Chapter Five

F elix used his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he recalled the glare Elizabeth sent him when she caught him watching her from the window. This wedding was going to be more difficult than he'd expected. She was still angry with him.

He sat in the chair and fought the urge to remove his cravat so he'd have an easier time breathing. The windows were open. So why wasn't the breeze cooling things down in this room?

"I just love weddings," Lydia was telling her friends who stood nearby. "Decorating this drawing room with so many flowers makes it so pretty. I hope Elizabeth will like it."

"You did do a lovely job with this room," Carol replied. "I'm surprised you added the doves, though."

Rachel, Carol, and Lydia turned their gazes to the other side of the room where Guy was holding a cage that held two doves. The vicar, Oscar, Rachel's husband, and Carol's husband were standing near him. The vicar was the one talking while the gentlemen listened. Felix's gaze went to the doves in the cage. Guy had said they would bring good luck. As silly as it was, Felix was glad they were here. Right now, he needed every advantage that he could get.

He caught a flicker of movement from Oscar. Eyebrows furrowed, he studied his brother. Oscar bit into a piece of bread he'd managed to sneak into the room without Felix realizing it. Felix grimaced. Why couldn't his brother wait for one hour to eat? Was an hour really that long to wait? A crumb fell from Oscar's sleeve and landed in the cage. One of the doves snatched it up before the other one could get it. The dove pecked at the first dove to let it know it wasn't happy that it didn't have a chance to eat. Guy noticed the disturbance and did his best to soothe the birds.

Rachel giggled and whispered to her friends, "So much for luck. Those birds are fighting each other."

Felix felt sick to his stomach. This wedding was going to be a disaster. He just knew it.

"The Duke of Ivandore and Elizabeth are here," the butler announced.

Swallowing the bile that threatened to rise up in his throat, Felix rose to his feet. He knew he should go over to Elizabeth, but his feet wouldn't move. How did a gentleman approach a lady whose reputation he had destroyed?

The Duke of Ivandore cupped his hand under her elbow and brought her over to him. "It's a beautiful morning, Felix. An ideal day for a wedding, one would say."

Felix dared a glance at Elizabeth and saw her glower at him. He quickly averted his gaze back to her cousin. Oh, how he'd like some brandy to calm his nerves. Slipping the handkerchief into his pocket, he nodded. "It is a nice morning." Since he didn't know what else to say, he added, "Let me introduce you to my family and friends."

As he made the introductions, he tried not to notice the way his voice shook. He was sure the others noticed. He caught the sympathetic expressions on Lydia's, Rachel's, and Carol's faces. Oscar stopped nibbling on his bread to watch him in shock since he wasn't used to his older brother being so timid. The other gentlemen's eyebrows furrowed in concern, as if they worried he might collapse. The vicar even went over to him in an attempt to offer moral support. Felix supposed since the vicar was a man of God, he would naturally come over to catch him if he fainted. But, fortunately, Felix managed through the introductions without losing consciousness.

"I do believe that good can come from anything," the vicar began. "There are no coincidences. We are all placed here in this time to fulfill God's purpose. This marriage might seem like it won't go well, but with God, all things are possible. All you need to do is take a leap of faith. Start by choosing to be kind to one another. You do that, and God will work wonders."

Perhaps he chose to say that for Felix's benefit. Or maybe he said it for Elizabeth's. Either way, Felix realized the vicar was trying to ease the tension in the room. Undoubtedly, he'd heard the rumors. He knew why this marriage was being performed. Since he represented God to the world, he probably felt it was his responsibility to help them through this ordeal.

"Is there anything we need to do before we begin the ceremony?" the vicar asked.

"Yes," Guy spoke up. "It would be good luck if the bride and groom held a dove."

Felix didn't dare look at Elizabeth. He was certain she wouldn't like this. After all, what other couples held birds during a wedding ceremony?

"I see no harm in holding the doves," the vicar agreed. "Doves are symbolic of the Holy Spirit that rested on our Lord Jesus when He was baptized. Being a religious man myself, I think it's a nice way to start the marriage."

Still not making eye contact with Elizabeth, Felix held his hands out. Guy put one dove in Felix's hands and put the other one in Elizabeth's hands.

"What happens if they start flying around the room?" Carol's husband asked.

"They won't as long as we don't do anything to startle them," Guy replied. "Birds are calm when we allow them to be in peace."

The room grew quiet. The dove in Felix's hands sat down and cooed. Felix took a tentative glance at Elizabeth's hands and saw that her dove did the same thing. Well, at least they weren't fighting anymore.

The vicar grinned. "I take this as the Lord personally blessing the marriage." Then he began the ceremony.

Felix resisted the urge to groan. The Lord wasn't blessing the marriage. These doves were only calm because they had probably forgotten the piece of bread.

As the vicar droned on and on, the bird in his hands began to grow impatient. He heard a series of coos coming from the bird Elizabeth held, so he looked at it. It was actively squirming in her hands. At one point, she had to cup her hands closer together to stop it from flying away.

The vicar, who had tried to ignore the doves, stopped talking and told Guy, "Perhaps it would be best to put the birds back in the cage."

"You can't do that," Guy argued. "We have to wait for the birds to poop in their hands."

Elizabeth gasped and shoved the bird at Guy.

Guy jerked back and dropped the cage.

She released the bird, and it flew across the room. Everyone ducked and cried out as it nearly brushed the tops of a couple of heads. Once Felix got his bearings, he hurried over to the cage and put his bird into it. He barely shut the door of the cage when Elizabeth's dove perched on top of a vase that was on the fireplace mantle. After a moment, the entire room grew quiet.

"If no one scares it, I can get it," Oscar whispered.

"I don't think that thing is as scared as we are," Rachel whispered back.

"What is there to be scared of?" Oscar replied in surprise. "Every one of us is a lot bigger than that bird."

"That bird has claws and a sharp beak," Rachel pointed out.

"It's small and harmless." Not the least bit disturbed, Oscar approached the fireplace, his steps slow and purposeful.

"You are a disgusting human being," Elizabeth hissed at Guy as Oscar cupped the dove in his hands. "Why would you want a bird to poop on me?"

Guy's face paled as she glared at him. "If a bird poops on you, it's good luck. It's extending a blessing to you."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," she retorted then removed the gloves from her hands. "Throw these out," she told the butler who stood by the doorway.

Felix hadn't heard the butler enter the room. He supposed the butler would come when he heard the commotion. He secretly agreed that trying to get a bird to poop on a person was disgusting, though he did accept the bird, so he should have realized they had risked getting pooped on. He set the cage gently down on the floor then wiped his hands with his handkerchief. If the cloth wasn't already damp, his hands might have felt cleaner.

Oscar put the dove into the cage. "I think we've had enough of birds for a while, Guy. I'll have the butler take this to your carriage."

"I can't keep them," Guy said. "We're supposed to release the birds outside after the wedding is done. It's for good—" He stopped as soon as he realized everyone but Lydia was looking at him in a way that demanded he take the birds back home. He rolled his eyes. "Very well. I'll take them, but if this marriage turns out poorly, you can't blame me for it."

"A bird has nothing to do with the success of a marriage," Felix replied. He had already doomed this marriage when he spread those rumors about Elizabeth jumping into bed with a lot of gentlemen. Nothing was going to save it. "Vicar, let's finish this before things get worse." He wasn't sure how much worse things could get, but he was certain they could.