"Seeking the Niceties of Marriage", by Gratiana Lovelace, 2021 (Done)

Ch. 10: Wedding Day Danger Looms

"Seeking the Niceties of Marriage", Ch. 10: Wedding Day Danger Looms,
June 16, 2021 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1390)

(An original Regency Romance story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2021; All rights reserved)  [(1) story cover above left]

[Illustrations: I cast my stories as I write them. So from time to time, I will illustrate my story with actors and such, including: Richard Armitage as Lord Edward Carlisle, Daniela Denby-Ashe as Lady Emily Creighton, Blake Ritson as Lord Kittredge Wells, Polly Walker as Lady Patience Creighton, Bill Nighy as Lord Nigel Creighton the Earl of Stoke, and others as noted.]

[Author's Note: This original Regency romance is a work of fiction, and as such, any character names, scenes or other descriptions were made at the creative discretion of this author. And this is a gentle romance (G to PG-13), but with some frank discussions about love and marriage put to humorous effect. This is my disclaimer.]

Ch. 10: Wedding Day Danger Looms

It has taken five years for Lord Edward Carlisle to deem himself ready for remarriage, this coming Saturday to Lady Emily Creighton. Yet he still regrets the events which lead to his late wife Lady Edith's death while eloping with her lover in a carriage accident four months after their unconsummated marriage.

Lord Edward had respected the lady's wish not to consummate their marriage when she finally informed him of her love for another before their wedding night, by him not exercising his husbandly rights. No one wants a reluctant bride, and he hoped she might change her mind once she got to know him. Yet, Lord Edward could not have foreseen that the late Lady Edith was so unhappy at being wedded to him—well, to anyone but her lover Alton Lawrence--that she would race to her tragic death in a carriage accident with her lover.

And with his best friend Lord Kittredge Wells unwavering support and good common sense over the years, Lord Edward now believes firmly that it was not his fault—for marrying her.

Lord Kittredge: "Edward, if anyone was at fault, it was Lady Edith's parents for forcing her to marry you—all to make her a Viscountess, and later a Countess when you inherit your Uncle's Earldom."

And yet, Lord Edward's regret remains as a constant ache—of the senselessness of Lady Edith's And Alton Lawrence's deaths. And though as his own parents did at the time, Lady Edith's grieving parents were encouraging of Lord Edward's not blaming himself and moving on. In large part, Lady Edith's parents were grateful for Lord Edward not revealing to the ton the true nature of his wife's death, that she ran off with her lover Alton Lawrence. So privately, Lord Edward had made an anonymous donation in their honor to the church's educational scholarship fund three years ago—to help fund a bright student to attend public school.

But that is not to say that all parties involved in this tragedy were so understanding. Though the late Alton Lawrence's parents were also appreciative of Lord Edward's silence about the manner of their son Alton's death while eloping with another man's wife, Lord Edward's wife Lady Edith—so as not to besmirch the reputation of their younger son the then eleven year old George Lawrence, who became his father's heir upon his older brother Alton's death—the young boy George was bereft and grieved mightily for his older brother's Alton's death.

Over the next five years as the then young George grew into long pants, graduated from Eton, and now plans to enter Cambridge University with his parent's blessing, George has become ever more angry that his ten years older brother was killed. And without his parents' knowing of his feelings—since like many families in the ton, theirs was not a family that expressed its feelings—George Lawrence wants revenge, and a balancing of the harm he feels that was done to him in losing his brother Alton. He wants justice for his late brother Alton.