The Irish Bride

by Marina Oliver

  The men laughed.

  'Not even to visit the cities Joanna went to, when you were so envious of her and wished you could do the same? Now you can afford to.'

  Brigid looked at Matthew and a reluctant smile came into her eyes.

  'If the English channel is not so wide, I might contemplate it.'

  'Would you care to remain in Ireland and visit these properties?'

  'I think not, Mr McManus. Only the castle has any association with my father, for he grew up there, but I understand it has been rebuilt and improved, and would not be in any way what he knew. How can I dispose of them?'

  'I can arrange to do that for you, and in fact I know of at least one person who is interested in the Castle. You can rely on me to obtain the best prices. Shall I then invest the money in the Funds? Your annual income will be substantial when the money from the properties is added to what is already there.'

  She glanced at Matthew, and he nodded to her.

  'Brigid would like to set up a trust in favour of any future children she might have,' he said. 'With, if possible, control over it for her own benefit, and the income being hers to use as she wishes.'

  Mr McManus glanced from one to the other and smiled.

  'I see. A very sensible arrangement, if I may say so.'

  'Can you arrange all that?'

  'Of course. It will take some time to dispose of all the property to the best advantage, but you will have access to what is already in the Funds at once.'

  'I must repay the sum I borrowed in England, to pay for my journey here.'

  'That can be dealt with when we are back in England,' Matthew said. 'I assume we will have to remain in Dublin for a while?'

  'Yes, for Miss O'Neill to sign papers, and to arrange passages for her cousin and his parents. I will make enquiries, and we can talk again in a day or so.'

  *

  Brigid felt both relief and a sense of uncertainty after the attorney left. Now Colum was safely locked away she thought it would be safe to explore more of Dublin, but she had no wish to drive out into the countryside. Though she was Irish, and had been born there, she felt nothing for the country. The behaviour of her only remaining family had damaged it for her, as she tried to explain to Matthew when he suggested hiring a carriage and driving out to look at the nearby villages.

  'That is being negative,' he chided her. 'Your fortune derives from Ireland. You may never again come here, so you ought to look at some small part of it. If you do not,' he went on, 'you may for ever regret it, that you did not take the opportunity when you had it. Did your father love Ireland?'

  Brigid thought back. 'I suppose he did. He was always sad when he recalled the way he had been forced to leave it. He always spoke fondly about his childhood.'

  'Then I will arrange to hire a curricle, and we will take just a small valise each, and be gypsies for a week or so, while Mr McManus is busy with your affairs. He can manage without your presence for a few days, and I confess I have a yearning to see some of Ireland.'

  Brigid was unsure, but now everything seemed to have been dealt with, she felt a strange lethargy. She would permit Matthew, who had been so supportive and helpful to her, to have his way.

  It was two days later that they set off, and gradually Brigid became interested in the scenery, and what they could see of how the people lived. Matthew told her they would not go near Castle Ballybridge unless she wished to see the outside of her ancestral home, and she retained her determination to avoid it. They wandered without apparent motive, finding small inns to stay, taking food they bought in tiny villages to eat under trees or on the banks of rivers.

  They were seated on the bank of one small river, narrow but deep, when Matthew took her hand in his and pulled her towards him.

  'Do you realise, you are probably wealthier than I am now? I have my house in Yorkshire, and a small legacy invested in the Funds, but my income will be less than yours when all your inheritance is settled. Dare I hope you will consider me fit to aspire to your hand? You won't regard me as a fortune hunter?'

  Brigid's heart began to race. She had, during the past few weeks, tried not to think about what Matthew would want. He had made it plain, before she had any prospect of inheriting a fortune, that he wanted her. It had been her own reluctance that had prevented her from accepting his proposals, because she had been a penniless nobody. Now she was not, and perhaps she was a fit bride for him. Her father came from respectable stock, and she had a fortune to match his own. More importantly, she knew she loved him, always had, and now it was possible for her to admit it.

  'Do you mean it?' she asked, and gasped as he drew her close and demonstrated how much he wanted her. Breathless and laughing, she eventually broke off the kisses, and looked up at him, unable to say anything but 'Oh, Matthew!'

  'Is that an acceptance?' he asked.

  'Of course.'

  'Then how soon can we be married? Here we would need to post banns, which would be a delay. Do you want Joanna or Sophia to organise a wedding like Charlotte's?'

