Page 34 of The Lady of the Lamps (Vows in Vauxhall Gardens #1)

T he wedding was a quiet, simple ceremony, conducted with only the minister and two witnesses (an elderly lady who arranged flowers for the church, and an altar boy).

It was a far cry from the wedding Beatrix had imagined, in the rare moments over the last few years that she had allowed herself to dream of a wedding.

Of course, she had always thought her father would be there.

And she had envisioned a new gown, a church filled with guests, flowers in her hair, a joy-filled wedding breakfast to follow.

No, it was not the wedding she had dreamed of—and yet it was the groom who had filled her dreams. No matter how they had got here, no matter what they still had to face, she was marrying the man she had always wanted.

And that was why she had a smile on her face as she stood in the gown she had been wearing for two days, with no witnesses that she knew, and promised to love, honor, and obey Spencer for the rest of her life.

They sealed the union with a brief kiss. It was nothing like the fiery one that had consumed them—or almost consumed them—the night before, nor the one that they had shared in her parlor. But it was the first of their married life, and her heart raced, nonetheless.

Finally she was a married woman.

She belonged to Spencer.

She would not have to wed Thomas, and endure a life with him.

Arm-in-arm with her new husband, she walked out of the church, blinking in the bright sunlight which had burnt through the clouds during their wedding ceremony.

She had entered the church as Lady Beatrix Chichester, and exited it as Lady Leighton, a marchioness.

And yet she felt the same as she had done before.

It felt rather anti-climactic to exit the church with no crowd cheering or throwing rice. She looked up at Spencer, wondering if she ought to voice such a feeling, and found him looking down on her, smiling, his cheeks somewhat red.

“Well. It is done,” she said.

“It is done. How do you feel, Lady Leighton?”

She laughed. “Like it will take me some time to get use to that name! And how do you feel, Lord Leighton?”

His eyes were open and honest, and he took her hand in his. “Like it will take me some time to get used to there being a Lady Leighton, too. But I am happy. Please do not doubt that.”

Her heart soared. Had they not been in the street, in broad daylight, she would have been tempted to stand on her tiptoes and press a kiss to his full lips.

Although her night’s sleep had been fitful, she did not feel tired.

Excitement thrummed through her veins, emanating from the point of contact where he held her hand.

“We should go and collect your belongings, and then we can go home,” he said.

Even though she did not wish to face Thomas, her heart glowed at the thought of home .

It had always been the house that she shared with her father in Mayfair, but Thomas had taken away any warm feelings she had towards the place.

Now she pictured Spencer’s home, their home, and she was excited to start the next phase of her life.

She would go into half-mourning, since she was sure Spencer would not wish to have a new wife still wearing black, and life would hopefully feel bright once more.

“Do you think Thomas will try to make an issue?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.

Spencer hesitated for a moment, his eyes glued to her mouth and slight smile playing on his own lips. “I am not sure. Possibly. But we are legally wed, and…”

He stopped abruptly and anxiety built in her stomach. “And what?”

“I do not like to speak of such things to you, especially in public.” He glanced around, making sure no one outside the little church was listening in to the conversation.

“But if we were to… ah …consummate the union, he could not cause any issues. There would be no argument for an annulment. No judge or minister in the land could tear us apart.”

Blood pooled in Beatrix’s cheeks at the suggestion, and yet she could not pull her eyes away from his. She swallowed. They were married, after all. And he was just suggesting having the wedding night a little earlier in the day.

And if it made them safer from any repercussions from Thomas…

She nodded, her mouth dry. “If you think that makes sense…”

“Let’s return home. We can enter fairly unseen, and decide…what course of action to take.”

The coach journey was not long, but Beatrix’s stomach churned the whole way.

This was it. Her wedding night—or wedding afternoon.

The moment when she and Spencer would become one.

She just wished she knew exactly what it entailed.

And yet she trusted Spencer, completely.

With her life. With her heart. With her body…

Just as he had said, they managed to enter the house unseen. Spencer led her through the servants’ entrance and up a winding set of stairs that seemed to go on forever—until they suddenly ended with a dark door, that opened to reveal a bedchamber.

Spencer’s bedchamber, unless she was much mistaken.

“You have a secret passage to your room?” she asked, because that was easier to talk about that what they were about to do.

Spencer laughed. “It was part of the house when my father purchased it—but I admit I have always liked it. I do like to slip out unnoticed sometimes. I miss the anonymity of being a second son. When you’re the marquess, everyone cares where you are, where you are going, and who you are seeing.”

Beatrix laughed, but it was hard for her to focus on the words he was saying.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked. “I keep a bottle of port up here—although only one glass, I’m afraid. Perhaps we can share…”

“Thank you,” she murmured. Perhaps some wine would calm her down a little.

“You don’t need to be nervous,” Spencer said, his hand brushing hers as he passed her the glass filled with ruby liquid. “We do not have to do anything, if you do not wish to. I know this marriage has rather come out of nowhere…”

“For us both,” Beatrix said with a nervous giggle.

Spencer smiled that heart-stopping smile that she had first fallen for. “Yes. But I did not mean to terrify you, when I mentioned ‘consummating’, I merely thought…”

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Beatrix blurted out, then covered her mouth in shock. “Forgive me. If you think it is the best plan, I am not opposed. I am simply…uneducated.”

He took the glass from her and set it to one side, then took her hands in his. “Then let me educate you.”