Page 2 of A Sense of Paradise
Flora felt reassured by the countess’s presence, but resisted the urge to wiggle the fingers holding her bouquet by way of greeting.
Remus’s image faded and Flora transferred her attention to Archie as they neared the altar. He stood an inch or two taller than Luke and wore a superbly tailored blue suit that added to his distinguished appearance and made Flora’s heart flutter with desire. His left hand rested on the silver head of the cane she knew he despised since it drew attention to his physical disability—a disability that had been caused by his own youthful recklessness.
He would claim that his only real weakness was for her, Flora Latimer, the daughter of a cleric and a woman who had worked her way into his heart and agreed to become his wife. Flora felt the need to pinch herself whenever she thought of the glittering future that awaited her. A future that no one was aware of yet, although some might harbour suspicions. Flora needed time to adjust to the idea before making the announcement, and she did not want to overshadow Luke and Violet’s celebrations with news of her own. Everything had happened so fast, even if she didn’t have any doubts about Archie’s constancy.
Well, not many.
She thought it only right to allow Luke and Violet the opportunity to enjoy the limelight. Unsure how Luke would react to the news, she didn’t want to be the cause of a rift between Luke and his best friend, even though Luke had forfeited any claim to her affections.
The smile that Archie directed towards her melted her heart and chased away lingering doubts that only manifested themselves when thoughts of his colourful reputation threatened to overwhelm her. He winked at her when Violet came to a halt beside Luke, and she couldn’t help smiling back as the ceremony got under way. Being born into a deeply religious family, high church was very familiar to Flora, even when the service was being conducted by a bishop, and she responded where appropriate by rote.
Choral music lifted the rafters as the newlyweds signed the register and the new countess retraced her steps down the aisle, smiling so radiantly that she gave the sun a run for its money. The brief glimpse that Flora caught of Luke’s smile before he led the wedding party away from the vestry looked fixed.
He’s making the best of things.
Go away, Remus!
I know where I’m not wanted,Remus replied huffily. But he continued to hover as Flora followed behind Luke and Violet on Archie’s arm.
‘It will be our turn next,’ Archie said, leaning close to whisper in her ear.
‘Shush! Don’t spoil the day for Violet.’
‘Nothing will spoil the day for Violet. She has got what she wanted. The question is, has Luke?’
‘Well, if he has not, it’s too late for him to do anything about it now. Besides, Violet will be much better for him than any of the other ladies who tried to trap him into matrimony.’ Flora shuddered as she recalled the machinations of the women in question. Flora had thwarted their ambitions at considerable cost to her friendship with Luke, who at one point had accused her of being jealous. Perhaps she had been, but that wasn’t what had caused her to act. ‘She doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body.’
‘You are a harsh woman, Miss Latimer.’
‘I am a pragmatist, Lord Felsham.’
‘You look quite astonishing, by the way,’ he said in a softly hypnotic drawl. ‘But it is not the done thing to steal the bride’s thunder, you know.’
Flora laughed. ‘Ridiculous man! Violet is a vision, and even decked out in all this finery it’s not a claim that I could ever make.’
‘You underestimate yourself, darling, but then your modesty is one of the many things I adore about you.’
‘It’s easy to be modest when one has plenty to be modest about—which is no doubt why you find it so hard.’
Archie shook his head as they emerged from the church to be greeted by glorious sunshine, a peal of bells, a shower of rose petals and cheering crowds. Luke smiled and waved as his steward distributed alms amongst the villagers—a family tradition.
‘Archie!’
Flora and Archie both turned in the direction of the woman who had called his name as she raised a hand in greeting. Archie’s expression closed down, anger filtered across his face and he looked away without acknowledging her.
‘Has one of your former conquests turned up to embarrass you?’ Flora asked playfully, ignoring the worm of jealousy that had worked its way through her bloodstream. There had been many conquests, she knew, which was one of the reasons why she doubted her ability to satisfy a man of Archie’s exotic tastes indefinitely. She wasn’t nearly sophisticated enough. She had told him that she wouldn’t be willing to turn a blind eye to any post-marital indiscretions and he had given her his assurance that she wouldn’t be required to.
Flora remained to be convinced.
He meant what he said now, but would that situation endure once the gloss of their union had worn off?
‘Hardly.’ Archie waved the suggestion aside but Flora could see that the woman’s appearance here today had flummoxed her ordinarily suave marquess.
‘She is very beautiful.’
‘And she is very much aware of that fact.’
Archie had enjoyed a chequered past before the accident more than ten years previously that had almost killed him. Surviving against all the odds had left him permanently lame and seldom without pain. Flora’s herbal concoctions had improved his situation but he would never be entirely whole again, a situation Flora knew would likely not have prevented him from continuing to enjoy the company of the fairer sex.
