Page 43 of Convincing Marianne (The Widows of Lavender Cottage #2)
"Henry," she said quietly, "would you be terribly disappointed if I said I wanted a simple ceremony with just our closest friends? Something focused on our commitment rather than social expectations?"
"I would be delighted," Henry replied with obvious relief. "Though I should mention that 'our closest friends' will necessarily include your menagerie. I hope Reverend Dunley is prepared for a wedding party that includes peacocks."
"Oh," Charlotte said with sudden excitement, "we could have the ceremony at Lavender Cottage! In the garden, with all the animals as witnesses. How perfectly fitting for your particular love story."
"A garden wedding in December?" Margaret asked with practical concern.
"With proper arrangements for weather," Henry said, already beginning to plan, "it could be quite beautiful. Evergreen decorations, warming fires, perhaps a tent for backup in case of rain..."
"It sounds perfect," Marianne said, her voice full of certainty. "Intimate, meaningful, and thoroughly ours."
"So we're planning a wedding," Henry said, reaching for her hand with the sort of natural gesture that suggested he was already becoming accustomed to the privilege of touching her whenever he wished.
"We're planning a wedding," Marianne confirmed, feeling a thrill of anticipation at the prospect.
"Excellent," Lady Joanna said with obvious satisfaction. "The Somerset Widows officially volunteer our services for any assistance you might need with arrangements."
"All of our services," Victoria clarified. "Margaret can handle logistics, Caroline can coordinate with the church, Charlotte can manage the dramatic elements..."
"And I," Lady Joanna said with a smile, "can ensure that everything proceeds smoothly while you two focus on the important business of learning to be engaged."
"Learning to be engaged?" Henry asked with amusement.
"Learning to plan a life together, make decisions as partners, and generally discover what it feels like to build something collaborative rather than individual," Lady Joanna explained. "It's excellent practice for marriage."
As the conversation turned to specific wedding planning details—guest lists, catering, decorations, logistics—Marianne found herself marveling at how naturally she and Henry fell into collaborative decision-making.
He deferred to her preferences about flowers and music while she appreciated his practical thinking about weather contingencies and guest accommodation.
"You know," she said during a lull in the planning discussion, "I think we're going to be quite good at this marriage business."
"I think so too," Henry agreed, lifting their joined hands to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "Though I reserve the right to panic occasionally about whether I deserve to be this happy."
"Panic all you want," Marianne replied with a laugh. "I'll be here to remind you that love isn't something you earn through perfect behavior—it's something you build through honest partnership."
"Speaking of honest partnership," Margaret interjected with obvious amusement, "you might want to discuss living arrangements. Will Lord Alton be moving to Lavender Cottage, or will Lady Marianne be relocating to his estate?"
"Oh," Marianne said, suddenly realizing they hadn't considered this practical question. "I suppose we haven't discussed..."
"I've been thinking about that," Henry said. "What if we kept both residences? Lavender Cottage could be our primary home—it already suits your household perfectly—and my estate could serve for entertaining and estate business."
"You'd be willing to live at the cottage? With all the chaos and animal disruptions?"
"I'd be delighted to live at the cottage," Henry confirmed. "Though I reserve the right to occasionally escape to my own estate when Clarence becomes particularly dramatic."
"Clarence will probably follow you," Marianne warned with a grin.
"Then I'll learn to appreciate dramatic peacocks as part of my daily routine."
As the afternoon progressed and wedding plans took increasingly concrete shape, Marianne realized that this was exactly what she'd hoped marriage could be: two people building something together that honored both their individual natures and their shared dreams.
"I believe," Lady Joanna said as the planning session began to wind down, "that we can officially declare yesterday's festival a complete success. Not only did we fund the foundling orphanage, but we facilitated the perfect romantic resolution."
"Perfect romantic resolution?" Henry asked with amusement.
"Two people who were clearly meant for each other finally admitting it publicly and dramatically, followed by immediate engagement and winter wedding planning," Victoria summarized. "If that's not a perfect romantic resolution, I don't know what is."
"It is rather like something from a novel," Caroline agreed. "Though with considerably more agricultural expertise and festival logistics than most romantic stories include."
"The agricultural expertise and festival logistics are what made it authentic," Margaret pointed out. "Anyone can fall in love during a ballroom dance. It takes real compatibility to fall in love while coordinating vendor schedules and managing donation security."
As Henry prepared to escort Marianne back to Lavender Cottage for an evening of private conversation and detailed wedding planning, Lady Joanna raised her teacup in an impromptu toast.
"To the Somerset Festival for Foundling Care," she said with obvious emotion, "which exceeded every expectation and created exactly the sort of community we hoped to build."
"To the foundling orphanage," Margaret added, "which will change lives for generations to come."
"To partnerships that make both people stronger," Caroline contributed.
"To love that's brave enough to risk everything," Victoria said with a meaningful glance at Henry and Marianne.
"And to the Somerset Widows," Marianne said, raising her own cup, "who taught me that chosen family can be just as powerful as blood relations, and that women supporting women can accomplish anything they set their minds to."
"To new beginnings," Henry said quietly, "and to the understanding that the best adventures require exactly the right partner."
As they drank their toast and prepared to part ways, Marianne realized that yesterday's festival had been about much more than charitable fundraising.
It had been about proving that communities could come together around shared values, that individuals could accomplish extraordinary things when they supported each other's dreams, and that love—real love—was worth any amount of risk when it was finally ready to be claimed.
The foundling orphanage would be built, providing hope for children who needed it most. Her marriage to Henry would begin in just four weeks, launching a partnership she was confident would last a lifetime.
And the Somerset Widows would continue their quiet work of building community, supporting independence, and proving that women who refused to be limited by social expectations could change the world one meaningful project at a time.
It was, Marianne thought as Henry helped her into his carriage for the short ride back to Lavender Cottage, exactly the sort of triumph that made all the earlier struggles worthwhile.