Half an hour later, they all sat down to a delicious dinner. After dinner, they had both traditional wedding cake and a selection of additional puddings.
“I’m stuffed,” Janet said after she’d swallowed her last bite of chocolate cake. “Everything was delicious.”
“Thank you,” Bridget replied as she cleared the plates.
For several hours, the newly married pair drank and danced and talked with their friends and family. Janet giggled every time someone called her “Mrs. Bennett,” and Edward kissed her every time she laughed.
“It’s getting late,” he said as the clock on the wall struck nine.
“We have a plane to catch,” she sighed.
“And it’s an hour later in Paris,” he reminded her.
She nodded. “We should go.”
“But you don’t want to leave.”
“I do want to leave, but I’m also sad to leave. All of my friends are here and I’ve not had a chance to speak to everyone, not as much as I’d like, anyway,” she explained.
“I can change our flights until tomorrow, if you’d rather stay here tonight.”
She looked at him and had to blink back tears. “You would, wouldn’t you? You’d change all of our plans just for me.”
“I made all of our plans just for you,” he said with a chuckle. “I want you to enjoy our honeymoon, and I want to make the rest of our life together one long holiday for both of us. One more day here won’t change anything in our forever.”
After kissing him, she shook her head. “I want our first night together to be special,” she said. “Paris is the most romantic city in the world. I want to be there with you, and only you, tonight.”
“Then we really do have to think about leaving soon,” he replied.
Half an hour later, she and Edward walked out of Ashcroft Hall and into a waiting limousine. Their family and friends waved as the car slowly drove away, heading for a London airport.
“More champagne?” Edward asked as they settled back in the seat.
“I think I’ve had quite enough,” she replied with a giggle.
“Then get some rest,” he suggested. “We’re going to be travelling for hours.”
They snuggled up together, and Janet let herself doze on and off as they made their way to London. The small private plane was waiting for them when they arrived.
“I’m not certain about this,” Janet said as she looked at the plane. “You know I’ve never flown before.”
“You’ll be fine,” Edward assured her. “You know I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Janet nodded, but she wasn’t convinced. Inside the plane, the young flight attendant did her best to make Janet feel at ease. The takeoff was nerve-racking, but once they were in the air, Janet felt herself relaxing.
“It’s actually a bit boring,” she told Edward after a while.
He laughed. “It is, yes. It should feel more exciting than it does.”
Another limousine was waiting for them at the other end. Janet greeted the driver in French. Once they were on their way, Edward grinned at her.
“I’d forgotten how good your French is,” he said.
“I’m sure I told you that Joan and I spent two years living in France in the early years of our teaching careers. We taught English, but outside of the classroom we spoke nothing but French for those years, even at home with one another. Once we came back to the UK, I taught French until I retired, so I was still able to speak it fairly regularly.”
“And now you shall be able to speak it every day for a fortnight.”
She smiled. “I’m looking forward to that, but I’m a bit worried about our fortnight in Venice.”
“I speak more Italian than French,” he assured her. “We’ll be fine.”
They arrived at their hotel, a small boutique property near the Eiffel Tower, after midnight.
“Please sign the register,” the man behind the desk said, handing Janet a pen.
She wrote “Janet Markham” and then passed the pen to Edward.
“Have you decided not to take my name, then?” he asked in a teasing tone.
Flushing, she took the pen back and carefully wrote “Bennett” after “Markham.” As she gave the pen to Edward again, she found herself giggling once more.
“Congratulations on your marriage,” the man told them as Edward scrawled something illegible on the line under Janet’s neat signature.
A uniformed bellhop showed them to their room while another followed with a cart carrying their luggage.
The huge suite gave them a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding area. Janet stepped out onto the balcony as Edward got rid of the bellhops.
“Happy?” he asked her when he joined her.
She looked out at the illuminated tower and then back at her new husband. “I’ve never been happier in my life,” she told him.
When Janet opened her eyes the next morning, she was momentarily discombobulated. The luxury suite was clearly not Doveby House, but it took her a moment to remember exactly where she was. A quick glance at her left hand made her smile. The simple gold band that Edward had given her yesterday looked perfect next to the gorgeous engagement ring he’d given her in September.
Sitting up in bed, Janet looked at the empty space next to her. Edward wasn’t in bed. The door to the enormous en-suite was open. Janet stuck her head inside. No Edward. “Maybe he’s enjoying coffee on the balcony,” she muttered as she slipped on one of the thick bathrobes, which had the hotel’s name embroidered on it. When she pulled open the curtains, though, the balcony was empty.
A nervous laugh bubbled up inside her. She’d been married for less than twenty-four hours and she’d already misplaced her husband.
Chapter 2
Grabbing her phone, Janet sent a quick message to