  Instinctively Brigid rejected the idea.

  'No. I just want a small wedding, with only the two of us, if possible.'

  He grinned at her. 'We have to have at least a Minister, and a couple of witnesses. We need not wait for a big wedding, we can be married by special licence.'

  'Would we not have to go to London to obtain that?'

  Matthew grinned at her.

  'I have been carrying one around with me for months. I obtained it before I went to Brighton, but the time has not been suitable for asking you to use it.'

  'You were so certain I would agree?'

  'Eventually. I would have overcome all your objections in the end, but this Irish jaunt came up, and you are now wealthy, so none of your objections still apply.'

  Brigid smiled at him.

  'Let's drive back to Dublin as quickly as we can, and begin to make plans.'

  *

  The remaining business in Dublin was soon accomplished. Brigid was involved in various legal matters to do with the settlement of her inheritance, so the time passed quickly and she had few moments to contemplate her forthcoming marriage, apart from when she lay in bed at night and thought longingly of the time when she and Matthew could always be together.

  At last all was done. Brigid took a deep breath and faced the sea crossing again, though this time it was less stormy, and she felt more accustomed to the motion of the ship.

  Matthew had sent a letter to Sophia and asked her to arrange for her own Rector to conduct the ceremony.

  'We can leave the London road at Coventry and go south to her house, then after the ceremony we will travel to Yorkshire, slowly, to my manor.'

  They arrived at Sophia's house late one evening, and to Brigid's delight she found Sir Kenelm and Joanna there, anxious to see them and assist at the wedding.

  'Though it will be just us, tomorrow,' Sophia said as she hugged Brigid.

  Brigid had bought several new gowns in Dublin, and decided to wear one of pale blue silk, embroidered with dark blue and crimson threads, and with ruffles of lace round the hem and a fringe of silver lace at the neck. Matthew had taken her to one of the best jewellers in Dublin and insisted on buying her a sapphire ring to celebrate their betrothal, and a sapphire necklace and earrings to match.

  Her wedding passed in a blur. Sophia insisted that as well as being a witness she intended to make herself responsible for the bride, and came to Brigid's room early in the morning to dress her hair in a new upswept style, fixing white roses into it, and pinning others onto her gown.

  'They will match your bouquet,' she said. 'I ordered a bouquet for you.'

  A maid brought the bouquet of white roses, tied with blue ribbons, and Brigid was driven to the village church where, during the previous winter, she had worshipped with Sophia's family.

  Matthew, escorted by his brother, was already there, and the look in his eyes as he watched Brigid walk towards him down the aisle made her feel fai
nt with happiness. She had loved him almost from the moment they had first met, and to be marrying him was a dream come true, after she had, with a great deal of heart searching, felt obliged to refuse his first proposals.

  They exchanged vows, and afterwards went back to the house where a cold collation was awaiting them, along with several bottles of champagne.

  At last they were free to go, leaving these good friends, and promising to see them in London soon. Sir Kenelm and Joanna they would see in Yorkshire, and Sophia and her family would be visiting there soon, before the Little Season. Matthew's valet was to take most of their luggage and drive ahead to Yorkshire, while Matthew and Brigid took just a small valise each.

  'We won't want too many clothes,' he said, grinning, and Brigid laughed and blushed.

  Matthew had booked a room for their first night at an inn. He was not only handsome and resourceful, she thought, her new husband was kind and thoughtful, mindful always of her comfort.

  Matthew had also ordered a supper to be ready for them. Brigid looked with some dismay at the ham and chickens, the cheeses and fruits that awaited them.

  'I can't eat any more,' she said.

  Matthew laughed. 'I was too nervous that after all this time of wanting you, something would happen at the last minute to deny me. Perhaps in an hour or two we may feel hungry again. Come, my dearest love, I've been waiting for this moment ever since I first saw you stepping from that coach in Leeds, coming to be governess to Kenelm's brats.'

  He led her into the adjoining bedroom. There was a bright fire, and the bed covers had been turned down invitingly. Gently, without haste, he began to pull the pins from her hair, letting it fall in waves down to her shoulders. Then he untied the fastenings of her gown and let it drop to the floor. He paused to pick it up and drape it over a chair.

  'I don't wish to ruin it,' he said. 'I shall remember today whenever you wear it for me.'

