Kendal shuddered at the thought of ale. “As for me, I don’t want to see or even smell any form of alcohol for quite a few days, thank you very much. While you go and toast your future grandchild, I am going to take my fiancée home so she can pack her things. Mercy is moving into Follett House today.”
He caught the frown on both Mercy and Henry’s faces. Mercy and he might be engaged, but her coming to live with him was pushing the limit on what would be considered to be socially acceptable. “Mercy will have her own room until we are married. I want her at Follett House because some music needs to be rewritten,” he explained.
Before anyone could ask him to further expand on the subject, Kendal had taken Mercy’s hand once more and was towing her across the road toward her home.
Inside the Wood family apartment, he kicked the door closed. Slipping his hands about her waist, he grinned at his future bride and gave a happy sigh. “Finally. Now come here.”
Mercy lifted her gaze to his face, and as he stared down at her, his heart fit to burst with love, a great wave of relief came over him. It had been a close-run thing. If he and his father had arrived a matter of minutes later, it would have all been too late.
“I thought we were finished, that I would never be in your arms again. You left it right to the very last minute to come and save me, Kendal.” She took a hold of his hand and placed it over her stomach. His fingers settled on the slight baby bump. “To save us,” she amended.
Their lips locked in the kiss he had been wanting, aching to give her for days. All concerns about his sore head disappeared the second their mouths melded together. Kendal kissed Mercy with a fervor he hadn’t known he possessed. The kiss quickly changed from a kiss of affirmation to a statement of claim.
She was his, and he would take on the world if anyone ever tried to keep them apart again.
Mercy tried to give Kendal the money his father had paid her, but Kendal just growled as she held out the bag. Putting it back under her old mattress, she made a mental note to tell her father about it.
It didn’t take long for her to pack; she owned few possessions. Apart from the gown she was wearing, which was her Sunday best, she had two other plain woolen ones and a summer hat. Her new pair of boots were her good shoes.
Standing in her bedroom for the last time, Mercy paused. How quickly things had changed. Only this morning she had been thinking that she had slept her last night in this apartment. The difference between then and now was that instead of moving down to Anthony’s smaller apartment, she was moving across town and into a grand home. One where she had once been a daily visitor, a paid tradesperson.
“Are you certain Lady Follett will be alright with me moving into Follett House? I can understand if she has her reservations. Perhaps I should stay here until things are settled,” she said.
Kendal shrugged. “As long as you are fine with me coming to live here, then I have no problem with that solution. Though I don’t know about your neighbors appreciating me having a piano hauled up the stairs or the noise we will make when we are rehearsing.”
She handed him her folded gowns and followed him out of the bedroom.
At Follett House, Lavinia and Reid greeted them. A shy Mercy accepted their well-wishes and congratulations.
Lavinia took a hold of her hand and leaned in to whisper, “Anything you need, you only have to ask. If you are agreeable to it, I shall make an appointment with my modiste and we can have some garments made up for you. I expect Kendal will be keen to show you to his friends and family as soon as possible. Believe me, I had forgotten how much time and effort went into dressing for life in the ton. But keep your old clothes in your wardrobe; they are a good way to remember your former life.”
“Thank you. This is all happening so fast, my head is in a spin,” replied a tired, Mercy.
Lavinia shot Kendal a disapproving look. “I see your mother and I are going to have to have words with you regarding the care of a lady in Mercy’s condition.”
Reid stopped dead in the middle of the jest he was telling Kendal and looked to his wife. “What did you just say?”
A smiling Kendal nodded. “Your good lady wife just said that in the Spring, I am going to be a father.”
“That is wonderful news,” replied Reid.
“Well, I can say my father is somewhat relieved. I don’t think he ever truly gets excited over anything, but he was grinning like a loon when we told him. I expect he has already told the rest of the family,” said Kendal.
They were going to Banfield House for supper later that evening, with Kendal delaying their visit because he wanted to get Mercy settled in at Follett House as soon as possible.
“And I am looking forward to meeting Lady Grant and Lady Ophelia,” said Mercy.
Having lost her mother as a young girl, she had not had female relatives around her for a long time. Being pregnant and becoming a member of polite society would be a challenge, one she hoped she could overcome with the help of Kendal’s family. Her soon-to-be family.
Kendal brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Believe me, they can’t wait to welcome you into the family. Mama was making all sorts of plans as we dashed out the door to stop your wedding.”
“Well, congratulations to the two of you. I shall go and check with Mister Green to see how Mercy’s room is coming along. I made the decision to put her in the one next to you, Kendal, as I thought it would be easier when Mercy needed to find someone to show her around the house,” said Lavinia.
Reid narrowed his eyes at his wife, before turning his attention to Kendal and giving him further mistrustful glances. He was still looking back over his shoulder as Lavinia put her hands in the middle of his back and pushed him toward the stairs.
“Is Reid angry?” asked Mercy.
“No. He just happens to know that there is a connecting door between our two rooms and that Lavinia will probably already have it unlocked. I don’t understand why he is put out as it’s all too late to be shutting any barn doors . . . that horse has already bolted.”
