"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." George Burns

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Chapter Twenty – Six

Imogen took a deep breath, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. She willed her legs not to crumble, not from exhaustion, but from nerves. "I, Imogen, take thee, Simon, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth." Imogen let out a sigh of relief, something that made her husband to be smile.

It had been a month since Simon had proposed to Imogen in the library of Salisbury Hall. The wedding had to be organised quickly as Alexandra had received word from Joaquín, a letter telling her that their marriage had finally been approved by the council. Joaquín could not know of Imogen's engagement, so the news that Joaquín was sending his ship to collect Alexandra and her family a few days after Christmas had accelerated Imogen's wedding plans. If she wanted Alexandra to serve as her maid of honour, they needed to be married before they all left for Spain.

It was December twentieth, a week before the ship was arriving to take them to Spain. The little church at Ascot was packed to the rafters with family, friends, and well-wishers. Dozens of redcoat comrades of Simon's had made the journey to Derbyshire after reading about the wedding in the papers and Imogen was glad to meet them. Simon seemed very pleased that his old friends had come to witness the marriage, particularly as his last years in the army were clouded with guilt. He enjoyed reacquainting himself with his friends.

Imogen stood at the altar with her sister by her side, and her new daughter at her feet. Hannah was a very proud flower girl, and she and Imogen got on well. Hannah seemed to enjoy having the attention of Imogen and the new female members of her family. She was an enchanting child who was yet to understand the tragedy of her own mother's loss. Because of this, she could happily enjoy the presence of a new mother.

Hannah had heartily insisted that Imogen's wedding gown be made by her friend, Madame Bichoux, in London, however, that simply was impossible. There was not time to send for a gown, so to compromise, Imogen, her sister, and her mother, pulled apart one of the gowns that Madame Bichoux had made for Hannah. Bess taught her daughters how to make a pattern, and then they purchased fabric from the village to make a dress that suited Imogen. It was in the style of Madame Bichoux's creation, though Bess had helped her to add several lacy decorations to make it a fine wedding gown.

While Hannah had been easy to please with sewing lessons, Harry had still been quite timid around Imogen, and even his new father. Harry was quiet, but he became affectionate when Imogen read to him. He liked to be cuddled, and he enjoyed the safety of being held. In the month that she had known her new son, he had slowly started to accept his new family, and was becoming more vocal by the day.

At the altar, Harry stood at Simon's feet, holding Imogen's wedding ring. Harry was given the responsibility of ring bearer.

Simon collected the ring from Harry and took hold of Imogen's left hand. Simon held the ring at Imogen's knuckle and uttered, "With this ring, I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all of my worldly goods I thee endow. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Simon then slid the ring properly onto her finger.

Imogen's breath caught in the back of her throat as she stared at the little golden circle that now resided on her third finger.

Only a year ago, Imogen was certain that marriage was something that would never happen for her. No man would be willing to take the sickly, small, and weak daughter of the Duke of Ascot, no matter how tempting her dowry.

All Imogen needed was encouragement, and belief, and someone to put fire in her belly. Simon had done everything for her. Because of him she could walk, she could run, and ride horse, and climb stairs. There was not anything that she could not do if she worked hard to attain it. And even though she would always be determined, she knew that her new husband would always be behind her to catch her if she fell.

As soon as the vicar announced that Imogen and Simon were married, Imogen beamed. Simon leaned down, and Imogen stood on her toes, and they kissed, resulting in the applause of the church.

Arm in arm, Simon and Imogen walked down the aisle, each holding the hand of one of their children, to begin their new life as a family.

Christmas at Ascot was not as it usually was. There were trunks everywhere as they family prepared to travel to Spain. Their entire family was convened at Ascot House, which meant that all of their luggage was stored along every wall and corridor.

Bess still gave the servants the day off on Christmas Day, and she spent the morning down in the kitchens preparing a Christmas feast with the help of her daughters and in-laws.

This Christmas was bittersweet, and everyone knew it. It would be the last time the entire family was all together for a long time. Who knew when they would all be able to gather like this again?

As she cooked, Imogen could see her mother wiping away tears every so often.

"Are you excited, Allie?" asked their Aunt Charlotte.

Alexandra nodded. "Yes, I am. I am terribly nervous, though. England may be happy to have me on the throne, but I am unsure about Spain."

England was more than happy to have Alexandra on the Spanish throne. The news that Spain was to have an English queen had spread like wildfire throughout England. Alexandra's name was in every newspaper, and there was not a person in England who did not know her name.

