Chapter Nineteen - The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

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Lady Whistledown's

SOCIETY PAPERS

Dear reader, it seems that after the flurry of celebrations, we have not one, but two new couples to congratulate.

The Duke and Duchess of Hastings married in a shockingly secretive wedding which, this author understands was put together after only days of being engaged... whether to hide a scandal or to prove to the Ton their undying love we have yet to find out.

I think that yet another round of congratulations are in order this time for the newly married Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The Duke of Windsor and Lady Florence Huntingdon, now and forever known as the Duchess of Windsor, married in a wonderfully wonderful ceremony a mere six days after the Duke of Hastings and Miss Bridgerton.

The wedding, which included the newly titled Duchess of Windsor's closest friends, was said to be a wonderfully stunning display.

The celebrations, which went well into the late evening, were even attended by the Queen herself, along with the ever-elusive former Duchess of Windsor, Lady Uriana Harding, who, after her husband's sudden passing, not only lost her title of Duchess of Windsor but also her highly regarded place in society.

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"Are you ready?" Mama glanced over at me with a small smile, "you look stunning, my dear."

"Thank you, mama," I blush at the compliment before glancing at myself in the mirror.

Frederick's family had offered me their family's heirloom tiara to wear for the day. Apparently, the row of diamonds below the actual tiara could be removed to be a separate necklace that could go along with the tiara- which was a little fact that Frederick's mother, Uriana, was over the moon the tell me about.

Not only that but apparently it was a tradition that once I was married into the family all of the jewels passed from Uriana to me, which she seemed slightly bitter about. Apparently, the jewelry was already in Fredricks's possession following his father's death and he had been allowing his mother to use it 'on loan' until he married.

"They are stunning... I suppose that you could wear them and look pretty enough," Uriana says, sighing as she glances from the tiara on my head to me.

"I believe that it is time for us all to go to our seats," Mama says, stepping in between Uriana and I and staring the woman down with a sharp gaze.

"Oh yes..." Uriana nods her head and offers me a half-hearted wave before starting out of the room.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Mama let out a sigh of relief before turning to me. "That woman is... certainly something."

I pause, looking at the door for a moment before glancing back toward mama and offering her my attempt at a hopeful smile. "Maybe she's just stressed? Her only child is getting married today? That seems like it would be stressful, yes?"

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"Are you ready, dear?" Papa moves to stand beside me, offering his arm and smiling as I loop my arm with his. "This is a rather big day for you..."

I look over at him and offer a small smile, "I hope that I am, papa."

Papa pats my hand reassuringly before glancing toward the clock that was placed in the corner of the room. "I am sure that you are... come along, I believe that it is time."

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As we round the corner, I look around the chapel and immediately relax when I see all of our friends and family standing and waiting, each of them smiling over at me when they see me and papa arrive.

In stark contrast to Daphne and Simon's rather empty wedding ceremony only a few days ago, the chapel was filled with people for Frederick and I's wedding.

On 'my side' of the aisle, Cressida beams as she watches me pass her, while her mother and father both nod in respect as they watch me walk past them.

The Featherington's looked happy enough to be invited. Lord Featherington looked like he'd be anywhere else but here, while Lady Featherington watched on with an envious look across her face. The hope and longing for her own daughter's marriage's clear on her face.

Prudence, Philippa, and Penelope were all smiling at me as they watched me walk past them. Even a wedding didn't seem to stop Lady Featherington from dressing them in the gaudiest of colors.

The entire Bridgerton family (with Lady Danbury, Daphne, and Simon added in), watched on with beaming smiles. I even think that I saw Lady Bridgerton wipe away a tear and pull Anthony closer to her, whispering something to him before smiling even wider. Based on Anthony's reaction to her words, I could only assume it had to do with marriage.

Frederick's old school friends were patiently standing on 'his side' of the aisle, all of them watching with polite smiles as I slowly continued to pass them. Nodding their head in respect as I passed and glancing toward Frederick with a knowing look.

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After what feels like hours of walking, we finally make it to Frederick. Papa offers me one more smile and a quick peck on the cheek before taking a step back and moving to sit beside Mama. I step up beside Frederick and glance over at him, blushing as soon as I see that he was already looking over at me.

"Beautiful," he whispers softly enough that only I could hear it.

"Dearly beloved," The Archbishop takes a step forwards and looks around with a wide smile. "We are gathered to join together this man and this woman in holey matrimony, it is said that marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety than in single life..."

I don't even remember his speech to be completely honest. At some point, I had glanced over at Frederick, and- just like it's described in the books- the world became fuzzy, even the Archbishop's voice began to fade out in my mind.

Frederick looked back over at me and smiled, subtly squeezing my hand. A silent reassurance in the fishbowl that we had thrown ourselves into.

