Page 59 of A Duke to Restore her Memory
It could have all been so different. But she had told her father the truth – it had been the luckiest moment of her life when she had inadvertently fallen down that mine shaft. For it had led her to the love of her life.
***
Sebastian adjusted his cravat, trying not to stare at the church door. His palms were sweating now. Daniel, standing at his side as his groomsman, grinned widely.
“Do not worry, old chap, she will be here soon and your misery over,” he quipped. “You look like you are about to walk to the gallows rather than marry the love of your life!”
Sebastian grinned weakly. He felt sick to his stomach. He had been longing for this day with an intensity that had bordered on obsession, and it had arrived at long last. But now that it was here, he felt like he was about to expire from nerves.
I just want it over and done with. I just want her to be my wife.
He had been journeying back and forth from Newquay Hall to Draycott Manor for months to see her, and it was starting to wear thin.
He just wanted her by his side – to see her face when he first woke up in the morning and to see her before he closed his eyes at night. The longing and the love between them had grown so intense that he could hardly think about anything else any longer.
He gulped as he stared at the congregation. And that day was finally here. He heard a murmur through the crowd. He started to panic. Where was she?
At that moment, the door burst open. He turned, his eyes widening, seeing her for the first time. His heart seized.
He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
She held her father’s arm, standing with the light behind her. Her golden hair seemed to glow like a halo. She wore a gown of cream silk and lace with a long train that snaked behind her. She looked exquisite, like a fairy princess.
His heart filled with love and pride. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve such a woman; he was just glad he had found her.
As she started walking up the aisle towards him, he was beset by the memory of finding her at the bottom of that mine shaft, deathly pale and unconscious, with a large gash on her head.
He had never been more frightened in his life, thinking she was going to die in his arms. But he had also been stunned at finding the most beautiful woman he had ever seen there.
His heart swelled again. It had come full circle. Now, that injured woman, who had lost all memory of her life, was about to become his wife.
Finally, she reached his side. His heart was racing so erratically now that he could barely greet her. His mouth went dry.
They turned to one another … and he was lost within her eyes. The way he was always lost within her eyes. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would be lost within them forever.
As the vicar cleared his throat, ready to start the ceremony, he knew that life would never be the same again. And that was truly the most wondrous thing in the world.
***
Christina looked down at her hand resting in her new husband’s hand, feeling a glow unlike anything she had ever felt before.
They had stolen some precious moments alone in the gardens after cutting the wedding cake. Fairy lights twinkled, interlaced around the garden, casting a faint illumination.
“Happy?” whispered Sebastian, pulling her towards him.
“I have never been happier,” she whispered, gazing into his eyes, meaning every word from the bottom of her heart. “I still cannot believe it. I cannot believe that I am your wife. It still feels like a dream.”
“Believe it,” whispered Sebastian, nuzzling her neck. “We are never going to wake up from this dream, Christina. I promise you.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes, lost in a daze of love, leaning into each other … when they both jumped, hearing a noise behind them.
“Shhhh,” whispered Sebastian, grinning. He gripped her hand tighter. “Come with me.”
Giggling, they stole along the path. Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks. Daniel and Frances were there stealing a kiss. Their friends jumped, breaking apart, smiling at them sheepishly.
“We have news,” declared Daniel, taking Frances’s hand in his own and holding it high. His eyes were shining. “I have just asked Frances to be my wife—and she has accepted!”
Christina gasped before letting out a cry of joy and rushing to them. She enveloped Frances in a fierce hug. Sebastian took Daniel’s hand, shaking it heartily.
