it, knowing he couldn't be seen except exactly by their vantage point, Aaron stood, clapping along with the rest of them.

  Annabelle nudged Harold in the leg, gently, and cast her gaze upwards. Harold looked upwards as well, seeing Aaron's sparkling eyes.

  In a move that seemed like they were bowing to the crest, both of them dipped low to the proper Lord Bamber, their eyes on the floor.

  Aaron tipped his head to them, his hand on his heart to give them his blessing. A new life was about to start, and he thought that it couldn't start with better people. As they exited the church, the crowd followed and he sat back in his seat.

  They were married, the line was secure. Now, it was time to bury him, and make sure his name lost its place in history, so that they could carve a new path for themselves.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  FUNERAL

  FUNERAL

  Because it was the funeral of a well-liked Lord, the streets were crowded with the towns’ people long before dawn. Annabelle knew that her brother was popular growing up, but no one realized quite how popular until they heard the noise from the crowds outside. The funeral procession would go from the house to the church, where Annabelle and Harold were married only two days before. It was the most ironic day for a funeral, with the sun shining overhead and the clouds wispy and fun.

  Harold paused at the window, a few minutes before they had to exit the house. As the new Lord Bamber, he was to lead in his newly decorated carriage.

  This all seemed like a bad dream.

  “I feel terrible,” he said to Aaron, who approached. “For deceiving them all. These people are in genuine pain.”

  “I know,” Aaron said, softly. “But the other choice was that we swung from the noose. You swung from the noose, my daughter lost a father, and my best friend lost a husband. None of those were choices that were realistic in my mind. They will stop crying one day, think upon me with fondness, and that's all.”

  He looked different than he did a few days ago. Stronger by the day, he had cut his hair shorter than he ever had it. His hat was low on his eyes, in a way he never wore it. He even stood different, taking Lola's lessons of character to heart.

  When he first said he wanted to ride in the carriage to the funeral, his own funeral, Harold had told him he was crazy. Aaron had only grinned.

  “How many people get to witness their own funerals?” he asked. “It will be a treat I never forget.”

  Now, Harold still thought it was risky. However, Aaron had made such a sacrifice for him that he couldn't tell him no.

  “Still,” Harold replied. “If only there was a way to tell them, like we know.”

  “Ask a whole city to keep a secret for loving me?” Aaron smiled. “I doubt it. But maybe one day.”

  “Are we ready?” Annabelle came bustling into the front room. Donned all in black, she looked like a grieving lady. Organizing things to the very limit, she had planned every minute of how this fake funeral was going to go. One of those plans meant leaving on time. “Where is everyone?”

  “We're here,” Shauna came into the room, with Gwendolyn, who threw herself on her father with a giggle.

  “Daddy, we're going to pretend you're dead.”

  “Gwendolyn, remember what we talked about? Look sad. Sad,” he said, and she pouted. “Good. Because if any of these people find out I'm not dead...I won't ever come back. And you want me to come back, don't you?”

  “Yes,” Gwendolyn replied, in shock that he would think otherwise.

  “Good,” Aaron replied. “Then you have to be sad the whole way. Matheson, Corrigan, let's see those stage faces.”

  “No one took my acting lesson to heart last night,” Lola said, as she came into the room with Wesley. Her funeral dress was elaborate, like most things that she did, and there was no doubt that she would take the attention off any minor slip ups. “You would all make terrible actors, in my opinion.”

  “I would act dead,” Aaron said with a grin. “But I will be hidden out of sight.”

  “I really don't think you should come,” Harold repeated, but Aaron shrugged.

  “One last adventure, with all of you,” he replied. “It's worth the risk.”

  “One car
riage is at the back door,” Annabelle reminded them. “The curtained one. For goodness sake, Aaron, be careful.”

  “I'll see you at my funeral,” Aaron said. “Unless you wanted to come with me?”

  “I'll come with you,” Wesley said, surprising Lola. “If that's the carriage that the body is supposed to be in, it makes sense there's a military escort.”

