by Lisa Reisner
Tears trickled down Abigail’s face as she pressed her hand against Marcus’s jaw. “You are mistaken, my lord. The honor would be mine.”
Marcus leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss upon her cheek. He felt like the luckiest man alive as he said, “I shall never forget this moment.”
The King made a boisterous comment that snapped Marcus back into the reality of having all of London society witness his proposal. “I would imagine that would also be true for the entire ton.”
Marcus listened to the throng of laughter the King elicited and knew his nuptials would be well received. He and Abigail were about to become the romantic hit of the year, but that really didn’t matter to him. Abigail was to finally become his bride and that was the only thing that did matter.
∞
Abigail breathed in the cool night air and silently thanked God for bringing Marcus into her world. Her life with Clayton had been a nightmare, but tonight, her life was something straight out of a fairytale. She had the love and admiration of her heart’s desire and Abigail recognized how rare that was.
After the auction, Caroline whisked Abigail and Marcus away and led them both to a quaint balcony in her home so they could have some well-deserved privacy. This was probably a good idea, given the fact Marcus could not seem to keep his hands or lips off her.
“So, when did you make the final decision to formally propose to me in front of all of England?”
Marcus gave her a conspiratorial wink. “The moment Caroline told me you would be attending the event.”
Abigail gave him a light smack on the chest. “You really are quite incorrigible, my lord. What will you do next?”
Marcus’s eyes darted toward the settee in the adjoining chamber and his mouth lifted into a sheepish grin. “I can think of one or two things to do next.”
“Absolutely not,” Abigail announced primly. “There will be none of that till the wedding night. Our entire courtship has been completely unorthodox, but I will make sure our wedding night is somewhat traditional.”
“I guess I can live with that,” he conceded reluctantly. Marcus covered her stomach with his hand. “However, I think we may be a little too late for tradition.”
Abigail put her hand over his and sighed with wonder. She had given up on her dream of having a baby so long ago. She was completely overjoyed about having Marcus’s child. Her hope was that Olivia would soon think of her as her own mother and they could all be one happy family. “I can’t wait to meet our son.”
Marcus chuckled. “So now you have a crystal ball and you know for certain it’s a boy.”
“I know it seems ludicrous, but I just feel it in my bones. It’s a boy, I know it for certain!”
Marcus could not hide his enthusiasm. He lifted her into his arms and twirled her around. “Well I’m quite certain that I am madly in love with you.”
Abigail’s mood turned serious. She needed Marcus to know exactly how much he meant her.
Upon seeing her solemn expression, Marcus took a seat and placed her on his lap. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, everything is perfectly all right, and I never imagined it could ever be.” Abigail combed her fingers through Marcus’s thick hair and looked deep into his cobalt eyes. “Clayton made me fearful of all men, but then I met you and my whole belief system changed. I was robbed of my hope and dignity, and you have given them back to me. You healed me.” Abigail was so overcome with emotion. She paused to regain her composure. “You healed my heart.”
Marcus didn’t have the right words to respond to her sweet declaration. He simply kissed her with every ounce of his soul.
In perhaps the most poignant moment of her life, Abigail erupted into laughter, as she realized her prior declaration of abstinence was going to be much more difficult to follow than she had previously thought.
Epilogue
“Abigail, you are stunning,” Jane said in an awed whisper, as she finished pinning a cathedral-length veil with Brussels lace into Abigail’s hair. “You will take Lord Everton’s breath away. Of that I am very certain.”
Madam Dumont had nearly worked her fingers to the bone in order to have Abigail’s dress ready in the time for the wedding. Indeed, all her efforts paid off splendidly. Abigail felt like an absolute princess in the pearl encrusted organza wedding gown. She knew Marcus would be pleased when he saw her for the first time in the church.
“I think you are right, Jane.” Abigail was so glad Jane could share this moment with her. Jane had witnessed the ugliness of Abigail’s past and saved her from a horrid existence, for which she would be forever in her debt. “Although, I think something is missing from this picture.”
“Of course, how could I forget?” Jane ran into the sitting room next door and came back with a bouquet of elegantly styled pink Gerber daisies. “I picked them myself. I dreamed you would carry these flowers one day.”
Abigail recalled the faded memory of a day, not so long ago, when Jane informed her she had dreamt of a smiling Abigail holding pink Gerber daisies. Never in a million years did she imagine Jane would be right and she would be moments away from marrying the man of her dreams.
“They are lovely, Jane, but that is not what I meant,” Abigail commented as she took a deep inhale of the charming fragrance.
Jane scanned Abigail from head to toe. “You are a vision. If there is something missing, I do not realize what it is.”
“You are missing, Jane. I want you to walk down the aisle and stand by my side as I take my vows,” Abigail pleaded. Jane had already refused Abigail’s first request to stand up with her because she knew her presence in society would stir up old gossip and she didn’t want anything to sully Abigail’s wedding day. “Without your friendship, I would never be in this wonderful place in my life. I need you to be there.”
“Please, I beg you, do not put me in this position. I would never forgive myself if I ruined your special day,” Jane implored and then she triumphantly added, “Besides, I have nothing appropriate to wear.”
Abigail’s eyes raked over Jane’s plain brown muslin day dress. “That is why I had this specially made to fit your measurements.”
Jane’s mouth flew wide open as she gaped at the spectacular emerald satin frock Abigail pulled from the closet. “Abigail, you should not have gone to such trouble. Society can be very cruel, and I wouldn’t want my past to reflect poorly on you and your new husband.”
Abigail could tell Jane was nervous because she started to wring her hands together. The last thing she wanted was for Jane to be uncomfortable, but it felt wrong to take such a big step in life without her being there. “The King himself declared me practically untouchable by the gossips, so you needn’t worry about my reputation. But if it makes you uneasy to be seen amongst the ton, I understand.”
Jane let out a huge groan and smacked her hip. “You know what, damn society! I will not let a bunch of pompous fools stop me from standing up with my closet friend.”
“That’s the spirit,” Abigail said as she clapped her hands together with excitement.
A lady’s maid helped Jane into her gown and coiffed her lustrous red-gold hair into a perfect chignon. Abigail stood back and admired Jane’s breathtaking appearance. Jane was already magnificent, but the dress morphed her into a fully-fledged exotic vision. She had the type of beauty that drove most men wild.
“No one will spare a glance for the bride with you standing by my side,” Abigail teased.
Jane laughed. “Oh, please! No one will even realize I exist.”
∞
Jane was quite mistaken. Without a doubt, Jordan was all too aware of Jane’s existence. His loins ached with unquenched desire as he stood across from her on the church altar. He desperately tried to ignore Jane’s presence and concentrate on her past betrayal, but he couldn’t seem to stir up the vicious anger that had once haunted him. She was just too damn gorgeous! Good Lord, he was in a house of God, at his best friend’s wedding, and all he could thi
nk about was taking the maid of honor to his bed.
To gain his composure, he took a deep breath and concentrated on the nuptial rituals taking place. He had never seen Marcus so thoroughly content and he was truly happy for him, but a part of him longed for the same.
Over the years, he had grown so disillusioned with the world and everyone in it. However, as he watched Marcus slip a wedding band onto Abigail’s finger, something awakened inside him that had been asleep far too long and he knew what it was. Jordan wanted his own exquisite bride, someone to share in the joys and sorrows of life, a true partner.
His eyes shifted back to Jane, the only woman he had ever really wanted for his wife. Of course, he knew it was long over between them, but maybe there was someone out there who could stir his soul as Jane had so long ago.
Maybe....
