Chapter 9 - THE DUCHESS OF ASHBORNEThe morning of the wedding arrived with brilliant, golden sunshine that flooded every corner of Ashborne.
The estate had been transformed into an fairy-tale palace. Over three hundred guests—including Lady Margaret, the Duke of Devonshire, several sympathetic members of Parliament, and the entire domestic staff of Ashborne seated in honor—filled the local stone church at the edge of the estate.
Outside the church, thousands of local villagers, farmers, and working-class people from across Berkshire lined the roads, waving flags and cheering for the maid who had become their heroine.
Inside the bride's dressing room at the manor, Clara stood before a massive gilded mirror.
She wore a gown of heavy ivory silk, trimmed with delicate Brussels lace, with a long, sweeping train that caught the sunlight pouring through the windows. The Montgomery diamond tiara sparkled atop her dark, elegantly styled hair, and her emerald engagement ring gleamed on her finger.
Beside her stood Dr. Evans, who had been asked by Clara to walk her down the aisle in place of her late father. The old doctor wiped a tear from his eye, looking at her with fatherly pride.
"Your father would be so immensely proud of you today, Clara," Dr. Evans said softly, offering her his arm.
"He is here with us, Doctor," Clara smiled, her eyes shining with quiet peace. "I can feel him."
The heavy church doors swung open to the majestic, thunderous sound of the pipe organ playing the bridal march.
Clara stepped into the church.
The crowd gasped. The sight of her—radiant, breathtaking, and regal beyond words—silenced every remaining whisper of doubt in the room.
At the altar stood Julian.
He was dressed in a dark blue ducal dress uniform adorned with gold braid and medals. Standing beside him as his best man was six-year-old Leo, looking impeccably handsome in a small velvet suit, holding a velvet cushion with the gold wedding rings.
As Clara walked down the long, flower-carpeted aisle toward him, Julian’s eyes locked onto hers. The powerful, terrifying Duke of Ashborne openly wept tears of joy as he watched his bride approach.
When Dr. Evans placed Clara’s hand into Julian’s, Julian leaned down and whispered for her ears only:
"You are the most breathtaking vision I have ever seen."
The Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the ceremony with solemn grandeur.
When the time came for the vows, Julian held Clara’s hands in his broad palms, his voice ringing strong and clear through the ancient stone rafters:
"I, Julian, take thee, Clara, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."
Clara looked into his eyes, her voice steady, beautiful, and overflowing with devotion:
"I, Clara, take thee, Julian, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."
"I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together," the Archbishop declared, raising his hands in blessing. "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
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Julian did not wait for the formal prompt. He pulled Clara into his arms and kissed her deeply, as the entire church erupted into a thunderous applause led by little Leo, who clapped his hands and cheered at the top of his lungs!
They walked out of the church as husband and wife—the Duke and Duchess of Ashborne—stepping into the bright, warm sunshine, greeted by the roaring cheers of thousands of people who threw white rose petals into the air.
