Emily's eyes ran over the room and the still-bent figures of most of the men in the room. Mr. Brown and who she figured was the priest were overshadowed by the man who was now gazing intently at her, the one part of his face that she could see fixed on her and his expression pensive and --- dare she say, hungry.
His bow had been the shortest of them all and for what seemed like ages but was probably a handful of seconds, they stared at each other. She could imagine how she looked. She felt like a deer caught in headlights and was unsure of what exactly was going on.
She knew that her fear and uncertainty must have shown in her face as the now-straightened priest looked at her with an expression akin to pity on his weathered face.
"Miss Dewhurst," her betrothed broke the silence, "meet the priest. Father Benjamin will wed us."
She swallowed reflexively and turned to the priest to curtsy but he instead clasped her hands in his.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, sir."
He smiled, the lines at the sides of his mouth deepening. "It's alright, Miss Dewhurst. I understand that women tend to take a longer time with their appearance."
Her cheeks flamed and she knew she probably looked like a cherub. The curse of being extremely pale skinned and blushing at the drop of a hat.
"Shall we begin?" Edward drawled beside her and she turned wide eyes to him, her stomach dropping in dread.
"Very well," father Benjamin chimes in, his voice taking on fake excitement.
Arranging the folds of her dress, Emily moved to stand opposite her betrothed and strained her eyes to see him fully. However, he was determined to keep her in the dark -literally- so she regained her posture and waited, trying her hardest not to think of her depressing circumstances.
She was finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact that she was getting married in a dark, almost empty study with none of her family with her.
All her life, she had believed she would marry in her family's cathedral, surrounded by her family and with a groom who would shower praises on her.
She had thought wrong.
Her groom had given no indication that he had any intention to comment on her looks.
The only people there were her and her betrothed, the priest, Mr. Brown, Helena who she assumed was the head housekeeper, and the maid who had been assigned to help her dress up but who was no more knowledgeable about fashion than a normal country girl.
Emily had arranged her hair herself with the knowledge she had gleaned from years of watching skilled maids and although she did a good job, she knew the maid assigned to her who she figured out was named Sunny, was overwhelmed by the task of getting her mistress's hair ready. Emily couldn't wait for her personal maid, Anna, who was coming the next morning with more of her luggages.
Since her groom was determined to keep himself hidden from her, she kept her gaze fixed on his intricately knotted cravat, noting that he had taken the time to get dressed up for their nuptials although she could see little of what he had on.
There was a few minutes where everyone assumed their position; the priest standing in front of them, Mr. Brown and the women behind them, the ceremony began.
Emily had never felt as lonely as she had at the moment. She felt utterly alone and would have done anything to have someone she knew in the room. Of course, it wasn't like His Grace had any family in the room, but his servants counted.
She conjured up memories of her family; her father who had been nothing but sweet and indulgent until this catastrophic marriage he had arranged, her sister Margaret, who was fifteen years of age and was still in the school, and her myriad of dogs and horses who she spent all her free moment loving and petting. Her family was always filled with laughter and drama, her sister had a flair for dramatics and her father was only too happy to indulge his daughters.
No matter how she felt about what he had done, she missed him severely and missed her sister's quips and side talks.
"Miss Dewhurst?"
She was startled back to reality by the priest's gentle cajoling. She looked up at him with wide eyes, afraid she had said something wrong.
The priest's eyes were warm and filled with understanding and Emily grabbed onto that comforting look with all her heart. She would take whatever scrap of sympathy she could get at this time.
"She is tired from her travel," His Grace cut in and her eyes flew to him. "Please repeat the question."
The priest's accusing eyes shot to the man as well, questions written in the deep set of his eyes. It was clear that he was tempted to ask the Duke why he hadn't thought it was to give her time to rest. He held himself back and repeated himself.
"Do you take His Grace, Edward the third Duke of Snowshill to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Emily felt a knot in her throat and for a moment, she had a terrifying thought. What if she said no?
She just as quickly shook the thought off. No, she could never do that. Her father had placed a lot of hope in her.
With great effort, she swallowed the knot and whispered the words that would legally bind her together with this man.
"Yes, I do."
Everything moved in slow motion after that. His Grace slid on a cold metal unto her fourth finger and she lowered her head to look at it.
She was unable to see much pass the shean of tears in her eyes but she could tell that the jewel attached to the ring was ostentaciously big, almost gaudy if not for the elegant setting of the rocks.
