Epilogue
On the morning of her wedding day, Claire stood at her bedchamber window looking down on her parent’s garden and admired the fullness of the summer blooms. Thanks to a perfect mix of sunshine and rain this season, the garden had blossomed into pure delight, a heady combination of color and fragrance.
Shouting from the rose arbor drew Claire’s gaze, and she smiled as she watched the two household servants being mercilessly bullied by the family cook. The three were in the process of preparing for the wedding breakfast, which was to be served in the garden in a few short hours. Though Cook was not in any way responsible for setting out and arranging the tables and chairs, she nevertheless was in the thick of the action, shouting orders and demanding changes.
“You look radiant,” Claire’s mother declared as she entered the chamber. “Are you feeling all fluttery and nervous?”
Claire laughed merrily. “Well, Mother, since this is my third wedding ceremony, I hardly have a right to be nervous.”
“Oh my, I suppose it is.” The older woman smoothed the train of Claire’s pale green gown. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Claire shook her head. All things considered, her parents were taking her very bizarre marital status with amazing good humor. Initially, Claire had been uncertain how to explain the mix-up with her husband, but in the end, explanations had been fairly simple.
Jasper, with Claire at his side, patiently told her parents the entire truth, beginning with his twin’s deception and concluding with his own vow to be a loving, protective, and faithful husband to their daughter. Her parents were immediately won over by Lord Fairhurst’s honest charm and sincere desire to give Claire all that was within his power.
Yet Claire fully believed that it was the loving glow of happiness radiating from her eyes each time they fell upon her husband that made her parents fully accept their new son-in-law.
It was agreed from the beginning that the details of these strange happenings were to be kept among themselves. Even Claire’s sisters were not informed. It was, of course, revealed to all that Lord Fairhurst had a twin brother, but no one in the family or the village suspected the men had switched places when the original wedding had occurred earlier in the year.
Claire’s parents had suffered a few moments of distress when they realized they had not in truth witnessed their eldest daughter’s marriage, and upon seeing that distress, Jasper immediately suggested they repeat the ceremony. To avoid any awkward questions, Jasper’s family was invited to the village and they arrived declaring their joy at the opportunity to see their son wed, because they had missed the ceremony in the winter.
To keep family harmony intact, it was also decided to include Great-Aunt Agnes in the event. The elderly relative seemed pleased to be invited, though she had a comment, criticism, and suggestion for nearly every aspect of the day, including a loud protest about the wedding breakfast being held out-of-doors. Her opinions were born stoically by Claire’s parents.
A commotion at the door interrupted the bride’s preparations as a handsomely attired man entered the room.
“Oh, dear, it invites bad luck if the groom sees his bride before the ceremony.” Claire’s mother moved herself in front of her daughter, attempting to shield her from view, and then paused. “Though I am unsure if that superstition holds true since you are already married. What do you think, Claire?”
“I think it is an unnecessary point, Mother, since it is Jason who has come to see me, not my bridegroom.”
The older woman let out a nervous laugh. “Is it? Gracious, I still cannot tell these two fine, handsome gentlemen apart.”
Claire crossed the room, set her arms on her brother-in-law’s shoulders, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “This is a lovely surprise.”
“You look stunning, Claire. Even more beautiful than on our wedding day.”
She smiled, yet suspected her eyes were suspiciously bright. These days, even the smallest bout of emotions seemed to set off her tears. “A winter, spring, and now summer wedding ceremony. Do you think this sort of fashion trend will catch on with the London crowd?”
“Hardly. That group balks at the very thought of marriage.”
“I always knew they were fools.”
They laughed together. “I have brought you a small token from your bridegroom.” With a dramatic flourish, Jason presented her with a bouquet of tiny white roses tied together with trailing ribbons of emerald green that matched the exact shade of the ribbons trimming her gown.
“The details of my dress were supposed to be kept a secret,” Claire remarked suspiciously.
“And so they were, except for the colors you were wearing.” Jason lowered his voice to a serious tone. “Jasper wanted the flowers to complement your attire, so he bribed Madame Renude for the information. You know my brother cannot be denied anything he truly desires.”
“I find that to be one of his more endearing qualities.” Claire blushed and buried her nose in the fragrant blossoms.
There was a momentary silence. Jason opened his mouth twice, but said nothing. Claire wondered if he felt uncomfortable speaking in her mother’s hearing.
“Would you please check if the carriage is ready, Mother? I do not want to be late arriving at the church.”
The tension in the room seemed to build the moment they were alone, but Claire waited patiently.
“I will be leaving shortly after the festivities today and assumed this would be the only chance we would have to speak privately.” Jason shot her a grim look as the silence lengthened. “I need to know that you forgive me,” he finally blurted out. “For everything.”
“Dear Jason, I confess when I agreed to your marriage proposal those many months ago, I never thought my life would have turned out the way that it has.” Claire hastily wiped away the single tear that trickled down her cheek. “I was not a person who held a strong belief in fate, but I know it was my destiny to be with Jasper. That never would have happened without you.
“There is nothing to forgive, but if it pleases you to hear it, then I will say that I hold no ill will toward you and am very proud to be your sister by marriage.”
