by Abby Ayles
“Then maybe you ain’t paying me enough,” the stable boy said, cocking his head at this new piece of information.
Jasper considered throwing his boot at the boy’s head, but thought against it.
He needed to remain calm; there was no use in getting riled up. If he distracted himself over much, he might end up missing his chance.
“One more time,” he said. “Let’s go over the plan.”
The stable boy sighed but nodded his agreement.
“When the lady comes in, you stand there and watch. I shall corner her, and make it clear that we are to be married; as we were quite in love before, I imagine she will not argue. Next is the part which is important. Whether she refuses or not, her father does not like me.”
“I wonder why,” the stable boy commented, slyly.
Jasper ignored him. “When we go back into the Inn, I will challenge the man, and he will say that I have no claim to the lady’s hand, or some other nonsense.
“That is when we should strike. You will step out of the shadows and tell, loudly, that you saw us engaged in most unbecoming behavior down in the stables – and that the lady gave herself fully to me.”
“But is you actually going to do it?” the stable boy asked, screwing up his face.
Jasper smirked. “We may. It depends upon the lady.”
The stable boy considered this, and seemed to like the idea.
“After we are wed, I will send you your reward for your part in it,” Jasper promised.
“And I shall ask a small stipend from the lady’s father to pay my bill, at which time you shall have some of it in advance.”
The stable boy nodded, happily. “Alright, mister. I got it.”
Jasper returned to his prior occupation of fiddling with his broken boot, and waiting.
His mind did not stay still. He thought on what he would do once he was a lord, and had some power again.
Devious ideas swam to the surface: after he had been provided both title and heir, the lady would be of no further use to him.
He would have a chance, perhaps, to find a more suitable bride – some widowed lady with a husband’s lands to share, whose new husband might take precedence over her natural sons. Newly widowed, perhaps. Who was to say?
And through it all, of course, ran his vow: his curse, as he thought of it, upon the heads of all who called themselves Hardwicke.
The useless fop of a brother and his commoner wife; the Lady Juliana, and perhaps her babes, if she would have them; the cripple boy away at school; the two sisters, one almost his once, the other young still.
He would take them down, one by one, and rain misery on them until their lives were thick with it.
And Christopher. Christopher, he would leave until the last. Jasper would wait his time, and let him watch all of the suffering first.
Only when his task was almost done would he strike the man who had lowered him to this position.
Sleeping in a stable with worn-out boots and only a few coppers to his name: no, Jasper Rivers was a better man than this.
And he would raise himself up again, no matter how much deception it took, or how many lives he would be required to step upon in the process.
Epilogue
It was his wedding day, and he was exceedingly nervous.
Christopher stood at the head of the village church that was local to Hardwicke Hall, waiting for his bride.
It had been a long and exceedingly tedious several months since their engagement, and at last, getting a convenient moment to take leave for a short while, arrangements had been made to put the ceremony on.
“Do relax, dear brother,” Edmund said.
He was clearly having great joy in his role of Best Man, and did not even attempt to hide it. He was no doubt remembering how cruelly wicked Christopher had been at jesting on his own wedding day, and intended now to pay it back in full.
“I am relaxed,” Christopher muttered, a barefaced lie that neither of them believed.
Juliana entered then, and his breath was taken away, and he could not summon it to reply to whatever his brother said next; for he did not even hear it.
Juliana wore a silver gown that ran to the floor, decorated with fine white lace and pink flowers picked out in embroidery thread.
The waist and sleeves were exceptionally flattering, and on her head, she wore a crown of fresh-picked pink flowers that seemed to make those on her gown come alive.
Best of all was the smile on her face as she walked with her family behind, including two cousins selected as bridesmaids whose beauty could never match her own.
She walked to Christopher and stood beside him, on his right side; and with a twinkle in her eye, she said: “Good morning, Captain Hardwicke.”
He could only stare at her in awestruck silence, wondering what great act he had committed which benefitted him with being deserving of this woman. For there must have been something; what it was, he could not say.
“Dearly beloved,” the priest began. “We are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony.
“Which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocence, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church;
“which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honorable among all men.
“And therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding;
“but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained.”
The priest spoke on, and Christopher drifted out of paying attention as he looked down at Juliana again.
She shared his gaze and smiled sweetly, and Christopher felt how his heart was fit to burst simply with her gaze.
His attention snapped sharply back to the priest, as the man continued with a direct address to him and his bride.
“I require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either of you knows any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in Matrimony, ye do now confess it.
“For be ye well assured, that so many as are coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God; neither is their Matrimony lawful.”
There was an awkward pause, and one that felt overly long; some members of their respective families, sitting across the pews, gave a nervous titter.
That grew into a full laugh when Christopher turned his head and looked around, flashing them a smile at his gladness that no one appeared ready to speak.
The priest nodded at last. “Christopher Hardwicke. Wilt thou have this Woman to be thy wedded Wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony?
“Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”
Christopher cleared his throat, and nodded, trying not to give in to the emotions which threatened to constrict and strangle his very voice. “I will.”
“Juliana Reffern,” the priest continued. “Wilt thou have this Man to be thy wedded Husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony?
“Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”
Christopher looked over at her, to see her answer clearly and without hesitation: “I will.”
This part of the ceremony hence being finished, the priest nodded decisively and looked up to the congregation as a whole.
“Who giveth this Woman to be
married to this Man?” he asked.
The Duke of Prighton stepped forward, not without some lingering reluctance, which Christopher chose to ignore. He took Juliana’s hand and passed it to the priest; this being done, he stepped back.
Their minister then plucked Christopher’s right hand from his side and laid it over Juliana’s.
“Repeat after me,” he said, and then Christopher did.
“I, Christopher Hardwicke, take thee, Juliana Reffern, to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.”
Their hands dropped apart; but not long passed before Juliana was taking his hand in her own, to repeat her part of the words.
“I, Juliana Reffern, take thee, Christopher Hardwicke, to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.”
The minister indicated that they could loosen their hands, and Christopher remembered what he was to do next without prompting. For this he was uncommon proud of himself, though it was a small thing.
He took out the gold ring from his inner pocket and laid it down upon the copy of the Bible which the priest held open in his hands.
The man then took it and gave it back to him, so that Christopher could place it gently on the ring finger of Juliana’s left hand, and slide it down into place.
Holding it still, Christopher repeated the last of the lines the priest required of him:
“With this Ring I thee wed, with my Body I thee worship, and with all my worldly Goods I thee endow: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
Juliana smiled at him, tears swimming in her eyes just as they did in his; tears of happiness, for it was almost over, and they were about to begin the rest of their lives just as they had imagined for so long.
They kneeled together, at the minister’s feet, while he led the whole congregation in prayer.
“Let us pray.
“O eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, Giver of all spiritual grace, the Author of everlasting life; Send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this Man and this Woman, whom we bless in thy Name;
“that, as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together, so these persons may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, (whereof this Ring given and received is a token and pledge,) and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
The church full of people echoed it in a murmur: “Amen.”
The minister again took each of their right hands and joined them together once more.
“Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder,” he said, before raising his voice to those assembled.
“Forasmuch as Christopher and Juliana have consented together in holy Wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a Ring, and by joining of hands;
“I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
“God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with His favor look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.”
There were psalms to follow, and more prayers; prayers for the good grace of God, and for a fruitful childbearing to come from their marriage.
There were prayers that nothing should come between them, and that they should have richness and blessings.
The minister followed all with a sermon on how man and wife might serve and love one another, all of which Christopher had heard before.
All of which he scarcely heard now, for his blood sang in his ears and it was as though a choir of angels themselves had come to wish them well in their wedded life.
And before he really knew it, they were laughing in one another’s arms, walking out of the church with all of their friends and family behind them, to embark on what would be the greatest adventure of their lives.
The Extended Epilogue
I am humbled you finished reading my novel “A Daring Captain for her Loyal Heart”!
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A Message from Abby
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed every page and I would love to hear your thoughts whether it be a review online or you contact me via my website. I am eternally grateful for you and none of this would be possible without our shared love of romance.
I pray that someday I will get to meet each of you and thank you in person, but in the meantime, all I can do is tell you how amazing you are.
As I prepare my next love story for you, keep believing in your dreams and know that mine would not be possible without you.
With Love,
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About Abby Ayles
Abby Ayles was born in the northern city of Manchester, England, but currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband and their three cats. She holds a Master’s degree in History and Arts and worked as a history teacher in middle school.
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When she has time to herself, Abby enjoys going to the theatre, reading and watching documentaries about Regency and Victorian England.
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The Lady in the Gilded Cage - Preview
Chapter 1
A great expanse of mahogany desk stretched between young Cecilia Prescott and the solicitor rifling through her father’s old papers. As he looked up and met her gaze, she felt an even greater distance there in his eyes.
He was trying to tell her and her mother something, and it was something he didn’t think they’d appreciate.
“Pardon me, Mr. Combs,” said Cecilia, “but I am afraid I’ve missed your meaning. Are you saying my father was in some manner of financial trouble?”
The portly solicitor cleared his throat and fumbled awkwardly with the papers yet again.
“The worst manner, I’m afraid.”
Beside her, Cecilia heard her mother gasp. The Dowager Viscountess of Holden, Lady Sophia Prescott, had grown accustomed to life without her late husband over the last arduous year, but Cecilia knew the loss of her current comforts would be a devastating blow.
Cecilia felt again the sharp pain of her father’s loss. He’d never been particularly affectionate, bu
t he’d provided safety and oversight. She felt keenly deprived of those in his absence.
“Last year you said he’d left his fortune to me, his only daughter.”
“That’s true,” Mr. Combs cleared his throat. “A truly unusual occurrence, as I’ve already mentioned.”