When the ceremony was done, His Grace -her husband- waited to talk to the priest and the maids led her back upstairs. The knowledge that she now had a husband filled her stomach with a cold dread and goosebumps littered all over her skin despite the pleasantly warm weather and heavy dress she wore.
She ascended the stairs quietly and noticed from her side vision that the Helena, the head housekeeper, stayed back but Sunny continued walking with her.
The door to her room was opened to reveal two other maids laying out night clothes for her and once they caught sight of her, they dropped into low curtsies.
"Would you like to take your dinner with His Grace or would you prefer to eat in your chambers, Miss Dewhurst?" Sunny asked, her short black hair bobbing as she spoke animatedly.
"I'll eat with His Grace."
She would love nothing more than to hide out in her room and avoid the blasted man, but it would be a sign of bad luck to not share their first meal as a married couple.
A short rap on the door had Sunny going to see who it was. After a hurried whisper, she slid the door close and walked back into the room, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.
"Uhm.." she began unsurely, "His Grace sends word that sadly, he won't be able to share dinner tonight as he has a pressing matter to attend to."
Emily was at a loss for words. What matter would be more pressing than his new wife?
Sunny opens and closes her mouth a few times before she finally gathers the courage to continue.
"He says you should have dinner and get dressed to wait for him."
Anger was the first emotion that she felt. It slid in, hot and heavy, causing her head to feel lightened and her vision to blur.
Oh, he sends his servants to do his dirty work for him, doesn't he? He should have told her to her face.
Closely following the anger is confusion. Wait for him? What did he---
Oh
Heavens! It was her wedding night.
She then looked at the clothes the maids had been fiddling with and all the blood drained out of her head at the sight of the sheer nightie that would make her Aunty Agatha swoon and faint. It was a useless piece of fabric that would expose more than it covered and she knew she was better off going without it.
He wanted her to wear that and wait for him.
He would expect conjugal rights.
Oh heavens! She felt lightheaded and when she turned to look at the maids, they were all staring at her with bated breaths.
"I need a minute," she managed to choke out and they were barely out the door when she crumbled into a heap on the floor, her sobs ricocheting off the walls of the room.
Edward crept into his own house. He felt more like an errant teenager that was returning home too late from a night out with friends than the lord of a manor and a member of the king's parliament.All this because he didn't want to risk Emily to see him when he was least prepared. He knew that she'd be angry. And for a good reason because he was basically traumatizing the poor girl with a rushed marriage and he didn't show up for what would have been their first meal together as a married couple. He only hoped she wasn't the type of person that would destroy everything in her path when she got angry.He was about to start climbing the stairs when Mr. Brown appeared like an apparition on the top of the stairs, startling Edward."Blast it, Albert!" Edward said, his eyes slightly widened in surprise."Welcome, Your Grace," he said quietly, seeming to realize that his master wouldn't care much for loudness. He also chose to ignore the fact that his Lord had called him by his Christian nam
Emily woke up the next morning disoriented and tired from crying. Her head felt groggy and her muscles felt weak with exhaustion. The maids had finally lit a fire in the hearth and the room was warm and comfortable.Sitting up in bed, she contemplated staying in bed all day but decided against the idea. She slid off the bed and slipped her feet into comfortable shoes before moving to the window where she opened the drapes. The room was awash with soft light, and she stared out the window with her hands wrapped around herself.From her window, she had a perfect view of the well-kept yard and the trimmed flowers that decorated it. It was a beautiful sight and one she was glad she would be able to view everyday.Everyday.She was now a married woman. The thought which had previously filled her with glee when she fantasized about living with George as his wife, had now turned sour as she was presented with the man who was now her husband.Her thoughts slipped to the previous night where h
Emily descended the stairs slowly, her eyes already adjusting to the darkness of the manor. Her body was itching with the us to bring a lot more light into the darkened interior, but that would have to wait. She must first formally introduce herself to the staff.At the bottom of the elegantly curved stairs, a group of people gathered. As she got closer to them, she saw that they were all outfitted differently. A few of them wore caps on their heads, indicating that they worked in the kitchens, and a few other were dressed in heavy work clothes and high boots. She thought that those ones must work in the lands or stables. She had heard the whinnying of horses from her room and thus knew that His Grace had horses."Good morning, Your Grace," chorused all around her as they all dropped into low curtsies. She was taken aback by the title for a minute before remembering that she was know a duchess and would always be referred to as "Her Grace".This wouldn't be an easy thing to get used t
