Page 123 of A Deal with her Forbidden Duke
“I have already taken back a lot of the protests that I had at the start,” John assured her. “Although it must be Alexander with the protests if we should delay any further. Shall we, then?”
“We shall.”
Madeleine slipped her hand into the crook of her brother’s elbow.
He led her through the open doors into the pleasant, warm afternoon, and she smiled, her nerves jumping.
WhathadAlexander planned? Madeleine had been all but barred from the garden for the last several days—but when her brother finally rounded the corner with her into the main part of the garden, she gasped.
Chairs had been laid out either side of a makeshift aisle, created by a length of white silk, with pink petals scattered down it.
Flowers bloomed everywhere around the garden, and garlands were wrapped around pergolas and pillars that decorated the outside of the Silverton estate. Roses adorned the backs of chairs, and she noticed several people standing as John brought her to the center of the end of the aisle.
She already knew Tessa and Colin would be there, as she had seen them earlier that day, but neither had told them aboutthis.
Her wedding.
Her true, real wedding.
Madeleine loosened a laugh as she began to walk towards…
Towards Alexander.
Her husband stood at the other end of the aisle, his eyes fixed on her in a way that they had not been during their first, stiff ceremony. The difference now, and all they had been through, stretched between them. It was a tether pulling her closer.
Madeleine and John bypassed the Duke and Duchess of Kingswell, with Eloise holding their son in her arms. Felix looked positively radiantly happy as he nodded at her.
In front of them, in the first row, as he had been for their first wedding, was Horace.
Madeleine grinned at him, giving a small wave. He bowed his head at her.
And then her gaze was back on her husband, who matched her sapphire dress. A deep blue shirt was adorned with a silver cravat. A black waistcoat was tailored to him with blue embroidery on it. He wore a deeper blue tailcoat, and she noticed his beard had been trimmed from what it had been that morning.
She flushed at the memory of why her thighs had stung upon bathing.
“What is going on?” Madeleine asked John breathlessly.
“What do you think it looks like?” he retorted smartly. “It was all Alexander’s idea.”
Madeleine could only gape at her husband as her hand was passed to his by John.
“If you hurt her again,” John said, glaring at Alexander, “I will hunt you down and drag your body from Silverton to Halthorpe, and believe me, friend, that isnota pleasant journey.”
Alexander winced, nodding. “Noted. Now can you kindly let me take my wife’s hand properly?”
John grinned at him before standing next to Horace. Their wedding guests took their seats.
Alexander kissed Madeleine’s hand. “This is the wedding you deserve,” he whispered to her. “The one you should have always had. Our first one was hasty and… well,slightlyillegal, but it let me secure your future. This one is your dream, is it not? A garden wedding, adorned with flowers, a bright beautifully colored dress?”
“I do like my colored dresses,” she laughed, tears stinging her eyes. Her heart felt light with sheer happiness. “John must have told you my dreams from when I was young.”
“He did. He has had quite the input, actually, but most of it has come from simply knowing my wife.” He pulled her close, his lips brushing her ear.
“Oi!” Horace called out and Madeleine laughed.
“Nobody knows about Donald,” Alexander assured her, “He damned himself by pretending to be dead, for nobody knows the truth, and it will remain that way. We are not in danger of anything. This is simply a large, romantic gesture.”
“Indeed it is.” Madeleine let out a soft sigh, pressing closer to her husband. “This is beautiful, Alexander. I did not realize you were such a romantic.”
