by Abigail Agar
“No,” Gwyn said resolutely. “You were right to let me know about Jack. I cannot say that I was pleased that in doing so you destroyed my betrothal.”
Henry gave Gwyn an uncertain look. “I do apologize about that. I did not think things through,” he said to Gwyn’s surprise.
The breeze carried the smell of the roses, and it seemed to envelop them as Gwyn said softly, “Why did you send it to him?”
“I do not know,” Henry said with a lift of his shoulders. “I guess I felt that he was being slighted too. People do not always act rationally when they are emotional, and I was beside myself when I found Jack’s journal. Things I had merely suspected ... were right there spelled out. My perfect brother,” Henry said with a shake of his head.
Gwyn gave the man’s arm a squeeze with her fingertips. “I am so sorry for the things I did and how I treated you, Henry. Jack always made you seem so childish and petty. I thought that was the truth.”
“How can I blame you for that? Even my own parents thought me so foolish and irresponsible that they thought of stripping my titles. I think that was Jack’s aim all along,” Henry said with a shrug.
Gwyn eyed the man sadly then gave him a wry grin. “So, you are not the same man who scoffed at scandal?”
Henry chuckled and admitted with a nod of his head. “I guess I did do that. After I started getting blamed for everything, I decided I was going to live up to my reputation. I had never much cared for the idea of being Duke anyway. Why not let Jack have it? That was my line of thinking for a long while.”
“What changed?” Gwyn asked curiously. She glanced behind them and saw Trenton still following them at a respectful distance.
Henry gave Gwyn a thoughtful look. It took a moment before he finally said, “You, actually.” Henry shrugged lightly and admitted, “When you returned from India, and my mother set Jack and me on this mission to find brides, I found that I was not interested in any but you.”
“But you were, forgive me for saying so, rather horrible to me at times, and I to you,” Gwyn said with a frown.
Henry nodded. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I tried to keep my interest in you to myself, but I found myself resentful of the attention you paid Jack even with the fact that he was actively courting others. A man who thought so little of you that he would behave in such a brazen way on the patio knowing that you still adored him.”
“You never told anyone about that,” Gwyn noted.
Henry replied, “And I never will, but that is only for your sake.”
“You should ask me,” Gwyn said with a smile at the man.
Henry frowned and shook his head in confusion. “Ask you what?”
“To marry you, of course,” Gwyn said reasonably. “Our mothers are in there right now picking out flowers for my bouquet. Should we not have a say so of at least the proposal?”
Henry laughed brightly. “See that is the Gwyn I remember from being a child. She is still in there somewhere.”
“Yes, she just gets a bit discouraged from time to time,” Gwyn said with a laugh of her own. “I do understand that male ego may require you to do things in your own good time, but I thought I would let you know that I would possibly be receptive to the idea.”
There was a gleam of amusement in Henry’s eyes as he nodded. “I see,” he said. “So, I should ask?”
“You should. We have been through a good deal, Henry. I think it is high time that we put all this behind us and move forward, but you may do so in your own time.” Gwyn wanted to make sure that the man was not insulted by her boldness. From the amusement on Henry’s face, Gwyn decided she probably did not have to worry about that. Although he might see her as a bit childish and fanciful, Gwyn was not worried over that.
Henry shrugged, “Well, I should take advice from a wise woman then. Gwyneth Lynnette Stanton,” Henry said formally as he turned towards her and knelt down. “Would you do me the honour of marrying me?”
Gwyn smiled as she happily replied, “Nothing would make me happier, Lord Shelton.”
Trenton regarded them with a smile but kept silent. Although when Henry stood up, Trenton did clear his throat. Henry looked over at the man in annoyance. “I was not going to kiss her,” Henry told the man with a roll of his eyes which caused Gwyn to giggle. Henry sighed. “We should probably continue our walk.”
“I would like that now that we have all the formalities out of the way,” Gwyn said with a nod of her head. Henry offered her his arm, and Gwyn gladly accepted his guidance as she slipped her arm through his this time. It was a more intimate gesture, but Trenton seemed to allow it or at least not outright protest, so Gwyn took advantage of the leniency.
They walked for a bit more before Gwyn spoke again. “So, why are you so insistent that the journal is destroyed?”
Henry seemed to be considering the question before he said, “I just feel as if it is a stain upon us. If the journal were gone, then at least no one else could read the vile thing.”
“Your mother makes a point, though,” Gwyn said reasonably. “As much as I would like to see the thing burned, it will be needed to face Jack when he returns.”
Henry frowned. “How do you feel about that?”
