Chapter Twenty-Three

B yron escorted Mirella and her mother outside to his waiting carriage. Aunt Matty had left half an hour earlier with George and his nanny. James had sent the ducal carriage with a request that his aunt bring his son and nursery governess to Neptune Shipping early.

As he handed them up, Lady Effie rushed across the square.

“Might I ride with you, my lord?” she asked.

“Of course, my lady. It is nice to see you again.”

She flung her arms about him. “Oh, I am so happy that you and Mirella are going to wed!”

Grinning, he hoped he would be the recipient of many of Lady Effie’s enthusiastic hugs over the years.

“Not as happy as I am,” he told her. “Your sister has changed my life for the better.”

He assisted Lady Effie into the carriage and then joined the others, sitting next to his betrothed. Byron took her hand, not worried about hiding his affection for her now since these Strongs were an affectionate lot.

“Were you dancing when Lord Bridgewater asked you to marry him?” Lady Effie asked her sister. “Or strolling on a terrace at midnight?”

“When did you become such a romantic?” asked Mirella. “I do not recall you asking the others about details regarding their engagements.”

Lady Effie grinned. “I just wanted to see what you would say in front of Mama. I know you had to have kissed Lord Bridgewater, Mirella. More than once. Georgie has told me that kissing is important. So has Lyric.”

His intended’s face went red, and everyone laughed.

“Kissing is quite important, Effie,” Mrs. Andrews told her youngest daughter. “If you have any questions about it, you can ask me.”

The young lady looked taken aback. “Oh, no, Mama. I would never ask you. That is something that sisters share between themselves. Besides, other than kissing? I do not think you have much to tell me at all. After being around animals so much, I understand how they mate and give birth. You should have seen the mare foaling her little one yesterday.”

“No details are required, Effie,” Mrs. Andrews said crisply. “I am certain neither Mirella nor Lord Bridgewater wish to hear about it.”

“Well, giving birth is a true miracle,” Lady Effie said.

Mirella laughed. “I believe Mama is well-versed in that particular art, Effie. What do you think of Alexandra?”

“Oh, she is a darling babe. I barely have been able to hold her, though, because August monopolizes her all the time. Even Georgie has to beg him to allow her a turn,” Lady Effie revealed.

Byron already knew that Seaton was besotted with his son. Hearing Lord Edgethorne was the same with his daughter helped Byron to realize that he would not have to hide his affection for his own children. That was the beauty of marrying into the Strong family. They were fiercely loyal toward one another and unashamed to openly show affection. He liked that they didn’t shuttle their children off, rarely to be seen. It let him know that he and Mirella would be actively involved in the lives of their offspring, not to mention numerous nieces and nephews.

They had left in plenty of time, and still London traffic crawled, making their journey considerably longer than planned. By the time they reached the docks and left the carriage behind, he learned the ceremony would start in less than a quarter-hour. He spied the Duke and Duchess of Seaton and the Marquess of Alinwood, their nine-month-old son. They moved in that direction, and the women began passing the babe around.

Lord and Lady Edgethorne joined them, and Mirella introduced Byron to her sister and brother-in-law. The marquess gave him a hearty welcome, pumping Byron’s hand enthusiastically. He did his best not to gawk at the man. It was obvious the marquess had been to war and come home worse for the wear. Lord Edgethorne wore a black eyepatch to cover his missing eye and had facial scarring, yet he seemed as jovial as any man Byron had ever met.

Then he watched as Edgethorne turned to introduce his wife to Byron. Before she even looked at him, her gaze turned upon her husband. In that moment, the love this couple had for one another was palpable. Lady Georgina was one of the most attractive women Byron had ever met. She could easily have wed her choice within the ton , yet she had fallen in love with this disfigured marquess. It told him how real love truly was.

He took her hand. “It is an honor to meet you, my lady.”

“Love my sister,” the marchioness advised. “That is all that I—and anyone in this family—will ever ask of you. And please, call me Georgie.”

Beaming, Byron said, “I am proud to be joining this family, and I will do my best to love Mirella and keep her happy.”

“I have always known my sister would make an excellent mother.” She studied him. “I believe you will make for a wonderful father, Lord Bridgewater. You will find us a large, loving family. I hope you will enjoy getting to know your future relatives. There are many of us.”

“I am Byron, Georgie. And I look forward to meeting all the Strongs and their spouses.”

A familiar figure joined them. “Have you heard about all these superstitions?”

He thrust out a hand. “Mr. Strong. It is good to see you again.”

Caleb Strong shook Byron’s hand. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” He looked over his shoulder. “What a ship!”

The new ship stood, tall and proud, next to the docks.

“I heard the christening could not take place on a Thursday or Friday,” Caleb said. “James was telling me he learned from Sophie that Thursday is named after Thor, the god of storms. Sailors are a superstitious lot and would never sail on a ship launched on a Thursday.”

The Duke of Seaton joined them, his squirming son in his arms. “And Fridays are also out due to Christ’s crucifixion taking place on that day. Sophie told me even the British navy refuses to launch a new vessel on a Friday.”

