Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

How strange… I had thought that I would feel so much more on my wedding day.

Evie blinked as she allowed Jane to help her out of bed and assist her with her morning ablutions.

Ever since she came to terms with the fact that she had to marry—and marry well—she had looked forward to her wedding with a sort of giddy excitement and a healthy dose of trepidation. Before Colin married Alice, the only example she had before her of a ton marriage was that of her parents.

Unfortunately, their union was not one that would inspire romantic dreams and fantasies in a young girl.

Since then, she had thought that she would marry a gentleman who was not only agreeable but whose company she could at least tolerate without devolving into a heated argument.

And look at me now, about to marry a man who barely even talks to me.

It was hardly the sort of marriage she had envisioned for herself.

On the other hand, she did not feel a sense of dread like she usually did when she thought of her future husband. Daniel might be unpredictable at times, but she knew deep down that he would never hurt her. He had even offered himself on the altar of matrimony to save her.

She could hardly imagine any of the gentlemen of her acquaintance doing the same.

She could only hope that he would not end up regretting his decision in the future.

She sighed inwardly as Jane helped her into her wedding dress and arranged her hair. Evie had thought that wedding preparations would last interminably, but her dexterous maid was done within the hour, and when her grandmother and the Dowager Duchess finally stepped into her chambers—or Daniel’s chambers—she was already in the act of putting on her gloves.

“My dear, sweet child, you look absolutely beautiful,” her grandmother murmured as she pressed a light kiss to her cheek.

The older woman’s eyes were misty with tears, and seeing her grandmother so emotional, Evie felt as if she might burst into tears at any moment, too.

Fortunately, the Dowager Duchess stepped in to gather her into a hug—carefully so as not to wrinkle her dress—no less as warm as the one she received from her beloved grandmama.

“Marvelous! Simply marvelous!” The Dowager Duchess beamed at her as she stepped back and admired the lavish gown that had been created just for that day. She affectionately patted Evie’s cheek and smilingly said, “No need to be so anxious, dear child. It is your wedding day, after all!”

Evie wanted to laugh out loud at that.

That is even more reason to be anxious!

However, she had no opportunity to say anything contrary to the matter as a slight commotion, followed by feminine laughter, alerted her to the arrival of her two friends.

Scarlett bustled in with a wide smile, looking at Evie with admiration and approval. The redhead, who was normally garbed in the most eye-catching fashions, was dressed far more simply that day. She usually gravitated towards dresses that accentuated her vivid coloring, but for the wedding, she had chosen a muted rose-colored dress. Although it did not clash with her features, it was far less flamboyant than her usual fashion.

Phoebe wore a pretty lilac gown, her cap sleeves embroidered with tiny blue flowers that gave her a rather refreshing look. Her hair was also done simply and adorned with blue flowers.

“Well, that is a rather impressive-looking dress you have there, Lady Evelyn!” Scarlett declared in open admiration. The redhead peered closely at the crystals that had been sewn into the bodice, her eyes growing wide. “You must be wearing the worth of an entire mansion on your body!”

Evie blushed at those words. “Do not be silly.”

“You do look very beautiful,” Phoebe told her. “Like the moon.”

“Look at her!” Scarlett rolled her eyes. “With all that embroidery on her, the heavens can only think that the Duke of Ashton means for his bride to outshine the sun!”

Lady Wellington laughed and shook her head, while the Dowager Duchess looked on smilingly in approval.

“You young ladies will have your turn soon,” Lady Wellington told them with a twinkle in her eyes. “The right gentleman will come—you will see.”

Evie saw a light flush creep up her best friend’s cheeks at those words. A most suitable match, a happy marriage—were these not the very things that made a young woman’s heart flutter?

However, these were rarer than a white crow for a young woman of the ton.

“Oh, I do hope you are right, Lady Wellington!” Scarlett quipped cheerfully, her eyes shining. “Heavens only know when these gentlemen will present themselves!”

“Oh, they will soon enough, I assure you.” The Dowager Countess chuckled. “One only needs patience…”

And a whole lot of luck! Evie inwardly added.

The scene in her chambers was the very picture of feminine joy and hope—a young lady surrounded by the love and laughter of her family and friends as she got ready for her wedding.

How could they know that this was a marriage of convenience? That this was a ploy to save her reputation and keep the Earl of Sidmouth from getting his greedy hands on her dowry?

Or that she was the bride that Daniel himself had chosen simply because Society dictated that he marry even when he had no desire to?

They were simply two people caught up in their own circumstances and found marriage to each other to be the most convenient solution to their problems.

But still, surrounded by her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, and her two closest friends, perhaps Evie could pretend for a while that this was indeed a love match and that she was walking with excitement to the man she was going to marry.

