Page 64 of A Bride for the Wicked Duke
“As it does me,” she said to him. “Which is why I am happy to marry Lord Mildenhall. I want to marry Lord Mildenhall.” She widened her eyes at him, forcing him to accept her words.
Daniel seemed relieved, if still a little unsure. “If you say so…”
“I do,” she said. “Truly, I do.”
“Good…” He took a deep breath and pulled his hand free. Then he rose from the bed and straightened his jacket. “If that is the case, I will send word to Lord Mildenhall at once, and preparations for this marriage will begin as soon as he accepts, which I expect to be before the day is out.”
“Perfect.”
He nodded once and walked to the door, only to stop and turn back to look at her a final time. “If anything changes, Aurelia, you know you can speak to me. I will always be here for you.”
“I know it, Daniel,” she said with a soft smile. “And thank you.”
He returned the smile and then left the room.
Aurelia collapsed back in the bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. It was done now and it really was that simple. Yet in the cover of darkness, her mind could not help but flash back to last night, she and the duke, their bodies tangled and touching and writhing together in ways that still made her legs shake. It did her no good to think about it. In fact, it made things worse. And yet…
…perhaps one more time will not hurt. Once I am wed to Lord Mildenhall, I will never think of the duke again, just as I suspect he will never think about me.
ChapterTwenty-Two
“Oh yes, that color,” her mother crooned. “That is the one! I knew it as soon as you put it on, dear.”
Aurelia smiled. “As I said, green has always suited me.”
“It is more than just the color…” Her mother was at her, hands on Aurelia’s waste, wrapped tightly as she held the dress in and forced Aurelia to straighten. “The dress too. Where has it been hiding?”
“I have owned it for years, mother.”
“It will look different once I have finished with the adjustments,” the modiste assured her mother. “It is a little loose about the waist and bust. But do not fear, once I am done there will not be a pair of eyes able to look upon you without gushing. Jaws will hit the floor!”
“They better,” her mother said.
“Trust me,” the modiste said with a coy wink.
Her mother beamed. The modiste beamed back. And Aurelia, feeling a need to snap out of her morose state and ensure her mother that she too was as thrilled for this dress, and what it represented, as she had told everyone that she was, beamed along with them. It was forced, of course, but she felt she did a rather good job at pretending.Two weeks of this and I am used to it by now.
It had been a tumultuous two weeks unlike any that Aurelia had experienced. A daze, she had passed through them in, each day blurring together with a sense of rapidness and speed that saw the day of the wedding approach far more quickly than she had thought possible. Far more quickly than she wanted.
Lord Mildenhall had eagerly announced their wedding as soon as Daniel had paid him a visit. It was to be a lavish and extravagant affair, done to ensure all those who attended that this wedding was more than a mere circumstance of convenience. The wedding license was applied for Invitations were sent. Decorations and décor were decided upon, paid for, and delivered. It was happening, and two weeks later Aurelia had finally come to accept that fact.Not that there was any chance that it wouldn’t be.
Today was about choosing Aurelia’s dress. A day which her mother was particularly excited about. Having scoured through Aurelia’s wardrobe, she had selected a sample of her favorites and had them brought to a modiste in London in the hopes that one might provide inspiration for an entirely new gown to be worn on her most special day. As it turned out, and most surprisingly, one of the dresses that Aurelia had already owned proved more than perfect.
“I still cannot believe you have had this dress the entire time,” her mother mused as the modiste began to shove pins into the garment, cinching it tightly around Aurelia’s waist. “Where did it come from?”
Aurelia was standing in the middle of the store, wearing the dress, doing her best not to get stuck by a sharp pin. “I am not sure,” she lied.
“Very strange…”
The dress was one that was bought for Aurelia when she had turned debutant. Typically, it had been too tight for her to wear, and she’d never had a chance to get it tailored to fit her. The truth of the matter was, she had not wished to, for she had suspected at the time her mother had done so on purpose to make a point.
“Wherever it came from, it is no wonder it has not been worn,” the modiste pointed out as she worked. “It hangs off you like a tent.”
“Wait a minute…” Her mother was rubbing her chin as she looked closer at the dress. “Aurelia, that is not…” Her eyes widened. “Tell me, that is not the piece I bought for your debutant ball! No!”
Aurelia flushed. “It might be. I cannot remember.”
“It is!” Her mother swept toward her, taking the hem of the skirt to look closer. “I cannot believe it. Aurelia…” She shook her head in with surprise. “I have not noticed until now, but you have slimmed down considerably. This is…” She beamed. “A sign, it must be, of good things to come.”
