He took another deep breath, willing the hour bell to ring as he flattened his palms against his thighs, trying to remove the damp feeling from them.
But before he could give in to his nerves completely, there was a sudden commotion at the far end of the temple, which had everyone turning in their seats. Above him the bell finally boomed into sonorous life, and Sophie began to walk down the long aisle toward him.
The dress she wore was creamy white. It clung to her in all the right places and belled out to the floor in a sweep of gleaming fabric and lace that made it look as though she glided rather than walked. Pearls circled her throat and dotted the hair swept up on her head.
Beautiful.
But he really didn’t care about the dress. He wanted the woman in it. Sophie. Her back was very straight as she walked behind Honoria, her wedding maid, her hand resting lightly on her father’s arm. In her other hand she carried a small posy of fiery red summerbells. She was smiling, but it wasn’t the blinding smile he’d been looking forward to. No. No, it looked, to him at least, somewhat strained.
Which was fine. She was entitled to be as nervous as he was, after all.
He smiled at her, trying to put her at ease, but her expression didn’t ease. Her eyes caught his, but then she looked past him to the queen, seated in the royal family’s enclosure to the side of the altar, and then on to the Domina.
“You’re on,” Liam whispered, and stepped back to let Cameron move forward as Sophie reached the quartered circle of silver set in the marble in front of the altar. He waited for her to curtsy to the queen, his heart thudding in his ears loud as cannon-shot. He hoped he’d be able to hear what the Domina was saying when she began to speak.
Beside his daughter, Sir Kendall nodded at Cameron and then lifted Sophie’s hand from his arm and held it out to Cameron.
He wrapped his fingers around hers, nerves easing now that they were finally touching. Her fingers were cool, but they curled around his. Together they waited whilst the Domina poured a small cup of salt water over their joined hands and then bound their wrists with dampened salt grass.
She began to recite the blessing of the goddess that was so familiar to Cameron after so many years of attending temple that he barely heard it even as he spoke the words in unison with everyone else. Instead, he watched Sophie, wishing she would stop watching the Domina and look at him.
Would see him.
See that they were in this particular mad venture together now.
But instead, she stared at the Domina, seemingly as fascinated as a bird who had spotted a cat nearby.
Cameron resigned himself to impatience as the Domina moved on from the blessing to addressing the assembled party. Apparently, she didn’t believe in missing any opportunity to preach to her congregation. The speech was a little lacking in the joy of marriage and a little heavy on the sacred duty of royal witches and of Anglions to protect the land of the goddess for his taste, but finally she came to a halt and asked him if he had a ring.
He produced it, and she took it from him, dousing it and the heavy band Sophie offered in more salt water and passing the rings briefly over the altar flame before she turned back to Cameron and Sophie.
He knew this part. Had been reciting the vows in his head or out loud whenever possible so there was no chance that he would get them wrong even with the Domina there to prompt him if needed. He wanted the words to be right. For his vows to be clear.
Reaching for Sophie’s unbound hand, he slipped the ring onto her finger and began to speak. The vows weren’t long, but he didn’t plan on saying them again in his lifetime.
“I offer my vow,” he said steadily. “I am yours, body and blood. Your shield and your shelter. I will share with you what is mine and take from you your hurts and sorrows. Until we return to the blessings of the goddess and rest in earth once more.”
Sophie’s eyes were very large and dark in her face as she took the band back from the Domina and put it on his finger.
“I offer my vow,” she said clearly, and he smiled before he could help it. “I am yours, body and blood, your solace and your shelter. I will share with you what is mine and take from you your hurts and sorrows. Until we return to the blessings of the goddess and rest in the earth once more.”
“As the goddess has witnessed, as you all have witnessed, these two are married,” the Domina said as she reached to slash the salt grass with a silver blade. “May their union be strong and blessed.”
Above them the temple bells began to ring out, and Cameron grinned down at his wife.
If Cameron didn’t stop smiling at her, Sophie thought, as she tugged another pin from her hair, she rather thought she might stab him with something. He’d been smiling all day. Smiling at her as though he hadn’t forgotten to mention the small matter that the queen had once been his lover.
Ever since Eloisa had dropped that particular tidbit of information into Sophie’s lap, she had been burning with fury. Did he think she was an idiot?
That she wouldn’t find out?
She knew what Eloisa had been doing in telling her. Asserting her power. Reminding Sophie of her place. Very well. She might have to accept that from the queen, but she wasn’t going to put up with a husband who treated her like a good little girl who could be kept in the dark and would do whatever he asked of her.