Chapter 18
Noel FitzStewart should have never amounted to anything. Being the bastard son of a now dead duke and a scullery maid, his future had never looked promising. Many a time he'd been told that, if he was lucky, he'd land a job at his father's estate and slave his days away until he either died or retired, all while his half-sisters – legitimate daughters, of course – lounged about, both too worried about their fussy, trouble-free lives to even glance his way.
That should have been the case, yes, but as was usual with the Babcock family, they never seemed to stick to the canons of what was considered commonplace.
Instead of being cast out by his father, Noel had had possibly the happiest childhood anyone could ever have. His father had been a loving, steadfast, ever-present figure in his life, and he'd always treated him as if he were a legitimate child. He'd brought him up to be an honest, hard-working man, sparing no expense on his education and, when the time had come, on his training as a jeweller. Stewart had been adamant about him finding and perfecting a trade – although his love for Noel knew no bounds, he also knew there was so much he could do for him, given his status as a bastard. He'd never be accepted in polite society, and since he'd been conceived out of wedlock, he simply couldn't be the heir Stewart knew he could have been.
Still, Stewart had refused to let societal norms get in the way of his son having a happy life. Noel had always had his own room and servants at Stewart's estate, his mother had been given a monthly stipend and a small, albeit comfortable, home a few miles away (this arrangement had been made so that her presence didn't upset B.B., and also for Noel to be able easily visit her, if he so wanted) from Stewart's manor, and as soon as Noel had been of age, his father had given him a small fortune of his own, a house and a shop in one of London's prime locations. He'd provided him with enough funding for Noel to acquire the finest, most delicate jewels he could get his hands on, too. Networking and advertising his creations had been yet another of his many favours, and soon enough, Noel had established himself as a successful and well-respected jeweller. He'd even been able to open several subsidiary shops and, after years of hard work and careful investing, he now employed over ten people and had apprentices of his own.
Even after all these years, the state of his life still felt like it was bit of a miracle. He'd always been welcome at his father's home, he'd been allowed to grow and share happy times with both his sisters, and he'd even gotten married to a wonderful, loving woman who made his days so much brighter and had given him five beautiful children.
Life was good.
Most of the time, at least…
His father's and youngest sister's deaths as well as his other sister's fate had spoiled it considerably.
"Spoiled it" was really putting it mildly, if he was honest. Hearing that your only living family (outside your wife and children) had been decimated down to one living person by an awful disease could only leave a person feeling crushed on the inside.
It had taken him a while to even come to terms with the news, let alone find C.C. a job and a new place to live where he knew she at least stood a chance of being safe.
He just wished that he was in a better position to help her. He and his wife unfortunately had no room to take her in considering they had four toddlers and a newborn daughter to look after as well, even though they would have done it in a heartbeat if they'd been able to. Their London home wasn't big enough to accommodate them all, and he'd thought it unwise to send her away to his country home. Secluding her there wouldn't have helped her any. Renting a home for her hadn't been an option, either – a woman living alone in the city wasn't safe at all! He hadn't wanted her to be exposed to any unnecessary dangers. The next best thing had been to get her a job at the palace, where she'd be safe and well fed.
In his mind this was but a temporary situation – he and his wife were thinking about buying a new home. Not that that had been easy, after the fire; many homes had burned completely to the ground, limiting choice and ease of movement. They'd been lucky enough that the home they already lived in had survived – it was pure luck that it hadn't caught fire, too.
They'd find somewhere eventually, though, once things had cleared up a little more. And, as soon as they'd found and bought it, C.C. would be brought back home to live with him. C.C. had yet to be made aware of this, but he didn't want to get her hopes up before they'd managed to acquire a new property. Until then she would have to stay at the palace.
Though, if he was being honest, he wasn't always sure that that his current plan would help her any, either. Being forced out of her home in the first place had been a disgrace in and of itself, so Noel hated to think what people would say about his half-sister if they'd found out that she'd had to move in with her bastard of an older half-brother!
He was the child they never talked about. And if they did, it was to tear into the Babcock family, about how their father the duke was clearly not the noble gentleman he pretended to be...
