Page 67 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
They had barely been alone together since, but he looked forward to the moment, in just a few hours’ time, when he could be alone with his wife, and show her just how much he loved her. He intended to show her every day just how much she meant to him, and just how delighted he was to have the privilege of being her husband.
She walked down the aisle, smiling shyly at him, and her father released her arm just before she reached the altar. George held Sebastian’s gaze for a moment, and he sensed an unspoken message behind his eyes.
All animosity between them was now gone, and they would be part of the same family now. Of course, he and Isabella had gone too far, and the rumours and gossip would continue to circulate for some time hence, but the embarrassment for their two families would soon fade and the circumstance that came before their marriage would be forgotten.
All would be well, Sebastian thought, as he took Isabella’s hand and they began to exchange their vows.
The atmosphere in the chapel was full of joy and anticipation, and when the marriage ceremony ended, the couple proceeded down the aisle together, arm in arm. Sebastian felt Isabella lean into him and he looked down to see her gazing up at him.
“I am so happy to be your wife, Sebastian,” she whispered.
“And I cannot tell you how good it feels to know that you will always be by my side,” he replied.
They emerged into the daylight outside the chapel, the winter sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky above them. All around them, their family and friends were gathered to congratulate them and wish them well.
It was the perfect way to end the old year and look forward towards the new year, when they would be together daily, sharing their love and happiness.
***
A little later, everyone was gathered in the ballroom at the Evermere estate. There had been a great feast, which Lady Evermere proudly presided over. Isabella felt a never-ending sense of relief that after everything that had happened, her parents had accepted Sebastian and given their permission freely for them to marry.
She remembered her vow to herself that she would run away with him, if it came to it, and as she glanced at him, sitting next to her at the table, sipping his wine and chatting with the people seated nearby, she knew she would have done just that, if she had to. She would not have allowed anything to come between them, after the fateful day of the duel, when it seemed as if everything was lost.
Almost as if he sensed her eyes on him, he turned to look at her. “Are you all right, Isabella?”
She nodded. “I think that perhaps I have never been better.”
He looked at her again, with that passionate longing in his eyes. “I think that perhaps later on, I will make sure that you are feeling the best you have ever felt in your life,” he murmured, then took her hand and squeezed it tight.
She remembered the sensation of his body against hers as they had lain together that night in bed. They had not been able to be alone together since, and the anticipation had been building between them, to the point that now, every time he looked at her, she felt her body tingle. She could not wait to feel his hands on her body again, and to feel the power of the fullness of him inside her.
But before they could retire and take their pleasure together, there were festivities to enjoy.
Isabella rose from the table and went to find Daphne. Since the events of the Christmas ball, the two friends had not been able to spend very much time together, and Isabella was anxious to know how things stood between Daphne and Adrian.
She found Daphne standing with a group of young ladies of their acquaintance. She chatted amiably with them for a while, but it was not long before she and Daphne had drifted away and into a corner where they could speak a little more confidentially.
Daphne clasped Isabella’s hands in her own and smiled. “I am so happy for you, Isabella. I thought that this day would never come, after all the trouble that took place before Christmas.”
Isabella nodded. “I thought the same, I must confess. There were so many obstacles for us to overcome, and after the Christmas Eve ball, I thought that all was lost. But then, things seemed to come together somehow.”
Daphne frowned for a moment. “I still cannot believe that Felicity tried to entrap Sebastian into marriage.”
Isabella sighed. “It was not all her fault really, you know. Her father is a beast, and he made her do it. Of course she could have refused, but I expect it would have had severe consequences for her.”
Daphne nodded. “I know it is not straightforward.” She looked around the room for a moment, and her eyes fell on Felicity, who was standing on the other side of the room with a tall gentleman. “Who is that she is talking to now?”
Isabella followed her gaze. “I do believe it is one of my father’s cousins,” Isabella replied. “So I suppose he is a distant cousin of Felicity’s, too.”
Daphne giggled. “They do seem to be getting on rather well together. I wonder if he will ask her to dance when the time comes.”
“I expect so,” Isabella replied. “They have been talking together for quite some time now. Honestly, I do hope that she finds happiness. So much of her pain came from a place of envy. She thought that you and I had everything, that we had the world at our feet, and that she had nothing in comparison. But that is not true, of course. Anyone can fall in love.”
Daphne smiled, her eyes sparkling.
Isabella gave her a knowing look. “Do you have something to tell me, Daphne?”
“Well, we are not making the official announcement until tomorrow. My parents are throwing a family party for New Year’s Day.” She lowered her voice a little. “But I do not think that it would do any harm to tell you, Isabella.”