“I wish, honestly, that I could throw the book in his face and tell him exactly what I thought of him, but that is not very lady-like, is it?” Gwyn looked down at her feet.
Henry chuckled and agreed, “Perhaps not.” He shrugged and said quietly, “I would not mind seeing it though if just for the look on his face.”
Gwyn bit her lip to keep from laughing. The thought was one that Gwyn herself had had, and she was glad that Henry seemed to echo her thoughts. “I can live without the satisfaction of it, so long as I know that he will be held accountable for his actions in some way,” Gwyn said.
“I swear that he will,” Henry promised. “At least to whatever extent Mother and Father allow,” he added.
Gwyn frowned. “Do you think they will not allow Jack to face the consequences?”
“Jack has long been their favoured son, and although they are beginning to see him the way that I have over the years, it will take a long time for them to come fully around,” Henry said. He shrugged and said, “They may soften the blow, but losing his favourite plaything will be punishment enough, I think.”
Gwyn shook her head. “I am not a plaything,” she said as she raised her chin defiantly.
“And it is high time that Jack realized that,” Henry said in agreement. “Come. Let’s go get something to drink. This breeze really is lovely, but quite dry.”
***
Inside Shelton Hall, the news that Henry had already proposed was met with some surprise but mostly happy acceptance. The two mothers were ecstatic that they could begin earnestly planning a wedding ceremony. In truth, there were not many details to work out, but they both insisted on flowers for the wedding despite it being optional. Gwyn had expected this and accepted it with a resignation that caused Henry to grin at her.
“What about a dress?” Lady Shelton asked. “Having only sons, I find myself almost giddy with the idea of such things.”
Gwyn smiled at Lady Shelton. “I had always assumed that I would wear my mother’s dress.”
“Oh, that is a darling idea,” Lady Shelton said as she looked over at Gwyn’s mother. “I am sure that Clarisse is honoured by that.”
Lady Stanton nodded at the Duchess and smiled at Gwyn. “I shall have the dress fitted to you tomorrow, so that we can have it ready in time.”
“Is there a rush?” Gwyn asked with a laugh. “We still have to sort out the marriage licence and such.”
Henry said, “I shall take care of that tomorrow as I have to be in London anyway. Father knows the clerk personally, so I do not foresee any issue in getting whatever licence you ladies wish. And there is no need to rush. If Gwyn would like some time after all that has transpired, then I agree to whatever length of time is necessary for her comfort.”
“Thank you,” Gwyn
said softly. “I do not mean to be a burden.”
“You are not a burden, child,” Lady Stanton assured Gwyn. “We shall plan on the wedding being a month out from now, shall we?” Henry nodded his agreement along with Gwyn. With that settled, she looked back at Henry. “I shall leave the detail of the licence to you, Henry,” Lady Shelton said. “I have always been fond of people being married in churches. The trend of marrying outside of church has never set right with me.”
Henry nodded agreed, “A church wedding sounds fine, Mother. Gwyn? I mean, Miss Stanton?”
The ladies all laughed softly. Gwyn said, “I think Gwyn is fine since we have known each other so long, do you not? And yes, I would like to be married in a church.” Lady Stanton smiled at her daughter and nodded her agreement.
“That’s settled; now let’s talk about flowers, shall we?” Lady Shelton said eagerly. Henry took that as his cue, and he quickly ducked out of the conversation, much to the amusement of the ladies.
***
Gwyn peered out of her bedroom window. The rain had been threatening all morning, but she did not mind it. She had been fitted earlier with her mother’s wedding dress. She had looked at the dress once or twice over the years as she dreamed of her wedding day, yet seeing it on her felt different for Gwyn this time. This time it was to be her dress and not in some distant future but in merely weeks.
The idea that the wedding was so close at hand sent Gwyn almost into a panic. Except that there really was not much for her to do. Lady Shelton and her mother were handling most anything that needed to be done. It was to be overall a simple affair, and Gwyn was pleased by that. The trend of making marriage ceremonies opulent affairs in recent years among high society felt almost sacrilegious in light of the vows being taken.
The downside of having little to do in preparation was that Gwyn had far too much time to think. She sat on the edge of her bed thinking of all the things that could go wrong and found herself thinking of what would happen once Jack finally returned. She prayed that the man accepted the situation with grace but found herself no longer sure of what would happen as she reconciled the Jack she thought she knew with the one from the journal she had read.
