Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

Daniel glanced at Miranda. “No.”

“Are there any impediments to the marriage, Your Grace?”

“No,” Daniel answered. “And I will send my man of business around with sworn statements at a later date.”

The bishop nodded. “As I am empowered to represent His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, here and at his offices in Lambeth Palace and Doctor’s Commons, I’ve everything we need to make the application and issue the license.”

“Then climb aboard,” Daniel invited, clenching his teeth to keep from groaning at the jolt of pain that shot through him when the vehicle shifted beneath the clergyman’s weight.

Miranda smiled nervously and offered her hand to the bishop in greeting as he climbed inside the coach and settled on the opposite seat.

Ned moved to close the door behind the bishop, but the clergyman stopped him. “We’ll require two witnesses. I alerted my wife and the curate when your man rang the bell. They’re available,” he continued. “If you’ll go back to the house and tell them we require them.”

Ned looked to Miranda for direction.

She nodded.

“I’ll fetch them straightaway, miss.”

Her footman was as good as his word, and moments later he returned with Lady Manwaring and the curate, who joined them inside the vehicle.

Miranda sat between Daniel and the curate on one seat, while the bishop and Lady Manwaring occupied the other.

Lady Manwaring gave Bishop Manwaring plenty of room as the minister opened his prayer book and began to recite. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of these witnesses, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony …”

Daniel did his best to concentrate on the bishop’s words rather than the pain of his wound, his lightheadedness, and the blood steadily seeping through his bandage, shirt, and waistcoat. He wasn’t an overly religious man, but Daniel said a prayer of thanks that the lamps in the coach illuminated enough of the area around the bishop to allow him to read from his prayer book, but left sufficient shadows to conceal the fact that he was injured and bleeding and very intoxicated.

“Daniel, ninth Duke of Sussex, 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?”

Daniel didn’t answer, and after waiting longer than usual for the nervous bridegroom to answer, Bishop Manwaring took the liberty of prompting him. After all, a man didn’t roust a clergyman out of bed in the wee hours of the morning in order to perform a wedding unless the gentleman truly wanted to get married. “Your Grace, it’s time to answer. Wilt thou have this young woman to wife?”

He took his time, but Daniel finally answered in a voice that sounded strong and determined. “Yes.”

Miranda and the minister both breathed sighs of relief. He might not mean it. He might not want to marry—and Miranda knew in her heart that he didn’t—but he sounded as if he did. She forgave his momentary hesitation. She alone knew how deep into his cups Daniel was, and how weak, and why. She understood how hard it must be for him to ignore his pain and concentrate on what was happening.

Miranda looked over at him and recognized the firm resolve on his face. He meant it, she realized. He hadn’t wanted to marry, but he was willing to make her his duchess in order to shield her from the scandal he’d unwittingly brought to her door. And Miranda was grateful. She would have gladly endured any amount of scandal to protect Daniel, but she was relieved to know she wouldn’t have to. She knew he didn’t love her. She knew he didn’t want to marry her or anyone else. He’d told her so only a short time before he’d suddenly proposed that she marry him.

Miranda was under no illusion about Daniel’s feelings for her. She hoped Daniel might eventually fall in love with her, but she realized he might never learn to feel anything more than fondness and admiration for her. But he was giving himself to her before God and witnesses and offering her the opportunity to be a bride instead of a bridesmaid. Successful marriages had been built on much less.

Daniel didn’t love her, but he liked her. He didn’t trust easily, but he trusted her. And he believed she was a better choice for his duchess than any of the young beauties his mother had tried to foist upon him.

She was going to be his duchess, and he was going to be her husband. For as long as they lived. And, God willing, that would be a very long time. Time enough for Miranda to learn to be the kind of wife Daniel deserved.

“My lady …” The bishop looked at Daniel and waited for the duke to supply the name of his intended.

But Daniel hadn’t been to enough weddings to know what came next. Miranda, on the other hand, had served as a bridesmaid on more occasions than she cared to count. She’d attended so many weddings and had heard the marriage vows so often she could recite them by heart. She looked at Daniel as she gave the bishop her name. “Miranda, fifth Marquess of St. Germaine.”

Bishop Manwaring widened his eyes in surprise as he recognized the name and the title. “Lady Miranda, 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 …”

Miranda glanced at the bishop. “I can’t promise to obey him,” she admitted honestly. “But I promise I will try.”

The bishop struggled to keep from laughing. In all the years he’d been married, his wife had never given him the blind obedience she’d promised. And in all the years he’d been performing marriages, he had never had a single young woman admit to doubting her ability to obey her husband. But Bishop Manwaring supposed that was to be expected from a marchioness in her own right. He shook his head. At least His Grace knew what he was getting. “Fair enough. Now, where was I?”

“Wilt thou serve …” Miranda prompted.

“Ah, yes,” the reverend continued, “wilt thou 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,” Miranda answered solemnly.