Chapter 24

The Wedding Day

Sheffield Estate, Sheffield

Three Weeks Later

The Duke, torn between his duty and his personal feelings, watched the coaches arrive from the upper window of the west wing of the house. He remained still as the coaches came to a stop and the doors were opened.

As master of the estate, he knew he should be down there to greet the guests, but he had used the excuse of the wedding to be absent, a decision that now weighed heavily on his heart.

Instead, he was in Michael's parlor, making sure everything was perfect—the brothers were enjoying a glass of the finest cognac together. Nicholas had been saving the bottle especially for his little brother's wedding day.

Of course, there was another reason he did not want to greet the guests. The day was all about Margaret, and he did not want to cause any upset by greeting Last Bridget. He knew he had hurt her a lot with his parting words, and while he would talk to her at some point, he did not want to start the wedding day with sadness.

"They have arrived," Nicholas announced to his brother.

"The day is finally here!" Michael shouted.

Nicholas could not be entirely sad when his brother was in such good spirits. He walked over to Michael, glass in hand, and clinked his against his brother's. They both took a drink.

"Stand up!" Nicholas ordered. "I wish to see how you have grown."

Michael stood up and laughed. "I will always be your little brother, but I am not so little anymore."

Nicholas clapped his brother on the back. "You have grown into a fine young man. We are all very proud of you. Soon, you will start a family, and you will bring much joy and happiness to our family."

"How about you, Nicholas? Are you happy?"

Nicholas took a drink before he answered. "Of course! It is your wedding day, and nothing can ruin this day. I could not be happier for you."

"Yes, but are you happy, Brother? I have not seen a lot of you in the past few weeks, and you always throw yourself into your work when something is afoot. I know it is my wedding day, but you are free to share your problems with me."

"There are always problems when you are a duke," Nicholas assured his brother. "I have no more problems than usual. Now, your attire is ready to be put on later, and you are still to bathe before the ceremony, so it is the perfect time to have a cigar with our cognacs."

"She is the most beautiful woman in the world," Michael said wistfully.

Nicholas's mind initially went to Bridget before he realized who his brother was talking about. "She is, but you are not so bad yourself. The two of you are a match made in heaven."

A knock sounded at the door, and Nicholas went to answer it. His heart was in his mouth, fearing that Bridget had come to talk to him before the ceremony.

It was not Bridget but his mother.

"I wanted to check how the two of you were doing. You are not getting drunk, are you?" Rebecca asked.

"One glass of cognac before the ceremony and then plenty after," Nicholas said. "Don't worry, I will look after him. He doesn't need any alcohol to buoy his spirits."

"Not when I am about to marry the most beautiful woman in the world," Michael called.

Rebecca smiled. "I greeted both sisters when they arrived. Lady Bridget is looking well."

Nicholas felt his stomach churn. He pushed his way out and closed the door so Michael would not hear them.

"I am sure she is, but that is no concern of mine," he replied.

"Oh, come on." Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I have seen how you have been since you left their estate. I don't know what happened with you and Lady Bridget out there, but you have not been the same since you returned to our estate, and I have not seen this deep a sadness in you since your father passed."

"I am not in a deep sadness, Mother," Nicholas claimed.

"She looked for you when she arrived," Rebecca continued. "She looked up the stairs and around the hallways, as if she were exploring the place for the first time, but I could tell she was looking for you, Nicholas. She is longing for you."

"She is not longing for me," Nicholas insisted. "And I am not sad because of her. You have it all wrong."

"Then why are you acting this way?" she asked.

"I am not acting in any way," the Duke said. "There is a lot to be dealt with, but for the moment, I am focused on the wedding."

"You must also focus on yourself, Nicholas. Today is your brother's wedding day, but there is still time for you."

"To be married?" Nicholas scoffed. "There is time, but no need. I shall not marry, Mother, and you know that."

"Yes, yes, because you worry about getting too close to people. When will you grow up and realize you are nothing like your father?"

Nicholas's mouth hung open a little, and his brow furrowed. He had never had a conversation with his mother about why he never wanted to marry, but she had plucked the reason from his mind as if plucking a ripe plum off a tree.

"I know that," Nicholas said. "I will never be like him."

"You have tried so hard not to be like him that you believe you must be alone forever. Nicholas, you are a great man, but you can be so frustrating at times. Everyone else was so busy with the wedding preparations, but I saw how you and Lady Bridget were with each other. For goodness sake, she snuck out to visit with you at night when she thought no one was watching. If that does not indicate her intentions, then nothing will."

Nicholas smiled at the memory and the fact that his mother knew.

"I know her intentions, Mother, but that is not what this is about."

"It is about your fear of what might happen, of not being strong enough, of hurting people, of taking risks. Well, life is a risk. Will you make mistakes? Yes, you will. I know I have. Yet, you can't let it hold you back from living. I knew some things about your father before I wed him, but I would do it all over again to have you and your brother in my life. The two of you are the greatest gift a woman could ever ask for. Stop being so foolish and pigheaded and take what you want from life."

Nicholas didn't have a chance to respond when a footman ran up the stairs, almost out of breath.

"There is a problem in the chapel," the footman panted. "A message just came through that someone is trying to break into the chapel, and they fear he will become violent."

The door to the room flew open. "What is going on?" Michael demanded.

"Don't worry about it," Nicholas interjected. "Get ready for the wedding, and I shall go down there and see what the problem is." He turned to the footman. "Oscar, go and fetch Arnold. No, William—he is much taller—and ready three horses for us. I shall be down in a moment. No one will ruin this day."