“I am sorry,” she said.
“Mama?” Adelia took a step forward, and then back, looking around for someone to tell her what to do, as she swallowed hard. The Duke reached out and took her hand. Her cousin took the other.
The woman continued to cry.
“Mr. and Mrs. Raby.” The Earl decided to get the interrogation started, “I am the Earl of Cornhill. This is my wife, Lady Cornhill. That man holding Adelia’s hand is the Duke of Rosemond, her fiancé. And I do believe you know Mr. Raby.”
The man nodded jerkily. The woman covered her face with a handkerchief.
“Who is this young lady to you?” he pointed at Adelia.
The woman lifted her head, stared at Adelia and choked. Adelia took a step toward her, “Mama?” she said again, her voice trembling, high and breathless.
“That is my daughter.” She said hoarsely, “That is my child.”
“Did you give birth to her?” Lady Cornhill asked sharply.
The woman covered her face, shaking her head slowly even as she sobbed into her kerchief.
“Where did you get her?” Lady Cornhill asked.
“My s— my sister.” She whispered. There was a loud roar from the doorway that startled them all and Mrs. Andrews, the housekeeper, rushed into the room and began to beat Mrs. Raby with her broom. “How dare you? Why did you…I did you a kindness and this is how you repay me?”
Everyone else was frozen in shock. And then Mr. Raby lurched forward and wrestled the broom out of Mrs. Andrews’ hand. “Stop, Barbara!” he roared.
“Aunt Barbara?” Adelia said in disbelief.
All the shocked, pale faces in the room turned to face her. “You know Mrs. Andrews?” the Earl asked.
“Sh-she came to se-see us once.” She turned to Alexander, “It was before you came to stay with us. I remember she brought me sweets.”
Alexander looked back at her with wide eyes. “You remember.”
Her own eyes widened. “I remember. I remember!” They both burst into laughter while everyone else watched with bemusement.
Lady Cornhill stepped forward and issued Mrs. Andrews a loud slap. That cut off their laughter as if she’d taken out their throats. “I trusted you. You told me my baby died.”
“W-we th-thought she was de-dead, milady. The midwife did even say so. She said go and bury her and that’s what I did. Only, she wasn’t quite dead and…my sister had been wishing for a child for so long. You already had the one. What was the harm?”
“What was the harm?” Lady Cornhill loomed over the housekeeper as if she wanted to kill her with her bare hands. The Earl shifted from foot to foot, wondering if he should intervene. “You took my child away from me.”
“And it is sorry I am, ma’am. But she was well. She grew up all right, did she not?”
Lady Cornhill lifted her hand as if to slap Mrs. Andrews again, the woman cowering before her.
“Mama!” Adelia said and it was clear that this time, she was talking to Lady Cornhill. “Stop.” She disentangled her hand from the Duke’s and from her brother’s and came to put her arms around her mother. “Stop.” She said softly, “I’m here. It’s all right. Stop.”
Lady Cornhill collapsed against her, her own tears flowing. The Earl swallowed a lump in his own throat before moving forward to hold them both in his arms. “You are here now,” he said.
They retired to the parlor, leaving the Rabys and Mrs. Andrews under the watchful eye of the investigator.
“What will we do now?” the Earl asked the room at large.
Adelia stood up and turned to the Duke and her brother. “Your Grace, Alexander? Will you allow me to speak with my parents alone?”
The Duke reached out at once to squeeze her hand. “Of course, my dear.” He gestured toward the door, and allowed Alexander to precede him from the room. Then he went out and shut the door behind him.
Adelia turned to face them. “Forgive them,” she said at once.
“What? You cannot expect that of us, Adelia. They took you away from us!” Lady Cornhill cried.
“I know. But they are all I have known as parents for nineteen years. That cannot change now. I forgave Dorothea for what she did to me. I promised to say nothing to the Duke or anyone. Now you forgive the Rabys. All they did was accept a child and love her for all this time.”
“Mrs. Andrews must pay for her treachery,” the Earl insisted.
“All right. I concede that her loyalty was to you and she should have taken that into account. But my mot— I mean, Mrs. Raby is her sister and she must have felt some of that loyalty to her. Maybe take that into account as you decide what to do with her.”
The Earl met his wife’s eyes and he could see that she was thinking the same thing as he was; their daughter was too compassionate. She reminded the Earl a lot of Lady Cornhill now that he thought about it. She would need someone to protect her against her softer impulses. He made a note to have a word with the Duke about it.
