“I tend to the roses daily, Lady Caroline,” Sebastian teased, “and I maintain that the hollyhocks are far more beautiful.”
Caroline merely laughed and shook her head. “Please—next you will tell me that you prefer the works of Lord Byron over William Wordsworth.”
At this, Sebastian let out a mock gasp. “Oh, do not dare tell me that you are a Wordsworth-maiden!”
“Of course I am,” she retorted quickly. “In fact, his prose is far more beautiful than any I have read.”
Sebastian laughed and shook his head. “I fear we will not agree on much,” he teased and Caroline shrugged, her eyes twinkling with delight.
“I know! Is it not delightful?” she said with a soft laugh. The joy faded slightly when she thought of her sister and as though he had read the reason for her sudden shift in mood, Sebastian looked at her earnestly.
“How is your sister faring? I do feel quite terrible about the situation.”
There was true concern in his voice and Caroline sighed. “She won’t speak to me. She used to be my best friend, but now… she ignores me, it is as though I have become naught more than a specter in her life,” she admitted.
The sympathy was evident in Sebastian’s eyes and Caroline quickly averted her eyes, fearful of the tears building beneath her lids.
“Give her time. I am certain that all will be well eventually,” he said gently, and she let out a soft sigh.
“Thank you,” she whispered simply, using a finger to wipe the budding tears away. The lightness of their earlier conversations was gone now.
“She should have been the one to marry first,” Caroline said softly. “She cares about the ton, what people think… I cannot help but feel as though I took it from her.”
Sebastian came to a sudden halt at that, and he tilted his head as he looked down at her. Caroline looked up at him curiously and a soft smile appeared around his lips.
“Dear child of nature, let them rail,” he whispered, and her eyes widened slightly before a smile settled around her lips too.
“Wordsworth,” she teased with a soft laugh. “I am quite impressed that you chose him over Byron.”
Sebastian shrugged and fine lines appeared next to his eyes as he laughed. “I will always aim to make my future wife happy,” he said softly. Caroline returned his smile before following back to the veranda, frowning slightly when he halted suddenly and bent down. When he turned to her, he held a deep red rose in his hands.
“For you,” he said simply, his eyes meeting hers and the air suddenly changing around them. Caroline could feel her heart fluttering as she gazed from the flower up at him, and her hand trembled when she took the rose.
A shockwave coursed through her body when his hand brushed against hers, his skin warm and soft. His lips curved up in a smile and she released a shuddering breath, her eyes fluttering closed for a second before she turned away and sped back to her mother, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
Chapter 10
Truthfully, Caroline was not quite ready for the morning of the wedding, and its arrival took her almost by surprise. Her father had pushed to get it over with as soon as possible and that was why she was now stood in front of a full-length mirror in her bedchamber, her entire body trembling as Anne fastened the last of the tiny pearl buttons on the back of her ivory silk gown. Her mother and sister should have been there, she mused to herself, but she was quick to suppress the treacherous thought.
“You look absolutely breathtaking, My Lady,” Anne said softly. There was a hint of empathy in her eyes when she stepped back from Caroline to admire her. . “Like a princess from a fairy tale.”
Caroline turned slowly, the skirts of the gown swishing softly around her ankles. She managed a small smile, though it did not quite reach her eyes. “Thank you, Anne,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “If only I felt as confident as I appear.”
Anne's expression softened and Caroline wondered if she understood. Of course she was no fool and she knew that servants were quite aware of the recent events in the Wentworth household. Was Anne sympathetic to her or was the softness in her gaze born from sympathy for Beatrice?
“It's natural to be nervous, My Lady,” she said gently, reaching out to smooth a rebellious curl from Caroline's forehead. “But Ihave no doubt that you will make a wonderful wife. And Lord Casterbridge seems a good man, from what I've heard.”
Caroline nodded, drawing in a deep, steadying breath. “I suppose he is,” she agreed, her mind flashing to Sebastian's handsome features, and the dimples that formed in his cheeks when he smiled. “I only hope that I will be a good wife. And that this all… was worth it.”
She was quite certain, however, that it would not be worth it. Could any marriage be worth the loss of your own flesh and blood?
A knock at the door startled them both. It was Anne who opened the door and Caroline looked at her father hesitantly where he stood in the door stiffly.
“I have come to escort you to the chapel,” he said simply and Caroline looked down quickly to prevent him from seeing the tears spontaneously appearing in her eyes.
Silently, she followed him to the carriage. The ride to the chapel was quiet and uncomfortable. It should have been different, Caroline mused quietly. Her mother should have been overjoyed and emotional, her father should have talked to her about how proud he was of her for becoming a wife, Beatrice should have been seated next to her and they should have been gossiping about their fears of wedding nights and lovemaking.
Instead, there was nothing but grim silence.
