Page 78 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
Anna scoffed and pushed him away. “You are ridiculous.”
Julian winked at her. “You wouldn’t love me any other way.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“They look rather dashing, don’t they?”
Anna, whose eyes had not strayed from the altar since she had taken her seat had no reason not to agree with Margaret.
Finally, after nearly two weeks of meticulous and quick planning Seth and Marjorie’s wedding day had arrived. It was thrilling, for Anna to see her brother-in-law with whom she sympathized with greatly prepare himself to take a bold step towards his future.
Even more so, though, she was quite charmed by the sight of Seth flanked by his brother Julian and his friend, Lysander.
“I want to stand by him, as the only part of our family he has left. He talks about his wedding and marriage as though all he feels about is excitement, but I know him well enough to know that he’s terrified, beneath it all.” Julian had told her a few days to the wedding.
“He’s quite fortunate to have a wonderful brother like you, and I am sure is well aware of that fact. Nevertheless, I am certain he’ll be just fine afterwards.” Anna had said, trying to reassure her husband as much as she could.
And now, seeing how proud Julian was of his brother as he stood by Seth’s side, Anna couldn’t help but think that his decision to stay with the groom also served as a balm over the old wounds that had bothered him for so long. They made a dashing picture, and Anna felt herself grow emotional as she recalled her own wedding.
It was remarkable, how different she felt now, how much freer and happier she was. How loved she was. She and Julian had come a long way to get to where they were and she would not trade the peace in her heart for anything else.
The ceremony finally started and Marjorie began to walk down the aisle with her father by her side. The man’s face was a picture of indifference as he led his daughter to her future husband and Anna said a silent prayer of gratitude to God for making it so the old man wouldn’t stand between Seth and Marjorie.
Seth, eager to meet his bride tried to step down from his place, but Julian held him back by the collar of his jacket, hissing swiftly in a hushed tone that most of the people in the front rows caught.
“Where are you going, you nitwit? Stay right here!”
Anna had hoped Seth would simply listen without a fuss, immediately feeling foolish for expecting so much, when Seth slapped Julian’s hand away.
“Why? I just want to be with her sooner!” he whispered back fiercely.
“Oh, my,” Margaret sighed, massaging her temples with the tips of her fingers.
Lysander took a look at the brothers and swiftly decided that no reward was great enough to warrant his involvement in that mess, shifting his gaze back to the guests.
Marjorie increased her pace, leaving her father behind as she quickly arrived at the altar before Seth could start a fight, holding her hand out between them.
“I’m here. Seth, I’m here, so you don’t need to worry.”
It was as though all the annoyance had been stripped from Seth’s veins. He immediately smiled, eagerly reaching for his bride’s hand.
“There you are.” He beamed, the affection he felt for his wife-to-be obvious in the way he looked at her.
Marjorie took her place and Anna saw Julian mumble what she guessed was an apology, smiling in encouragement when he looked in her direction.
With the chaos seemingly over and done with, the rest of the ceremony went on without a hitch. Both of them had written out vows they wished to recite and Seth’s had brought Anna to tears. His words were earnest and genuine, not asking for a pardon for his sins, but a chance to atone for them.
“Our love has kept us together, even while we were apart. I give you my word that I will work to ensure that our love sustains us and our family, for the rest our days. Thank you for choosing to love me, more than I can say,” he said finally.
Anna brought her handkerchief to her eyes, startled by the sniffling she could hear coming from her side. Margaret was clutching her handkerchief and her neck, looking as though she had been though a devastating life experience.
“That was lovely,” she whispered to Anna who nodded in agreement.
“It truly was. I hope those two are happy together for a long time.”
The ceremony ended with the pronouncement of Seth and Marjorie as husband and wife. While the guests cheered and clapped for them, Anna’s eyes drifted to her husband again, smiling when she noticed him watching his brother leave the area with his bride in tow.
She kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to gather himself, trying not to laugh at the way he blinked and glanced around, searching for something. Anna paused, letting him find herbefore she raised a hand to wave at him shyly. Julian smiled at her before making his way off the altar, taking his rightful place by her side.