Jack had fully planned to blame Henry yet again if Gwyn had confronted him about seeing Jack with another woman. The knowledge of that and all the times that he had put his deeds onto Henry’s head made Gwyn’s blood boil. She would set this right, and Gwyn would not allow Jack to get away with it even if the Lord and Lady of Shelton Hall chose to be lenient as Henry thought they might be.
A knock on the door brought Gwyn out of her thoughts. “Yes?” Gwyn called the question with a wrinkled brow.
“I have brought a note,” Adrienne’s voice called through the door.
Gwyn’s brow furrowed as she got up. When she opened the door, Adrienne gave her a conspiratorial grin. “A young man gave this to me and said it was for your eyes only,” Adrienne whispered as she slipped into the room.
With a laugh, Gwyn took the note. She opened the letter and grinned. “Ah, the brave rogue, Sir Henry has sent me a message.”
“Is it romantic?” Adrienne asked with a smile as she set about straightening the room.
Gwyn shook her head. “It is more him complaining about his mother, but he did ask me to tea.”
“That is something at least. I had heard that Lord Shelton was quite fond of the ladies. Is that the wrong brother that I am thinking of?” Adrienne quickly added, “I mean no offence, Miss.”
Gwyn laughed and said, “None taken. Actually, you are thinking of the wrong brother.”
“Oh, I see,” Adrienne said with a puzzled smile as she continued tidying the room.
***
The letter was dated weeks back, and Jack frowned. It took far too long to receive mail from England. The letter must have followed Jack out on the next ship as it was dated for right after he had left England. He was sitting in his room at the inn he was staying at, staring at the letter trying to fathom just what had happened in London after his departure.
His father’s bold pen strokes told Jack that the man had been furious when he wrote the letter. He was demanding that Jack come back to England at once, which was absurd since Jack had only just gotten to the island. Jack shook his head at the ominous yet vague mentions of a scandal that required his immediate attention. Clearly, his father had been loathed to speak openly about the scandal, but it would surely be passed by the time that Jack returned home.
“What has Henry done now?” Jack pondered as he pulled out the second page of the letter.
“Jack, your book and your carelessness have caused us a good deal of heartache. Your mother is beside herself, and the Shelton family has been dragged into a scandal when they could least afford it. I expected this sort of thing from Henry, but I find I cannot even be angry with him because your words in the journal are what make it so damning–” As he read, Jack’s brow furrowed, and he looked over at his bag. Jack hastily put down the letter and began digging through his bag. How had he not noticed? Jack fumed at himself for not noticing that his journal was missing. It was gone.
Jack closed his eyes. That was what his father was talking about. The reference to a book had made him realize finally what his father was on about. Jack thought back to when he last had it. He had been so distracted by his thoughts that Henry could have easily slipped it out of Jack’s belongings. “What are you up to, Brother?” Jack pondered aloud.
There was little to do but pack his belongings back into the bag and book passage back to England. It would do his father’s business dealings little good, but apparently, a few lovesick passages were enough to make his father lose all respect for Jack and pull him back to London. Jack shook his head as he shoved his things back into his bag.
***
“Are you very nervous?” Gwyn’s mother asked her.
Gwyn shook her head, and then relented and said, “A little. It is just so odd to be getting ready to marry, and to Henry, of all people.”
“Do you regret your decision?” Lady Stanton looked merely curious.
Gwyn said softly, “No.” She took a deep breath as they waited for their cue to begin walking. It was traditional for her father to walk her, but the way her father’s mind wandered, they all thought it better if both her mother and father walked with Gwyn down the aisle. After a moment, Gwyn continued, “Henry has been nothing but a gentleman leading up to the wedding. I can barely believe it has already been a month. The time has gone by quicker than I thought it would.”
“And the years will go by just as quickly,” Lady Stanton said almost in warning. “Take a deep breath and just enjoy things as they come, Gwyn. Our every heartache makes us stronger.”
Gwyn nodded. “I know.”
Some music cued them to come into the church. They stepped out together. Gwyn held onto her father’s hand with their mother following closely behind them in case Lord Stanton decided to try and turn around. Henry smiled at them, and Gwyn returned the man’s smile. It had been a strange turn of events that had led them here, but she could not even bother to think of them right now. Gwyn saw Henry and thought herself quite lucky that she should be marrying such a handsome man.
The preacher stood before them and raised his hands for silence although no one much was talking. “We are gathered here today in this sacred place to bond these two together in holy matrimony.” The man’s words blended together for Gwyn as her stomach fluttered with nervousness. She cued back into what he was saying as the man pronounced the usual question, “Is there any among you who would denounce this union? If so speak now, or hold your peace forever more.”