  She wore just her shift, and sat on the bed while he pulled off his shoes, tore off his cravat, dropped his coat over the back of another chair, and pulled off his shirt and lilac-coloured pantaloons.

  'Let me see my bride,' he said softly, and lifted the shift over her head. Then he gazed at her and suddenly knelt before her, gathering her in his arms as he began to kiss her breasts, making her shiver with delight at the strange sensations coursing through her body. He kissed her arms, and then her neck, and finally, as she thought she could not bear the tension any longer, began to feather kisses over her face, her cheeks, her eyes, and her mouth.

  She found herself lying down, with Matthew beside her, and again he began to kiss her, until she felt she would scream with frustration, for she knew not what.

  'Matthew, oh Matthew,' she whispered, and he laughed and mimicked her.

  'Brigid, my Brigid. Are you ready for me?'

  She didn't know what he meant, but nodded, and then gasped as he lay on top of her. They fitted together so well. The thought startled her, then she abandoned herself to even more delicious sensations she had never imagined existed, until she seemed to explode with such an elemental force she could no longer think.

  Afterwards they lay side by side, Brigid's head on his chest, and she wondered how she could ever have considered herself happy beforehand. She gave a huge sigh of contentment.

  'I didn't know,' she murmured.

  'You do now,' he replied. 'My lovely Brigid, my Irish bride, you are the light of my life, my dearest, wonderful wife. I will love you for ever.'

  ***

  THE END

  Marina Oliver has written over 75 novels, all are available as ebooks.

  For the latest information please see Marina's web site:

  http://www.marina-oliver.net

  More novels by Marina:

  The Chaperone Bride

  When Joanna finds herself destitute after her gambler father's suicide, unable to find work, and is offered instead a marriage of convenience, she sees no other option. Sir Kenelm needs a wife as a chaperone, since governesses are reluctant to live in a widower's household.

  The twins, children of his first wife, refuse to accept her as a new mama. The governess, having thought she too was applying for the position of governess, resents her.

  *

  The Marriage Gamble

  Luke, Earl of Frayne, is determined to recover Frayne Caste, even if it means marrying the present owner, Damaris Hallem, a girl he has never met.

  Luke's father, an inveterate gambler, lost the Castle fifty years earlier to Damaris's grandfather, an innkeeper. As it is the first estate his family obtained Luke wants to regain it.

  Damaris, unwillingly obeying her grandfather's wishes, comes to London for the Season with her friend Mary, Lady Gordon, and her two young children. She will be twenty-one in July, and is looking forward to controlling her inheritance, which has been in the charge of a distant cousin, Humphrey Lee. Damaris is convinced he wants to marry her. She doesn't want any husband, who would deprive her of such control.

  Her first encounter with Luke is disastrous, but she soon finds a way out of the dilemma.

  *

  Lord Hugo's Bride

  Hugo, Earl of Winton, needs a wife and an heir if his weak cousin William and his unpleasant French wife Hortense, with the son who might not be her husband's, is not to succeed him.

  He decides Phillipa Stannerly will be suitable. She is pretty, and an heiress. Phillipa, in love with Charles, is distraught.

  Then her French cousin Sophie du Plessis comes to London and promises to help her. Their mothers were twins, and the girls are sufficiently alike to confuse people who do not know them well.

  When Hugo sees Sophie on her own he offers her a lift home, intending to pursue his suit in the belief she is Phillipa. She maintains the deception, hoping to prove to her uncle that Hugo is not a fit husband for Phillipa.

  Her behaviour is, however, unlike Phillipa's shy response, and Hugo is intrigued.

  *

  1Eugenie and the Earl

  Eugenie, orphaned in Switzerland, is working her way through revolutionary France in 1812 as she returns to England and a home with her uncle. She is helped by the stranger Hugues.

  Enjoying London Society, she is worried by the behaviour of her cousin George.

  Then the Earl of Lyndhurst comes to the rescue.

  *

  Lord Clifford's Dilemma

  Lord Clifford meets Elizabeth when his ward Annamarie announces she means to marry her brother Sir Henry. Not only is Henry under age, Elizabeth controls his fortune.

  And sixteen-year-old Annamarie has been falling in love with unsuitable men for several years.

  Until he can resolve this complication he cannot turn his attention to courting Elizabeth.

  She is wary of love after being cruelly jilted when she was just seventeen.

  ***