Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

“ T he Dowager Duchess of Crauford is here to see you, My Lady.”

Selina turned to the butler who had delivered the news, confusion etched onto her features as his words ran through her mind.

Aaron’s stepmother? Why would she want to see me? Could he have misheard? Selina wondered silently as she stood to receive her unexpected guest.

She had not heard much about Bridget since she and Aaron got engaged. In fact, Aaron had merely apologized for the Dowager Duchess’ behavior, promising she would no longer be a problem for them.

Selina had not asked what he meant by that but chose to trust in her fiancé, too caught up in the bliss of her approaching wedding to spare too much thought to a woman who had hurt them both so much.

When she arrived in the drawing room, she found out that the butler had not been as mistaken as she had assumed, and she quickly curtsied to the older woman.

“Your Grace. What brings you to my home?” Selina enquired carefully.

She would not deny that seeing Bridget in her home made her nervous, especially when she would marry Aaron the next day.

Bridget stared at her, irritation flashing through her eyes as she exhaled.

“It seems… I owe you an apology. Regardless of my feelings and thoughts about the Duke, it was unnecessary to mock you at such an event. I am sorry, Lady Selina. While I do think that he should have known better than to be alone with a young unmarried woman, making a scandal out of it was not the right way to teach you both a lesson,” she said.

Selina blinked, wondering if she was dreaming.

As far as apologies went, it was not the most genuine Selina had ever heard. But that she had gotten one was surprising enough to excuse whatever it lacked.

“Thank you, Your Grace. I… I love the Duke. Regardless of how you feel about him, what your thoughts are about the man you believe him to be. It is such a shame that you cannot understand what a great man he is,” Selina replied simply, a small smile playing on her lips.

“He is the son of the man who disappointed me far too many times to count,” Bridget said as she rose to her feet, her tone stiff and cold. “Whether you wish to believe it or not, the apple does not fall far from the tree. And I hope you never find out how it feels to have been in my shoes. It is a difficult experience to bear — to be married to a man who will never love you back.”

Selina let the older woman reach the door before she spoke up again. “You can cast your concerns aside, Your Grace, because I am certain I will never experience such. After all, I would rather have been ruined than find out what that was like.”

Bridget hesitated momentarily then left the drawing room without another word.

Selina let out an exhausted breath, feeling pity for the other woman all of a sudden. It had not been her fault that her husband had chosen to be unfaithful. Still, Bridget was just as wrong to transfer the cruelty she had endured onto an innocent child who was a product of her husband’s infidelity.

She only hoped the woman would find it in herself to move forward now.

“My word, Selina. You look lovely.”

Selina felt inclined to agree with her sister’s breathless remark as she blinked back tears at the sight of her reflection.

It was still hard to believe that the day she had dreamed of for so long had finally arrived.

This was it. Not only was she getting married, but she was getting married to a man who loved her immensely. Just as she had begun to doubt the likelihood of finding the life she craved, it found her.

“Is… is it normal to feel as though I can do just about anything right now? I feel like I can fly, b-but there is also this crippling unease telling me that a simple step forward might lead to my undoing.” Selina exhaled deeply, her fingers curling into the skirts of her wedding dress to hide their shakiness.

Thalia gently pulled them away from the soft fabric and intertwined them with hers, smiling softly.

“Perfectly normal. To be honest, the unease might get worse on your way to the altar. But the moment you set your sights on him, everything else will fade, and you will know — without a doubt, you are meant to be. And everything that follows will come to you as easily as breathing,” Thalia assured.

“Do you promise?” Selina asked, suddenly feeling like a terrified young girl who needed her older sister to tell her that things would definitely get better when they were overwhelmed by difficulty.

She did not understand her own reactions. She loved Aaron. She couldn’t wait to be with him for the rest of their hopefully long lives. But suddenly, she worried something might go wrong at the last minute.

“I promise. If you do care for each other as much as you believe you do, there is nothing you cannot overcome together,” Thalia stated softly, giving Selina’s hands a little squeeze. “For now, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you have dreamt of this. You will be just fine.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the dressing room door, and Jerome walked in after Thalia confirmed they were all set.

“Ah, my darling. You look divine,” Jerome said with twinkling eyes. “Your mother would be proud of you.”

His words comforted a part of Selina’s heart that she was unaware she needed to receive encouragement, and she fell into her father’s arms, taking in his warmth and love.

“Are you ready, my dear?” he asked gently, patting her back.

Selina inhaled deeply and stepped out of her father’s embrace, feeling much stronger.

“I am.”

The wedding had been arranged in a church, just a small gathering of their closest family and friends.

Thalia gave Selina one last hug before she stood on the altar as a witness to the union beside her husband, who was standing on Aaron’s behalf.

