A Lady Most Lovely by Jennifer Delamere

Author:Jennifer Delamere [DELAMERE, JENNIFER]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction / Romance / Historical / General, Fiction / Christian - Romance, Fiction / Historical
ISBN: 9781455518951
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2013-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Is everything all right?” James asked Tom.

James and Lucinda had finished adding their names to the register as witnesses, and they were all filing out of the church office. The congregation would be waiting to cheer their exit, throwing rice and shouting well wishes.

“Nothing to concern yourself over,” Tom said tersely. Tom had not recognized Spencer when he’d briefly run into him at the tavern after meeting with Denault. But today as he saw him in the church, Tom realized who he was, and a whole host of bad memories rushed to the forefront of his mind. Spencer had been present when Tom shot Freddie Hightower seven years ago. He’d acted as an impromptu second when Tom had pulled Hightower from a tavern and challenged him then and there to a duel. Tom could still hear Spencer’s shouts as he’d gripped his bleeding friend, promising retribution.

Tom had not known his name at the time, but he did now. What was worse, he had just married into the man’s family. Judging from the way Spencer was looking at him, he had recognized Tom, too. It wouldn’t take long for him to figure out that Lizzie was the woman Hightower had seduced and abandoned all those years ago. Lizzie was a respectable married woman now, but if Spencer began to spread word about her past, her reputation would be ruined. Tom had to find a way to stop that from happening. He had a grim foreboding that it wasn’t going to be easy.

“If nothing is wrong, you might want to stop glowering,” James admonished. “You’ve just gotten married, you know. You’re supposed to look happy. Lord knows I’d be wearing your look if I had just gotten married, but that’s a different matter.”

“Do you know Richard?” Margaret asked worriedly.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Tom said harshly.

She started back as though she’d been stung, and Tom immediately regretted his tone. He did not want to hurt her, no matter what he was going through. He brought her hand up to kiss it. “Right now, I have a date at a wedding breakfast with my beautiful bride.”

This seemed to appease her. She gave him a tiny smile that wavered a little, the first crack he’d seen today in her normally impenetrable exterior. Tom caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I love it when you smile like that,” he said gently. “Perhaps in the future we can find more of them.” Certainly he had wanted nothing more than to give her reasons to smile. Spencer, however, worried him.

Ahead of them, the minister addressed the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Tom Poole.”

There were cheers and applause as Tom and Margaret made their way down the aisle. They were nearly to the door when Tom saw Denault and Spencer again.

“Welcome to the family,” Spencer said drily.

The way the man looked at him—practically sneering—made Tom want to punch him right then and there. Only the pressure of the crowd

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