"They will love you," promised Elena. "My people have always embraced young, boisterous princesses." Elena winked. "Hablas en español?" she asked. Elena had been given Alexandra Spanish lessons ever since she had received the news from Joaquín. Imogen thought it better that Alexandra receive lessons from a native speaker.

Alexandra grinned, and replied, "Sí un poco."

Christmas dinner was a relaxed, yet sad affair as Emmett gave a toast to farewell his daughter.

"I am very torn today," said Emmett, as he stood at the head of the table, holding his wine glass. "Today we celebrate Christmas together as a family, just as we always have, but it is also the last Christmas before this family experiences great change. So many have joined us over the years," he said, looking at all of the new additions to the table, lastly settling on the newest family members in Hannah and Harry, "but this will be the first time that someone leaves us." He sighed sadly. "Allie, while we are all very excited to make this journey with you, it will be very difficult to leave you. The day that you and Imogen were born was the scariest day of my life. Not only did I believe that I would lose your mother, but I believed that the day might end where God had claimed three members of my family." Bess whimpered and Emmett placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But you both were alright," he continued, smiling down at both Alexandra and Imogen, "and you looked after Imogen as only a twin sister could. I am so very proud of both of you, and I hate to see the two of you separated."

Imogen chewed on her bottom lip, willing herself not to cry. She knew that there was a goodbye in her future, but she was not ready for it to be now.

"I would like to make a toast to my family," Emmett said in conclusion, "a toast in hope that this will not be the last time that we all sit down to dinner." Emmett raised his glass to Alexandra and uttered, "Godspeed, Alexandra."

The Wildes, the Swifts, the Montgomerys, and the Spencers all boarded Joaquín's ship, Alejandra, a few days later. The ship was entirely manned by Spanish crew, and Elena was in her element commanding them, sending their luggage to wherever it needed to be.

Apparently, this ship had been commissioned a year ago. Alexandra was touched to learn that Joaquín had commissioned the ship when it seemed as though there was no hope in them ever being together.

It took two weeks of sailing and travel before their parade of carriages started into the city of Madrid. It seemed that the city had been long awaiting them, as there were thousands lining the streets, cheering for their Princesa Alejandra.

Alexandra's happy smile could not be denied. She had not been expecting this sort of reception.

"They have been waiting for you for a long time," Elena said contently as she rocked Ana in her arms. Elena, David, and their babies sat opposite Imogen, Simon, and Alexandra.

"¡Dios mío," whispered Alexandra.

Imogen smiled. She was learning quickly.

The procession of carriages travelled through the high, guarded gates of the palace in Madrid. Imogen could not help but stare at everything she saw. The palace was heavily guarded by armed soldiers in red uniforms. The palace was grander than anything she had ever seen. It was storeys upon storeys of grandeur. The carriages pulled to a stop at the large double doors. Joaquín stood in the centre of the opening and he was accompanied by a dozen or so guards.

Joaquín stood proudly with his hands behind his back. He wore a golden crown on his head but his effort to look regal disappeared just as soon as their carriage door was opened and Alexandra stepped out. Joaquín grinned happily at his bride, and jogged down the steps to meet her. As soon as he was in reaching distance, Joaquín lifted Alexandra into his arms before kissing her passionately. They only broke apart when Emmett, very audibly, cleared his throat. King or not, he was still answerable to his bride's father.

"Welcome," Joaquín said warmly as he snaked an arm around Alexandra's face. "Thank you all for making the journey." The servants immediately swarmed the carriages, pulling the trunks from the rooves and carrying them inside the palace.

Emmett, with a stern expression, moved forward to shake his future son-in-law's hand. Everyone else respectfully bowed their heads or curtseyed. Joaquín needed to be shown respect in the presence of his household.

Elena greeted her brother next, and together, they spoke in such rapid Spanish that not even Imogen could keep up. It was as though they were competing with each other, but from what Imogen could pick up on, they were simply catching up.  

Alexandra spent the next few days making public appearances with Joaquín. They toured the city and everyone came out to get a peek at their future Queen. Imogen knew that Alexandra was a little overwhelmed at times, but she did her best to adapt quickly. The public life came with the man she wanted.

The first formal proceeding was for Alexandra to convert to Catholicism. She and Joaquín could not be married before she converted. Special consideration was made for the King who did not want to wait for Easter to have his bride covert.

Though nervous and apprehensive about embracing a new religion, Alexandra was willing to do what she had to do. She and Joaquín met with the priest at the cathedral where Joaquín and the royal family attended mass. They met several times with the priest before Alexandra was privately baptised into the Catholic Church.