A few minutes into the speech, Frederick turns towards me and gently slips off my glove, and slides on my ring before fluttering his eyes back up toward me. The two of us stare at each other for a moment, watching as we each smile softly at each other before turning our attention back towards the Archbishop.

"...in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. I now pronounce you man and wife."

Frederick and I turn back towards the crowd and grin, holding our hands up and laughing before looking at each other.

"Let's go sign some papers," Frederick mutters, grinning over at me.

I nod my head and smile back at him, "let's do it."

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I think that yet another round of congratulations are in order this time for the newly married Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The Duke of Windsor and Lady Florence Huntingdon married a mere six days after.

With a rather sizable portion of the Ton invited to the ceremony and even more gathering at Huntingdon House to celebrate the newlyweds, it is sure to be a wonderfully exciting party indeed.

Not to worry though dear reader. This author will be sure to note anything worthy of our attention... and I'm sure that there will be plenty to read about as the party continues on...

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The party was in full swing by the time that Frederick and I had made the first walk around the room, smiling and greeting those who had arrived and chatting away merrily about the wedding.

In one of the few brief moments that we had together, Frederick smiles at me as he looks down at the ring with a proud smile before looking back up at me. "Can you believe it? We are married?"

"I think that I am still in shock..." I look down at my ring before turning my attention toward him, allowing a joyful smile to break out across my face. "We are married!"

"Congratulations."

Frederick whips his head away from me and looks over at whoever had interrupted our moment. His eyes widen for a split moment before he quickly bows his head at the sight. "Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty... it is an honor to have you here," I stand back up out of my curtsy and look towards her with a kind smile.

"I am glad to see that at least you made the right choice," the Queen says, not bothering to hide her glance towards Daphne and Simon, who were standing rather awkwardly beside each other in a corner of the room. "Frederich sends his regards... he was completely heartbroken that he couldn't make it down in time for the celebrations."

"Well then, whenever we see him we shall have to celebrate again," Frederick declares, grinning over at me.

I nod my head along with him and smile back up at him. "That sounds like a wonderful plan."

The Queen nods her head appreciatively before glancing around the room and continuing, "he will be delighted to hear it... did you receive my gift?"

"Yes, the new Windsor House is simply stunning, you did not have to do that," Frederick says, chuckling as he looked over at her.

"Of course I do... an old family friend gets married and I cannot attend it! It was the least that I could do for you both... besides," she leans in closer to Frederick and I and lowers her voice, "at least you can be away from Uriana- I know that the woman is your mother but she is one of the most wretched women I have met... how your father dealt with her for so long, I simply cannot understand."

"I... cannot fault you there, Your Majesty," Frederick says, shrugging and glancing over at the woman in question.

Uriana was all but pushing herself towards one of the more eligible gentlemen in the room, smiling up at him and swirling her drink around in her glass. The poor man in question was trying the best that he could to release her grip from his arm and was looking around the room helplessly for anyone to come to his aid.

"I think that we need to help-"

Frederick sighs and quickly starts towards his mother, releasing her grip on the poor man and letting him rush back towards his friends. "Mother! Would you please stop trying to entertain Lord Archer when he clearly is not interested in you?"

Uriana simply rolls her eyes at her son, ripping her arm out from his grasp and starting off towards another unsuspecting gentleman.

Frederick sighs once more before starting back over towards me and shaking his head. "I promise you, one day she is going to accost the wrong man and find herself in the center of the next scandal..."

I chuckle and shake my head before noticing some of Frederick's friends who were starting towards us.

"Go..." I urge him on and nod toward his friends, "I'm sure that you all have plenty to catch up on... I shall go find Cressida."

He pauses, glancing back over at me before slowly nodding. He starts off towards his friends before suddenly pausing and turning back around towards me and pressing a kiss to my cheek. "I shall see you soon, darling."

I blush at his action but nod my head nonetheless, "of course... go on!"

He chuckles and starts back towards his friends, the joy clear on his face as he greets them with an eagerness that I hadn't seen from him in a while.

"Your Grace..."

I turn around with a raised brow, but quickly chuckle and shake my head when I see Cressida fall into a dramatic curtsy. "Cress..."

"Oh, let me have my fun," Cressida said, smiling over at me as she stands up from her curtsy, "after all, it's not every day that your best friend gets married to a Duke."

I smile over at her and offer a reassuring smile. "I am sure that your time will come soon enough, Cress..."

"Well... the season is nearly over and I still have yet to find my match... so now would be the best time."

"I saw you talking with Lord Wetherby at Daphne and Simon's wedding, did I not? You two seemed like you got along well enough..." I glance over towards the man in question, who was talking to Mr Grandville and his wife to the side.

Cressida paused, glancing over at the man before turning towards me, "I do not think that it will lead anywhere... besides, mama didn't think him good enough."