She playfully swiped him on the arm. “Now what was it you were saying about us having to rewrite some music? Or was that just a ruse to get me to move here today?”
Kendal winced. “No, unfortunately it wasn’t. You see, when I got rather drunk yesterday, I not only cut my hair, but I tore and then burned all the music sheets. And I may have smashed my piano stool against the fireplace.”
Mercy headed for the ballroom with Kendal close on her heels.
“I can remember most of the tunes, and I am sure if we get to work first thing tomorrow, we could have a lot of it rewritten before the end of the week,” he offered.
She stood in the center of the room, hands on hips, and took a deep breath. Turning, she met his gaze and held it. Her fiancé was going to have to understand that with marriage came compromise. And that included the creation and preservation of music. “I may come from a different world to you, but even I understand that some society marriages come with special contracts. They talk about money and land that is to be settled as part of the deal. Well I don’t have any of that, but what I do have is my contribution to our musical partnership. So, you must promise me that from this day forward, you do not destroy any more musical manuscripts.”
Kendal looked as if he was going to protest against her demands, then he sighed and nodded. “Yes, alright.”
Mercy came to him, slipping her arms around his waist. From the knit of his brows she could tell it had taken some effort on his part to capitulate. A soft kiss was his reward. And then another.
Kendal held her close. It started as a gentle hug, but then he pulled her hard against him in a fierce embrace. “Life without you is not worth living. When I thought I had lost you, I just wanted to throw myself into a black pit of despair. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I was going to go on.”
Mercy closed her eyes and lay her head against his chest. She took a long slow breath in, filling her soul with his intoxicating scent
, never wanting to ever let go. Their future had been saved just as it teetered on the very edge of destruction. As she’d released her fingertips from their final grip on hope and resigned herself to the fall, Kendal had reached out and pulled her back.
“Come on then. Let’s go upstairs. I want to show you your room and the view from the balcony,” said Kendal.
Mercy drew back and grinned up at him. “Is that all?”
He dropped a kiss on her forehead and gave a deep, wicked chuckle. “Did I forget to mention that you and I would be naked?”
Chapter Forty-Two
Mercy had seen the outside of St Paul’s cathedral many times. She had even ventured in for evensong on the odd occasion. What she had never done was to be the bride at a full wedding service in London’s biggest church. A wedding which, from the breathtaking number of people seated either side of the aisle, was being attended by almost every person in elegant society.
Fortunately, there was also the odd guest from the other side of the River Thames. She caught a glimpse of Anthony and Flora seated at the back of the church and gave them a smile. Then Ann rose from her chair and waved both her hands in the air, looking for all the world like she was signaling the fleet. Stan, the owner of the Tipsy Toad, remained seated beside her, resplendent in a well-pressed brown suit. He gave a tip of his head.
It was heartwarming that her friends had come to wish her well as she embarked on her new life. With the Noble Lords tour and a baby on the way, she doubted she would have much time to venture back to Mint Street over the coming months.
As Mercy and her father made the long walk toward the altar, she kept her gaze mostly to the front. She didn’t know many of the guests, but she was determined to look as graceful and serene as possible. On this day of all days, she would do both her old and new family proud. Reaching the end of the aisle, which seemed to go on forever, Kendal stepped out.
She gasped at the sight of him. He had always been a well-dressed man, his suits cut from the finest of English wool, but today he had outdone himself. A black tailcoat with gold buttons was matched with high-waisted dark breeches. His waistcoat which was red with a gold rose pattern was showed off to great effect by the pure white of his linen shirt. He looked every inch the future duke.
“You look rather dashing,” she whispered.
Kendal chuckled softly as Henry placed her hand in his and moved to one side. Mercy gave her father one last tearful nod of gratitude before taking her place next to the man she was about to marry.
“I am supposed to be the one complimenting you on your exquisite gown. Mercy, you look as if you have just stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale. I had to pinch myself twice as I watched you walk down the aisle,” he said.
She did feel like a fairy princess in the long cream wedding gown. On her head glittered the Banfield tiara of emeralds and pearls which Lord Grant had personally given to her the previous day. The matching betrothal ring glistened on her finger.
And just like all the good fairy tales, I am about to get my happily ever after.
A murmur rippled through the gathering and Mercy’s breath caught in her throat at the sudden thought someone might be trying to stop the ceremony. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened to her at her own wedding.
Kendal leaned in and whispered, “Relax. It’s just the Prince of Wales.”
Her grip on his hand tightened nervously and Kendal winced in mock pain. Mercy forced herself to loosen her hold. “Sorry.”
Lifting her gaze, she glanced over his shoulder to where the rest of the Noble Lords were all seated in the front row along with their wives. Marco was at the end, dressed in a black suit and gold sash. At times it was still hard for Mercy to accept that these people were now her friends. They had all welcomed her into their lives with warmth and genuine friendship, wishing every happiness to her and Kendal.
