“Not exactly the place I expect you ever thought you would find yourself getting married in.” Hugh Radley had spoken with the minister of St Nicholas’s, and arrangements for the wedding were moving ahead with speed. It was not every day that the Bishop of London arrived on the doorstep, special licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury in hand, and asked to perform an impromptu wedding service.
The minister’s wife had offered her services and helped Caroline pin her mother’s tiara back into place. She had also kindly cut some red roses from her nearby garden and fashioned them into a small posy. Caroline tied the flowers off with a cream ribbon she had brought with her in her travel bag.
With everything at the church now all in readiness, she sat quietly in a pew and contemplated the fact that very soon she would be Julian’s wife. “I wonder how Julian and the others have got on. I, for one, cannot see the countess coming quietly.”
“But she is, and I have the necklace,” replied Julian.
She turned to see him, along with Francis and James, march into the church. In Julian’s hands was a box. Trailing behind them were the Count and Countess of Lienz. The countess had a face like thunder.
Caroline turned away and indulged in a private grin. Julian had succeeded against his mother.
With everyone now in attendance, the bishop called them all to gather at the front of the altar.
“Now this will not be a conventional wedding service. The groom has asked that I keep it simple so that their royal highnesses may sail with the next tide.”
Francis took hold of Caroline’s hand, assuming his father’s place in giving away the bride. “Well done, Caro. Julian is a lucky man. I know you will make both an excellent countess and wife.”
She could have sworn that she saw a tear in his eye as he placed her hand in Julian’s and stepped back to stand alongside James. Caroline looked across at Julian. He grinned at her and her heart soared. Knowing he was happy made the sacrifice of not having her parents in attendance and a full cathedral wedding worth it.
Partway through the short service, her uncle stopped and looked up from the common book of prayer.
“I don’t suppose anyone thought to bring a wedding ring, did they?” he asked.
The Countess of Lienz huffed. “That is what happens when you don’t do these things properly.”
Caroline bit down on her lip as Julian pulled the box containing her grandmother’s ring from his coat pocket.
He handed it to the bishop. “Our families are in full support of this union, so of course we have a ring. A Saunders family heirloom, which will sit perfectly next to the betrothal ring I chose for my wife.”
The countess said nothing at the obvious insult directed at her. Julian did not consider his mother to be part of his family.
The bishop blessed the ring and handed it back to Julian. When Caroline held out her hand, he turned it over and lifted it to his lips kissing the scar. It would always serve as a reminder of how their love had first begun.
Caroline watched through tears as Julian placed the ring on her finger and offered his vow. “With this ring, I thee wed. With my body, I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
“I now pronounce you, man and wife.”
Before anyone could step forward to offer their congratulations, Julian held up his hand. He retrieved the jewel box from a nearby pew then, turning to his mother, he offered it to her.
With a loud, indignant huff, she stepped forward. Julian opened the box, and after a moment’s hesitation, the countess took out the diamond- and ruby-encrusted necklace.
As she caught sight of the Crusader Ruby, Caroline finally understood why her new husband had been so insistent upon securing its return. The version of it she had seen in the painting paled into insignificance against the magnificence of the real jewel.
The sunlight which streamed in through the upper windows of the church caught the rubies, and it was as if they had been set alight. Red fire glowed deep within them. A hum echoed in the church as the small gathering took in the sheer splendor of the ancient piece.
The countess lifted the Crusader Ruby and, as Julian stepped back, she placed it around Caroline’s neck, securing the double clasp.
As the heavy weight settled on her chest, Caroline touched the main ruby with her finger. “I have never seen anything like it,” she murmured.
“It is yours to keep and protect for our family,” said Julian.
The necklace had returned to its rightful place in the hands of the Earl and Countess of Newhall. A priceless gift to his new wife.
“I expect you consider this a victory over me, but you will never do the rubies justice the way I did whenever I wore the necklace. You will always be a poor imitation of me,” said the countess. As always, she had her thoughts centered on herself.
But Caroline’s heart lay elsewhere. “You have it so wrong. None of this was ever about you. Everything that I have done today was for Julian. For my husband, and our future children.”
The countess scowled, then turned her attention to her son.