Chapter Twenty - Decisions, Decisions

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"Edwina you must take a breath, all this running and nerves just has you overworked," I say, taking her arm and gently pulling her to the couch. "We don't want you to hyperventilate on your big day, now do we?"

"It is just nerves," Lady Mary adds. "We will call for tea, and once you have something in your stomach, you will be strong enough to go back out there."

"Yes? Tea sounds like a wonderful idea, Lady Mary. Something nice and refreshing for you to drink... perhaps, while we wait for the tea, you can drink some water, yes? Nice, cool, refreshing water to help your breathing?" I say gently, "remember, in.... and out.... in.... and out-"

"The Viscount- the Viscount will understand, yes, Florence?" Lady Mary adds, looking at me with a raised brow.

"Of course, he will, Lady Mary," I agree. I turn to Edwina and lower my voice, watching as her breath slowly being to even itself out, "he will understand, everyone will."

Lady Mary looks to Kate, who had just arrived in the room. "Kate, perhaps you might find that tea-"

"It is not tea that I want!" Edwina roars, standing up from the couch and taking a few steps forward toward her mother and sister, her voice shaking as she continues. "What I want is the truth. Oh. Suddenly, your words fail you, Sister?"

Lady Mary looks between her two daughters with wide eyes. "Edwina. Kate. I am not sure what is going on-"

"I shall tell you what is going on, Mama," Edwina says breathlessly, stalking forwards to her mother with a fire in her eyes. I rush after her, hoping that I could at least catch her if she does faint from the stress. "After a lifetime of filling my head with nonsense, of all this talk of great, gallant notions and looks between lovers-"

Kate shakes her head with confusion as she watches her sister, "Edwina-"

"You have feelings for him!" Edwina cries, "all this time, you wanted him for yourself."

Kate, who looks to be on the verge of tears, vehemently shakes her head at Edwina's words, "no, that is not true."

"Oh, you cannot deny it now, Kate," Edwina exclaims, "How could I have been such a fool? You lied to me again and again. You told- you told me. You told me we had put all secrets to rest, but no. The Sheffield inheritance, that was merely the beginning of your deception."

By now Edwina was crying as she poured out her heart to her sister, who seemed to be fighting back her own tears. Lady Mary had moved over to me and had started squeezing my hand as she watched her children be torn apart in front of her.

"I fooled myself into believing in you had only the purest of intentions, that your only desire was for me to be happy."

"And you are no one's fool," Kate says, stepping forwards toward her sister. "That is the truth."

Edwina pauses, taking a few steps forwards until she was only a couple of feet away from her sister. "Do you love him?"

"What?"

"You- you told me you hated him," Edwina said, "but that only meant your feelings... your feelings were strong. Do you love him?"

Kate falls silent at her questions, her eyes wide, and still brimming with tears as she stares at her.

"Edwina, I-"

Lady Mary's gaze falls to the ground as she shakes her head. "That is enough."

She releases my hand and starts towards Edwina, grabbing her shoulders and gently leading her toward one corner of the room. "No good can come from this at present. Let us all take a moment to calm ourselves, shall we?"

"I will go inform Her Majesty that we will need to take a... prolonged pause to the ceremony, Lady Mary," I whisper.

Lady Mary looks over at me and nods, whispering a quiet 'thank you' as I pass.

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"A failed wedding with their Queen presiding," Charlotte muses. "As if I needed the embarrassment."

"It is not your fault, Your Majesty," Lady Danbury assures, setting down her teacup.

I had arrived a few moments before Lady Danbury had and told the Queen that the wedding needed to be paused- but we both knew that there was not going to be a wedding. Lady Danbury had joined us a few moments later and added her own commentary about what had happened.

"Lady Whistledown will make it so," Charlotte continues, "'Her Majesty has picked poorly,' she will say. My once immaculate tastes now questioned. Her words carry far too much import for my delicate comfort."

