Chapter Twenty-Two

Dermott scowled at his cousins. Just because they were married did not make them experts. He wished one of his older brothers—Patrick or Finn—were here. They were happily married and had always been the voices of reason. Though, truth be told, he did not always listen to reason.

"Stand still, for feck's sake," Sean grumbled, about to slip a fresh black cravat around Dermott's throat.

"Leave off, Sean!" Dermott evaded the cravat and his cousin. "Why do I need to wear the bloody thing? Ye know it feels like a noose around me neck!"

Sean's frown was fierce. "'Tis because ye owe it to the lovely lass who has agreed to marry ye to show up looking yer best. Though even if ye clean up and wear yer best, she's bound to figure out that ye're a pain in the arse most of the time."

"Aye," Michael agreed. "The rest of the time, ye're a pain in the bollocks!"

Garahan and Flaherty snorted, trying to hold in their laughter, but couldn't. Dermott stared at the men gathered around him. Cousins by blood, brothers in arms. He nodded to Sean and let him tie the cravat around his neck. "If ye must know, I'm worried the lass will change her mind."

While the others scoffed at the idea, Sean nodded. "I know well the worry and the feeling. I could not help worrying that Mignonette would change her mind, given me injury. I did not want her to feel obligated to marry me."

Dermott was surprised by the intensity in his eldest cousin's eyes. He hadn't ever known Sean to be worried about anything. "Did ye offer her a choice?"

"Aye, but despite the fact that I'd been severely injured and was likely to lose not only the use of me arm, but me arm entirely, she refused to go back on her word. Mignonette and our son Iain are me life, Dermott. Don't let yer pride have ye tossing away a chance at happiness with the woman who is meant for ye."

Unable to look away, or hold back the question burning inside of him, Dermott asked, "How do ye know she's the one?"

"I'd never felt the overwhelming need to protect a lass before, as if parting from her would be akin to taking a blade to me heart," Sean replied.

"Besides, 'twas plain to us the lass was meant for ye the moment we saw ye together," Michael said.

"How in the bloody hell did ye know that?" Dermott demanded.

"Sean and I recognized the determination in the set of yer jaw, and the possessive way ye held the lass," Michael told him.

"Never mind the fact that ye refused me help when I told ye to hand her to me so ye could dismount without dropping the poor lass on her head," Flaherty added. "But then ye just had to mention the one time ye had to carry me over yer shoulder in me face…after…" He grimaced. "Never mind the circumstances. 'Tis the fact that if ye had a third fist—since yer others were fully occupied holding the lass—ye'd have punched me in the gob with it for suggesting ye needed me help."

Dermott stared at his hands before lifting his gaze to the men surrounding him…his kith and kin. He may not have his brothers standing beside him, but he had his cousins: two O'Malleys, a Garahan, and a Flaherty. Ma would smack him in the back of the head for wishing for what was not there, instead of embracing the family with him. "Bugger it, but I'm an eedjit."

Sean chuckled. "Ye won't be getting an argument from me, boy-o."

"Nor me," Michael added.

"Well now, I have something to say," Flaherty said.

Garahan interrupted him. "Shut yer gob, Flaherty—we all know that ye wouldn't have been able to escape the wrath of the O'Leary brothers without Dermott here tossing ye over his shoulder and running like hell for his horse!"

Flaherty took a step closer to Garahan. "And I say 'tis bollocks!"

"Is this another family discussion?" Lippincott asked from the doorway.

Chattsworth moved to stand beside the earl. "Garahan, have you been refusing to share your flask again?"

The cousins shared a glance before dissolving into rumbling laughter, while Flaherty asked, "Faith, do ye not know Garahan well enough by now, yer lordship?"

The viscount smiled. "As a matter of fact, I believe I do."

The earl nodded. "He got the lot of you to smile and laugh as one."

"I stand corrected," Flaherty said.

The earl walked over to Dermott and asked, "Are you ready to marry Georgiana?"

Dermott tore his eyes away from his family and met the earl's steady gaze. "Aye, yer lordship. I promise to protect her with me life, while keeping me vow to His Grace and yer lordships to protect yerselves and yer families."