It made him bristle with anger even to think about it. His father had been a great man in life, no matter what he had done in his youth that others considered distasteful. He had never cheated on his wife – Noel had been born a good seven years before Stewart had wed B.B. and he'd never so much as looked at other women after marrying her. They were just using it all as an excuse to turn their noses up...
And it had left his little sister – she may have been half by blood, but she was whole in his heart – out in the cold when she didn't expect or deserve it.
She had always been good to him, even before all their troubles had begun. It was only fair that he did right by her, as much as he could. He would have been expected to, if he were her full brother. He'd be the head of the family, living in that house that their cousin had snatched from C.C., and she wouldn't have had to go anywhere.
If there was a real bastard anywhere in their family, it was their cousin. He was truly heartless, leaving his own flesh and blood out and open to the elements like he had, and if there were a fitting punishment that Noel could conceive in his mind, he would see to it that it was carried out.
But that wasn't possible. By law, their cousin had done no wrong.
By God and morality, on the other hand...
Again, he bristled to think about it. He could only hope that Hell really did reserve a special place for those who had committed the worst acts against their fellow man, because the man deserved the hottest spot the Devil himself could find in the place!
At least then, C.C. might get the house back. But for now, Noel supposed he should be thankful that she was safe where she was, earning money and getting meals every day. Still, she was worth so much more more than the life of a servant, no matter how high ranking.
He burned slightly under his skin at knowing he couldn't have found anywhere better for her. And it was a thought that haunted him every day.
It wasn't the only thing that produced an adverse reaction in his system, when he looked up from the piece he had been finishing for a client, and saw that his own sister had just entered his shop!
Only...only she was dressed...like a lady again? No, more than a lady. The dress she was wearing had the finest burgundy velvet, the closest and best fitting bodice and the most gracefully flowing skirts he had ever seen! Paired with the gemstones sewn into the hemline, the gold embroidery on her shoes and the tiara perched on her head as though it belonged there, Noel could scarcely believe that it truly was his own sister!
Even his wife, Margaret, who had come out of the back room to see if maybe the customer was after clothing, looked as though she could barely believe it! How could she? This was not the look or the clothing of a maid, or even a lady-in-waiting – these garments belonged to the highest of nobility; the people who had thrown her out into the gutter because her family were no longer alive!
What had happened?! What had changed?!
He couldn't help starting to gape as C.C. beamed at him, and he opened his mouth to ask that exact question.
"Dearest sister! What in the world–"
His question was, much to his stunned shock, answered before he could even get it out.
Following right behind C.C., Prince Niles himself entered.
Noel suddenly felt like he had been dunked in the river during wintertime, and it took all the willpower he had not to snap the chain of the necklace he had been working on with his bare hands.
Prince Niles, famous across the land for rogering any girl who came within several hundred yards and then dumping them with nothing but maybe a "thank you for the good time" gift, if he felt generous.
His sister, finely dressed and wearing all sorts of trinkets, tucking her arm into the prince's as soon as he was in the shop…
It was hard not to understand. It was obvious what was going on here, and underneath the ice water feeling of the shock, Noel's rage started to burn again. Only it was even worse than the rage he felt towards their cousin. He could even see the anger rising on Margaret's own face. She had seen, pieced it together and understood, too.
That bastard had... done things to his sister! He'd seen a young maid with her whole life ahead of her and he'd decided that his own wants came first, so he'd taken her and manipulated her into becoming a trophy that he could parade around for as long as he wanted!
And then, when he was bored and decided that he wanted some other young thing who still had her innocence, he'd drop C.C. and go chasing after the fresh meat! It was the same way that cad had always been, and would always be! It was in his blood – King Joseph was just the same, charming his way into beds wherever he went!
The nobility talked about Stewart like he was the worst man to ever walk the Earth, and yet they said nothing of the bastards that the king and the prince had probably sown up and down the land, never once caring or even feeling love for anybody but themselves!
