Tessa looked shell-shocked as he pushed her chair in, clearly overwhelmed at meeting and greeting so many people in such a short amount of time. Ian grinned as he poured her a glass of water and wrapped her hand around it.

“I hope you’re not tired already, love,” he teased. “Because our evening is just beginning.”

She shook her head. “Not tired, no. Just - wow, did we really invite all these people to our wedding? And how do you know so many people anyway?”

Ian shrugged, pouring himself a glass of water and drinking half of it down thirstily. “As you know, we had to trim the guest list as it was. We could have easily had over five hundred guests here if we’d invited everyone. Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately, given the circumstances - this resort isn’t able to accommodate a crowd that large.”

“Thank God,” muttered Tessa half to herself. “I can’t even imagine having two hundred more guests here right now. There’s no possible way we’re going to be able to say hello to all of them.”

“Probably not,” agreed Ian. “Which is why it was so important to get together with the family before this evening. I knew it would be like this, knew that we’d barely have time to spend with anyone. Colin suggested this morning that we should have eloped instead.”

Tessa gazed at him in dismay. “Oh. I mean, we never discussed that idea. Is - is that what you would have preferred? It would have been okay with me, Ian. I didn’t need all of this, you know. The only thing I needed was to be your wife.”

“I never considered the idea, love,” he assured her. “And you did need all of this, as you put it. You deserved to have the sort of fairytale wedding every girl dreams of. And I would have missed out on the chance to show you off to everyone. By the way, darling, I realize I haven’t had the opportunity to tell you as yet, but you look beyond beautiful today. I can’t even come up with enough phrases to describe how exquisite you are. Cinderella wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to you.”

She smiled, obviously pleased at his words. “I’m glad you approve. I knew the moment I tried this gown on that it was the one, that you’d love it. Especially since it was the most expensive of the bunch.”

Ian threw back his head and laughed heartily. “There may be hope for you yet, darling,” he drawled. “And this is one dress at least that you’ll never wear again after tonight.”

She placed a hand on his thigh, giving it a squeeze. “Needless to say, you look amazing yourself. You know I have a weakness for a man in a tuxedo. And since you wear a tux better than any man I’ve ever seen - well, consider me putty in your hands tonight, Mr. Gregson.”

He picked up one of her long blonde curls and threaded his fingers through it. “If that’s an invitation, Mrs. Gregson,” he told her with a wicked grin, “then I accept it happily.”

He wrapped the strand of hair around his hand and tugged her close, unable to resist kissing her again. But the moment their lips touched, it seemed that the entire group of guests seated nearby erupted once again into cheers and whistles, this time clinking their silverware against their glasses to add to the noise.

“You can’t bloody well stop now!” yelled Colin, as Ian reluctantly broke the kiss. “Don’t you know anything, Ian? It’s tradition for the bride and groom to kiss when the guests clang their knives and forks against their glass.”

As the clanging continued insistently, Tessa tugged his head back down to hers, a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.

“We have to keep our guests happy, darling,” she laughed, reaching up to kiss him again. “Though if this keeps up, we’ll never get to eat our dinner.”

They did, in the end, get to partake of the delicious wedding dinner that they had spent so much time in choosing - a wild mushroom tart for a starter, followed by a salad of watercress, goat cheese, and candied walnuts. For the main course, guests were served their choice of a beef tenderloin, salmon filet, or a vegetarian dish. The beautifully prepared meal was accompanied by fine Napa Valley wines.

Tessa ate more than she thought herself capable of, knowing that the night was still very young, and that dinner would be followed by hours of dancing, cake cutting, and the tossing of her bouquet. She cradled one of the gorgeous pink-tipped cream roses wistfully.

“It’s too pretty to throw away,” she sighed. “I want to keep it forever. Especially since they’re my very favorite flowers, ones that hold some very special memories for me.”

Ian’s knuckles caressed her flushed cheek. “Which is why I told the florist to make up a smaller bouquet that you can toss to all the single ladies later on this evening. Julia’s holding onto it for you.”

She picked up his hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “Once again,” she breathed, “you’re the most thoughtful, wonderful man in the whole world. And you always seem to think of everything.”

He grinned. “I try my best, darling.”

As dusk fell, the thousands of tiny, twinkling lights that had been strung around the outdoor patio where the reception was being held came on. To Tessa, it reminded her of an enchanted forest, especially the way the bougainvillea twined around the stone walls and wooden posts. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, and each table was lit with golden, glowing candles. It was a magnificent setting, a wedding that would have certainly been fit for royalty, and everything was sheer perfection in her eyes.

There were toasts then - from Hugh, the best man; from Colin, who Tessa had feared would say something risqué or inappropriate but was surprisingly sentimental instead. Edward spoke next, welcoming Tessa to the family, and then it was Julia’s turn as the maid of honor to say something witty and amusing.

But it was Simon who very unexpectedly rose to his feet next, even though he was clearly ill at ease speaking in front of so many people. And it was his brief, rather halting speech that brought Tessa to tears.

“I just want to say,” the chauffeur began, clearing his throat, “that being asked to give Tessa away at her wedding today was the single greatest honor of my life. I don’t have a child of my own, but if I did, I couldn’t be more proud of her than I am of this young lady right now. She is a remarkable woman, and Mr. Gregson is a very, very lucky man to have her for his wife. God bless you, my dear, and all the happiness in the world to you both.”