“No,” she whispered, feeling fear creep into the bliss she’d felt the entire day thus far. “Not here. Not today.”
She felt Algernon’s lips press against her temple, her cheek, and then to her ear.
“I will take care of this,” his deep voice murmured. “Go to Henry. Now.”
He pressed another kiss to her temple then moved, his large frame making their small crowd of guests part like the red sea for him. Beatrice moved to Henry’s side, but she kept her eyes locked on Algernon’s back.
“Beatrice, darling, what is it?” Henry asked when she took hold of his sleeve. “Goodness you’ve gone utterly pale!”
Deborah paused her story, and she and the others turned to Beatrice with a concerned look.
“They are here,” Beatrice said softly.
“Who is here?” Deborah asked.
“My par- ahem. The man that sold me. He is here with his wife and stepdaughter,” Beatrice rasped out.
At once, Henry’s arm bounded around her shoulders, pulling her close as her other friends whirled around, making a protective wall around Beatrice as they looked to where Algernon now was. They all knew the truth now. Deborah had, of course, known from the beginning, but after she had returned to the Fitzroy estate, Beatrice had confessed her secret to the others as well. It was not something she wanted to necessarily shout from the rooftops, but she wanted her friends to know exactly who she was. Mrs. Sheer, Alice, and Mira had listened without judgment, and when she was finished, they all hugged her and told her that she was not only a true lady but a true friend for sharing her story.
“The gall,” Mrs. Sheer huffed, casting a disgusted look at the three interlopers. “Worry not, my dear, His Grace will make quick work of it.”
Beatrice nodded, but as she continued to watch Simeon argue with Algernon, she felt herself taking a step forward. Then another. Then another.
“Beatrice,” Henry whispered loudly as she left the protective circle, “what are you doing?”
Beatrice waved him off, feeling pulled by some great invisible force to the three people who had made her life awful for so many years. Her posture changed with every step she took. Her back straightened. Her chin tilted up. Her shoulders drewback. She walked with grace and authority through the crowd of wedding guests, feeling regal in her white gown, long diamond earrings, and the simple but beautiful silver and diamond tiara Henry had gifted her for the wedding.
She stopped by Algernon’s side as he was mid-sentence into his tirade, and she slipped her hand into his.
Algernon’s words ceased immediately, and he all but snapped his neck in his quickness to look down at her. However, it was not her husband’s look of surprise she stayed focus on. It was that of Simeons, Elspeth’s, and Verity’s.
They looked at her wide-eyed and terrified, as if she were someone they buried long ago and were surprised to see alive. In a way, she supposed they had.
“It is time for you to take your leave,” she said calmly, feeling a strength rise in her she’d never felt before.
At her hand, she felt Algernon’s grip tighten, but he let her speak.
“You are my daughter—” Simeon began to say.
“No,” she cut him off. “You made that very clear long ago. Therefore, you have no claim on me, my husband, or his fortune. I am nothing to you, remember? Is that not what you told me so very many times?”
Elspeth opened her mouth to speak, but with the single shake of Beatrice’s head, she shut it again.
“The only claim you have now is to your sins,” Beatrice stated. “Nothing else.”
“Beatrice, I sold you because we were in trouble. We needed the money; you were all I had to?—”
“I do not care for the reason why you did what you did,” Beatrice cut Simeon off again. “There is no excuse you can offer to make this right.”
She lifted her head, finding one of the guards, and waved at him. At once, he and another moved toward them.
“Take them out,” she ordered. “Quietly. I refuse to have my wedding day ruined by such monsters.”
Simeon’s wide gaze turned livid as a guard grabbed his arm. He pulled it away, as if ready to make a scene, and then, as if only then realizing they were not alone, looked around the crowd. Most were being polite, keeping their heads down and pretending not to see or hear what was going on. Others, though, were looking at the five of them with open curiosity.
“My husband has already given our wedding toast,” Beatrice said with a smirk. “However, if you would like him to make another announcement? Perhaps about he and I met…?”
Simeon’s lips drew back into a sneer, but he shook his head.