  “Off we go,” Aaron gave them all a little bow. “See you from beyond the grave.”

  “What a dramatic soul,” Lola rolled her eyes. “The rest of you ready? Aaron just died, look sad, or stunned. Let's go. I said, sad!”

  “It would help, Miss,” Matthew suggested. “If you didn't yell at us.”

  “That's how directors do it,” she replied, with a little shrug.

  The butler opened the door then, and everyone turned silent, their heads bowed.

  As soon as the door to the carriage in the back was closed, and the curtains were tied shut, Aaron turned to Wesley.

  “You want to speak to me about something?”

  Wesley's jaw fell open.

  “How did you know?”

  Aaron smiled.

  “You had that look on your face. I always know when you want to speak up; it's in your eyes. When you have an idea that is probably much better than any of ours, but you are too quiet to say it, I know.”

  “I don't know if the idea I have is much better than anyone else's at this point,” Wesley replied. Aaron leaned back as the carriage began to roll.

  “Go ahead,” he said. “At worst, it will make me smile. At best, it will save the world.”

  “Sir...” Wesley chose his words very carefully. “I thought I'd join you, on your new ship.”

  Of all the things Aaron had expected him to say, that was not it. It wasn't easy to surprise Aaron, but this made his jaw drop.

  “Are you serious?” he said, in surprise “You want to throw away your Captain ship?”

  “I just---” Wesley chose his words carefully. “I am loyal to the Crown, as you know, and I am loyal to this country. I joined the Navy to escape from my responsibility, to run from my duties. And when I met Lola....I no longer felt such guilt, such terror. She taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be, so long as I did it with passion and dignity. These past few months, I have been dreading this promotion. Yes, I am smart, smarter than most on the ship, and I can offer a unique perspective, save us from a battle. But I am not a leader, I am not loud, I am not strong. These things I know.”

  “Wesley...” Aaron said, but the younger man shook his head.

  “The only reason I survived this far was because of you and Mr. Harper, your kindness. I have no doubt I would be dead without the two of you. Mr. Harper will be on land for the rest of his life, a life I don't want.”

  “I thought you and Lola were thinking about retiring from this world that made you travel?”

  “No,” he said, with a half-smile. “I think that is what gives us our spark, our passion. Missing each other, filled with adrenaline and excitement. I don't wish to be on land. But I do not wish to command my own ship, nor do I wish to try and survive...without my friends.”

  Aaron fell silent at this. He could give Wesley a confidence boost, but what he was saying was true. Wesley was not the best candidate for Captain, and it would likely be that he might be eaten alive by his ship before he could put his first brilliant plan into action.

  However, on a pirate ship, without rules, and allowing Wesley’s brain to work however it wanted, they could flourish.

  “I would be honored if you sailed with me,” Aaron said. “As my first mate.”

  Wesley's eyes twinkled.

  “Aye, Aye Captain,” he replied.

  The carriages ahead of them were in a different conversation. Having half drawn the curtains to keep their faces hidden, Annabelle shared a carriage with Lola, Harold, and Corrigan.

  “Look at them,” Corrigan said, watching as people threw flowers, and put their hands up. “If a quarter of those people even raise an eyebrow at my funeral, I'll be blessed.”

  “I promise you, Corrigan,” Harold replied. “I will make sure your funeral has people throwing things.”

  Corrigan snorted at that.

  Annabelle watched the crowds as they went by, feeling a different set of emotions. She had known some of these people since childhood, and her chest ached at their pain. Nevertheless, she knew that they couldn't tell them the truth. This was the price nobility had to pay, the price true friendship paid.

  When they arrived at the church that she had been married at just two days before, she let a tear slip out. Harold reached out to take her hand.

  “My love,” he said. “He's not really gone.”

  “I know,” she said. “But life is so different now. Never again can we go into town together. He wasn't at my wedding, he can't be at my funeral....He can't be at the christening for any children we have.”

  “But he's alive,” Harold reminded her. “He's alive.”