Imogen knew that this news was a little difficult for her parents to comprehend, considering that they had stood at the altar of the little Ascot church while she and Alexandra were christened, but they were willing to grin and bear it so long as Alexandra was happy.

From then on, Alexandra was dressed as a Spanish princess. She certainly enjoyed this part of the transition. She wore fabulous, bright colours, and gorgeous jewels and pendants. Her hair was adorned with golden peinetas, flowersand colourful veils.

Imogen and her family got to know Joaquín's family, or rather his two younger brothers who lived at the palace. His mother was still in Copenhagen, and they did not expect Gabriela to travel now that she was expecting again.

Elena did not seem to get on well with her brothers, Javier and Jorge, and she spent little time conversing with them, though she did introduce her children to their tíos. David seemed just as cautious around Elena's brothers so Imogen presumed that they had, in some way, contributed to her unhappy childhood.

Despite the lack of interest in knowing her brothers, Elena had blossomed now that she was back in Spain. She seemed so happy to be back in the environment that had so long been home to her. She adored being home, and Imogen knew that David could see this. Imogen knew it would be difficult to take Elena away again.

The wedding date was set for March fifteenth, two months after they had initially arrived in Spain. The energy in Spain was simply electric. The royal wedding was to be held in the city cathedral and over a thousand people were expected to attend.

Elena, once again in her element, took it upon herself to bring Alexandra, and Imogen as her companion, to Madrid's hospitals and orphanages during the lead up to the wedding. Elena, not matter the fact that she no longer lived in Spain, was still very much a Spanish princess, and a popular one at that.

Imogen appreciated the fact that they got to spend time with the real Spanish people, and not just the nobles at Court. Alexandra won the hearts of the people as soon as she was seen cuddling orphans. While Elena might have brought the future queen to the orphanage to win over the people, Alexandra did it out of the goodness of her heart.

Imogen was absolutely touched at the sight of the many orphans who had lost their parents. It was food for thought.

Imogen lay awake on the eve of the wedding. Simon was breathing evenly in sleep beside her. She was very grateful to her new husband for joining her on this journey, and for putting up with everything that needed to be done to accommodate the voyage to Spain. He did not have to, and he could have taken Imogen to Kent upon their marriage but he did not.

That was the first decision they had made as a betrothed couple. They would start their married, family life in Kent, on Simon's estate. Just as soon as they returned from Spain, Simon would formally accept the title of Viscount Albury and would claim his land in Kent.

Imogen had not yet told her parents. They were losing one daughter in a matter of hours. She was sure this news would kill them if she told them before they went to Spain.

Imogen was excited to go to Kent, though. It was a new beginning for their little family.

Just like it had on so many occasions, Imogen's bedroom door opened, and the familiar sound of feet crossing the room and the rustling of nightclothes accompanied it.

The bed dipped on Imogen's side and Imogen rolled over to see Alexandra climbing in beside her. The movement roused Simon, and he sat up groggily. "What is going on?" he asked lethargically.

"Go away, please, Simon," whispered Alexandra. "I need my sister more than you need your wife at this moment."

Imogen grinned as Simon grumpily climbed out of bed and collected his pillow before leaving the bedchamber. There were countless bedrooms in the palace. He would find somewhere to rest for a little while.

Imogen watched as her husband stalked out of the bedroom. He slept without a shirt, and Imogen enjoyed his physique. His facial scar was not his only scar. His torso was covered in scars, from little nicks, to shrapnel wounds. Simon did not seem to mind those scars. He wore them with pride.

Imogen shuffled over in the bed so that Alexandra could climb in properly. Imogen had gone to Alexandra on the eve of her own wedding to fret. It was now Alexandra's turn.

"I feel ill," she stressed as she cuddled up to Imogen. "I want to be Joaquín's wife but I feel ill about what comes with it. I will be the Queen! I will sit on a throne and be responsible for so many. I cannot even handle myself at times!" she exclaimed, though lowering her voice when she realised how loud she was being. "I need you to handle me."

Imogen rolled her eyes. Alexandra was simply nervous. "Allie," she said calmly, "you will do great things here. You were born to play this part. That is what being Queen is, a part. You must do your part to make a difference in these peoples' lives. You are already doing so well at this."

"But I will not have you," she protested stressfully.

"We are grown up now," Imogen said, not entirely believing it herself. "Well, it is time to grow up now. We will not see each other every day, but I will always have your voice in the back of my head, telling me what to do."

Alexandra's hazel eyes filled with tears. "I shall always hear your rational voice as well." Alexandra sat up in the bed, and Imogen followed suit so that they could hug each other. "I am going to miss you so," she whispered.