He was going to put an end to this himself! That was his sister who was being taken advantage of! Noel didn't care if he got her fired – she was coming back home to him and Margaret, because clearly the palace was not safe anymore. He didn't care about not having enough space or not having gotten their new, bigger home yet; he wasn't going to see her become just another used and discarded toy of an uncaring, unfeeling prick who would only ever fall in love if he saw his own reflection!
And he definitely wasn't going to see her carrying some illegitimate child of a father who would never see them. He'd been lucky with his own father, but he knew that Prince Niles was the complete opposite.
One of his hands had already let go of the half-finished necklace, and it was already twitching towards the large pair of pliers that he used to twist molten metal into shape...
Not that his sister was aware of the red mist that had descended upon him – she was smiling still as she rounded the counter and rushed to wrap her arms around him.
"Oh, Noel, how I've missed you!" she said, a few happy tears making their way down her cheeks. "It's been so long!"
Yes, it has been far too long, Noel bitterly thought to himself. He had, quite clearly, failed his sister once again. He'd stupidly sent her straight into the wolf's mouth, all while promising she'd be alright.
What a poor excuse of a big brother he was! He was supposed to protect C.C., to ensure that, even if he couldn't keep her in the life she was used to, she'd be safe and protected. He'd cost her her innocence and probably any chances she'd had at finding a good husband. Few men were willing to wed women who were no longer pure, and thanks to his lack of foresight, his sister had let a cad take said purity away from her.
It was time for him to do some damage control. He couldn't undo what had already been done to her, but he'd be damned if he let that bastard continue to use his sister as his little toy!
"I've missed you too, little Babcock," he told her, returning her hug. "But I promise you we shall never be apart again."
It was almost painful to see just how bright her expression had turned.
"You'll be visit me at the palace more often?" asked C.C..
"No, my dear sister." Noel began, letting go of her and turning to glare at the Prince. "You are going to come back home, so you can be as far away as humanly possible from this self-serving rake!"
The words came out short and sharp, just like a slap in the face, and C.C.'s jaw dropped open in horror.
"Noel!"
Niles took a step forward at the slight, as well as at the sound and sight of his beloved getting upset over what her brother had just done. He needed to protect her, and keep her clear of any argument that happened.
He'd take the full force of her brother's words.
Not that he had thought he'd have to! He'd been expecting a confused reaction, yes, but he had never thought to imagine they might be met with open hostility! This was C.C.'s own brother! She had called him the finest jeweller in the land, as well as one of the kindest men she had ever had the fortune to know and be related to! Why would such a man go off on a tirade, and demand that his sister come home, when she was clearly healthy and happy?!
"Good sir, what is the meaning of all this?!" the prince demanded. "You just openly insulted me!"
"And I'll do so again, sir, if I so choose!" Noel snapped. "I do not reserve kind words for bounders and cads who do not deserve them!"
He honestly couldn't believe that the prince – the bastard – was still stood there, with the nerve to look as though he had no idea what Noel was talking about! Had sowing his wild oats wherever he pleased depleted his mental capacities?!
He could only imagine that it had. Men like that only ever thought with the thing they kept in their britches, so overuse probably had its own effects.
But he could help with that. His hands had fully grasped the pliers by this stage and he had moved around the counter in order to step out onto the shop floor.
Margaret had seen what her husband was apparently trying to do, and she swiftly moved forward. She wasn't going to stop him. If anything, she was going to help – she'd hold the disgusting pig down if necessary!
"Noel, he's done nothing to warrant this type of behaviour!" snapped C.C., stepping between his brother and her future husband.
She'd never imagined she'd ever have to do that, but clearly she'd entered some kind of twilight zone that made little to no sense! Noel wasn't one to be openly hostile to people when there wasn't a good reason for him to act like that. Still, C.C. failed to see what Niles could have done to incur in her brother's rage.
"Oh, please, sister, don't you see?" Noel said to her, pointing over at Niles with his pliers. "This man right here is nothing but a womanizing cad! He's famous for bedding hordes of women! He makes a hobby of it – playing with them until he has grown bored of them! And I am not letting you become the latest notch on his bedpost – you are coming home!"
