A Shooting Star
Page 14
“We are going to be married and everything is now settled just as I planned it would be.”
“What is settled and where are we being married?”
“I can tell you now,” he said, “that I had hoped and hoped that you would agree willingly to marry me if you knew I truly loved you and wanted you. That the attempt to assassinate the Queen precipitated matters was just a piece of luck for me.”
The Earl’s arms tightened round her as he went on,
“We are being married, my darling, in the Chapel at Marlborough House. And the Best Man, in fact the only witness at our wedding, will be the Prince of Wales!”
Flavia stared at him.
“I don’t believe it,” she exclaimed.
“I felt it would be the answer to all our problems from those who tried to interfere with us and get the Queen to force us into matrimony. The Prince of Wales was only too delighted to be ‘one up’, as you might say, on Windsor Castle. He has arranged for his Chaplain to be waiting for us at his private Chapel and he will be there too.”
For a moment, Flavia gasped and then she laughed.
“I cannot believe it’s true. It’s all too much like a story in a book and could not ever happen in real life.”
“I assure you it’s all happening, Flavia, and because we are running away and the Prince is well aware that your father and Lord Carlsby disapprove of him, he is lending us his yacht to take us on the first part of our honeymoon.
“After that we will decide whether we will go and visit the lands you have only read about in books or heard talked about by explorers.”
Flavia gave a cry of delight.
But it was impossible to say any more because the Earl was kissing her again.
*
The little Chapel at Marlborough House was in the garden facing the Mall.
With a gesture Flavia thought extremely touching, the Prince of Wales had ordered flowers from the house to be brought into the Chapel.
There were six candles burning on the altar.
The Chaplain, wearing white and gold vestments, was waiting for them.
The Earl entered the Chapel first.
Flavia followed on the arm of the Prince of Wales.
The Service was short, but the Chaplain, who was an elderly man, read it with great sincerity.
It made Flavia feel as though every word spoken was blessed by God.
She felt as if the angels were singing overhead and that her beloved Mama was there in the Chapel praying for her future happiness.
When they knelt for the blessing, the ring, which she learnt later had belonged to the Earl’s mother was now glittering on her finger.
When the Service finally ended, they did not go to Marlborough House but down to the Embankment.
The Prince of Wales’s fine yacht, of which he was exceedingly proud, was waiting for them.
As soon as they came aboard and the Prince had drunk their health in champagne, they moved out into the mid-stream of the river.
As the Prince waved goodbye, Flavia slipped her arm through the Earl’s.
“I cannot believe this is true,” she sighed. “How can we have been married so quickly and so beautifully?”
Before he could reply, she went on,
“How could you think of anything so marvellous as to ask the Prince of Wales for his Private Chapel?”
The Earl smiled.
“I knew the Prince had always resented your father and Lord Carlsby knowing more about the affairs of State than he was allowed to know. He was therefore delighted for once to be ‘first past the winning post’, so to speak.”
Flavia giggled, knowing this to be true.
“His mother,” the Earl continued, “can hardly take the credit for marrying us off when he had already done so in his own Private Chapel at Marlborough House!”
His eyes twinkled as he finished,
“Then, to have lent us his own yacht, with which he is determined to astonish all the competitors at Cowes this year, will leave the Social world gasping.”
“I do see, Vincent, it’s all ‘wheels within wheels’.”
“The only thing that really does matter is that we are married and no one can take you away from me.”
Their eyes met and it was impossible for either of them to speak.
Then, as the yacht moved on slowly down the river, they walked into the Saloon for dinner.
It was only as they were finishing a delicious meal that Flavia managed to murmur,
“I am feeling rather guilty about Papa. I will have to let him know we are married.”
“I thought you would think that, my darling,” the Earl replied. “As I felt the same, I asked the Prince to tell him all the details tomorrow morning.”
“You have asked the Prince to tell him!”
Then Flavia laughed.
“Oh, I see how your mind is working! It will be a great delight to the Prince, as you have said, to be ‘one up’ on Papa and Lord Carlsby as well as on the Queen.”
“Exactly, Flavia. You do see that he has achieved – with a wave of his hand – what they have been struggling for months to accomplish but to no avail.”
Then they were both laughing.
“You are so clever, Vincent. That is what I love about you.”
“Just as I love everything about you, from the soles of your feet to the top of your lovely head. Now you are mine, I will take very good care that not too many other men tell you how beautiful you are. I think the safest way to achieve that is by travelling to strange places where no one will be in the least impressed by you!”
Flavia laughed again.
“You are not frightening me, Vincent. You know as well as I do that we have to see your wonderful horse winning the Gold Cup at Ascot and I am sure you have a great responsibility for your estate and possessions.”
The Earl smiled at Flavia tenderly.
“I knew you would think that, but sometimes we will sneak away to be on our own. And we must look after our own people and do our best, as the Queen is doing, to make England great.”
Flavia lent forward so that she could put her head against his shoulder.
“I love the way you think,” she sighed. “It’s so easy to talk to you because you understand what I am trying to say as no one else has ever done.”
“I love and understand every little bit of you, from the thoughts behind your clever brain right down to your tiny toes that dance better than anyone else has ever done.”
Flavia gave a cry.
“You say such lovely things to me and I am only scared that after all your talk about being afraid of being tied down and not wishing to be married, you will soon be bored with me and be looking for pastures new.”
“I will not be doing that – for the simple reason we will never be bored with each other. We have so much to say that I doubt if we can complete it all in one lifetime. In fact I am almost certain this is just another life and we have lived so many together already.”
“That is another subject I have a lot to say about!” Flavia asserted.
They were chuckling as they left the Saloon and went down to the Master Suite.
*
There were flowers in the room that had been sent with the compliments of the Prince of Wales.
And later that night as Flavia lay in the Earl’s arms, she could smell the scent of roses and honeysuckle.
Because the Earl had not spoken for a few minutes, she whispered,
“Do you still love me, Vincent?”
“My darling, my sweet,” he answered. “I love you a thousand times more than I did before I made you mine. And I will love you a thousand times more tomorrow and the day after.”
“I was so frightened I might disappoint you.”
The Earl pulled her closer to him.
“That is impossible, because everything about you is perfect and the most exciting thing I have ever done is to teach you about love.”
“It was wonderful – for me,�
�� Flavia murmured.
“It will become even more wonderful as we get to know each other better. This is the beginning of a new life and a new world and I think you will find that every day we will grow closer and closer to each other.”
Then he was kissing her again.
Kissing her at first gently, then more passionately.
The fire burning within them carried them both up towards the sky.
It surged through Flavia’s mind that when she had seen the shooting star, she had believed it would bring her luck.
Now she realised that the shooting star had been the Earl himself all the time.
He had indeed flashed into her life and made her his completely.
As they touched the stars, the Gates of Paradise opened before them.
They walked in to find, as they had already done, the real love that comes from God and is God.
It is the sublime love all people seek and only a few are lucky enough to find.
“I love you, Vincent, I love you,” Flavia whispered.
The Earl’s voice was deep as he replied,
“I love, adore and worship you, my precious wife. You are perfect and no man could ever ask for more.”
Where to buy other titles in this series
The Barbara Cartland Pink collection is available for download at the following online bookshops :-
www.barnesandnoble.com - epub format for the Nook eReader
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ebookstore.sony.com - epub format for Sony eReaders
www.amazon.co.uk - For UK Kindle users
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itunes.apple.com - for Apple iOS users
www.barbaracartland.com - Printed paperbacks