Page 156 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
It overlooked a huge, well-trimmed garden that had a patio to allow guests quick access to quiet fresh air without them getting too cold. At the same time, it’d allow a breather in the summer in warmer weather.
It really was perfect, and Emily had thought everything through, from beginning to end.
“It’s perfect. What about the bar?” I asked. “We’ll need at least one bartender for the wait period and two for the reception. Has it been confirmed with the catering company that this can still be done?”
“Not yet. They wanted to confirm everything with you directly.” She eyed me. “However, I’m sure we can make do with the household staff if the worst-case scenario happens.”
“I can’t ask your staff to—”
“You aren’t asking them anything. I’m asking them, and the Carmichaels will be paying them.” Emily clasped her hands together and walked around. “Honestly, I’m quite looking forward to it. I wanted to get married in this room myself, you know.”
I peered over at her. “Really?”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, my in-laws insisted that we had to have the ceremony in a church, so only the reception was held here. Even the meal was elsewhere.” A tinge of sadness haunted her eyes when our gazes met. “Oh, don’t be mistaken. They weren’t horrible people. On the contrary, they treated me as if I were their own daughter, and I loved them very much. I merely wish we could have been permitted to have the wedding we really wanted.”
“I wonder if Hazel feels that way right now.”
“Perhaps. And if not right now, perhaps she will in the future,” Emily said gently. “But one thing is for certain; she’ll never forget how loved she is and how hard those closest to her have worked to make sure she got her special day.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I sighed. “Why did you have to get married in a church, anyway?”
“My in-laws were very traditional. They believed weddings should only be done under the eyes of God, and a blessing wasn’t sufficient for their beliefs. Especially not when the marriage concerned those of noble blood.”
“Sounds insufferable.” I clapped my hands over my mouth. “Um. That slipped out.”
She laughed. “You’re quite right, my dear. That’s why I was rather glad they both died before Zara came out. They’d have had a stroke at a Lady of the Castleton bloodline being gay.”
“I’ll never understand people like that.” I shook my head. “Is that why you started doing weddings here?”
“Partially. I mostly felt sad that this gorgeous room had no real use—back in the day the Castletons hosted great balls and banquets, but they’re few and far between now. Its only real use is for milestone birthdays and before Michael died, our anniversary gatherings.” Her smile brightened. “Not to mention the estate doesn’t exactly run on peanuts. We’re in no danger of struggling financially, but who ever complained about having too much money?”
I felt that to my bones.
“I completely agree. It’s such a gorgeous space. I know so many brides who would kill for a venue like this.” I gazed around at the light that streamed in from outside.
It really was the most beautiful venue, and the rest of the estate wasn’t exactly lacking, either.
What would it be like to get married here? It was exactly the kind of place I’d always dreamt of getting married at.
Ha.
What on Earth was I thinking?
It wasn’t like I would never know. I was about to watch my sister do just that.
It was really hard not to be jealous of her. The mere thought of it was petty of me—she’d just had her dream wedding fall apart with three days to go, yet here I was, lamenting the fact she was getting the kind of weddingIwanted.
I was a horrible person.
“Sylvie?”
I sighed and looked back at her. “Sorry. My mind wandered there for a minute.”
“You’ve had a stressful day already. Why don’t you take a break?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, but there’s too much to do. My brain won’t shut off unless I get the basics covered. I don’t suppose you have any plans left from when you hosted weddings here, do you? I need a feel of the layout for the evening buffet.”
Emily touched my arm. “I’ll have Zara find them out from my office. I’m sure there’ll be some there somewhere.”