The penny dropped in both Niles' and C.C.'s heads in a split second. Noel's rage towards Niles stemmed from his (admittedly deserved) reputation of sleeping around. He didn't know C.C. was no longer a maid, she hadn't told him, so the natural conclusion to her being dressed in such fine clothing and wearing the finest jewels Niles had been able to afford was that they were tokens given in exchange for certain…favours.
Niles wouldn't even dream of doing such a thing to her, but in the past that was pretty much how he'd carried himself. He couldn't blame the man for being suspicious and jumping to conclusions – after all, he had started his relationship with C.C. with his left foot. But the cad he'd been was no more, and he'd do everything to put Noel's fears to rest.
"Mr FitzStewart, I assure you that is not the case," the Prince said, holding out his hands in a soothing fashion. "I love your sister and I would never hurt her like that. That's why we are to be married in a few short weeks!"
Noel almost didn't hear what the prince had just said, his rage was growing so much. He was ready for what he had to do – he would be saving his sister, and the countless girls who would be manipulated and toyed with after the cad's attention had gone elsewhere!
He'd spare them all the lies. The "I love you's" and the "declarations of marriage"...!
But as he marched towards Niles, what had been said and what he'd just thought clicked in his mind at the very last second, like the clasp on a broach or a bracelet suddenly coming together to create one whole, complete circle.
And he saw the look of panic, not charm or calm smoothness on the prince's face.
He'd...the prince had just said "weeks". As in, weeks until a date that had been set for this...wedding?
Noel halted in his testicle-removing tracks, the pliers poised and ready in his hand but the will to hold them slowly leaving. His confusion was too great to do anything else. Had he really said married? Did he mean what he was saying? Was the prince really telling the truth?! That didn't seem likely, and yet all the signs pointed to it!
Especially as his sister lifted up her left hand, angrily but effortlessly showing off the beautiful diamond ring displayed on her finger...!
Noel looked at Margaret, hoping that she would have a better sense of what was going on, but she looked as unsure as he felt.
His eyes darted between the three people in the room. His wife, finding all of this as bizarre as he did; his sister, angry and clearly ready to do to him what he'd been about to do to the prince; Niles himself, stood there looking like he was hoping his explanation would be enough to spare him the fate the jeweller had in store.
And he could only say one thing.
"What...?!"
The Good Lord in Heaven and all his Saints must have been looking out for him, because his wife (his own personal angel, he often said) came over to wrap an arm around his shoulders and very gently directed him towards the door that led to the back of the store.
"Why don't we all take a nice, deep, calming breath and have some tea?" she said with a smile. "I'm sure our honoured guests are tired from their journey and would rather discuss the matter that has brought them here somewhere more…secluded."
Noel knew that was his cue so, after quickly pocketing the pliers, he gestured over at the door.
"Yes… yes, of course. Please, do come in…! You are more than welcome…"
Niles gave C.C. a questioning look, almost as if asking her for reassurance. She nodded and gave him a soft, loving smile – one that assured Niles that his masculinity was definitely safe and would not be threatened again.
Noel knew that it was all for show – the moment she and Niles walked past him, she discreetly gave him her trademark I-am-going-to-end-you look. Noel couldn't help but grimace. That wasn't a particularly encouraging sight, whenever C.C. was concerned. He knew from experience she usually meant business whenever she issued a threat.
"I blew it up, didn't I?" Noel whispered to his own wife as she looped an arm through his and gently led him along.
"Maybe not entirely, dear," Margaret replied, patting the back of his hand reassuringly. "You never know; they might both decide to be forgiving."
Noel highly doubted that his luck would stretch that far. Even if the prince decided that, perhaps, his (former?) reputation had preceded him and had been the ruling factor in what had just happened, C.C. wouldn't be willing to let it go so easily.
Once she got it into her head about something, it was very hard to get it out again. And that went double if she felt there was a great injustice or slight involved.
His beloved wife was simply hoping for the best, and trying to stay positive. She needn't have bothered, though – he could just as easily take his blows and apologise for his behaviour. C.C. would cool off eventually, and they might even be able to laugh about it, someday.
In the future.
The far future, if the look on her face as they all went to the kitchen was anything to go by.