One must have hope for the future, she thought to herself as she tried to bolster her courage. After all, as long as there is hope, all things can be endured and made possible…

Amongst the conditions stipulated in the special license that Daniel acquired was that they could be married in a small, private ceremony in the gardens of Ashton Hall and not in the highly fashionable St. George’s, Hanover Square, where anyone may look in on them.

For this, she was grateful. It truly would have been quite hard to maintain one’s composure with everyone in the ton looking in and speculating about their marriage.

Especially when the groom looked so foreboding that one might have mistakenly thought that he was attending his own execution instead of a supposedly joyous event like his wedding.

However, when she walked down the aisle on her grandmother’s arm, her hands clutching the bouquet of flowers a little too hard, she saw something flash in his eyes. Saw his lips curl just the slightest bit into a genuine smile.

For Evie, that had been more than enough to give her the courage to take the last few steps to reach him.

“Take care of our Evie, Your Grace,” her grandmother told him with a soft smile as she handed him her hand. “I shall entrust her happiness to you now.”

“I shall spare no effort on that matter, My Lady,” he replied solemnly as Evie looked at him in slight surprise.

She had not expected him to even respond to that, which caused her to inwardly sigh. Was he not taking things too far by making such vows?

But her grandmother simply smiled and nodded. “Good.”

The rest of the ceremony passed by in a blur. The words spoken by the minister seemed to be nothing more than a buzz in Evie’s head as she struggled to maintain the dignity of a woman about to become the Duchess of Ashton.

Fortunately for Evie—and she had Daniel to thank for that—there was no one else in the gardens with them, save for her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, Scarlett, Phoebe, and Daniel’s two other closest friends, the Dukes of Sinclair and Wolverton.

“Your Grace, you may now kiss your bride.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Evie felt a slight tremor running through her—not out of fear, but a sense of excitement. A thread of longing wove through her, and she hoped that it did not look too obvious as she turned her gaze to her husband.

Husband.

The word settled in her, warm and comforting—two words that could hardly be used to refer to Daniel.

She felt his arm reach out for her, gathering her close to him. His other hand gently tilted her chin up.

“Kiss me, wife.”

Heat sparked within Evie at those words. How softly they were uttered, but with the sheer dominance that she had come to expect from him. They wrapped around her like silken bonds, compelling her to not only raise her chin but to also part her lips in anticipation of what was to come.

She saw the flash of satisfaction in his eyes, saw the hunger lurking in those green depths before his lips descended on hers. Whatever thoughts might have been running through her head, whatever concerns she had entertained, they all disappeared at that moment.

All that mattered to Evie was that she was standing there with Daniel and he was kissing her once more, after days of barely being able to get more than just a monosyllabic response from him.

The burst of applause from their guests startled Evie, painfully yanking her back to reality.

When she looked at Daniel, the hunger she had seen lurking in his eyes was gone, replaced by a stoic coldness that was almost as jarring as the sound of applause.

She forced herself to smile despite the pain that lanced through her heart.

In any case, she was the Duchess of Ashton now, and duchesses did not cry.

At least not in public, in full view of their guests.

He was not stupid.

He had seen the yearning in her eyes that mirrored his own, felt the sweet surrender of her lips when she welcomed his kiss with soft eagerness.

If it had not been for the applause, he could have gone on and on to bloody eternity kissing Evie.

Maybe even more than kissing—except that what he had in mind could not possibly be done out in public.

For all his… unorthodox tastes in the affairs of the bedroom, Daniel was not an exhibitionist, nor did he relish the thought of anyone else laying eyes on his wife like that.

He would much rather gouge his own eyeballs out first. Or anyone else who dared to look.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Daniel clenched his hands into fists as he affected a neutral look as he and Evie were swarmed by congratulations and well-wishes.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Caroline looking at him with a slight smile.

Well done,those gray eyes seemed to tell him.

He only smiled sardonically back at her.

Ever since he came to Ashton Hall, Caroline had been prodding him to find a suitable match—one that would make him happy, whatever that meant. Ever since Colin had married Alice, she had been relentless in her pursuit of his marital happiness, despite his vehement objections on the matter.

She should be satisfied now. She does like Evie, after all.

To her and the rest of the world, he had married Evie due to his strong feelings for her. The gossips, once eager to tear Evie’s reputation to shreds, were now shouting from the rooftops that they had always known that there was great affection between the cold Duke of Ashton and Lady Evelyn Fitzroy.

Only he and Evie ever needed to know the truth behind their marriage.

They all had their parts to play in this. He only hoped he could hang onto his sanity long enough to play a damned convincing act.

He glanced at Evie, who was smiling happily as Scarlett and Phoebe congratulated her. Already, he could feel his restraint slowly slipping through his fingers.