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Story: A Gentleman’s Reckoning (Bachelors of Blackstone’s #3)
T he wedding was held a month later in Geny’s local parish at St George’s, Hanover Square. She had spent three of those weeks at Margery’s house, for with Matthew at school and her father at his estate, the pain and emptiness of her home was too great to bear. Naturally, her reputation suffered alongside her father’s, but she did not care enough about society to allow this to worry her. Her main concern would continue to be for Matthew when it came time for him to join London society. John assured her that the ton would have forgotten all about it by then. There would always be newer, more interesting scandals to focus on.
She read the announcement of Lord Amherst’s betrothal to Miss Lucy Purcell and was glad for them both. She even received a nod of acknowledgment when she saw Lucy at the Pantheon Bazaar, which served to raise her in Geny’s esteem. As a future marchioness, and one day duchess, Lucy could easily have cut her but chose not to.
As for John, he had been readmitted to White’s and Boodle’s at the instigation of his friend, Lord Stuart. This development appeared to matter so little to John, she did not even learn of the fact from him but rather from Mr. Thompson, who somehow had no shortage of knowledge about what went on in society, despite not being part of it.
As Geny had only one father, she decided to allow him to continue to be a part of her life—with limits. Lord Goodwin was given a formal invitation to the wedding, although she had not known if he would attend it until he appeared inside the church. To her surprise and relief, he had not only come himself, but had even gone to fetch Matthew out of school so he might attend as well. Perhaps her words that she did not believe her father capable of such baseness as to hinder her relationship with a beloved brother had hit their mark?
In any case, although Geny was not ready to tell him—the occasion of her wedding not being the proper time to do so—she thought she could forgive her father for much, just for this one gesture of bringing Matthew to her.
Her gown was new, designed for the occasion, and it was in a pale rose silk with white flowers embroidered on the bustline and hem, and sewn into the scalloped capped sleeves. Margery had purchased, without her knowledge, a parcel of the white flowers and had waited in her classroom at the orphanage one day, a group of orphan girls gathered behind her. With bashful curtsies, they presented Geny with the string of silk flowers sewn into a ribbon for Charity to weave into her chignon on the occasion of her wedding. She wore it proudly.
John looked dashing in pantaloons, a light olive-green silk embroidered waistcoat, and a darker green coat worn over it. She met his stepbrother and wife after the ceremony, and was instantly drawn to both. This only added to the joy of their union, for she would be joining an affectionate family. She was eager to contribute her part.
Margery and Mr. Thompson were present, of course, and after the ceremony her friend found a chance to lean in to whisper, “Do you see? You were married first, just as I always said you would be.” Her eyes sparkled with humor.
John had told Geny, both the whole of that notorious card game he’d had with Mr. Barnsby, and also of their ensuing meeting. Mr. Barnsby had been invited to the wedding but had written to send his congratulations—and also his regrets. He was to be married on the same day. He invited John and his new wife to visit them in Cheadle anytime they wished.
There had been a brief period when she wished Gabriel could join the wedding, too, and attempted to think how she might do so without anyone perceiving it to be odd. But other than confirming John’s suspicions to him that Gabriel was indeed her half brother, she decided that as long as her father was alive, she would leave it up to him to tell Gabriel the truth should he so choose. If he did not, she would tell the foundling herself—and Matthew—after their father was gone.
There were three members of Blackstone’s at the ceremony, whose names she learned in a blur, and Lord Stuart had come as well. Mrs. Hastings was invited, along with Geny’s quiet companion, Miss Edwards. Margery’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Buxton, completed the wedding party.
Although Geny understood that a large portion of their time must be spent on John’s estate, she was touched to learn that he expected them to continue to be involved in the asylum. Her betrothed had also informed her that he had set by a sum to invest in the orphanage, and in particular to make sure the structure was sound and would not crumble in any other place. In time, they would approach the earl about handing the direction of the asylum entirely over to them.
It was John who informed her that the earl was making restitution for the money he’d stolen and was even finishing the construction of the Manchester mill out of his own pocket. Lord Blackstone had made him privy to this news, since Lord Goodwin had not made it public. This meant that Matthew would have less than he otherwise might in terms of an inheritance, but Geny was relieved her father was doing the right thing before other members of society. This would also help Matthew’s entrance into society when the time came.
For many years, her life had seemed to lack color, with everything blending into various shades of gray, although she did not realize it until she knew what a life of color looked like. Now she felt bathed in vibrant hues as one was bathed in sunlight. The clergyman declared them man and wife, and they walked hand in hand out into the world—amid cheers and under the flurry of rose petals that the guests threw.
The wedding breakfast was held at the Buxtons’ house in Southwark, and John’s carriage waited in the street to take them to it. They would have several hours celebrating with everyone, eating cake, and enjoying the company of those who held a special place in their lives, before they left for their honeymoon. Even her father had gone out of his way to be gracious to everyone present at the ceremony, no matter their station in life. Geny thought that perhaps his exposure and public chastisement had not harmed him, but rather had done him good.
John helped her into the carriage and shut the door behind him giving them a bubble of privacy. As the carriage moved forward, he put his arm around her, turning just enough so that he could see her fully. He looked at her for a long moment.
“How are you feeling, wife?” he asked.
She met his gaze, her heart brimming with every good and perfect thing. “I am not sure it is possible to feel happier than I do right now.”
“It is possible,” he argued, his smile removing any contention from the words. “Perhaps it won’t be this overwhelming sense of happiness squeezed into the space of a couple of hours, but it will be the sort of happiness that fills days and weeks and years until it is so weighty and large it becomes impossible to define. This is the kind of happiness we will have.”
“Is it?” she asked, smiling up at him.
“ Mm-hm .” He leaned down to kiss her, then pulled back just enough to meet her gaze.
“I promise it. Word of a gentleman.”
I hope you enjoyed reading how John overcame all odds to win Geny’s heart and hand. Be sure to continue the fun with the next book in the Blackstone series :
To Hunt an Heiress by Martha Keyes.
“A fortune-hunting gentleman sets his sights on a newly widowed heiress, only to find she’s far more formidable—and far more tempting—than he ever expected. As charm and cunning clash, love becomes the most unpredictable prize of all.”
Each book in the Bachelors of Blackstone’s series features a gentleman banned from the other London clubs, sometimes for good reason, sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. All of them now have something to prove.