Minda Webber by The Reluctant Miss Van Helsing

Author:The Reluctant Miss Van Helsing
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Paranormal, Historical, General
ISBN: 9780505526380
Publisher: Love Spell
Published: 2006-02-07T06:00:00+00:00

Married to the Monster

The vicar of Huntington parish surveyed the dour wedding party with a twinge of unease. He much preferred morning weddings to these late-night affairs. In the past month he had presided over four weddings and a funeral. This wedding reminded him more of the funeral. The vicar knew that this ceremony was being rushed. In point of fact, the groom had only proposed the night before. But what could you say when the nobility were involved?

The vicar sighed and glanced over at the father of the bride. The man’s expression was bordering on petulant. The bride’s brother wore a look of woe. Baron Huntsley, who was seated next to his wife, appeared resigned, while the earl’s man of business had a solemn demeanor. Worst of all was the groom, who for all his exalted personage looked as if he wanted to bite somebody’s head off.

The bride entered the chapel. She was pale, her mouth was pursed in a tight line and the bouquet of flowers in her hands was shaking, scattering petals here and there, which made the vicar feel that there was definitely more going on than a case of bridal nerves. To be honest, the vicar decided that the only person who appeared happy at this supposedly joyous occasion was the baroness Clair Huntsley—she was smiling merrily.

The vicar shook his head slightly. There was just no judging the Quality. They were a breed unto themselves. And the Huntsleys and their peers more than most.

Clair turned around in her front-row pew and waved dramatically at Jane. Then, turning to her husband she remarked, “Oh dear, Ian, look at Jane. Why, she is beyond pale, and she’s not even undead.”

Ian nodded. “She would have been beyond the pale if the earl hadn’t married her.” Glancing over at the groom, he added, “Asher isn’t in much better shape. I can’t tell which of the two is whiter.”

Clair patted her husband’s thigh. “They’ll be fine. I give them two months, and they’ll be madly in love.”

“Mad, I concede, but love is a pipe dream. This time that Frankensteinian brain of yours has conceived a plan that’s scientifically doomed to failure.”

“Never,” Clair argued. “But speaking of mad, the major looks like he could spit nails. Or Neils,” she added as a joke.

Ian grinned.

Unaware that he was under discussion, Major Edward Van Helsing raised his arm to escort his daughter down the aisle, his pudgy face somber. Glancing down, he noticed Jane’s extreme pallor. “Come now, girl. Buck up. Remember, neither rain nor sleet nor hail nor snow can stop a Van Helsing from his duty. Besides, you are marrying an earl—quite a coup, Jane. Your mother would be proud.”

Jane straightened her spine and laid her trembling fingers upon the man’s arm. Then, turning toward Clair, she managed to nod stiffly, physically restraining herself from running screaming from the church.

Tonight was an ending for her, as well as a beginning. From the ashes of her old life, she would begin a new life with Asher.

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