The moment Edward caught sight of his home, he knew that something was wrong. His horse's gallops had a strange way of making him feel calm, and it had worked. Leaving the house early had turned into habit of sorts for him. He would do everything he needed to do then enjoy a leisurely stroll around the border of his land, saying hello to the few tenants he ran into and enjoying the calming movement of his horse with his hat always slung low on his head, obliterating his face from stares.Today, however, the closer the horse trotted to the manor, the heavier his stomach felt. He thought it was something he ate until he caught sight of the first clue; a window with the drapes opened.No, she didn't.Edward didn't want to believe it, but the evidence stared him in the face. His conscience pricked him.Surely, you didn't expect her to feel her way through the dark house. He had known that it was inevitable that she would want the drapes opened the day after they wed.By the time he got to
Emily made to go after His grace and speak with him about his demeanor towards her but quickly changed her mind. Maybe when was tired as Mr. Brow had said but it still wasn't enough reason for him to have acted the way he did.With a grunt, Emily turned and completed her walk downstairs. She paused as she suddenly had a thought, a question that was beginning to bother her. She turned to Mr. Brown."Does His grace despise my presence?" I asked Mr. Brown whose face seemed to lack any hint of emotion."No, Your Grace," Mr. Brown said, keeping his stoic expression. "On the contrary actually. He really likes your presence but His Grace is not one to show it.""Oh," Emily muttered with a sigh as she made her way to the kitchen. She still couldn't believe she had left her happy and gleeful love to get married to one who refused to show any hint of emotion. She decided to let it not bother her as she was just doing it to keep her father happy.She passed some maids who were dusting the counte
Edward sat down on his cushion seat with a sigh. His palms shook and his face was filled with sweat that caused his one eye to flutter as the salty excretion dropped into it. The sweat had not come because of the hat on his head but the sheer thought of his new wife seeing his face.He grabbed his hat tight and threw it down to the floor as he grunted in anger. His fast paced heartbeat began to slow down as he placed his palm over his face, taking slow, deep breaths. The darkness of the room seemed to aid in taking off the fear that had been causing his body to shake and a sense of peace flooded his being. He was back where he belonged. He was finally at peace. "Why did she open the drapes?" he asked himself as he took his hands off his face and placed them on his knees. "And why did she leave mine closed?" These thoughts kept on coming and he just couldn't seem to find the answer."Her Grace just wanted a little ray of light to sleep into the rooms," Edward heard someone say and he
Emily sat down on the dining chair and stared at the food places in front of her. She was hungry and wanted to dive into the food but curtsy demanded that she waited for her husband, His Grace, before taking any bite. If he was even going to come down to eat. Seconds turned to minutes and her patience was getting cold. So was the food too. If His Grace didn't come down soon, she would be tempted to eat the food and that was not going to be on her."Mr. Brown?" Emily called out to the butler as he passed by the dining table. He paused on his steps and turned to her with a bow before saying, "yes, Your Grace." "Is His Grace coming to join me for breakfast?" Emily asked and Mr. brown shook his head. Confused, Emily asked, "why?""He has some business up at the town square to attend to," Mr. Brown replied. "He sends his apologies." Emily knew the latter was not from His Grace. Mr. Brown had just said that to calm Emily nerves down but it wasn't working. It instead was doing the opposit
"Here comes the great Edward, great Duke of Snowhill, known to be the killer of men and beast to the gentle," James said with a chuckle as Edward rode towards him. "What brings you to my parts this afternoon.""I don't think this deserves to be called an afternoon," Edward replied with a smile as he came down from his horse after he had pulled it to a stop. "The rain clouds has blocked the little light that we were meant to receive, turning this fine afternoon to a cold morn.""Typical Edward," James said as he walked towards Edward. "Always complaining about the littlest thing.""Hello, James," Edward greeted with a smile as he pulled his old friend into a hug."That's enough, brother," James said, pushing himself from Edwards tight embrace. "I do not want passers-by to have second thoughts about your display of affection." Edward bellowed out in laughter he wrapped his arms around James neck and pulled him into his house."I heard of your marriage to the daughter of the Baronet of B