It was a relief to have a distraction, once they were in the kitchen. The kettle went on the stove immediately, and the two hosts insisted that the visiting guests make themselves as comfortable as they liked.
It was a far cry from only a few moments ago, when Noel had wanted to put the prince in the largest amount of discomfort possible, all with the pliers he still had in his pocket.
"I trust you take sugar in your tea?" Margaret asked politely, distracting him from the cringeworthy thought. "We also have honey, if you'd prefer..."
A very minor relief came to Noel then, as he realised that they could at least receive their guests with the luxury goods that they were used to. He might've been the illegitimate son of a duke, but his father had lived him and had provided well for him. That had included giving him enough money to own several stores across London, which in turn left him and his family enough money to be comfortable.
Very comfortable. Comfortable enough to afford sugar, and coffee, and anything else they needed or wanted.
"Two spoonfuls should be fine," Niles said. "Though my betrothed prefers honey and lemon."
Noel couldn't help but be mildly surprised. Not because of his sister's choice for sweetener, no, but rather for the Prince knowing that honestly minor fact about her. It was further proof that, indeed, his intentions with her were honest. Why would a man who was only interested in bedding a woman pay such close attention to said woman's habits? They'd be more focused on big, over-the-top gestures to make them swoon and give in to their requests.
He was certain the Prince was no stranger to those underhanded stratagems, but it was looking more and more unlikely that he was deploying them right that moment.
Still, he had his doubts. Regardless of how loathsome that would make him in C.C.'s eyes, he still felt it was his duty to second-guess anything that came out of the mouth any man who took an interest in her.
"I see your tastes haven't changed, dear sister," Noel said while Margaret prepared their tea and passed the cups around. "Honey has been your one indulgence since childhood."
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"
C.C.'s harshly-spoken words hinted that she had little to no interest in engaging in mindless chitchat. Noel had suspected that would be the case but, being the perennial optimist, he'd just had to try and inject a note of levity into an otherwise rocky situation.
Boy, he sure was in the doghouse, wasn't he?
"Yes...yes, of course..." he mused aloud and sipped at his tea.
Usually, he found the warm beverage to be comforting – the perfect way to soothe his frayed nerves. Sadly, today it didn't seem to be doing the trick.
"I expect you have a number of questions. Isn't that right Mr FitzStewart?"
"That, my Lord, is a bit of an understatement!" Noel replied and laughed uneasily. "Do not take umbrage, but I...find it difficult to believe that you have chosen to be an honourable gentleman to my sister."
"That's it, you are dead!"
Noel flinched as C.C. launched herself across the table at him. Well, attempted to – Niles had grabbed for her just in time, and was busy holding her back.
He'd never imagined that any of the day would be like this – from nearly being made into a eunuch upon entering the shop, to having to hold his beloved back from nearly fist-fighting the man who had nearly performed the impromptu procedure!
He had to see that Noel had plenty of reasons to be suspicious. He hadn't exactly been quiet about how he'd treated women in the past – he'd thought it all to be one big game, and he hadn't cared one whit about any of their feelings. Any man wanting to protect a woman they cared about would have done the same; done anything to prevent her from getting involved with him, or making a mistake.
The latter of those had quite a bit to do with why he was currently still holding a struggling C.C.. she was clearly offended on his behalf, but he had to make sure she promised not to kill her brother before he let go. They could settle this reasonably, like adults.
And, hopefully, the pliers would go back to wherever it was that they had come from!
"C.C.! Love, it's alright! It's alright," he kept repeating that, hoping that part of her mind wasn't angry enough to not be listening. "He has a point – we both know that he does...!"
Begrudgingly, C.C. did know, and she knew that she could admit it to herself if she wanted to. Niles had been...awful, to women; she knew it and so did most other people in the land, whether they had met him or not. But he had changed. He'd seen the right way, and she was angry because her brother hadn't even given her a chance to explain before launching an attack and demanding that she come home!
With or without a reputation, she knew that her fiancé deserved a better greeting than that!
