Page 48 of Let Me Be Your Hero
The vicar had positioned himself beneath the stained-glass window. Izzie tugged his hand, leading him into their positions. The dappled light sparkling through the stained glass fell on her face, and suddenly, the moment was overwhelming. He wasmarrying the woman of his dreams, and not only that, she had made the extra effort to make sure his grandfather could witness the ceremony. She didn’t seem the least bit put off by his grandfather’s humble accent. Much to the contrary, she seemed delighted that John Nettlethorpe was present.
It gave him a faint, flickering hope that maybe, justmaybe, she could love someone like him.
How Archibald got through his vows without his voice quavering, he would never know. But it was no great sacrifice for him to promise to love and cherish Isabella Astley, ’til death did they part. He would love and cherish her for the rest of his life regardless of whether they were man and wife, so he was merely speaking the truth.
Then it was time for him to give her the ring he had selected that morning. It was a simple design—a heart-shaped ruby with a tiny diamond flanking it on either side, set in a plain gold band. It was an antique, which was unsurprising, as heart-shaped stones had been more fashionable for wedding rings during the previous two centuries than this one. His parents had despaired when he showed them his choice because the gem was neither large nor particularly costly. But from the second he saw it, Archibald could picture the delicate ring on Izzie’s slim finger. He had a feeling she would like it, an opinion both Bastian and Jack had seconded.
Judging by the tremulous smile she gave him after he slipped it on her finger, he had chosen well. He said nothing as he completed the ancient ritual, but if he’d had the courage to tell her the truth, he would have said, “You already have my heart, so all I can give you is this.”
Then it was done, and, in an inconceivable turn of events, Isabella Astley was his wife.
No. Make that Isabella Nettlethorpe-Ogilvy.
They left his grandfather to rest and repaired to the dining room, where a wedding breakfast had been laid out. His parents had been in rare form, even for them, when selecting the menu. It was a good thing they would have four dozen men from Nettlethorpe Iron watching the house around the clock because otherwise, Archibald had no idea what they would have done with all the leftovers. They started with turtle soup and moved on to caviar, lobster, and veal in truffle sauce. There was saffron rice and asparagus dressed with lemon. Archibald wasn’t sure that the flavors went well together, but the foods were united by a common theme—they were all very, very expensive, so no one missed the fact that the Nettlethorpe-Ogilvys could afford them.
As the third course was being laid out, Izzie leaned close and whispered, “Do we have to stay for all of this?”
“I believe so, as we are the guests of honor,” he returned in a hushed voice. “Why do you ask?”
She heaved a petulant sigh. “I was hoping we could go upstairs and consummate the marriage.”
Archibald’s cock twitched eagerly at this suggestion. “Although I would like that above all things, I think we have to stay.Soon, though.”
Archibald’s hopes that the meal would conclude quickly proved fruitless, unlike the dessert course, which was finally brought out an hour and a half later. Its theme seemed to bepineapple. After sampling a spread of pineapple cakes, pineapple ices, and pineapple tarts, the interminable breakfast finally concluded.
Finally, the time came to move to the foyer to see their guests off. Izzie was chatting with her sister, Lucy, and her friend, Diana Latimer.
“Thorpe is going to build me my own library. It’s going to have floor-to-ceiling bookcases!”
While Lady Lucy and Lady Diana were busy squealing over the prospect of floor-to-ceiling bookcases, his friend, Morsley, sidled over. “Are you going by Thorpe now?”
Archibald considered his response. “Izzie thought it up the other day. I do like it. We’ll see if it catches on.”
“It’s just that”—Morsley dropped his voice low, so the ladies wouldn’t overhear—“it’s actually quite a mouthful to say, ‘Damn it, Nettlethorpe-Ogilvy.’ Especially when you’ve just punched me in the jaw.”
The corner of Archibald’s mouth twitched. “Feel free to use it, then, because I plan on landing quite a few blows to your jaw.”
“We’ll see about that, Thorpe.”
The Duke of Trevissick, who had just approached, scowled. “What’s this? Why was I not informed that I had the option of calling you Thorpe?”
“I only started using it recently.”Recently, in this case, meaning thirty seconds ago. “Why do you ask?”
The duke curled his nose. “I have probably devoted days of my life to pronouncing the extraneous number of syllables in your last name.Thorpeis a thousand times better.”
“I am sorry to have wasted so much of your time,” Archibald muttered.
“Yes, well.” The duke pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and offered it to Archibald. “I received this report from the Bow Street Runner I hired to look into the incident in Hyde Park. I imagine you will be interested in its contents, seeing as—”
Diana Latimer came up and elbowed her brother in the ribs. “Seeing as you werewrong, and the target of the attack was Izzie and not me. Assomeonetried to tell you,” she added, glowering up at the duke.
Trevissick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Once again, I am sorry. I will admit a tendency to be overly vigilant where you areconcerned. Now that our father is dead, I am trying to change my ways, but it will not happen overnight.”
The duke was referring to the fact that their father, who was recently deceased, had been physically abusive toward his wife and daughter, a matter which had become public knowledge when the present duke was called to testify at a recent trial involving the family’s long-serving butler.
Diana was not in a forgiving mood. “Well, you need to try harder.Youwere the one who convinced Lady Cheltenham that I was the true target, and that is the reason Izzie was at Lady Waldegrave’s rout. If you hadn’t bowled over the rest of us, as you always do, Lady Cheltenham would have heeded Aunt Griselda’s warning and kept Izzie safe at home.”
“At home, where she was an easy mark,” the duke countered. “As it was, she was in the company of Thorpe, here, when the kidnappers struck. Which proved the best place she could have possibly been.”
