Prologue

"Are you quite sure about this?"

Stephen frowned as Lord Hampton looked back at him steadily, clearly entirely unconcerned about asking such a grave question just as Stephen was about to make his way into the church, ready to await his bride.

"You may glower at me as much as you wish," Lord Hampton continued when Stephen said nothing. "You know that I am concerned."

"There is no need for you to be." Stephen threw up his hands. "Goodness, I am about to be married and still you bring me a concern about the lady!"

Lord Hampton shrugged. "That is because I have never seen you in such a frame before."

"You mean that you have not seen me in love?" Stephen asked, his eyebrow arching. "There is nothing about that which should concern you! Just because you have not found yourself in such a state before does not mean that there is anything about it which ought to worry you."

"But does she love you?" Lord Hampton put up his hands and then let them fall to his sides. "Does she truly care for you? From what I have seen, Lady Violet has so much reserve about her, she does not show even the smallest bit of emotion."

Stephen chuckled and shook his head. "You do not understand her in the least. Yes, she is quiet and reserved but her heart is still very much open and alive. She cares for me – not only that, she loves me, I am sure of it!"

Lord Hampton immediately frowned. "You are sure of it? You mean that she has not said as much?"

"It does not matter!" Stephen exclaimed, refusing to answer the question and becoming frustrated with his friend. "Lady Violet and I shall be wed and my future with her is sure to be very happy indeed." He smiled as he thought of the young lady, recalling her sparkling green eyes and copper curls which he had, so often, longed to unpin and run his fingers through. The day he had been introduced to her, Stephen had found himself so caught by her presence, so dazzled by her beauty that he could not even think about speaking with anyone else. He had wanted to be in her company and in her company alone and that had lingered in his heart ever since. Courting her had come within the same week as their introduction and only a few weeks thereafter, engagement. The Earl of Craighall – Lady Violet's father – had been very eager indeed for them to marry and had given his blessing upon the marriage without delay, urging them to set a wedding date within the month. Stephen had been delighted with the urgency, for he had felt the very same and thus, the wedding date had come around very quickly indeed.

The only person who showed any sort of concern was Lord Hampton, telling him that this was a little too hasty and that he had to be sure of both his own and the lady's feelings – but Stephen had waved those concerns away.

Stephen sighed heavily, seeing his friend's concern still evident in his eyes. "Hampton, I know that you have been my friend for a very long time and I am also aware that your wariness comes from concern. However, there is nothing to worry about, I assure you!" Seeing his friend look away, Stephen let out another sigh. "When I confessed my feelings to Lady Violet, she not only thanked me for telling her of my heart but also assured me that I was not alone in them. There, now. Does that satisfy you?"

Lord Hampton scowled. "I do not need to be convinced, my friend. Regardless of what you say, I shall still think that you ought to be a little more careful and cautious when it comes to matrimony. It is not to say that I have anything against the lady – I certainly do not – though I am sure that her father is a little grasping. Why not tarry a little longer? Why not –"

"I am about to step out into the church to await the arrival of my bride," Stephen stated, interrupting his friend as his frustration grew and grew. "Why are you coming to speak with me about this now? Can you not see that there is nothing further which can be done? Even if I was to take your thoughts and consider them more deeply, what could I do at this present moment? What is it that I could say or do? I am not about to leave the lady standing alone at the altar while I go about thinking as to whether or not I ought to marry her!"

"Very well." Lord Hampton let out a heavy breath and then shook his head. "At least you will never be able to say that I did not offer you genuine concern."

"No, I will not," Stephen agreed, firmly. "Now, let us step into the church and –"

"Lord Kettridge?"

Stephen frowned, turning to see a young man stepping into the church foyer, dressed in livery which Stephen immediately identified as those belonging to Lord Craighall. "Yes?"

The young man bowed. "I have been charged to give this to you with the greatest urgency," he said, before handing a note to Stephen. "Do excuse me."

Stephen, his frown still heavy, looked down at the note in his hand, seeing the seal of Lord Craighall on the back of the note. His stomach twisted uncomfortably, his heart beginning to pound as he looked from it to Lord Hampton and then back again.

"Are you going to open it?" His friend stepped a little further back, giving Stephen the space to break the seal and unfold the note. "I am sure there is nothing to worry about."

Stephen cleared his throat and broke the seal, aware of just how dry his mouth was becoming. What possible reason could there be for his betrothed – or his betrothed's father – to send him a note on the day of the wedding? He was expecting his bride within the hour. What had happened that had required sending a note?