"So, why don't we all calm down and do what we came here to do?" Niles continued, rubbing C.C.'s back in a soothing fashion. "After all, we mustn't be gone from the palace for too long – Dr Potts said you are still fragile."
"Doctor?!" Noel interrupted, heart leaping in his chest and fear being quickly replaced by worry. "Are you sick?"
"I'm perfectly fine," snapped his sister.
"No you are not," Niles insisted – he knew just how bullheaded his C.C. could be, especially where her health was concerned. "Your fever broke only five days ago. I'd much rather not risk your health when our big day is around the corner."
Niles then looked over at where Noel sat and addressed him.
"She was sick with pneumonia and bedbound for around two weeks. Rest assured, she got the best medical care money can afford, Mr FitzStewart."
"You don't have to explain yourself to him!" C.C. insisted – after how Noel had treated Niles, she felt Niles owed him no explanation. She knew she was an honourable man and that was enough! "You've been nothing but good to me."
"That isn't true, love, and we both know it," he said in a gentle but very much matter-of-fact voice. "I was awful to you when I first met you, I tried to bed you like I did with countless others. I sabotaged you. But you've changed me and made me a better man. You've made me realise what real happiness is, and it is not meaningless sex. I love you like I have never loved anyone else, but you have to understand why your brother – who I am certain loves you and wants nothing but the best for you – would be wary of me being anywhere near you."
The stubborn part of C.C. – that is to say a large part of her mind and a great deal of her heart – wanted to argue back that Noel should've at least heard them out before immediately jumping to conclusions. He'd immediately been prepared to mutilate another human being, all without knowing the facts first, or even checking them with the one person who truly knew!
But somewhere, deep inside, the part of her that knew the truth (even if the rest of her made her not want to say it) was saying that he had more than a substantial point. He'd been awful to many women, taking advantage and charming his way into their beds to take what he wanted, before dropping them until the next time.
Part of that still made her nervous, when she thought about how close they were to their wedding day. And wedding night. He knew what he'd be doing, and he'd done it with women who knew, too. She wasn't going to know – what if she was bad? What if it just ended up being a chore for him? What if neither one of them ended up enjoying it?
She was secure in the fact that it would make no difference to how he felt about her. But she couldn't help comparing herself to all those other women, who would be better at it than her. Have given him a better time.
She had to turn away from the thought. He hadn't cared at all about any of them; he hadn't thought about caring for anybody but himself before he'd met her...
The sadness creeping in distracted the stubbornness, allowing the truth to make its way out, and she sighed.
Her eyes dropped to the table, "Hm. Maybe you are right..."
She felt Niles' hand squeeze gently at her shoulder blade, before his voice came back again.
"I know I'm right. But all of that is over now. Our wedding is only weeks away, and we will be happier than any royal couple has ever been. I'll see to that myself!"
Hoping it wouldn't upset Noel, Niles dropped a chaste peck on C.C.'s lips. Before, he'd never cared about what the male family members of the women he'd slept with thought of him, but as had become the norm whenever Lady Babcock was concerned, he desperately wanted to make a good impression on Noel. She was the love of his life, and he wouldn't want her family to think he wanted anything else but to make her the happiest woman on this Earth.
She'd get anything and everything she wanted – she needed only ask and he'd move Heaven and Earth to grant her her wish.
"Your Royal Highness," Margaret said, bringing the prince out of his reverie. "Might I ask why you've come to visit us if your wedding is so close? Shouldn't yourself and Lady Babcock be overseeing the preparations for the ceremony?"
"Precisely," Noel said, "Again, do not take umbrage – obviously you haven't come here to ask for her hand in marriage, and I highly doubt you've come to deliver an invitation to your nuptials, given my status as a bastard."
Noel couldn't help the spite in his words. Not to get him wrong – he held no hatred towards the prince or his sister, but rather towards a society that would have him banished from his own sister's wedding just because he was the child of a duke and a maid. He tried not to let it get to him, but it was too tiresome sometimes. There was an obstacle at every turn for people like him, and he sometimes wondered why he should be burdened by his parents' sins. He hadn't chosen this – why should he pay for mistakes that weren't his? He was a good, law-abiding citizen, he paid his taxes and he had a loving family. He'd made an honest woman out of Margaret and had never wavered in his faithfulness toward her and he was a good and loving father.