“All right. We shall put her out without references or a pension.” He declared.
Adelia looked him in the eye. “Fair enough, Father. And my parents?”
“Your foster parents may go wherever it was they were planning on going. But they are forbidden from stepping foot on this property. I suspect that the Duke will say the same.”
“I understand.” She nodded stoically and the Earl’s heart softened.
“We are not saying you may not see them, my dear.”
“I know. I know and you are right to be mistrustful. I do understand.”
“Good.”
She gave a deep sigh. “Well, it has been a long day. I shall go and say fare well to them, and the Duke, and then retire for the evening. I am done to a cow’s thumb.”
The Earl smiled at the quaint expression. “Very well, my dear. You may go.”
She stepped forward, giving first her mother, and then him, a hug before she left the room. Lady Cornhill turned her tear-streaked face toward him, shaking her head at everything they had missed with this child. The Earl reached for her hand.
“At least we have her now, Rose. Tis better than the alternative.”
* * *
The wedding was small by ton standards. Neither of them had ever wanted a huge production. They held the ceremony in the small Rosemond church where Harry’s parents had wed. He was pleased to note that the pews were taken up with all of their loved ones, including Adelia’s foster parents. She surely had wanted them to be present and her own parents had very graciously assented to her request.
Lady Cornhill had taken charge of the arrangements quite forcefully, overseeing everything. The windows of the building were all open to let in sunlight and some of the temperate late-spring air. Adelia had invited Dorothea, in spite of their late estrangement. Harry was surprised she had decided to appear for this. But she had. She was sitting next to Lord Braewood, who Harry had heard was courting her. He would dearly have loved to know what had caused the seemingly irreparable rift between the sisters but both were keeping mum. Harry was glad to see her nevertheless. Family was important.
Harry was startled out of his thoughts as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Alexander grinning at him and nodding toward the church doors. Looking past Alexander, Harry could see Mrs. Noella Raby smiling as well. He turned, preparing to greet her as the doors opened and the church was flooded with sunlight.
Adelia had asked both her mother and father to escort her and Harry smiled as they walked in slowly up the aisle.
Adelia wore her mother’s wedding dress—simple ivory lace that gave her a bit of décolletage but covered her right to her wrists, with a shiny gold ribbon accentuating her waist and a circlet of greenery and baby's breath flowers on her head.
Harry felt as though his heart was in his throat as he grasped Adelia’s hands tightly, smiling into her eyes, his own on her luscious lips.
I cannot wait to kiss you.
He scarcely listened as the clergyman progressed t
hrough the welcome and the countless prayers before the vows.
Harry finally glanced up from Adelia’s eyes to the clergyman as he spoke the prelude to the vows. “Harry and Adelia. The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God, who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts; therefore, if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now. As you are about to speak your vows to each other, remember that honesty, openness, loyalty, and forgiveness are the foundation of lasting love. No other ties are more tender, no vows more sacred, no promises more profound, than these you now make. Harry, will you have this woman, Adelia, to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”
He held tighter to her hands, his voice hoarse as he whispered, “I will.”
“Adelia, will you have this man, Harry, to be your husband, Will you love him, comfort him, honor and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”
Harry could see her eyes brimming with tears as she beamed at him and nodded. “I will.”
The clergyman turned to the congregation. “Will you, the families and friends of Adelia and Harry, support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?”
The congregation roared their approval. “We will.”
“Let us pray.”
Everyone bowed their heads as the clergyman intoned the prayer. “God our Father, from the beginning you have blessed creation with abundant life. Pour out your blessings upon Harry and Adelia, that they may be joined in mutual love and companionship, in holiness and commitment to each other. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Harry and Adelia, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows, in the presence of God and his people.”
Harry cleared his throat. “I, Harry, take you, Adelia, to be my 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 law. In the presence of God I make this vow.”
Adelia bowed her head for an instant before peeking up at him again. When she spoke her voice was just as husky with tears as his had been. “I, Adelia, take you, Harry, to be my 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 and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.”
Then the clergyman called for the rings and Alexander handed the rings to Harry as the clergyman prayed over them, concluding as they both turned to face him, “The rings are palpable reminders that you each give the gift of yourself to the other. Let them be signs of your love.”
He nodded to them and Harry took Adelia’s left hand in his own and holding the ring over her finger, he spoke. “Adelia, this ring I give you as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honor you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
He could feel her fingers shake slightly as she repeated the promise to him. “Harry, this ring I give you as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honor you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” She slid the gold band onto his finger and then clasped his hands tightly as they turned back to the clergyman.