"And I you," replied Imogen, holding her sister tightly.

"Promise me you will write every week. I will write you the same. Do you promise?"

"I promise," Imogen said sincerely. As they were growing up, something happened every day that Imogen wanted to share with her sister. They would simply have to communicate their days now through letters.

When they separated, Alexandra took a deep breath and said, "Now all I have to do is say my vows in front of one thousand people. In Spanish."

"You will be great, I am sure," Imogen said confidently.

"I hope you are right," replied Alexandra. "I suppose I should try to sleep," she decided. "And I suppose I should let your husband know that he can return to his bed." She grinned devilishly and climbed out of the bed.

Imogen collected the lamp from the bedside table and followed her. She would quickly search for Simon. As soon as Alexandra opened the door, she laughed. Imogen poked her head around the door to see that Simon had fallen asleep outside the bedroom. He was sitting up against the wall with his pillow behind his head. She, too, laughed.

The sound woke Simon again, and he craned his neck to see the two sisters watching him. "Am I allowed to go back to bed now?" Simon asked Alexandra sullenly.

Alexandra smirked. "Yes, you may," she allowed. Alexandra kissed Imogen's cheek, thanked her, and then left to return to her bedroom.

Imogen then noticed that they were not alone in the corridor. A curious guard was manning the wing, and he looked amused at the goings on. "Buenas Noches," she muttered as she and Simon closed the door on their bedroom.

"Are you alright?" Simon asked Imogen as they settled back into bed.

"She was nervous," explained Imogen, "but I am alright. I am going to miss her."

Simon wrapped his arm around Imogen and she laid her head down on his chest.

The next day, Joaquín and Alexandra married before a thousand of Spain and their allies' nobles. Imogen walked what felt like the mile long aisle to serve as Alexandra's matron of honour.

Alexandra spoke Spanish very well as she repeated her vows, though her British accent was still very prominent. Imogen could not help but beam as they went through the marriage ceremony. Imogen was not the only one smiling. Joaquín looked as though he were the happiest man alive. He could not take his eyes off his beautiful bride.

Alexandra did look beautiful. She was dressed in ivory coloured Spanish finery and ostentatiously covered in jewels. She looked like one of the many Queens in the portraits that hung around the palace.

Alexandra was not the only Queen in attendance. Lupe had arrived in time for the wedding, bearing Gabriela's congratulations. The Queen Dowager was very warmly welcomed by her people.

The King and Queen of Portugal had also journeyed to Spain to attend the wedding, and at that moment, Elena and her dearest friend, Marisol, were sitting together in the front row of the pews.  

After the formalities of the ceremony, Joaquín and Alexandra said their vows to one another. Joaquín surprised Alexandra by repeating them in English. Imogen thought this a very sweet gesture, and Alexandra might not have improved her Spanish to the point of understanding the vows.

Once Joaquín had placed the wedding band on Alexandra's finger, the priest blessed them and then they kissed. Everyone in the cathedral rose to their feet as the newly married couple walked back down the aisle. They were applauded inside the cathedral and they were met by a cheering crowd outside.

Imogen, who had followed the new couple back down the aisle along with the families, could see Alexandra's wide smile as she waved to the people.

Imogen was confident her sister would do good things in Spain. Though she was now Queen Alejandra, she would always be simply Allie to her.

The wedding feast was held in the ballroom at the palace. Imogen's eyes could not take in the size of the table and the hundreds of chairs that sat around it. All sorts of delicious foods had been prepared, and though Imogen had no idea what she was eating, she enjoyed every bit of it.

Once the meal was over, the tables were cleared and the music started. The floor cleared as Joaquín and Alexandra danced the first dance and then other couples joined them. Simon promptly asked Imogen to dance with him and she gladly accepted. As they danced, Imogen looked around to all of her family members, most of whom were dancing. Even her Grandmamma and Grandpapa were dancing. Stephen and Marie had accompanied them on the journey, not wanting to miss out on any of their grandchildren's weddings.

Hours into the reception, Imogen, David, and the new Queen stole away. David led them to the gallery above the ballroom. It was clear that he knew his way, suggesting that he had spent time up there during his first visit to Spain.

When they were alone, the three Wilde siblings faced each other, standing in a circle. They knew what they were there to do. It was time to say goodbye.

"It will be so strange, the three of us not living at Ascot," said David.

"It will be the first time we do not all live together," added Imogen.

Alexandra was already teary. "I am glad that you both will still be together," she choked out. "Your presence will give Mama and Papa a sense of normalcy."