Lady Danbury sighs, "Your Majesty, will all due respect, we may very well find ourselves in a situation that cannot be salvaged. It would be wise-"

"Well, it must be... salvaged," Charlotte snaps, looking to Lady Danbury with a furrowed brow and slightly narrowed eyes. "You vouched for this family, did you not, Lady Danbury? I never would have entertained the thought of making Miss Edwina my diamond, let alone arranging this elaborate affair, if it was not for you. This is as much your blunder as anyone else's. You must not forget that."

"Indeed, I will not," Lady Danbury says, somewhat curtly. She stares at the Queen for a moment before sighing, "perhaps I may go and find Miss Edwina. Perhaps there is something I can do."

Charlotte sits back in her chair, her mouth pulled into a thin line as she thinks for a moment. "Brimsley. Escort the guests to the gardens and do not allow anyone to leave. The nuptials shall resume shortly, and we shall proceed with our plans. All of them."

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"Whatever has happened?" Fredrick asks, looking down at me with wide eyes. "You have been gone for ages and you come back with Brimsley and now we are all out in the gardens."

"A story for when we are back at home, perhaps," I whisper, "and are alone. On a slightly brighter note, those golden statues from earlier are in fact, people. Look! That one just moved."

"I heard Miss Edwina has not eaten a morsel since the engagement," Lady Cowper says, "in order to fit into her dress. It's no wonder she's been taken ill."

"Well, hopefully, Lady Cowper, we shall be back inside and the wedding shall continue soon," I say, offering them all a smile. "It is rather warm out today, is it not?"

After a brief conversation with Lady Cowper, Frederick and I continued to make our way around the gardens, stopping and chatting with anyone that we knew. Frederick was currently locked in a conversation with Benedict Bridgerton, while I was happily chatting away with Daphne about the decorations that were littered around the venue.

"Our weddings certainly were not as well decorated as this one," I say, looking around in wonder.

"Well, my wedding was rather rushed because.. well, we all know why. But your wedding was... well I think that it was perfect. A perfect mixture of you and Frederick," Daphne says, looking over at me and smiling warmly.

I let out a chuckle, "well, I think that you and Simon's wedding was perfect-"

"Her Majesty, The Queen asks for your presence at once," a footman says, stepping beside us and looking at both Frederick and I with a pointed look.

"Ah- okay," Frederick glances over at me with a raised brow as we start back towards the castle, a quiet rush of whispers following us as we passed stunned guests.

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"I must thank Your Majesty for such a splendid event," Lady Bridgerton says, "every detail. It simply takes one breath away and-"

"While I quite enjoy the adulation, Lady Bridgerton," Charlotte says, "unless you are here to tell me that your son and his bride are at present standing at the altar, I simply do not have the time. For this wedding to fail is unacceptable."

Charlotte turns to Frederick and I with a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes. "Frederick, what have you to say?"

"After the... disruption, and the subsequent break that the entire Ton has gone through, people are beginning to form their own conclusions about what has happened today, Your Majesty," Frederick says. "They are restless... an official notice from you may help to quell the flames of their gossip, but I worry that it is already too late for you to make it disappear entirely. As soon as Miss Edwina took a step away from Lord Bridgerton, everyone began to form their own opinions about what the cause was... and each of them was more drastic and- quite frankly- absurd than the last."

The hope that once resided in Charlotte's eyes quickly disappeared as she turned to Lady Danbury and huffed. "Lady Danbury, what have you to say?"

"As always, Your Majesty, I am humbled by your generosity of spirit," Lady Danbury starts, "Though, uh..."

Lady Danbury pauses, sharing a look with Lady Bridgerton before slowly starting again, "Though..."

"It is unlike you to lose your words, Lady Danbury," Charlotte says, almost mockingly.

Lady Danbury nods her head and sighs before continuing, "though it pains us so, both Lady Bridgerton and I are in agreement that it is up to Miss Edwina to decide her fate."

"Well," Charlotte hums, "I did not realize the diamond outweighed the Crown."

