A Most Unsuitable Match
Chapter 6

When the day she had been dreading finally arrived, Isadora knew that she would have to resign herself to her fate. For the past two months she had been hoping that something, anything would happen which would make Beckett change his mind. But no such thing had occurred, and everything was going ahead as planned.

Isadora rose that morning, finding she had little appetite but eating her breakfast anyway because she knew she needed strength to make it through the day. And night, but she refused to think about that now. All she wanted to think about was the fact that it was finally her wedding day, and she was determined to enjoy it as much as she could, regardless of who she was marrying.

One thing which gave Isadora a small bit of happiness was the fact that she would be wearing her mother's wedding gown, which made her quite proud since it was such a fine garment. The time soon came for her to dress, and she obediently allowed the maids to work their magic on her. It was too late to make a fuss anyway. It was time to face the inevitable.

She and her father rode in their carriage to the church where the wedding was to be held. They had chosen a rather large one, as there would be a good deal of guests attending. Most of these were Beckett's colleagues from the East India Company, but the Harcourts had quite a few friends and relatives attending as well. As they rode through the cobblestone streets of London, Isadora could not help but feel as though she was riding towards her doom.

Once at the church, they disembarked from the carriage. Mr. Harcourt helped Isadora out and led her up the steps to the doors of the church. She stared up at the cold unfeeling stone facade, her sense of foreboding increasing even more. So dismal was she that when the doors opened, Isadora was surprised to hear a bridal march playing, as she had almost been expecting a funeral dirge.

The church was full of people. As she and her father walked down the aisle, Isadora spied a good deal of her relations and friends, including the Felshams. But for the most part she did not recognize many of the faces she passed. Obviously they were Beckett's family, friends, and acquaintances from the Company. And as they came nearer to the altar, she felt her stomach tighten when she saw the man himself. He was resplendent in a blue coat, gold waistcoat, and buff breeches, his boots shining, his wig freshly powdered. And Isadora noticed that the closer she came, the more his smug grin grew.

Beckett watched Isadora and her father approach. She was wearing a lovely gown, her pretty face partially obscured by the veil. He could not help but smile as he gazed on her. She was perfect. Not only pleasing to the eyes, but strong-willed as well, and he was truly going to enjoy the process of taming her.

When Isadora reached the altar, she made a point to avoid looking at Beckett; instead she stared directly at the vicar. He in turn gestured to the congregation and they all seated themselves. Then, after raising his eyes heavenward, he looked back down and began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved," he said, his voice ringing out clearly through the church, "We are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony..."

As the vicar spoke, Isadora kept her eyes averted from Beckett. He however was glancing at her at random intervals, and was greatly amused to see how she was avoiding his gaze. Eventually, the vicar came to the recitation of the vows. Isadora took a deep breath, hoping she would be able to speak when the time came.

"Cutler Beckett, do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others, to bind yourself only to her until death do you part?"

"I do," Beckett said, glancing slightly at Isadora, still grinning at her.

"Isadora Harcourt, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others, to bind yourself only to him until death do you part?"

"I do," Isadora said, her voice coming out much softer than she would have preferred. Although she did not see it, Beckett smirked again.

The vicar gestured to the ringbearer, who brought the ring forward. Beckett picked it up and took Isadora's hand in his. As much as she wanted to avoid it, she knew she had to face him. Slowly, she turned herself around to him, but she made a point to stare at his intricately embroidered waistcoat instead of his eyes. Still amused by this, Beckett held up the ring and waited for the vicar to start again.

"Repeat after me," the vicar said, "With this ring..."

"With this ring..."

"I thee wed."

"I thee wed."

With that, Beckett slipped the ring onto Isadora's finger. Once again, she shivered at his touch. He smirked again and took both of her hands in his. Still she did not raise her head.

"Then by the power vested in me by our mutual faith in the Lord, Our God, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Knowing she had to raise her head, Isadora forced herself to look up--and found herself locking eyes with Beckett just as he lifted the veil up and leaned in to kiss her. His gaze held her enthralled for a brief moment, then his lips took over. Isadora closed her eyes, trying to fight the feeling, not wanting to admit that she was enjoying his kiss. But it was over all too soon anyway, for they were still in church, and it was not proper to kiss for more than a short while. When Beckett broke the kiss, she saw he was grinning smugly at her again, and Isadora suddenly found herself with an overwhelming temptation to slap him. Thankfully, the vicar's voice jolted her away from this thought.

"I give you Lord and Lady Beckett!" he said joyfully.

The crowd cheered and clapped. Beckett took Isadora's hand again and led her down the aisle through the congregation. As they passed through the church and out into the street towards their waiting carriage, Isadora would have liked nothing better than to break free of Beckett's grasp and run off down the street. But though his hold on her arm was relatively light, she still felt as though she was being gripped by a vice, and no futile escape attempt would do any good. Once seated inside the carriage, she knew for sure that her fate was sealed and like it or not, she was going to have to adjust to life as Lady Beckett. At least the title did not sound so bad, Isadora reflected, realizing that she would greatly enjoy being addressed in such a manner. Whether she would enjoy being with her husband, however, was another matter entirely.