It didn't really seem fair.
"Brother, don't talk like that!" C.C. chastised him – she hated when he was so disdainful to himself. "Besides, you are wrong in your assumption that you aren't invited to my wedding."
"What's more," Niles said, "We were hoping your good wife and yourself could make my bride's wedding gown and jewellery."
Noel and Margaret both immediately froze, neither one quite believing what they...well, they could only think that they were hearing! It was almost too wonderful to comprehend as real, even as the prince and his future bride sat there, quite obviously waiting for them to give an answer.
Well, of course they were going to accept! The joy flooding their minds and senses was just overwhelming them, currently...!
Margaret's focus was, of course, on the idea that she – they, she reminded herself, before she got too ahead of her own mind in her excitement – would not only be invited to a family celebration that they had never even expected, let alone dreamed of being invited to, but they would be playing a major role in the celebrations!
And not just any celebrations – the marriage of the future king and queen of England! As special and dear to her heart as fitting a wedding dress for her sister-in-law was, it became magnified by the prestige! She was going to have to make the dress from the finest fabrics and most glittering gemstones – no expense could be spared, even more than would've been given away freely if their C.C. had come looking to get married to anyone else!
It would be difficult, but her sister-in-law was more than worth it.
Noel, meanwhile, had almost completely glazed over the honour of dressing the future queen in his jewellery for her wedding day. As much as people would talk about that, he knew they'd also talk about the fact that he was there. The half-brother. The bastard. The one with no more right to a name or title than the pigs and goats peasants kept by their vegetable patches!
But he and his wife had been invited. And not only had they been invited, they'd also been invited personally.
That stood out to Noel more than anything else in this world, touching him deeply – to the point where he might cry, if he had been alone; not only had his little sister, who had no more obligation to talk to him than any other titled lady, given him an invitation to her wedding, she had also told him face-to-face that she wanted him there.
"And Noel, I would very much like it if you were one of our witnesses."
C.C. cutting in with that made Noel feel like his heart had just swollen to double its size in his chest.
She wanted him there, and she wanted him to play one of the most important roles a person could take in a wedding party...! In front of nobility, and in the face of everything their class stood for!
He was more important to her than that...
He could feel the tears pricking at his eyes, but he did his best to hold them back as he shared a shaking, wobbling grin with his wife and replied.
"We...we'd consider it an honour! The highest honour either of us have ever had...!"
"It will be an equal, if not greater honour, to have you both with us on that day," Niles said in return, before sitting forward in his chair.
It felt to him like he was about to discuss a state secret. No. Perhaps it was even more confidential than that. It was something far more personal and important to him than that, at the very least.
"Now, we should probably discuss the details of the day, and why it is happening so quickly, before we take our leave. Bearing in mind, of course, that this all to be kept completely secret, alright? This wedding will be in secret."
There was a pause, during which Noel's smile dropped at the word.
The man had been imagining that his little sister, all he had left from his father's family, wanted him to stand up as a witness for her wedding - a wonderful honour and recognition in itself - in front of as many nobles as possible. To prove a point to them.
Granted, it was still something he would never back down from. Not when his little sister had asked.
But this didn't sound like it would be a traditional wedding, and he couldn't help being both a little surprised and (slightly) deflated at the same time.
He shared a stunned look with his wife, before turning back to Niles, "Secret? How many people are going to know about it?"
"Very few," Niles said. "Just yourselves, my mother and our closest friends, the Sheffields. But it is with very good reason; we wouldn't have it this way if we had a choice."
"What do you mean?" Margaret asked, clearly as confused as Noel was.
That gave Niles the opportunity to start explaining properly, so he got into describing the plan, as well as the reasonings behind it. Going to his lodge to basically elope, where they would stay until C.C. had carried and given birth to a child, all so his father wouldn't find out until it was too late...
It still almost seemed unreal to explain to others. But every part was worryingly true, and they had to understand why they'd chosen this route.