Lippincott nodded. "I never doubted that you would. Before we join the vicar in the downstairs sitting room, I need to ask you a question."

"Anything, yer lordship."

"Are you marrying Miss Eggerton solely to protect her?"

Chattsworth chose that moment to ask, "Do you have feelings for her?"

When Dermott did not answer immediately, the earl and the viscount shared a look. "She deserves to be loved," the earl told him.

"It's not too late for Lippincott or myself to ask the duke to assign someone else to guard her," Chattsworth reminded him. "You do not need to marry Georgiana to ensure she will be protected."

"I thought I made it clear when I told ye that I found her—" Dermott began.

As one, his cousins said, "He's keeping her!"

Dermott grinned. "Me cousins have the right of it and know me well. The lass stole me heart when she climbed atop that wall and jumped."

Lippincott smiled. "I believe you are ready to marry the lovely Miss Eggerton."

A sense of rightness filled Dermott as he replied, "That I am, yer lordship."

Finch stood in the doorway to the room at the end of the kitchen hallway. "Their ladyships beg your indulgence, and your attendance in the sitting room," he intoned.

"We'd best not keep them—or your bride—waiting, Dermott," Lippincott said.

"Lead on, Finch," Chattsworth told the butler before gesturing for the men to precede him. "Gentlemen?"

"Begging yer pardon, yer lordship," Garahan said. "Haven't we reminded ye numerous times that we aren't gentlemen?"

Dermott's cousins were smiling, still needling him, as they made their way to the main side of the house where the vicar was waiting. The group filed into the sitting room, and Dermott greeted the vicar. "Thank ye for coming under adverse circumstances."

"My pleasure, Dermott. The special license and circumstances are not the most unusual under which I have been asked to perform a marriage. Given the circumstances, I have absolutely no qualms, knowing His Grace and their lordships are standing in for Miss Eggerton's father." The vicar did not hesitate to add, "Lord Eggerton may have been tempted, or thought he had a good reason for placing that wager, but I believe he asked the Lord for forgiveness before he met the viscount at dawn. Rest assured, once you and Miss Eggerton exchange your vows, you will have the blessing of God and the church."

"Thank ye, vicar. But in order to ensure that no one can lay claim to me bride, we must seal our vows…tonight."

The vicar agreed, and the earl said, "We have the guest bedchamber ready and waiting for you at the end of the hallway," Lippincott told him. "You and Georgiana are to be our guests until your cottage is ready."

"I hate to impose on yer hospitality for that long, yer lordsh—Did ye say our cottage?"

The earl's smile widened. "Aye, Dermott. Chattsworth and I discussed it after you recued Miss Eggerton. Construction began shortly thereafter. We hoped to have it finished in time for your wedding, but plans changed. By the by, the duke heartily agreed with what we have offered to the men in his guard when they marry in the past, and he himself has done had a cottage built for your brother Patrick and Garahan's brother Aiden at Wyndmere Hall."

"Aye," Chattsworth agreed. "If Michael's wife changes her mind and no longer wishes to continue to work the tenant farm, I still plan to construct a cottage for them as I have for Garahan and his wife."

Michael sighed. "I have yet to win that particular argument with Harry, me lovely wife."

The men chuckled at the idea that one of them could not win an argument.

"The thatchers should be finishing the roof tomorrow," the earl added.

Dermott frowned. "How many men did ye take away from their farms to build the cottage?"

"I would think you would wish to know their names, so that you can personally thank them."

Dermott stared at the earl and then the viscount. "Aye, yer lordship, that I will. Ye have me eternal thanks. Whatever ye need, never hesitate to ask—"

Lippincott interrupted, "Your vow to my brother and our family has been sealed with your blood—and the other members of the guard—already. We could not ask for more, Dermott."

At the sound of feminine voices, the earl turned toward the door. "Ah, Aurelia. I see you and Calliope have brought the blushing bride."

The earl walked over to where the ladies stood and bowed to them. When Georgiana hesitated on the threshold, the earl offered his arm. "Miss Eggerton, allow me to escort you to your husband-to-be."