"It does not, Your Majesty," Edwina announces softly, walking into the room with her mother following close behind.

"Pardon our interruption, Your Majesty," Lady Mary says softly.

"It is noted," Charlotte says, chuckling for a moment. "To be sure. I do hope my efforts today have not been wasted."

"It has not been a waste, Your Majesty," Edwina assures her.

"But rather further proof of the love you have for your people, ma'am," Lady Mary finishes, "Miss Edwina and I come before you humbly now in recognition of all that you-"

"Is there not a person alive who can think of something else to say to their Queen other than sheer flatter?" Charlotte asks, rolling her eyes at Lady Mary's words.

When no one speaks up, Charlotte chuckles and smiles to herself. "It is the obvious choice. Child. Are you here to tell me you are going to marry him or not?"

Edwina falls silent as everyone's gazes turned to her. Her mouth opens and closes, but no words come out as she tries to quickly form a coherent sentence.

Before she even had a chance to respond, the doors to the room opened and a giddy voice called through the room. "Did you see them?"

"Your Majesty," Frederick mutters, bowing his head in respect as I fall into a deep curtsy.

"The fireworks?" King George continued, a wide smile appearing across his face as he came to a slow stop in front of us all. "They were brilliant! Will there be more?"

The room's silence at his question made the smile slowly slide off of his face. He gazes around the room for a moment before sighing. "Oh, dear. It seems I... it seems I- I am late for the ceremony."

"My King," Charlotte whispers, looking toward him in a mixture of surprise and worry, waving her hand around in a nervous manner towards the footman, "someone. Can someone come and assist?"

"I didn't mean to keep you waiting, Lottie," George continued, looking towards his wife apologetically. "My bride. My... my beautiful bride. Um, but where is the Archbishop and- and- and- and our congregation?"

Charlotte stands up and takes a few small steps toward her husband, "George..."

George grins at the sight of her, "she is radiant, i- i- is she not?"

As a few footmen start towards him, their hands outstretched as they reach towards his arms, his grin falls and his brow furrows. "What are they, uh... What- what are they doing? Stop! Leave! Leave me! Leave me! Lottie..."

George rips his arms out from the footmen's grips and turns back toward his wife, his eyes wide and scared, searching for some comfort, searching for something familiar.

At the clear fearful look that appears across his face, I look down to the ground in guilt. A man, whose love, for his wife was still apparent, even through all the hardships he faced. A man who, despite all that had happened to him, could still find a level of comfort in his wife, even if for a brief second. A wife, who, despite what Whistledown wrote, cared for her husband better than any doctor could.

Beside me, Frederick gently grabbed my hand, intertwining it with his and offering me a small squeeze of reassurance. 'I'm here ' it said- it promised.

Edwina peers back at the Queen, whose eyes were slowly welling with tears and whose lip was beginning to quiver, ever so slightly, before turning back around towards the King and taking a few small, slow steps toward him. "She will make a most excellent Queen, Your Majesty. I hear the two of you faced many trials during your happy courtship. But today... today will make all of it well worth it, will it not?"

George looks at her and slowly nods at her words, "why... yes."

"Then perhaps you might find your rest, Your Majesty," Edwina continues softly, "before you both rule this kingdom with the kind of love, compassion, and kindness the two of you undoubtedly share."

George nods at her words before looking over at Charlotte, who offers him a small, wobbly smile in return.

"My Queen," he bows his head and turns back around, allowing himself to be gently led out of the room.

Charlotte sniffles before walking out, not bothering to even spare the group a glance as she passed.

"You are destined for so much more than this, Edwina. Despite the disruption today, despite the noise, you will continue to walk through life with your head held high. I have had the honor to get to know you, Edwina, and I know that I can say that you will continue to wear your heart on your sleeve, and you will continue to walk through life with that same charming smile and compassion for all those around you," I whisper to her, wrapping my arm around her and smiling softly when I feel her wrap her arms around me in return. "Don't let this ruin you. You deserve so much more, and you will find it one day, I am sure of it."

