“Sometimes, Grandmother, I get the distinct feeling that you do not like me very much,” Silas quipped, wholly unimpressed by her words.
“You say that like you expect me to refute that. After today, you will not be the only one I have to dote on. I’ll have a lovely granddaughter-in-law, and she is less frustrating than you are,” she replied in the same dry tone he had used.
“Oh, what a shame. However will I go on living?”
She rolled her eyes and beckoned him closer, straightening his tie a bit.
“How do you feel?”
“… a little less likely to vomit,” he admitted.
“That’s my boy,” she nodded and then offered him a kind, motherly smile. “I am really proud of you. I don’t think I tell you enough, but you grew up wonderfully. Thank you for being the embodiment of all the love my Nicholas had to give. I am very sure he is just as pleased with who you are as I am.”
Silas felt his eyes sting for a moment and leaned forward to embrace the woman, holding her tightly for a moment.
“Thank you, Grandmother. For everything.”
She patted his back gently, smiling fondly. “You are quite welcome, my love. Always.”
They separated just as someone knocked on the door. Elliot went forward to open it, stepping aside so the valet could come in.
“Your Graces, it’s time.”
Alexandra faced her grandson and questioned, “are you ready?”
“Not quite.”
“Good. It’s more thrilling that way. Neither I nor your grandfather felt truly ready on our wedding day. But we let love lead, and it ended up giving us the most wonderful day. Yours will be no less.”
Silas straightened himself and lifted his chin, reminding himself that he had longed for this and that his betrothed loved him just as much as he loved her. And so, he took one last deep breath, prayed that his grandfather would watch over him – lest he make a fool of himself – and stepped forward.
“I’m ready.”
The staff had outdone themselves with the decorations.
The wedding was being held on his property, with chairs on the grass in two different rows, between which a deep red carpet had been placed, leading to the gazebo, which was to serve as the altar. Silver, white and gray vases contained beautiful flowers and were placed around the area, matching the ribbons on the chairs and the banners used to decorate the gazebo.
The only guests that were to attend the wedding were the staff members, along with the family of the bride and groom, and just seeing all the familiar faces he had either grown up with or lived around for quite a while made Silas feel relieved.
His grandmother sat right in front, with Simon on her left, both of them smiling encouragingly at him. A quartet had been hired to play, and when the violinist began, Silas thought he felt the world tilt for a slight moment. His emotions felt confused, as though his mind and body felt two different things: anticipation and nervousness, and the clash was breaking him down.
Then he spotted a flash of white and shifted his focus to it, his jaw-dropping at the sight of his bride walking towards him. Agnes was escorted by her godmother, stepping delicately as she approached him, looking absolutely heaven-sent in her wedding dress, the veil being carried by her lady’s maid and the cook’s daughter. In her hands were a bouquet of pink roses tied together by a white ribbon.
All of Silas’ doubts and concerns melted into nothing, leaving behind the hum of his beating heart.
Agnes’ godmother brought her to stand by Silas, kissing her cheek and winking at her groom before she made her way to sit on the Dowager Duchess’ other side, the both of them smiling happily at each other. Silas continued to stare at Agnes, and she giggled, leaning forward to whisper,
“You look very handsome too.”
“I can barely hold a light to you, my love,” he confessed as the music faded and the vicar stepped forward.
She gave him one last smile before they both shifted their focus to the man. He began the ceremony by reading from the Book of Common Prayers, officially starting their marriage rites. If Silas was asked, he would truthfully admit that he lost most of the words being recited, too focused on how breathtaking his wife was.
She seemed to bloom beneath his gaze, looking even more beautiful with every passing minute, her eyes conveying just how much she loved him.
“… thirdly, it was ordained for the mutual society, help and comfort, that the one ought to have the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons present came now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can show any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak now, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.”
No one responded or moved, and the vicar carried on, soon coming to the vows, and before Silas knew what was happening, he had been handed the ring to put on the fourth finger of his bride’s left hand. With his heart in his throat, he held onto the ring and echoed the words the vicar spoke to him.