*

Georgiana could notfeel the top of her head. It felt as if it were floating above herself. Nerves tingling, heart racing, she thanked the earl and laid her hand on his forearm. Her gaze swept the room, riveting on the man who had saved her life and captured her heart. The moment Dermott's eyes met hers, she felt a sense of rightness smoothing over her nerves, soothing them, and slowing her heartbeat to a normal pace. This was the man she would spend the rest of her life with, promise to love—and she would cherish any babes the Lord blessed them with.

In her wildest dreams, she'd never thought to marry someone whose very presence awed her. He wasn't a pink of the ton, nor was he a Corinthian—he was one of the sixteen formidable, honorable men who formed the duke's guard. Men who laid their life on the line daily protecting the duke and his family. The men who had bled for the duke, his brother the earl, and their distant cousins the viscount and the baron. Each and every member of the duke's guard were warriors proficient in all manner of weapons, as well as their fists.

"…And do you, Georgiana Hyacinth, take this man to be your wedded husband?"

Had she missed a vital part of her wedding vows?

Dermott bent his head to whisper, "'Tis the part where ye agree to marry me, lass."

She locked on the emotions swirling in his gaze: worry, anticipation, hesitation, and—dare she hope it—love? "Yes… Yes, I do, and promise to love him forever."

Dermott slid his arm around her waist, tucking her firmly against his side. Having already given his pledge, he asked her, "Haven't ye forgotten something?"

Appalled that she had, she met the intensity of his gaze, marveling at the way it softened from somewhat harsh to tender. "Forgive me—what did I forget?"

"Yer promise not to be climbing on, or leaping off, any stone walls, lass."

The laughter from Dermott's cousins, who stood in a semicircle behind them, warmed her heart. Thinking to add a little levity of her own, she paused before adding, "I think that would depend on whether or not I were chasing after our son or daughter."

Dermott's eyes widened before turning a darker, deeper shade of green. Their lips were a breath apart when he replied, "Well now, seeing's how ye'd be saving them from falling on their heads, like their beautiful, feisty ma, I'm thinking yer idea has merit, lass."

The feel of his firm lips pressed to hers had her heart racing all over again. The nearness of him, the heat of him, the heady scent of him—a combination of sandalwood, fresh air, and a hint of horse—had her head spinning.

Before her brain righted itself, he swept her into his arms. "Thank ye for standing up for me, lads. This leaves yerself, Flaherty, as the only unmarried member of the duke's guard in Sussex. When ye finally come to yer senses and recognize what's been standing right in front of ye, following ye around, and mooning after ye for nigh on six months now, I'll stand up for ye."

Flaherty's mouth gaped open, then snapped shut. The set of his jaw and temper in his eyes showed a man who knew he had not been able to hide his feelings from his cousins.

From the way Mary Kate spoke of the auburn-haired guard, Georgiana knew it would only be a matter of time before Seamus and she realized they were meant for one another.

Dermott thanked the earl and countess, and the viscount and viscountess, and Georgiana asked, "Aren't you going to put me down so I can thank them properly?"

"I included yer thanks with me own." His broad grin had his cousins chuckling. "Ah, lass, I'll never let ye go." He nodded to the others and strode from the room.

"What about the wedding supper Mrs. Wyatt prepared?" Georgiana asked. "Isn't it impolite of us not to attend?"

Dermott was nearing the main staircase when he answered, "The earl and the viscount approved of me plans. Don't worry, lass. I'm thinking they'll raise a few toasts to us and enjoy the meal." His eyes dimmed for a moment, and he leaned close to whisper, "'Tis for yer protection, lass. There's one more duty to see to."

Her throat tightened at the word duty. Did he only see their joining as such? She knew to expect pain in the marriage bed, but had hoped the act would be something more than a task to fulfill.

As he strode down the hallway to the last bedchamber, she wondered if she had pledged her life to a man so duty bound that he was unable to comprehend that she needed his assurance it would be more than duty when she lay upon the bed and willingly gave herself to him. A cold chill slithered up her spine.

He paused outside the guest bedchamber. "Are ye cold, lass?"

Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, she shook her head.

Understanding shone in his eyes. "Ye have no reason to fear me, lass. I'll be gentle with ye."

Her heart clenched and her mind whirled, stumbling over unasked questions:

But will you… Do you… Could you possibly love me?