help to clear it, she followed her aunt out of the carriage.
Jonas was standing waiting for her, giving her a hand to steady her as she stepped down, just as he had done for his wife. “You look stunning,” he told her, looking every inch the proud father of the bride, even if he was really her uncle.
“Thank you,” she told him, as an almost shy smile on her face, which was glowing with happiness.
“How are you this morning?” he asked her quietly, searching her face for any signs of second thoughts.
“I am a little nervous,” she admitted. “But I am so happy,” she added as she felt her eyes start to water again.
“Oh, no dear, don’t start that again,” Adelaide intervened as they began to walk inside.
“I’m trying not to!” she complained with a hint of a laugh, as she took a handkerchief from Lucy and dabbed at her eyes.
She tried to get her emotions in check again and was only vaguely aware of movement around her as Lucy arranged the folds of her dress one last time, and her hair was examined to ensure everything was still perfect.
Felicia handed her the bouquet of flowers she was to carry and, before she knew it, she was standing by her uncle and on the verge of walking down the aisle.
She took a deep breath as she placed her hand on Jonas’s arm. He patted her hand, causing her to look up and notice for the first time he also had tears in his eyes.
“Not you, too,” she complained, as she started to lose her composure all over again.
“I’ll have you know I am doing much better than I did the first time,” he countered with a smile. “It is not any easier giving you away, but I am not the same emotional wreck I was when I had to give away my first daughter.”
Georgiana laughed a little as she accepted his handkerchief for her eyes. “I remember that. You were worse than Aunt Adelaide.”
At that moment, the music signaled it was time to walk down the aisle. She took a deep breath as she handed Jonas back his handkerchief, which he tucked into his pocket out of sight.
“Do you want a piece of advice, my dear?” he whispered.
She looked up at him incredulously. “Advice? For me?”
“Yes. I recall from somewhere that you should not worry about anything but the person you are going to marry. Just think about them and how happy they make you and how much you love them. Concentrate on that, and nothing else will bother you or make you nervous.”
And then they were walking forward, a host of butterflies in her stomach, as her uncle’s words started to sink in. Then, her eyes met Walter’s, who was looking at her as though she was the most beautiful thing in the world.
The awe in his eyes seemed to bring to life the advice she had just been given. So, she concentrated only on him without any difficulty, and her worry and nervousness seemed to vanish almost instantly.
She wanted to tell him how handsome he looked, how happy she was to be marrying him, how amazed she was that this day had finally come, and so much more.
But that would have interrupted the ceremony since she wasn’t supposed to be talking other than saying her vows. So, she tried to tell him all that with just her eyes, feeling he was saying the same to her with his own.
Finally, they reached the part of the ceremony when it was time to recite their vows to each other. His voice was gravelly with emotion, and Georgiana felt her own voice quiver, as well, when she said hers in reply.
She had been unable to resist smiling when he nearly fumbled with the ring because he tried to put it on her finger without taking his eyes from her face.
A moment later, and she was basking in the glow of having them pronounced husband and wife and the feeling of the ring on her finger. In the crowd of guests, she saw practically all the people she knew and loved; all of them smiling as they shared her joy.
There was no mistaking the pride on some of their faces, nor did she miss the blush on Felicia’s face as Ambrose looked at her. Waiting until he was looking at her, Georgiana motioned with her head that he should go and talk to her, a hint which seemed to make him blush