Page 83 of A Baron's Disguised Lady
His shoes were polished, his shirt pressed, and he wore a yellow cravat at the neck. He had combed his hair over, though it still stood up in the middle, just as it always did, and his face was clean shaven.
“A mere reflection of your beauty,” he said, and Lavinia laughed.
“Your sister would laugh at you, too, for saying such a thing,” she said, though she was flattered by his words.
“How lucky we are,” he said, as the rector came to stand before them, clearing his throat as he opened his prayerbook.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this Congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church…” he said, reading from the prayer book as he began the marriage service.
Lavinia and Archie then promised fidelity to one another in all things; to love and cherish one another their whole lives long. It did not matter to Lavinia whether this was a Protestant wedding or a Catholic wedding. The vows were the same, their meaning was the same, and when the final blessing was pronounced, Lavinia knew she and Archie were joined in matrimony for the rest of their lives.
“I love you, Lavinia,” Archie whispered, as he leaned forward to kiss her.
“And I love you, too, with all my heart,” she replied.
Arm in arm, they made their way up the aisle, smiling and nodding to all those who wished them well. The church was full, and it seemed all of the tenants on the estate, along with the invited aristocracy, had come out to wish them well.
“God bless you, my Lord, and thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my family,” one of the men, who had the look of a farmer about him, said, seizing Archie’s hand in his and shaking it.
Archie smiled.
“Thank you, Mr. Trent. I trust your wife is much better now?” he said, and the farmer nodded.
“Yes, my Lord, much better. But it wouldn’t have been possible without your help, and your kindness. God bless you on this happy day,” he said, and others expressed similar sentiments.
Lavinia was surprised. She had not known the extent of Archie’s charitable kindness, and outside the church, she learned ofdozens of instances through which Archie had been of help to his tenants.
“A little token of my thanks to you, my Lord; a brace of pheasants. I wouldn’t have survived the winter without the gift of the logs for the fire,” one man said, holding up the birds for Archie, who smiled and thanked him.
“You’re a remarkable man,” Lavinia said, and Archie blushed.
“I’m not, Lavinia,” he said, but Lavinia knew better, and now she glanced back toward the church door, from which Penelope and Michael now emerged.
“What did you do to bring them back together?” Lavinia whispered, as the couple now approached them.
“Nothing really. I just persuaded them both of the advantage of their position,” Archie replied.
“That was a wonderful sight. Oh, to see you married,” Penelope exclaimed, placing her hand on Lavinia’s arm.
Lavinia smiled.
“Congratulations to you both,” Michael said, and he shook Archie by the hand.
“Thank you. We’re so very happy,” Archie replied.
“Will you come and visit me at Sarum Lacy House, Penelope?” Lavinia asked.
For a moment, Penelope looked doubtful, as though still clinging to the guilt she felt over Gwendolene’s death.
“My sister would’ve wanted the two of you to be friends. She always spoke so fondly of you, Penelope. Just before she died, she told me she wanted you to be the one who sorted through her things. Her personal possessions. I’d like it if you did so,” Archie said.
Penelope stared at him in astonishment.
“Did she really say such a thing?” she asked, and Archie nodded.
“Absolutely,” he replied, and as Lavinia watched, it was as though the burden of Penelope’s guilt was lifted.
“Oh… thank you. Yes, I’ll go through her things. I’d be so pleased to. Oh, dear Gwendolene! I was such a fool to think we couldn’t be reconciled. I’ll lay flowers on her grave, too,” she said, and Archie nodded.