In a break with tradition, Kendal’s parents and sister were seated on the bride’s side of the church, and Henry Wood now took his seat alongside them. The Duke of Banfield raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. He had come a long way from doing his all to break her and Kendal’s relationship apart.
Her roaming gaze stopped when she caught sight of the overweight gentleman with the shock of white hair who was seated next to the duke. He was wearing a blue jacket which did nothing to cover his enormous stomach, and his cheeks were flush and ruddy.
Kendal hadn’t been in jest when he’d said the Prince of Wales was at the church—at their wedding. The prince gave a tip of his head in Mercy’s direction, which resulted in a flurry of whispers starting up amongst the congregation. This marriage, no matter how strange its origins, had the royal seal of approval.
Mercy could have kissed the prince. By coming here today and sitting with her family, he had smashed through many of the social obstacles that had been set before her.
“Are you ready to get married?” whispered Kendal.
She gave a nod to the Prince Regent, then turned her attention back to her fiancé. “Yes please. I would like very much to become your wife.”
A smiling Hugh Radley, the Bishop of London, motioned for them to come forward. “Come on, you two. Let’s get this done, then we can all go and celebrate. I hear that the Noble Lords are playing at the wedding ball this evening and someone tells me they are rather good. Though I hear that their pianist could do with some work.”
Mercy gave a sideways glance at Kendal and he rolled his eyes. Hugh Radley just grinned.
The elite of London society were gathered in the grand ballroom at Banfield House. Anyone who was anyone had been invited. There was the odd one or two who had politely declined the invitation, and whom Kendal suspected did not approve of his and Mercy’s marriage, but in the main, most people were happy for them.
Standing beside the piano, Kendal smiled as his father escorted Mercy around the room, introducing his new daughter-in-law to various guests. She was fast making friends within London society with his mother and sister guiding her, along with the support of the other wives of the Noble Lords.
“Come on. Stop gawking at your wife—we have people to entertain,” said Owen.
He stirred from his musings and raised his eyebrows at his fellow Noble Lord. Owen, the reformed rake, was forever being caught staring lovingly at Amy. Come to think of it, both Reid and Callum spent hours mooning over their own wives too.
Kendal shook his head. “How the mighty have fallen,” he muttered.
When they set out to form the Noble Lords at the start of the summer, it had been with the express intention of winning their way back to them being the foremost rakes of the ton. Yet one by one they had all fallen to the tiny, sharp arrows fired from Cupid’s bow. Each had found an extraordinary woman who had captured their heart and would now hold it forever.
Mercy had come into his life. A stunningly beautiful woman, strong willed and lively. Someone who would continue to challenge him to take his music to a higher level, to be the best he possibly could.
He took a seat at the piano and gave a nod in Reid’s direction. Reid stepped forward and held his hand up for silence. Kendal frowned. This wasn’t part of the set they had rehearsed. He didn’t like spur-of-the-moment changes, which the rest of the group all knew. But considering it was his wedding day, he would let it go. Just this once.
“My lords, ladies, and gentlemen. The Noble Lords will be performing all your favorite melodies and songs shortly, but first we have a surprise. Well, actually, it’s a special gift for the Marquess of Hartley. Kendal, this is just for you.” He glanced back at Kendal who, having no idea what was going on, simply shrugged.
Alright, since it is my wedding day, Reid, I shall let you have your fun.
When Callum, Owen, and even Marco began to laugh, he narrowed his eyes at them. They were all in on whatever secret scheme Reid had hatched.
Damn it.
His eyes grew wide again as Mercy let go of his father’s hand and walked toward them. His initial as
sumption that she would linger at the edge of the performance area to watch him play was quickly tossed aside.
Instead she came and stood right next to the piano, then leaning down, she kissed him on the cheek and murmured, “Move over.”
The audience applauded loudly as a smiling Mercy joined her husband on the piano stool. He looked at her then at the rest of the Noble Lords. They were all laughing.
“What on earth is going on?” he asked.
“Well, the rest of the group were all trying to think of a fun wedding gift for you. Something you wouldn’t know was coming. So, we decided to play something for you,” she said with a cheeky grin.
Mercy gave a nod to the others. She settled her fingers over the keys and the strains of Salieri’s, Piano Concerto in B Flat Adagio, filled the room. Owen soon joined in on the violin, with Callum then adding the soft notes of his flute.
Kendal sat spellbound as the others played. Mercy’s fingers moved expertly over the keys, playing with more confidence than he had ever witnessed from her before. When she reached the part that always tripped her up, he held his breath.
He wiped a tear away with the heel of his hand as Mercy effortlessly delivered a faultless performance—a piece of music he had loved for so many years gifted to him by his friends, and the woman he now proudly called his wife.
By the time the music was finally at an end, Kendal was sitting with his face in his hands, overcome with emotion. Of all the gifts anyone could have given him on this day, this was completely unexpected, but utterly perfect.
At the end, Mercy, Owen, and Callum all stood and bowed to the audience. An arm went around Kendal’s shoulder and Reid helped him to his feet. With Marco and Reid standing either side of him, he joined the rapturous applause from the assembled wedding guests.
Kendal Page 21