As Jerome escorted Selina down the aisle, she could see the faces of her friends who had supported her — Nora and Samuel sat in the pews next to Eleanor, who had graciously accepted the invitation Nora had extended on Selina’s behalf.

She had been unsure if the woman would want to attend, given that her reputation had also taken a blow due to what had happened at Aaron’s estate. But they had met days before the wedding at a bakery, and Eleanor extended genuine well wishes.

“You both have something I could have never hoped to contend with — love. He chose you, and I cannot deny that it was an ideal choice. It is better for us both like this, I think. I hope you do not feel as though I blame you for what happened or my current… situation. The fault is not yours, and you also had to endure the same criticism I did. Do not burden yourself with needless guilt. I do hope we can be friends in the future, you and I,” Eleanor had said with a kind smile.

Seeing her here, to witness the marriage of Selina and Aaron, made the bride feel their friendship would only continue to bloom and blossom for years to come.

Bridget, noticeably, was not in attendance.

“I heard that she has left London to France. Apparently she has a friend there and is determined to live out the rest of her days there with them. I would like to pretend that I am sad to see her go, but I am honestly quite relieved that she will no longer bother you or Aaron,” Thalia had whispered while Selina got dressed.

Selina had absentmindedly wondered if Aaron had something to do with his stepmother’s departure, recalling how he assured her that Bridget would never bother either of them again.

Ultimately, she only felt sorry that Bridget had long ago closed off her heart and could not accept any form of company or comfort, dooming herself to a life of loneliness moving forward.

Finally, Selina allowed herself to fix her eyes on the altar, the breath leaving her lungs as she saw her husband-to-be awaiting her arrival.

Aaron always looked dashing. It was something that had infuriated her severely in the past, then eventually, it had consumed her rationality and filled her mind with yearning.

Now, it made her heart throb with adoration as the world melted away, leaving her and her handsome groom, who stared at her as though she were all he could ever need in life.

Selina barely noticed her father press a kiss to her temple as he deposited her on the altar, only having eyes for Aaron, blushing when he took her hand and kissed it, the feel of his lips lingering on her skin.

“My bride,” he breathed, gaze slightly dazed as he surveyed her slowly, lingering on the emerald necklace that hung gracefully above her bosom. “There has never been anyone else quite as beautiful as you are. And there never will be.”

“The same could be said about you, charmer,” Selina beamed, her heart barely holding back from bursting.

“Compared to you? I couldn’t even dream of holding a candle to your magnificence, darling.”

“Well, needless to say, you are outrageously handsome.”

“Incomparable to your beauty, however.” Aaron winked at her cheekily.

Benedict groaned playfully from where he stood behind Aaron.

“I do not know why it surprises me that you both would choose to argue even on your wedding day, but I and your guests did not come to watch you passive aggressively flirt. Save some of this moxie for the wedding breakfast, hm?”

Selina giggled, suddenly realizing that Thalia had been right. The mere sight of Aaron had washed away all her worries, and now, she stood, excitedly anticipating the moment she could finally call him her husband.

“He is right,” Selina said as Aaron glared over his shoulder at his brother. “Let us get this ceremony done, so we can torture them later with more passive-aggressive flirting. Preferably when I can call you husband .”

That seemed to appeal greatly to Aaron because he immediately beckoned the vicar closer.

“You heard the woman, Father. Let’s begin.”

Chuckles filled the air, and Selina smiled, staring into her husband’s eyes as the vicar began the ceremony.

She did her best to focus on his words. Still, all she could see was the life that awaited her, the milestones their relationship would acquire, and the years of love that they had to live out together. With every word that brought them closer to the promise of forever, she felt her anticipation grow even more.

Selina managed to make it through the first rounds of vows, and finally, it was time for her to receive the ring.

When her hand slipped into Aaron’s as he collected the ring from the vicar, her breath stuttered in her chest, his touch the only thing grounding her in the moment.

His eyes seemed to bore into her soul as he said softly, “With this ring, I thee wed, with my body, I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods, I endow thee. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

This vow seemed to amplify all his other promises to her, sealing it with an unwavering certainty that nothing could ever change.

With a smile, Aaron slipped a gleaming gold band onto the fourth finger of her left hand, and its weight felt like an embrace.

After the blessings from the vicar, the ceremony finally came to an end. Aaron wasted no time leading her outside the church, seemingly encouraged by the clapping and cheers from their friends and family to draw her into his arms and give her a searing kiss.

“My Selina, my darling, my wife. I love you from now until the end of my life,” he said against her lips, as if he couldn’t bear to part from her in that moment.

She understood that feeling all too well. Their shared camaraderie led her to breathe her own promises into his mouth.

“My Aaron, my husband. I love you, and I will always love you. From now until the end of my days. And perhaps… after that.”