ChapterOne
“You are truly fortunate, Nancy. Not many can say they were blessed with the honor of marrying a duke,” Georgiana Lockhart, the Dowager Marchioness of Suttington, mused.
Nancy did what she had been doing since the start of the journey—she nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on the carriage window. She absentmindedly wondered how far they were from the church, desperate for the moment to arrive quickly, so she could be done with it just as fast.
However, the Dowager Marchioness did not relent in her efforts and continued to express her joy over her daughter’s situation.
“And not justanyduke but the Duke of Wexford! How lucky are we?”
That wordluckyirked Nancy to no end. She had resolved to be understanding, to view their circumstances from her mother’s perspective. But the longer she had to pretend that she felt fortunate or, the closer she got to losing her mind.
“I would certainly feel better about it all had I been marrying the former Duke. Not his brother. Especially when the entirety of London gossips about his rakish escapades. Perhaps then I would feel more inclined to count my blessings,” Nancy said offhandedly, still staring out the carriage window.
“Nancy!” Lady Suttington cried in shock.
“Why must Nancy marry, Mama? To a rake of all men? Surely, we are not that desperate. Even if we are, there must be other ways to save ourselves. There must be methods that do not involve marrying Nancy off to such a terrible man,” Nancy’s fifteen-year-old sister, Beatrice, interjected fiercely.
“I do not care who it is. I do not want Nancy to go! Why can’t she stay, Mama?” the youngest of the Lockhart siblings, Anne, protested, clinging to her elder sister’s arm from where she sat by her side.
As Nancy looked down at her beloved little sister, a girl of barely eight years, her heart began to stutter as did her resolve to carry on with what she had set out to do that day. But before her confidence could falter too far, her mother spoke up:
“We have no other option, children. I am not giving her away like a lamb to the slaughterhouse. The Duke of Wexford is one of the wealthiest dukes in the entire country, and that wealth and power will save us. He will be able to secure a residence for us and even grant us a portion of your father’s fortune.”
“You might think her marriage is unfair and unjust, but it is nothing compared to the cruelty the new Marquess has shown us. He cares not for our well-being nor harbors any concerns over what is right. Nancy’s marriage is the only thing that can save us from a life of nothingness.”
Nancy’s heart hurt at the pain she could hear in her mother’s voice. The death of her father had left her mother reeling and beyond devastated. What followed right after dealt another blow which she could barely stand against.
No matter how much she disliked the idea of marrying a total stranger, she had done her best to withhold her objections because she understood her mother’s burdens and the problems her family was faced with.
“A day… barely a day after your father’s death, that vile cousin of his simply appears and tells us to leave the home you have known all your lives. The world is a cold and harsh place, and under normal circumstances, one would not be as fortunate as we are with a means of resolution. Nancy’s betrothed can help us in ways not many can and easily. This is something she must do,” Lady Suttington said with an air of finality.
It had all been overwhelming. Battling with the sudden loss of her father, Nancy had been shocked when Lord Talbot—or, as of recently, Lord Suttington—had arrived the day after the passing of her father, laying claim to everything he had owned.
“He left no will,” Lord Talbot had intoned in that grating, nasally tone of his. “And without any formal document that says otherwise, I am the rightful heir of your father and all his properties. Nevertheless, I am in a generous mood, so I will give you three months to get your affairs in order and leave this estate. Upon my return, I expect to find you gone.”
With a sigh, Nancy gently nudged Anne and smiled as she looked up at her, the girl’s sorrowful expression weighing her heart down even more than tossing away her ideals of a love match and a marriage filled with love and warmth.
“Mama is right. This is something I must do. I am the eldest, and it is my responsibility to care for you however I can. And this… this is all I can do for you.”
Anne’s eyes grew teary, and Beatrice quickly attempted to distract her by gesturing towards Nancy’s wedding dress. “She looks beautiful, though. Have you seen a bride as beautiful as she?” she asked with a grin.
“I have not been to any other weddings.” Anne pouted.
“Then Nancy’s wedding will be your first, as well as the very best one you will ever attend. Make sure you are wearing a happy smile on your face to let her know that you are honored to be a part of it,” Beatrice told her seriously.
Anne faced Nancy again and grabbed her hand, her eyes shining with sincerity and unshed tears. “I will smile a lot because I am very honored to be a part of your wedding.”
Her serious expression made Nancy laugh a little, and she leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. “I am very honored and quite blessed to have you be a part of my wedding,” she whispered softly, meaning every word.
The carriage came to a stop, and their mother announced what Nancy already knew.
“We are here.”
Even if she could free herself from this arrangement, it was far too late to do so.
* * *
An unsettling amount of discomfort flooded Nancy as she stepped into the church and noticed the empty pews.