“By the authority committed to me as a servant in the Church of England, I declare that Harry and Adelia are now husband and wife, according to the ordinance of God and the law of the state; in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Whom God has joined together, let no one set asunder.”
Epilogue
Harry could not wait to get Adelia alone. He felt as if he had been waiting for her for the entirety of his life. Still, he had to smile at their guests, and wave and hold inane conversations before Alexander signaled that the carriage was ready and they could leave. He grabbed onto Adelia’s hand, pulling her along as she laughed, careless of anyone’s else’s opinions on his eagerness.
Soon they were ensconced in the carriage and on their way to Langley castle where they would spend their honeymoon. Harry attached his lips to hers as soon as the horses lurched into motion. She gave a tiny squeak before hanging onto him as he proceeded to plunder her mouth. His hand trailed down the side of her gown, lamenting the myriad layers that lay between him and her lush, soft, warm skin.
He rapped his cane against the roof of the carriage, urging the coachman to go faster. Adelia simply laughed, hanging onto him as if she might blow away if she moved away.
“Soon, my darling. Soon I shall have you all to myself.” He kissed her smiling mouth, savoring her unique scent as he licked it off her skin. After an interminable journey, at last they arrived at their destination.
“Pray God they don’t wish to present the staff to us or any of that. I do not think I could survive it,” he murmured in her ear as she shivered.
“Can we not steal away from them?” she asked peering out of the window where a butler stood.
“I’m afraid not. Come, let us get it over with.”
Thankfully, the butler seemed sympathetic to the urgency of their emotions for he simply led them to the stairwell and directed them to their suite of rooms from there, assuring them that everything they required was already on hand.
For sure, as soon as they stepped in, they spotted the steaming bucket of water, next to a deep porcelain tub that was sitting next to the fireplace that was blazing well. The bed had been turned down, with candles burning merrily from every surface. On the table was a platter of fruit, cheese and bread, and a bottle of wine with two glasses.
“They thought of everything,” he murmured in satisfaction. “Now quick, get out of those clothes,” he joked.
She simply laughed at him, turning around and exhorting him to unhook her bodice. He did so with trembling fingers, thus taking twice as long as he might have otherwise. Her smooth soft skin beneath his fingers made his throat go dry and his heart pound with desire. He was grateful that she was endlessly patient with him. Soon she was wearing nothing but a chemise and he quickly slid that off, losing his breath as she was exposed to him in all her naked glory.
“Do you want me to wash you?” he croaked.
Her eyes lit up. “That sounds…nice.”
Picking her up, he carried her to the bath, and placed her gently in the lukewarm water. His hands were hard put to be parted from her but he tried his best not to paw at her like an overgrown puppy. He picked up the jug, adding incrementally more hot water until she said she was comfortable. Taking off his shirt and coat, as well as his shoes, he knelt at her head and took up the wash cloth. He smoothed her long mane of downy soft hair back as she lay against the edge of the tub, watching her bosom rise and fall with fixed fascination. Her eyes were closed as he slowly began to wash her skin in slow circles, never taking his eyes off her. Indeed, he could not have shifted his eyes even if he had wanted to.
His hand circled her nipple with the wash cloth and she gave a small moan, jerking in the water and causing his own manhood to stiffen even more in response. He pinched at the nipple before rubbing downward, paying loving attention to her gently curved stomach before trailing softly over her blonde bush. She parted her legs slightly, allowing him access to clean between them, as she breathed audibly, her eyes still closed. Her skin was on fire as if she was embarrassed or shy and it was doing terrible things to his libido.
“Are you all right?” he whispered.
She nodded without a word.
“Good.”
With just the cloth between them and all that fiery flesh his fingers began to probe between her legs, looking for that nub that he hoped would cause her to make a lot more interesting sounds. When at l
ast he found it, he was not disappointed. Her breathless sobs drove him to thrust forward into the air, really needing to consummate with her. He got to his feet and relieved himself of his breeches.
He put one foot in the tub and then the other. “Move forward so I can fit?”
Adelia slid forward, still keeping her eyes closed so that Harry could fit behind her. His manhood pressed insistently against her spine and she shivered.
“Are you still fine?” he asked.
She huffed a laugh. “I am excellent.”
“This must feel very strange to you, having a man’s naked body so close.”
She shivered again. “It is new, yes.”
A Vixen For The Devilish Duke (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 27