She lifted her face, and he kissed her cheek. “My brother is a damn lucky man,” he whispered.
Claire’s hands were shaking, so she crossed her arms over her waist. “My greatest wish is that one day you will also find a love as strong and true. ’Tis no more than you deserve.”
For a split-second Jason looked horrified; then his charming, frivolous mask slipped into place.
“The carriage is waiting at the front drive, and your father says we need to leave right now,” her mother said, as she bustled back into the room. “Come along, dear, we don’t want to be late.”
A few minutes later, Claire was sitting in the open carriage with her parents, watching the hedgerows pass by. In keeping with tradition, Lord Fairhurst had arranged for a pair of matched grays to pull the coach. Their shining coats gleamed in the sunshine as they pranced merrily down the winding lane, their bridle and reins festively dressed in ribbons and flower garlands.
Claire took a deep breath and drank in her surroundings. The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold; the sky was a perfect, cloudless blue; and the wind carried a subtle, refreshing breeze. It truly was the ideal day for a wedding, and she realized, with some surprise, that though this was indeed her third ceremony, it was the first time she actually felt like a bride.
There was a sizable crowd of well-wishers gathered around the churchyard gate. Though everyone understood this was to be a small, private ceremony, many wanted to wish the couple well and were eager to catch a glimpse of Claire’s very aristocratic, very handsome in-laws.
There were a few cheers and shouts of congratulations as Claire stepped out of the carriage. Claire waved enthusiastically to one and all. When she reached the church steps, the peal of the pipe organ greeted her. Before she was allowed to enter the church vestibule, her mother fussed with the hem of her train and adjusted the veil on her bonnet a final time. Then with one last emotional smile for the blushing bride, she hastened to her seat.
Claire gripped her delicate bouquet in one hand, and then absently ran the other hand down the front of her gown. For a few seconds, her palm lingered lovingly over her lower abdomen. Though she knew she was hardly the first woman to walk toward her bridegroom carrying his unborn child safely in her womb, she believed she was the happiest. It had not been easy keeping the secret, but she knew it would add even more meaning to this special day when she shared the news with Jasper later that night in the privacy of their bedchamber.
The music swelled, and Claire held tightly to her father’s arm as they embarked upon the walk up the aisle to the altar. Any trace of residual nerves vanished the moment she spotted Jasper, so handsome and severe in dark blue with white linen, his eyes bright with warmth and love.
They clasped hands and turned together to face the rector.
“Dearly beloved,” he began.
A few female sniffles were heard, and then everyone let out appreciative sighs of joy when at the end of the ceremony, the couple first gazed into each other’s eyes before pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss. They emerged from the church to shouts and cheers and a shower of flower petals hurled by family, friends, and well-wishers.
Once alone in the carriage, they exchanged several heated kisses, and then stared into each other’s eyes like two moonstruck youths in the first throes of discovering their love.
The wedding breakfast was a loud, boisterous party, with numerous toasts, laughter, jokes, and Meredith’s girls racing around the garden. Claire sat contentedly at the place of honor and enjoyed every moment of the cheerful scene of celebration, at times wondering how it was possible for happiness to be so strong and full that it nearly took her breath away.
Jasper reached under the table and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Happy?”
Not trusting her voice, Claire nodded and smiled. This truly had been a magical day.
“I just said good-bye to my brother, and he asked me to give you his regards,” Jasper continued. “Though he regretted leaving the party, he needed to depart while there was still a fair amount of daylight.”
“Is he on his way back to London?”
“No, he is off to the wilds of York, to deal with a problem on one of my estates.”
“Your man of affairs was ineffective in solving the situation?” Claire questioned.
Jasper swirled the wine in his goblet before lifting it to his lips and taking a long swallow. “There are complications that require authority I do not afford my servants, and since I loathed the idea of leaving my bride, I have sent my brother in my place.”
“It pleases me greatly to hear that you trust him so completely.”
Jasper smiled, and Claire recognized a trace of his old cynicism. “The situation is so dire, I doubt even Jason can make matters any worse.”
“Well, I still think it was kind of Jason to agree to come to your aid.”
“He owes me.”
“Does he now?” Claire playfully pulled the goblet out of her husband’s hand and took a small sip of wine. “I believe it is you who owes Jason. After all, if not for him, you and I would not be married. For the third time.”
He tipped his head closer so that their foreheads were nearly touching. “Legally, this is our second wedding ceremony, but I am not about to quibble. I approve of anything that serves to bind you tighter to me.”
“You do?”
“Oh, yes. I am impulsively romantic,” he declared, looking thoroughly amused at the very notion.
“You are nothing of the sort,” Claire replied with a giggle. “And that is perfectly fine, because I love you just as you are.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile widened. “And I love you, Claire. More than you will ever know.”
Then Lord Fairhurst, a man known far and wide for his proper attitude and stuffy manners, lifted his wife out of her chair, placed her onto his lap, enfolded her intimately within his arms, and gave her a fierce, searing kiss that all who witnessed agreed was just barely within the bounds of decorum.