"Well, there is always next season... I am sure that there are going to be some new members joining into the season!" I smile over at her and nod my head encouragingly as she continues to look downcast at my words.

"What is the point of even having a second season if I could not even find a suitable match during my first!" She cries, shaking her head.

"There is always hope... I mean, look at the Featherington sisters. Prudence is in her third season and has yet to find a match, but that certainly does not stop her or her mother from trying! And Philippa! She is in her second season and seems to have caught the attention of Mr Finch- see Cress? There are still chances to find your match after your first season passes."

"If my time has not already passed that it," Cressida muttered bitterly.

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Cressida and I had talked rather sporadically for the rest of the night. When I wasn't dancing or being pulled into other conversations I was happily chatting away with her- and sometimes even her mother.

"It was a rather pretty wedding," Lady Cowper said. Lord Cowper huffed in agreement as he took another sip of his drink.

"Thank you," I look over towards them and offer them both a smile. "It means a lot that you were able to come."

"Of course, any friend of Cressida is a friend of ours as well," Lady Cowper said firmly, offering me a smile so small and quick that I doubted it even happened.

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It wasn't until rather late into the night that the party had been called off, with Henry, Anthony, and Benedict, all helping to push any straying guests out of the house and towards the street- or their waiting carriages.

Uriana was one of the last guests to leave- or rather, to be ushered out by Anthony, Henry, and Benedict. A fact that she was certainly not happy with.

"I AM FREDERICK'S MOTHER!" She shrieked, "DON'T YOU IMBECILES KNOW WHO I AM!"

"Well, unfortunately for you, the 'imbeciles' don't care!" Henry huffed, grabbing one of Uriana's arms while Anthony grabs the other one. "Benedict! Grab the door, will you?"

"Mother please just leave!" Frederick cried, watching in horror as his mother kicked and screamed at the men while they try to steer her out of the house. "Must you make a show out of everything!"

Uriana doesn't say anything in return, opting rather continue to scream and try and kick the men. "I CAN NOT BELIEVE THE TREATMENT-"

Finally, after what seemed like ages, they were able to get her outside. Henry, breathlessly, offered her a clearly forced smile as he started to shut the large wooden door in her face. "Thank you for attending the wedding and later celebrations. Have a wonderful night. Goodbye."

A rather firm slam of the door echoes through the now quiet hall.

"Well," Henry claps his hands together and turns towards us, offering a tired smile. "That was fun. Sorry about your mother Frederick... It was the only way."

Frederick waves him off and shrugs, "to be honest I knew that she would fight tooth and nail at the end- that's how she has always been. Although, I did hope that it would change since, well you know, I am married and she is no longer the Duchess of Windsor."

"A title, I am sure, she was just over the moon to lose after your father passed," Benedict said ironically, chuckling.

"I do remember hearing about her... reaction," Anthony mused, "Simon had told me about it once."

Frederick hummed and rocked back onto his heels. "Ah yes, dear old mother was not too happy to lose her title after father died. She would have taken the entire thing to the courts if she could... Thankfully she no longer had the ability to handle the family accounts- those transferred to me as soon as my father's heart stopped."

"Has she always been so... interesting?" I ask, looking from Anthony to Frederick with wide eyes.

Frederick sighs and shrugged his shoulders, "I think that it got worse after father died... believe it or not she was far more... tolerable when my father was around. I think that you could even say that they were in love. Whatever their definition of love was, anyways."

"Well, at least she's gone and you two can enjoy your lives without her," Anthony says briskly, clapping his hands together and offering us a small smile.

"How about that Mrs Florence Harding?" Frederick looks down at me with a wide grin. "Do you want to run away with me?"

I giggle and nod my head, before leaning into him and pressing my lips against his. "Forever and ever. I love you."

"There is no way because I love you way more."

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It seems as though dear reader, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor have a rather powerful player in the corner already.

Her Majesty the Queen was spotted sharing a few words with the newly married couple, with some even swearing that they saw her smile... whether that's true or not has yet to be determined, but I think that it is quite clear that I am rather interested to find out if this is true or not for myself...

With her only son's marriage, Lady Uriana Harding was seen dancing with the eligible Lord Richards... a new (and rather unexpected) caller for the late widow. Although, it should be noted that the Dowager Duchess was seen sipping her way through quite a few glasses of rather expensive champagne.

On other notes, the couple was seen entering into a carriage in the late hours of the night and starting off towards Windsor House, which was said to be a gift from the Queen herself.

Was it payment for the Duke's hard work at helping to increase the Royal Family's already sizable purse? Or perhaps it was a rather kind thank you to the couple for proving her to be right in their match... it was after all the Queen that seemed to push them together.

And after the failed match of Miss Bridgerton (now the Duchess of Hastings) with her nephew, I am quite certain that Her Majesty was eager to see herself a win, as well as to prove to the Ton that she has not lost her sharp eye- yet.

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