Once he'd finished, Noel and Margaret were of course horrified at the treatment King Joseph had been giving them over the fact that they were in love and inseparable by any other woman who came along. How could things have gotten so bad that C.C. was going to have to go into hiding, until she had a legitimate heir that no one would be able to question?!
Noel didn't like the sound of it one bit, and he was on the verge of regretting letting all of his anger and fear disappear earlier. It seemed like he needed them back right now. What kind of danger was his little sister in?! Was Joseph going to send soldiers to kick down the door and drag her away, to leave her and her baby to rot in a dungeon for the rest of their lives?!
C.C. nearly seemed on the verge of castrating him again when he voiced...part of this opinion (he thought Margaret's face suggested she agreed with him that time). But he felt he had to be firm, when it came to her safety.
Again, his irate sister was soothed by her fiancé, who explained to them that every precaution was going to be taken care of. Nobody who wasn't invited to the wedding was even going to be told it was happening, and Niles would be sure to keep C.C. at his own residence, away from the palace, until the time had passed and their child was already on the way. And, if it came to the worst case scenario, Queen Marie had offered to send C.C. away to France, where she'd be safe and protected by Marie's brother, King Louis XIV, until it was safe for her to step a foot back in England. The French king was a romantic at heart, and when his sister had informed him of the secret wedding, he'd said that he was more than happy to lend a hand, if they needed him to.
Both Noel and Margaret supposed they had to be satisfied with that information, as well as the promise that Niles would keep her safe. If he was to be her husband, he would have to do that all the time, and he was clearly trying to live up to his vows right from the very beginning.
They weren't entirely relieved from all the worrisome thoughts in their heads, but they knew there was no turning back. They could only be happy that the couple had agreed to take matters into their own hands, and were determined to help give them the wedding day that they were dreaming of.
Even if it was going to be slightly smaller and infinitely riskier than they had originally imagined.
"How fast can you have her dress and jewels ready?" Niles eventually asked, after all the finer details about their plan had been carefully gone over.
Noel and his wife exchanged a look.
After the Great Fire, business had been a little slow. It hadn't strained their finances, given that Noel still had so much money left from what Stewart had given him and from what he'd managed to save over so many years of hard work, but it had made their days rather dull. They'd even been considering closing up for a while (at least until life in London had returned to some semblance of normality) and spending a few months away at their country home with their children. Margaret had long since wanted to take a break, and given that their latest little one was so small, she fancied the idea of her and her husband having some alone time with the baby and the rest of their children.
However, given the latest developments, their family vacation could wait. They'd use most of their time to work on C.C.'s wedding attire.
"Give us three weeks," Noel said, smiling. "We need to order a few things from mainland Europe, but I trust we'll have everything ready by the end of this month."
"Indeed – we'll start right away!" Margaret interjected as she got to her feet. "Now, if that is to happen, I will need to take Her Ladyship's measurements."
Surprised, Niles and C.C. looked at each other. This was, in actual fact, the first real major preparation they had to do for their wedding! The rest was, in truth, all wrapped up in the fact that they were basically eloping and getting everything else seen to by the servants at the hunting lodge!
It was...exciting. All an official part of the day that they were getting ready for! It wouldn't be long before all their work had paid off!
And speaking of work, they had to let Noel and Margaret get on with theirs. So, C.C. rose to her feet and went into the shop where her sister-in-law prepared all of the clothes she made, in order to have her measurements taken.
She shot Niles a grin just before Margaret shut the door, separating the jeweller's from the seamstress's. She knew he would have to wait for the wedding before he got to see.
It was only right that they did one thing traditionally, after all! Everything else was hardly conventional.
But it was theirs. And it meant that they would never be apart – forced through class boundaries or otherwise. They would be married, titled together, and they would form a loving family that not even King Joseph would be able to object to.
As Margaret got started on positioning her for the measurement readings, C.C. thought – hoped – that the king would learn to live with it, even if he didn't accept it.
But that was a worry for another time. For now, she had to focus on their plan; the first step being getting married, of course.
And she was going to do everything she could right at that moment to have the most beautiful dress an eloping royal bride could possibly wear.