While her statement was meant to be comforting, both David and Imogen looked quite guilty.

Alexandra placed her hands on her hips. "What are you both not telling me?" she asked suspiciously.

Imogen arched an eyebrow at her brother. "I know what I am keeping secret, what are you hiding?" she asked accusingly.

"What are you not telling us?" David countered.

David could keep his secret for the next few minutes. "Simon and I are leaving Derbyshire when we return to England," she confessed. "Upon his retirement from the military, the Queen gifted him with the title of Viscount Albury. This title came with land an estate in Kent. We will be taking the children to live in Kent." Imogen bit her lip nervously as her brother and sister comprehended this information.

David spoke first. Groaning, he said, "I thought if you were staying with the little ones then my news would not be so bad for Mama and Papa." He ran a hand back through his hair and said, "Elena and I will not be leaving Spain when you all return to England."

Imogen closed her eyes and sighed. What would her parents do when they found this out?

"You have seen how happy she is," David continued. "Elena has always wanted to show me Spain, not just little parts of the city. We have been discussing staying behind for a while for the past couple of weeks. Elena wants to take the girls and me around the country, and then she wants to visit Marisol in Portugal."

Alexandra's bottom lip trembled, and Imogen, herself, could not hold back tears either. This really was goodbye. Alexandra was staying in Madrid to rule a country. David would be travelling with his family. Imogen would be leaving for Kent. They would not see each other again for a long time.

"What if we never see each other again?" Alexandra stressed. Her fears mirrored Imogen's.  

Imogen refused to give in to her fears. "We will see each other again," said Imogen confidently. "Mama will not stand for it if we stay away forever."

Both David and Alexandra laughed. "Yes, of course you are right," agreed David. "This will not be the last time we see each other. It may be a little while, but there will come a time when we reunite."

Imogen felt calm with her brother's certainty. "Thank you both for always taking care of me," she said gratefully, willing herself not to fall apart crying. "You carried me and put up with me for years and I will be forever grateful."

"You are my little sisters," David said to both Imogen and Alexandra, "it has been my responsibility to protect you both since the day you were born. It has been a pleasure, and I will continue to look after you as best I can from afar. Just know I will always be available to fight your husbands should they step out of line. I will always be Salvaje in Spain." He chuckled to himself.

Both Alexandra and Imogen furrowed their eyebrows.

"Joaquín understands," he explained. David pulled both of his sisters into his arms and kissed the top of both of their heads. "I love you both."

"We love you, too," the twins' said in unison.

"One more time," David said comically.

"What?" Imogen and Alexandra asked at the same time.

David chuckled. "That," he replied. "You two do that all the time, say the same thing."

"Oh," realised Alexandra and Imogen. They both smiled and laughed at each other.

It felt nice to laugh, particularly when they were saying goodbye.

No matter where they were on earth, they would always be family, and they would always have neutral ground to travel to and be together. Moving on was their next step as a family. It was time.

They had one more challenge before they parted, though. They needed to tell their parents.  

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I'm sorry about the wait everyone! I wrote this chapter twice. This chapter is 4600 words, and I wrote it earlier in the week but I kept re-reading it and I wasn't happy so I re-wrote it. So really I written 9200 words this week :P Forgive me! This is the last chapter before the epilogue. Next chapter will be a flash forward and we'll see what has happened to the Wildes since they all went their separate ways. And we'll find out who's in mourning ... ;) I reckon I'm going to cry writing that.

I've got to tell you all what happened at netball yesterday. So both my little teams won their matches :) Yay! Then I played. We were playing a club that I hate. Personal grievance. Can't stand them. Moving on. Anyway, I was in Goal Defence which is a running/defending position. I had my eyes on the ball above me as they were throwing in to their shooter. I was running too fast for my feet and I ended up tripping over at my player's feet as she caught the ball. So I missed the intercept :( anyway, when a player falls down on court, especially with the way I did, the umpire is supposed to call time and check for blood because if you're bleeding you have to go off and get it sorted out. The umpire blew her whistle and I thought she was calling time but no, the shooter, while I was on the ground possibly hurt, shot a goal and the umpire started running back to the next centre pass. My friend was defending with me and she's like "So you're not even going to check if she's okay?" and the umpire stopped and was like "Oh, are you okay Goal Defence?" I was fine, but it's the principle of the matter! My mum was disgusted at the fact that the shooter shot a goal over me. Anyways, just one of the reasons why I hate that club :P Oh well!!

So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So close to the end. I'm going to miss this family :( Vote and comment!!