Page 57 of Debating with the Duke (Second Sons of London 2)

“Please undress me quickly,” she said. “I feel a headache coming on.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The maid had Adalyn prepared for bed in no time. She watched Bridget leave and then climbed beneath the bedclothes, blowing out the candle.

Only then did the tears come.

*

Everett called uponLord Uxbridge the next morning during breakfast, disappointed that Addie wasn’t at the meal.

“Cheer up, Camden,” the earl said. “I can tell by that unhappy look on your face that you were hoping for a glimpse of your new fiancée. Adalyn is like her mother. They rarely rise before noon during the Season and always take their breakfast in their bedchamber before they dress for the day.”

He disliked hearing that. While he was attending balls and parties because it was expected, he longed to return to Cliffside and escape the social crush. It was hard for him to picture Addie outside of London. She sparkled at every event. Guilt ran deep through him, knowing he had trapped her into marriage.

What if the physical attraction between them wasn’t enough? What if they were doomed to be exactly as his parents were, growing to loathe one another? His parents rarely attended the same events. They sometimes spent months apart. Following the same pattern was the last thing Everett wanted to do.

Yet he had known before he manipulated Addie into marriage that they were two very different people. That he wasn’t good enough for her. Selfishly, he had pushed those feelings aside, thinking if he loved her enough for the both of them she would come around.

What if she never did?

Lord Uxbridge rose. “We should be off to St. George’s.”

“Is it far?” Everett asked.

“You most likely have passed it, Your Grace, though not the street itself. The church is in the middle of Mayfair off Conduit Street. People say it is in Hanover Square but it is not Hanover Square proper. It is on George’s Street, which is rather quiet.”

“My carriage is outside if you wish to take it, my lord.”

Uxbridge brightened. “I would be delighted to travel in your ducal carriage.”

They boarded the vehicle and were at the church within minutes, meeting with a curate who gave them a brief tour of the church since Everett had never visited before.

“Everyone in Polite Society attends this parish church,” the curate assured him. “I know our vicar will be happy to marry you and Lady Adalyn. She and her parents have attended St. George’s for years.”

“We are looking at next Thursday,” Lord Uxbridge said. “Or any day after that which is open.”

The curate smiled. “We are happy to accommodate His Grace and Lady Adalyn next Thursday, my lord. It is so early in the Season that the rash of weddings have yet to begin.” He turned to Everett. “Halfway through the Season, the weddings begin in earnest. Sometimes we host two or even three a day,” the curate declared. “You will be our first society match this Season. Do you have a time in mind?”

Everett looked to his soon to be father-in-law for help and the earl said, “Anything before noon and my wife and daughter would have my head on a platter. Shall we say two o’clock?”

“I shall mark two o’clock on our schedule, my lord.”

They left and Everett told his driver their next stop was Doctors’ Commons.

“Where is that?” the coachman asked, reminding Everett that Mervyn had never requested to be driven there. His brother, rake that he was, might not have wed for years if he had lived.

“South of St. Paul’s Cathedral. On Knightrider Street,” Uxbridge responded.

He was glad he had asked the earl to come along this morning, especially when they arrived at Doctors’ Commons. Navigating the bureaucracy within the place proved frustrating, as well as time-consuming.

Finally, after moving from one office to another and a wait close to two hours, they were admitted to the authorized representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Everett had thought to obtain a special license he would have to speak with the archbishop himself but learned that wasn’t the case.

After being asked a few questions, the representative established that the Duke of Camden and Lady Adalyn Goulding were eligible to wed and placed both their names on the special license. He was told that the license allowed them to wed in any location at any time, without the banns having to be called. He then paid a clerk a hefty sum for this privilege and the license was presented to Everett.

In his carriage, talk turned to the marriage settlements.

“I know you are wedding rather quickly, Camden, but we must see the contracts signed before the ceremony takes place. Have you notified your solicitor of your upcoming marriage?”

---