Licking his lips and aware that sweat had broken out across his forehead, Stephen took a breath and then, after another moment, began to read.

‘ I deeply regret that I cannot come to the church today to marry you. I will return to my father's estate and have it made known that our engagement is ended. Forgive me. Violet.'

It felt as though someone had grasped his heart, squeezed it painfully and then ripped it with force from his chest. Stephen could not breathe, staring at the words as though somehow, if he looked at them long enough, they would change to say something different. He did not know what to do, his breathing growing ragged as he fought to make sense of it all.

"Sit, my friend."

A hand came to his arm, leading him backwards and encouraging him to sink down heavily into a chair.

"What has happened?" Lord Hampton's voice seemed to come from very far away though, eventually, Stephen turned his head to look and saw his friend frowning hard, his eyes heavy.

"She is not coming." Stephen handed Lord Hampton the note, barely aware of just how much he was trembling. "She is not coming to marry me. I will not have a wife this day."

Lord Hampton said nothing for a few minutes, reading the note and then, clicking his tongue, shook his head and sighed. "There is no reason as to why she should do this."

"There is nothing given, at least," Stephen replied, his voice rasping as his throat began to ache. "Why would she turn from me? Why would she end our engagement when she herself confessed to me how much she longed to be my bride?" He could still remember her speaking to him as though it had only been yesterday, feeling the way her hands had pressed his as he had smiled down into her eyes. She had told him that she was eagerly anticipating their wedding day and he had believed every word.

His stomach twisted painfully as his heart ripped asunder.

I have been a fool.

"You should go home." Lord Hampton put one hand on Stephen's shoulder. "I will tell the guests that something unexpected has taken place and there will be no wedding today."

"There will be no wedding at all," Stephen muttered, passing one hand over his eyes as he fought to keep his emotions intact, knowing he could not permit himself to break into pieces in front of his friend. "It is not as though this is something which can be resolved. We are not about to set another date for the wedding. She has ended our engagement and –"

"Hush, my friend else all of the congregation will hear you." Lord Hampton hunkered down, looking up into Stephen's face, his gaze steady. "This must be dealt with as carefully as possible, else the ton will run wild with their whispers and rumours."

Stephen pushed himself to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. "I do not care what the ton think. Let them speak of me. Let them say what they will."

"That is foolish," Lord Hampton replied, firmly. "You will be affected by what is said of you and –"

"And why should that matter to me?" Stephen demanded, throwing up his hands, his voice echoing around the vestibule. "My heart has been broken into tiny pieces and without any sort of explanation! This day, this wonderful, joyous day is now taken from me and instead of light, I have darkness. Instead of sunshine, I have shadow. My life, as I have known it, is now changed forever and in that, I cannot give a single ounce of energy or thought into caring about what society will say of all of this. Do you understand?"

"Enough." With a firmness which caught Stephen off-guard, Lord Hampton strode towards him, grasped his arm and began to lead him to the door which led outside. "You may not care what society will say but I certainly do – and I believe that you shall find yourself considerate of it all when you are not as troubled and as distressed as you are at present. Now, if I have to drag you to your carriage and throw you into it, then I shall do that but please , if you have any consideration not only for yourself but also for your family name – which also includes your sister, might I add – then you will return home without delay."

Stephen blinked, recalling with a sudden sharpness that his sister, Caroline, was sitting inside the church, waiting expectantly. "Caroline."

"I will take her back to you," his friend promised, the warm summer air doing nothing to lift Stephen's spirits. "Here is the carriage. Climb in, return home and leave me to deal with the rest of this matter. I assure you, I will do it with great care so that the whispers and rumours are kept to a minimum… if not only for your sake but also for Caroline's."

Without being fully aware of what he was doing, such was his shock, Stephen found himself climbing into the carriage and sitting down within it, looking back down into his friend's face and seeing Lord Hampton frown. "I thank you, Hampton."

"There is nothing to thank me for as yet," came the reply. "Now go. I will speak with you later, when I return Caroline to you. And Kettridge?"

Stephen looked back at him.

"I am truly sorry for what has happened," his friend said, heavily. "I cannot imagine how devastating this is for you."

Stephen closed his eyes, his chest still tight, his heart still painful. He tried to find something to say but nothing came to him. Instead, he merely nodded, pulled the door closed and leaned his head back against the squabs.

There was nothing left for him now. Nothing but pain, brokenness and sorrow, and Stephen embraced them all.