The duchess arrived, slipping a hand through her husband’s arm. “I hope all of you will be able to stay after the christening occurs and board the new ship. James is going to helm Sophie and sail her along the Thames.”

Byron had not been on a ship since he had returned from the continent and war. This occasion would be a much happier one than his previous voyage.

He was introduced to Mr. Fex, who had drawn up the plans for Sophie , and the architect’s father-in-law, Mr. Purdy, who owned and operated the shipyard where the vessel had been built.

“It is time,” Her Grace said.

They all moved closer to where the new ship was docked, standing next to its middle. He slipped an arm about Mirella’s waist as they watched Caleb hand the duke a bottle of champagne for the ceremony. Byron noted it was more than the Strongs present. Looking at the large crowd, he saw a mix of people, supposing some worked in the shipping offices and warehouse of the company, while others were sailors or curious passersby.

The duke signaled for quiet, and all conversation ceased.

“Today, we come to name this ship, Sophie , after my wonderful wife.”

As the crowd chuckled, Byron was again amazed at the openness of affection, both verbally and physically. He understood how unique these Strongs were, and he would do his part to let Mirella and all her family know just how much he treasured her.

His Grace continued with a very brief speech before handing the opened bottle of champagne to his wife. She held tightly to the bottle, splashing its contents against the side of the ship, saying, “I name thee Sophie !”

Cheers erupted, while the duke took his duchess in his arms and kissed her. She said something to him, which caused the pair to smile and kiss again.

Byron caught the couple’s enthusiasm and kissed Mirella.

“I love you,” he told her—and kissed her again for good measure.

He broke the kiss and saw the captain and Mrs. Andrews kissing, along with Lord and Lady Edgethorne.

“Come aboard, all you Strongs and loved ones!” cried the Duke of Seaton.

He helped Mirella up the gangplank, and Her Grace gave her family the grand tour of the ship, pointing out all the things that made this ship stand out from others in the Neptune Shipping fleet. As they moved throughout the ship, Mirella explained to him how Strong Shipping was Neptune’s greatest rival and that all of London had been shocked when His Grace did not force a merger between the two shipping empires upon his marriage to the former Mrs. Grant.

“You see, Sophie still wanted to run the business that was hers. James understood that. He understood her, ” Mirella explained. “He had the marriage settlements drawn up so that Sophie would retain ownership and control of Neptune Shipping. While Strong Shipping will go to George one day, their other children will run their mother’s company, both males and females.”

Byron couldn’t help but marvel. “Your family is most unique, my love.”

She beamed at him. “You are now a part of us, Byron. Oh, I know soon I will no longer be a Strong in name, but I will always be one in spirit.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “I would not have it any other way,” he assured her.

They completed their tour and returned to the top deck, where His Grace steered the ship with ease. Mirella told Byron how her brother had been a ship’s captain before he became the duke.

“Seth also captained a ship before he took his title from his uncle. He is now Lord Hopewell,” she explained. “His country estate is next to Shadowcrest. Pippa was friends with Seth’s uncle long before she met Seth himself because he was always away at sea.”

“I assume Lord Edgethorne was in the military before he claimed his marquessate?”

“Yes, August was a captain before his injuries. He sold his commission and came home to heal from his wounds. His brother, whom he was very close to, had been ill most of his life. Fortunately, August was able to see him once more before Lord Edgethorne passed. August then claimed the title. Georgie fell madly in love with him last Season.”

He brushed his lips against her brow, his arm going about her waist, pulling her close to him. “I am only glad we met at Benbrook. You have proven so popular this Season, I am not certain you would have given me a second glance if we had not earlier been acquainted.”

Mirella gazed intently at him. “I think you are wrong, Byron. I feel in my bones as if I have always known you.” Then she smiled. “Of course, it was brilliant on your part to kiss me at Grasmere because I dwelled on those kisses for months!”

He returned her smile. “I did, too, love. I never forgot them—or you.”

They stood on the deck, his arm fast about her, watching the people and sights along the Thames. When the Duke of Seaton pulled Sophie back into her slip at the docks, they had been gone a good two hours. He could taste the river on his lips and smelled it in Mirella’s hair as he brushed his mouth against it.

“I will want you to meet my mother at tonight’s musicale,” he told her. “We will need to share with her—and my aunt and uncle—that we are now betrothed.”

“And also share our wedding plans,” she reminded him. “By this time next Tuesday, we will be husband and wife.”

“I do like the sound of that,” he told her, eager not only for the wedding ceremony, but the wedding night.

Already, Byron knew he could not be parted from Mirella. Though Bridgefield had rooms for its marchioness, ones which his mother still occupied, he did not want his wife using them. Oh, she could store her gowns there. Even bathe and dress in them. But nights were to be spent in his bed. Their bed.

A shiver of anticipation ran through him.

Mirella, naked and their bed, her long, auburn hair spilling about her.

Next Tuesday couldn’t come soon enough.