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E velyn struggled to settle her nerves. They agreed their marriage would be a temporary arrangement with a separation to soon follow. So why did she have the jitters as if it were the real thing?

Admittedly, these jitters felt different than the jitters from before, the ones that made her run from the earl. Those jitters were filled with a consuming fear and dread. Evelyn didn’t feel fear or dread right now, just shaky nerves. And she didn’t know what to make of it.

Uncomfortable with what that might mean, Evelyn put all of her attention on Father Reilly, though she didn’t hear what he was saying, not really. It was all going in one ear and out the other. It was too difficult to hear anything beyond her heart roaring in her ears.

Funny how just days ago, she’d thought about Ollie on her first “wedding day.” How it wouldn’t have been so bad if his handsome face waited for her at the altar and not the earl.

Now here she was, living out that silly vision, at her second wedding about to promise her life to him.

But not really.

As the ceremony progressed, she snuck a glance up at Ollie. She expected to find him not listening, bored, perhaps antsy to leave.

To her surprise, he was watching her instead, his green eyes intense in the low light. There was a flicker when her eyes met his, but he immediately shuttered whatever emotion was there.

But goodness, he was breathtaking in the moment.

Even though they were hardly dressed for the occasion, she was sure a more handsome groom had never existed.

A tuft of dark hair had fallen out of place over his forehead, giving him a roguish appeal.

Evelyn found herself wishing she could sweep it back, run her fingers through his hair, feel the embrace of his solid arms.

She gave him a tiny flash of a smile. It was more of a nervous tic, really. And without looking away, Ollie took her hands in his, startling her.

Oddly, the touch was comforting in the moment. The roaring in her ears began to dissipate.

Touch would bother her for life. It was as much a part of her as the color of her hair and the freckles on her skin.

And Ollie was a man who thrived on touch.

For that reason alone, they would never be able to work.

Even though she found that sometimes, she found his touch pleasant, she would also never be a very physically affectionate person. But she suspected he would be.

Curious, she looked down at their embraced hands. She had been to many weddings and had never seen the groom take his bride’s hands and hold them throughout the ceremony. They had always stood stoic, unmoving, probably trying not to throw up from nerves, good or bad.

Admittedly, their hands did look nice together.

Her fingers long and slender, his large and rough.

She almost wished she could be the beautiful bride in a white wedding dress for him, see how he would react to her as she walked down the aisle.

And she almost wished she could see him dressed up as a groom, as her groom.

Swallowing, she returned her eyes to his, and she had the sense he had not once looked away from her the time. He was a good man, and this farce of a marriage was just another example of how kind Ollie was. She didn’t deserve his kindness, yet he never questioned giving it to her.

Father Reilly said, “Oliver McNab, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?

Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live? ”

“I will,” Ollie said, though of course he would not really agreeing to that last part. Or the love part.

Father Reilly continued. “Evelyn Sparrow, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?

Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live? ”

“I will,” Evelyn responded, not really agreeing to the obey part. Or serve. Love? She couldn’t think about that. Or the part where it was for life, because it wasn’t.

One of the men witnessing the ceremony brought forth her wedding ring. To her surprise, it was quite intricate, gold with sapphires. Where had it come from?

But, of course, it had likely been supplied by the thief who had forced them into this position.

Oddly, as she thought about the thief, she swore she saw movement at the far end of the church. Something in the shadows. She looked over in that direction but decided her imagination had played a trick on her.

When Ollie placed the ring upon her finger, she stared at the blue sparkles. The moment was surreal, as if she were floating in nothingness. Never in a million years would she have woken up this morning expecting to be married by the end of the day. To Ollie, of all people.

When Father Reilly emphasized the part about “in the eyes of God” to the couple, he gave them each a pointed look. Evelyn swallowed in response.

Finally, the priest announced they were now man and wife and directed Ollie to kiss his bride.

Both Evelyn and Ollie looked at each other, startled. How had they forgotten about this part!

Was he going to kiss her?

In front of people?

He was hesitating.

But she recalled when she’d kissed him. How wonderful it had felt.

Magical, almost. Fear was quickly replaced with anticipation.

They had both agreed there would be no intimacy.

But surely, she could allow herself to enjoy the kiss that would seal their marriage?

The only wedding kiss she would receive in her life?

Secretly eager for Ollie’s lips to meet hers, Evelyn closed her eyes. She had to steady her breath. Her heart galloped. And as she leaned just slightly forward, her lips tingling with anticipation…

Ollie gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Evelyn pulled back and her eyes flew open as her mouth dropped slightly. They’d gotten married and he’d pecked her on the cheek ?

Evelyn tore an unsure look to Father Reilly, whose stunned face mirrored her own. “That’s a new one,” was all he said.

Colm laughed loudly.

Tommy added, “They really have it all wrong about you, Ollie, don’t they?” And he joined in on the laughter.

But Ollie didn’t respond. In fact, he didn’t seem phased at all. He simply stared at her with a funny drunk-like expression.

Evelyn stepped back and began twisting the ring on her finger. It felt strange having it there. Again, she glanced at the shadows in the back but decided there was definitely nothing there.

The group surrounded the couple and congratulated them heartily. She responded in kind as she was now legally protected from being forced into another marriage. But she still had to inform her family, and face the repercussions from that.

There was a beacon of light through it all, though.

With this marriage salvaging her reputation, she might be able return to her position at the museum, and almost smelled the museum now, the paints and the canvases and her reference books. The boxes of fresh paintbrushes.

“Congratulations, lass.” Tommy Malone shook her hand hard. “I predict many years of happiness ahead of you.”

She forced a smile. “Thank you.”

Ollie placed a hand on her upper back and minutely ran his thumb up and down as they became surrounded.

These men from Ollie’s old street gang were loud and boisterous, talking rapidly over each other, jabbing Ollie and doling out marriage advice.

It was very loud, and Evelyn was starting to feel crowded.

Her nerves began to twitch, and her legs began to itch. Her breathing became erratic while Ollie’s thumb continued its gentle caress, but with a bit more pressure, as if he knew what was going on. Which couldn’t have been possible.

“Excuse me,” she choked out and she hurried away before anyone could respond. Once she’d pushed through the door and made contact with the outside again, however, the coiling tension began to ease. Accepting this, she sat on the steps and took a few deep breaths.

A moment later, the door opened again. Ollie burst through, his chest heaving with short, shallow breaths. Once he saw her there, though, he faltered a bit, rubbed a hand over his jaw, and sat beside her.

“Are you all right?” Ollie had been holding his head in his hands but resumed a normal but tense sitting position.

Evelyn swallowed. “Yes. I was feeling a bit crowded in there.” She knew what had caused him to panic. He’d thought she’d run away again. In truth, she had wanted to run but, this one time, she’d managed to force herself to stay.

Ollie looked her over, as if reassuring himself she was truly there, and then grinned. “So, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“About being married?”

Evelyn stared out over the graveyard and wondered about the people buried there. Their lives, their own weddings and marriages. “We should talk about that, actually.”

Ollie’s grin melted away and he cleared his throat. “Right. Of course.”

“I would like to return to work. In order to do that, I need to inform my family of what has occurred as soon as possible. And for me to return to work, we need to get the painting back, which we still need to do.” The thief had promised it, after all.

“Where are you going to go? After you decide it’s time to separate, I mean.” Ollie was still tense, which didn’t make sense. This whole situation would be over soon. He should have been happy.

“My family will be explosively upset for a time once they learn what I have done. But once we separate, I could probably return to them then if necessary. They can’t hate me forever.”

“Are you sure they’d let you back home?”