  “Yes,” Annabelle said, softly. “But at such a cost.”

  They filed into the church through the front door, while the secret carriage allowed Aaron to go up the hallway and to the balcony. They had made sure it would be blocked off for him to watch, as they had done with the wedding.

  Today, the mood was much different.

  Everyone was in black; somber, sobbing. There was an empty coffin at the front of the church, adorned with flowers.

  His name was disgraced, so there was no military colors, no honorable funeral. This was all for show, to confirm he was gone from this world. In many ways, he realized as he sat down, he was.

  Now he was about to take Wesley with him. What a different world they were living in than the one he had once pictured.

  Annabelle and Harold took their spots at the front of the church, heads bowed, as everyone filed in. The same priest that had performed their wedding looked over the crowd with much different eyes as he opened the book today.

  “Almighty God,” he started, his voice booming out through the church. “You love everything you have made and watch over us with your unending mercy. We rejoice in your promises of healing, joy, and peace to all who love you. In Your mercy, turn the darkness of death to the dawn of new life, and the sorrow of parting to the joy of heaven, through our Savior Jesus Christ, who died and rose again and who lived forevermore. Amen.”

  No one said anything, and a few sobs came from the crowd.

  “Amen,” Annabelle whispered, her hands clasped in Harold's. For in a way, today Lord Aaron Bamber did die.

  “We meet here today to honor the life of Aaron Bamber. We give thanks for his life and ask God to bless him now that his time in this world has come to an end. For Aaron Bamber, the journey is now beginning. But for us, there is loss, grief, and pain. Every one of us here has been affected - perhaps in small ways, or perhaps in transformative ones - by Aaron Bamber. His life mattered to us all. It is important for us to collectively acknowledge and accept that the world has fundamentally changed with his passing. We are all grieving. Life will not be the same - nor should it be. Together, let us open our hearts and commemorate the impact Aaron Bamber had on us.”

  The place that had been once filled with such happiness and joy, now was filled with sorrow. So many people had attended, who had good memories of Aaron. He had delighted so many people, Annabelle knew. Everyone who met him, including the horrible Captain Willcock, had liked him. It was impossible not to love her brother.

  He had also brought her the love of her life, made friends with her soulmate. Aaron had done so much for them, and now she had no idea how to repay him.

  “Eternal God, We pray for ourselves and for Aaron Bamber. We stand where Earth and Heaven meet. Where life is brought to death. Deliver us from grief, fear, and doubt, from despair and unbelief. And bring us to the light of your presence. Grant us that peace which the world cannot give. So that we, with Aaron Bamber, may trust in you. And find our life through you. Lord, you
renew the face of the Earth; Gather to yourself Aaron Bamber, whom we have loved. And grant him those things, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart imagined. Watch over us this day - and all days. Give us the strength to accept what is past, to appreciate what is present.”

  “I've been to many funerals,” Annabelle whispered to Harold. “And never have those words rang more true than this moment.”

  “Including the fact that he'll have a brand new life,” Lola strategically whispered. Annabelle knew that she wasn't supposed to laugh, but she couldn't help herself. She leaned forward, so the crowd could not see that it was laughter shaking her shoulders instead of tears.

  “And to look forward to good in our future. Grant us peace, sacred moments of communion with You, and faith - in whatever You have planned. Bless us and heal us, breathe peace and grace into our lives. Amen.”

  “Amen,” echoed the crowd.

  “I would now like to invite to the front anyone who would like to share some remarks about Aaron Bamber,” the priest said.

  Annabelle gasped when practically half the congregation stood up.

  “Oh my,” she said, as she turned around. “We're going to be here half the day.”

  “We can't very well stop them,” Harold pointed out.

  “But---” she said, and then realized he was right. She didn't have any idea how she could prevent every single person who clearly loved him from saying their peace. They needed to say it, to heal, and she understood.

  The lines were practically two hours long within a minute.

  Wesley took the time to lean into Lola, keeping his voice low.

  “I told Aaron that I wanted to sail with him.”