Edwina sniffles as she takes a small step back and gazes at me, the tears that had been forming in her eyes falling onto her cheeks and running down her face.

Lady Mary sighs as she looks over at her daughter, "oh, Edwina..."

Before she could say anymore, Edwina turned on her heels and walks out of the room, her gaze steady as she doesn't even bother to spare us a glance.

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We all stand in silence as we look around at each other, each of us lost for words.

"Shall we... head outside, darling?" Frederick offered quietly, holding out his arm for me and offering me a small, weak smile. "I would hate for us to miss out on the cutting of the cake."

I return the weak smile and nod, taking hold of his arm and allowing him to lead me out of the room and toward the gardens. The silence that falls between us was heavy as we walked out into the bright sunlight, quickly finding ourselves surrounded by our friends and acquaintances.

"Your Grace," Charlotte strolled up to us and fell into a deep curtsy before standing back up and offering a sickly sweet smile. "What a fine day we're having, wouldn't you agree?"

I take in a deep breath before offering her a small smile in return, nodding my head at her words. "A fine day indeed, Lady Glendale."

She hums, shifting her gaze toward Frederick and looking him over for a moment before continuing, "I must say, I do hope that Lord Bridgerton and Miss Edwina do manage to make it down the aisle... I mean, what a scandal it would be if they didn't."

I look toward Frederick before letting out a soft chuckle and nod, "yes... well..."

"I... think that we should get going, darling," Frederick says, after a few long seconds of silence. "You did promise that you would go speak to... Colin today."

I look up at him blankly for a moment before nodding slowly, "yes... yes I did. We should go do that, now... have a wonderful rest of your day, Lady Glendale."

We quickly scurry down the steps and disappear into the crowd, giggling like schoolchildren the entire time.

"I shall meet up with you in a little bit," Frederick whispered breathlessly, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead, "I promised Monarch that I would speak to him about his club."

I nod and watch as he starts into the crowd, quickly disappearing from sight. I stare at the place where he had disappeared for a second before turning and starting toward Colin, who had slipped his flask out from his coat and was unscrewing it.

"Already, Colin? I would've thought you would at least wait for the cake to be cut first?"

He pauses, looking over at me before smirking, unscrewing the lid completely, and taking a swig, "with the way this day has been going, I'm going to need it, Florence."

I chuckle, moving to stand beside him and watching as Penelope steps over toward us.

"Celebratory drink?" She inquires, chuckling softly. "Have you succeeded already, Colin?"

"Only if whatever I'm looking for can be found at the bottom of this flask," he replies, glancing down at the flask for a second before slipping it back into his coat.

"I'm certain you will find your purpose one day," Penelope assures him, "everyone must eventually."

Colin looks over at her, a brow raised, "have you found yours?"

She chuckles, shaking her head as she turns slightly away from him, facing back toward the crowd of people. "Of course not. But, I imagine it to be something both animating and satisfying. The type of venture that speaks not to who I am, but rather, who I am to be. My purpose will challenge me to be brave and witty. My purpose will propel me far from the watchful glare of my mama. My purpose... shall set me free."

Colin falls silent for a moment, before looking at her, "what could possibly measure up to all that?"

Penelope chuckles, looking down to the ground bashfully for a second.

"Your dreams, are grander than you let on, Pen," he says.

"Yes, they are... mere fantasies," she admits, "but I do believe we must allow ourselves those private moments so we may face reality armed with our reveries."

Colin, yet again, falls silent at her words, thinking something over for a moment before slowly continuing, "Lady Crane was right about you."

Penelope's brow furrowed, "Lady Crane? What did she say?"

"That you cared for me," he replies simply, "that you would never forsake me. I'm beginning to believe that now."

The two look at each other for a moment smiles slowly appearing on both their faces as they continue to look at each other.

"Love," Frederick rushes over to me and grabs my arm, "they're cutting the cake! If we hurry we may be able to grab a piece."