The Luck of the Bride (The Cavensham Heiresses #3)(105)

She squeezed his hand, then repeated her vows. She tilted her head to the ceiling and said a silent prayer. She missed her parents every day but knew they would be pleased for her.

Before the vicar pronounced them husband and wife, she stole a glance at her family. The duke and duchess stood with clasped hands. The duchess smiled with shimmering tears of joy. Even the duke’s eyes glimmered with emotion.

Faith and Julia stood side by side, their blinding smiles brighter than a summer’s midday sun. Beside them, Hart stood with his hands clasped in front of him. Without hesitating, he had postponed his trip to Boston so he could witness their vows. He’d promised to return within a year.

Next to Hart, William caught her glance and smiled. Before the ceremony, he’d apologized for his doubts, then had been the first to congratulate Michael. Without warning, William had picked her up and twirled her in a circle, all the while proclaiming he should have married her. Michael had laughed, but then quickly brought her to his side with his arm wrapped around her waist. The strength in his grip reminded her their love was a bond that even when tested would be unbreakable.

Claire and Alex were present with their three children who were quite well behaved. When the couple looked at each other, their obvious love was breathtaking.

Emma and Nick were there, too. Nick’s arm was around Emma’s thickened waist. March had glanced their way several times and caught Nick kissing the top of his wife’s head as if she was the most precious creature in the world.

Finally, March allowed her gaze to settle on Bennett standing beside the duke. The boy must have grown an inch since yesterday. He’d brought her a copy of this morning’s The Midnight Cryer. Surprisingly, the paper had discovered that Dr. Kennett and Lord Queensgrace truly did have emergencies that had called them both out of town. The article went on to advise that the Lawson sisters should expect a roomful of flowers soon from their respective beaus.

Rupert didn’t attend the ceremony. When he approached the duke to offer glad tidings for March’s innocence and felicitations for her and Michael’s wedding, the duke had cut him directly by ignoring him—causing Rupert to be ruined socially. This morning, the duke’s barrister brought charges against Rupert for perpetrating a fraud against the Marquess of McCalpin and the Duchy of Langham.

However, Rupert wasn’t getting off that easy. With the duke’s help, Bennett had hatched a plan to eliminate Rupert as his heir. Yesterday, with the Prince Regent’s blessing, a special session of Parliament amended the original letters patent of the viscountcy. If Bennett died before providing an heir, then the title would go to March’s second-born son, making all future viscounts descended from the House of Langham. If the title failed to pass, then the peerage became extinct.

Earlier, she and Michael had decided not to punish Jameson. Though the man had committed the crime, he’d readily admitted it. Macalester had been so impressed with Jameson’s embezzling talent, he decided to hire him to help investigate other suspected financial ne’er-do-well dealings. She and Michael had settled a large enough sum on Jameson that he could move his son to London and afford full-time care.

She’d made the front page of the paper again. Only this time, the article retracted all their earlier posts. It declared she’d been a victim of a huge scandal and the handsome Marquess of McCalpin had used his clever mind to defend her honor in words and actions. Of course, always ready to start a scandal, the publisher lamented the fact that not a single drop of blood had tinted the ground.

“My lovely wife,” he whispered.

“I adore you,” she answered.

“Have I ever told you thank you for embezzling from your dowry?”

“Hush, David.”

His blinding smile stole her breath, but that wasn’t what caused her heart to explode in an effort to reach his.

His eyes spoke with love.

An endearing perfect love.

As the vicar pronounced them husband and wife, she gladly relented her earlier title of the luckiest bride.

She was now the luckiest wife.