Page 87 of Tempted By an Unconventional Lady
“Not at all. We say plenty to each other, but it’s always about us, and never about other people. It’s perfect. It sounds insular but it’s also insulated, if you know what I mean. Our little tribe protected from the rest of the world. Now, turn back around and let Annie finish your hair.”
Charlotte did as she was asked, and as she did so, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the looking glass. Her pale skin was flushed at the cheeks, and the redness of her lips matched. It was her eyes that looked so different, though. They sparkled with hope and happiness, and she knew that spark would never die, not now that she had Alexander.
“There, perfect,” Chelsea said.
Charlotte stood up and looked at herself fully. She had chosen to wear her mother’s wedding gown. It was old, true, and not of the fashion of the day. The cream color had begun to fade, and some of the trim around the edge had been moth-eaten. But it was still the most beautiful gown Charlotte had ever seen,and she was pleased to have part of her parents with her on her wedding day.
“You miss them, don’t you?” Chelsea said, reading her expression.
Charlotte nodded, biting her lip to stop herself from crying. “I wish they could have met Alexander. They would have liked him immensely.”
“They would have thought this the perfect union,” Chelsea agreed.
Charlotte thought about the family she had left. Uncle Elliot was going to walk her down the aisle in place of her father, but Aunt Lydia had been told she could sit in the pews of the church with the rest of the guests. Charlotte didn’t want the falseness of pretending she was part of this day.
As if on cue, there came a knock at the door and Uncle Elliot popped his head around the frame. He gasped when he saw Charlotte, then stepped fully into the room.
“My goodness,” he cried. He held his arms out as if to embrace her, though he didn’t approach her. “I worried for a while that I would never see this day, but here we are. You are so like your mother, Charlotte. So beautiful. She would have been incredibly proud of you.”
“I have my mother and father inside me, but you have helped shape me into the woman I am today, Uncle Elliot. Thank you for your support in everything.”
He finally stepped forward and embraced her, and Charlotte knew she had done the right thing in not revealing the truth about her aunt. It would have broken him.
“Now,” he said, pulling away and looking at her, his eyes watery, “are you ready?”
They had decided upon a small wedding in a little church in London, the very same church in which Charlotte’s own parents had married. The ceremony was intimate, with only close friends and family. There were Charlotte’s own family, of course, along with Lord and Lady Hurtle, Chelsea’s parents. Chelsea and her husband were there, along with Stewart and his new fiancée. Even Arthur joined them.
They had discussed bringing Alexander’s uncle, but they ultimately decided it would be too much for the man. He was, after all, very sick, and so the three of them had spent a little time together with the nurse present, and Alexander had done his best to explain the situation to him.
Charlotte wasn’t convinced he understood, but she found him a sweet old man, and she looked forward to many more picnics and dinners together in the future. Perhaps she could even help the nurse now and then.
As she stepped into the church, the organist began to play, and Charlotte’s chest thrummed with an excited anxiety. This was it… she would become Duchess of Ashbourne and would at last have everything she had ever dreamed of.
She and her uncle walked slowly down the aisle toward Alexander, who waited at the front. He didn’t turn to look at her, but somehow Charlotte felt his nerves, too. She knew he couldn’t look at her without breaking down with emotion, and that made her smile. He loved her more truly than she had ever thought possible.
“What a surprise to see you here, my lady,” he said with a teasing wink as she met him at the altar.
“Soon to be Your Grace. Perhaps you ought call me that from now on, just to practice.”
Alexander chuckled then leaned into her and whispered, “You look more beautiful than I have ever seen you.”
“And you look as if you were up all night polishing those brass buttons on your tailcoat,” she teased.
“Don’t be silly. The butler did it.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Reverend Whitmore began, and Charlotte and Alexander paused their teasing to pay attention.This was a day that would change their entire lives, after all, and it was a day they both wished to record in their memories forever.
“We are gathered here today to witness the matrimony between His Grace, Alexander Wentworth, The Duke of Ashbourne, and Miss Charlotte Fairchild.”
The hum of conversation behind them settled to the gentle murmur of silence, and Charlotte handed her posy of flowers to Chelsea.
As Reverend Whitmore began the ceremony in earnest, Charlotte gazed at her husband to be, in awe of how much her life had changed in less than a year. She never thought she would marry, never thought she would find a man worthy of her. She was different, she always had been, and she never thought any man would accept that.
But Alexander wasn’t just any man. He was perfect for her, and she hadn’t realized gentlemen like him existed. He made her smile in every way. He lit her up with a fire in her heart and her loins. He was everything to her, and now he was making vows, promising to be hers forever.
“I, Alexander Wentworth, take thee, Charlotte Fairchild, to be my wedded wife.”
Charlotte held her breath, allowing the intensity of the emotion to wash over her. That was the thing about the duke. He allowed her to be herself, and that meant she allowed herself the full range of emotions.
