Page 58 of The Dare Before Christmas

Louis nodded and turned to regard Barnaby. “Well, mon ami, you are fortunate in having a duke in the family who can procure a special licence with a snap of his fingers.”

Barnaby nodded. “I suppose so, only right at this moment it all seems to have happened rather too fast, and—”

“Just nerves, Barnaby, deep breaths. You may keep the hip flask. Come along, your bride awaits.”

With a firm hand gripping his arm, Louis escorted Barnaby from the room and down the stairs. As they passed a large window that overlooked the front of the house, Barnaby paused.

“It’s snowing again,” he said, smiling. “Torie will like that.”

“Yes, though anyone wanting to leave ought to do so today, I’m afraid. One of the gardeners here is a true old countryman, and he tells me this weather is set in for the week at least. I don’t think anyone will be going anywhere for a while if they dally. Not that we mind, the more the merrier. Which leads me to something else I was going to say. If you’ve no plans, why not stay with us for a while? It’s a big place, and you know we’ll not be the least put out if we don’t see you while you’re here. We’re still rather in the, er, honeymoon phase ourselves,” he added wryly.

Barnaby let out a breath. “Louis, that’s awfully good of you. Are you quite certain, though? I’d be glad to give my staff a bit more time to prepare for me turning up with a wife. They’ll be running about like headless chickens as we speak and that… well, assuming Torie is happy, that would be wonderful.”

Louis patted his shoulder, looking pleased. “Of course I’m certain. I could not be happier. This is excellent news, for we shall celebrate Christmas together.”

“Thank you, Louis, you’re a good friend,” Barnaby said, meaning it. “And I’m sorry, for being so stubborn before. I know you were only trying to help and—”

Louis laughed and waved this away. “Think nothing of it. I am only happy you are celebrating this wonderful day here at Heart’s Folly. Perhaps I am getting sentimental in my old age, but I feel the house has been sadly alone for too long. It needs filling with people and happiness and celebration. I can almost feel the place sigh with relief that it has a family under its roof again.”

“You are getting sentimental,” Barnaby said with a laugh. “But, as I cannot help but agree, I shan’t tease you about it. Come along, then. At this rate, Torie will be there before me, and we can’t have that.”

His nerves suddenly gone, replaced only by an impatient desire to see his bride, Barnaby practically ran down the stairs to the great hall, where everyone was gathered for the ceremony.

“Good heavens,” Emmeline exclaimed, before smothering a laugh as her older sister Florence turned to stare at her.

“I know,” Flo said with a wry smile as she put a fretful baby Mabel on her shoulder and patted her back to soothe her. “The Reverend Martin in all his glory. Isn’t he beautiful?”

“He’s the vicar?” Emmeline demanded in shock, staring at the man Evie had just shown into the room.

Tall and broad-shouldered, he was an imposing figure in his clerical gown and did not look like the sort of reverend Emmeline was accustomed to seeing. The vicar at the church they attended was about ninety, smelled strongly of mothballs, and had a tendency to forget where he was in the service. Sometimes this was handy as he skipped large sections, other times it meant listening to the same sermon twice. Emmeline did not think this would be a problem with the Reverend Martin. Truthfully, she doubted anyone female with a pulse would hear a word of what he said. They’d be too busy gazing into his warm, brown eyes and thinking wicked thoughts.

“He is indeed the vicar, and it’s impossible to get a pew on Sunday if you don’t turn up early. Every woman for miles around is there. Some aren’t even from the parish! The poor man has the devil’s own job going about his business, for everywhere he goes there’s some female making sheep’s eyes at him. Henry thinks it’s hysterical. Well, he does now he believes I’m not among the smitten… but it must be very trying for the poor man.”

“Isn’t this outside his parish?” Emmeline demanded.

“A little, yes, but the vicar for Heart’s Folly and the surrounding area is very elderly and won’t come out in this weather, so Henry had a word with Harriet, and she asked a special favour. They’ve just committed to restoring the church roof, so Mr Martin couldn’t really refuse.”

“What’s he like?” Emmeline asked, curious as to why the beautiful man had not set her pulse a-flutter, for he was exactly the kind of handsome, romantic figure that usually attracted her attention and invaded her daydreams. An obviously handsome, yet sober and intelligent man of the cloth ought to be the stuff of her dreams, and yet whilst she could admire all his many, many charms, she was only curious, not… interested.

“Thoroughly decent, sincere, and completely baffled why he has such an effect on the female population. It’s rather adorable, actually. He’s so serious about everything and tries so earnestly to do his job, and yet he’s thwarted at every turn by young women turning up to bring him cakes, or to do the flowers in the church. The to-do there was over the Harvest Festival was quite the scandal in these parts. There have been a few rather awful scenes, you know, between jealous rivals. Oh, we may prefer to rusticate most of the year these days, Em, but it’s never dull.”

“So it appears,” Emmeline said, shaking her head. “I had no idea Sussex was such a hotbed of intrigue and romance.”

“Well, that’s because you’ve not given it a chance. Never mind London, come and stay with me, my girl, and I’ll open your eyes to life in the raw.” Flo nodded knowingly, easing an increasingly fractious Mabel from one arm to the other.

Emmeline snorted. “Fibber. You just want me to help with the children.”

“Lord help me, yes! Please come,” Florence wailed, making Emmeline give a loud bark of laughter as Flo snorted.

She did not know if it was the laughter, or the snort, but Reverend Martin looked in their direction, his expression puzzled and rather disapproving, making her and Flo dissolve into giggles.

Evie hushed them with an amused glint in her eyes. “Barnaby is here,” she hissed. “Behave yourselves, you dreadful girls.”

Solemnly, Emmeline and Flo nodded, and sat silently side by side, shoulders shaking.

Barnaby stood at the front of the room, whilst the gathering behind him all chattered animatedly and took their seats. He gave the vicar a double take, for the Reverend Martin was not what Barnaby had expected at all, but the fellow was polite and had an air of authority about him, which was reassuring to Barnaby’s leaping nerves.

“A pretty fellow,” Louis observed, watching the vicar as the man readied himself for the ceremony.