Page 12 of A Suitable New Year’s Revenge (Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society #42)

Everything began very early the morning of the wedding. Helena was woken by the maid informing her that her bath was nearly ready—Helena and her father had begun bathing in the housekeeper’s rooms by the kitchen a year earlier when they decided they no longer needed such a large staff.

It was an odd feeling knowing this was her wedding day. She felt so completely unprepared. And yet, she knew in her heart this was right. She wanted to marry Pine. She couldn’t imagine not being with him. And best of all, her father was happy.

When she reached her room after her bath, she found a large box on her bed. Goodness, when the modiste said she’d deliver the dress first thing this morning, she had meant it! It was only half-past eight.

Helena lifted the lid off the box.

The ice-blue velvet overgown with long, tight sleeves and capped shoulders lay folded inside. It wasn’t quite what she remembered, however. The day before, the gown she’d tried on had been very plain and simple, but now there were beautiful vines and flowers embroidered along the neckline in silver thread. The same pattern ran along the length of either sleeve. It was the loveliest thing she had ever seen.

She pulled it out and found the under-dress of white Brussels lace and a fine cotton shift, nicer than any she’d ever owned.

She looked back at the gown and ran her fingers slowly over the silver stitching. She couldn’t believe the work the modiste must have put into this—and in just a little over a day!

There was a knock on her bedroom door. She called out for the person to enter, assuming it was the maid, but a new voice startled her into spinning around.

“Good morning, miss. I am Matthews, Lady Wells’s lady’s maid. She sent me over to assist you in your dressing this morning.”

“Oh, er, thank you.” She remembered the lady making some offhanded comment about her lady’s maid while they were at the modiste’s, but Helena hadn’t paid too much attention as she’d been busy getting pinned just then.

“Don’t thank me, miss, thank my mistress,” the woman said with a smile.

Helena gave her a smile and a nod.

“I see you’ve bathed. This is good. And is this your gown?” The woman came over to stand next to Helena and looked down at the dress on the bed.

“Yes. Isn’t it lovely?”

“Indeed, miss.” She picked it up and shook it out. “Happily, velvet doesn’t crease like silk. We won’t need to do anything more than allow this hang for a few minutes, and it will be ready for you to wear.” She walked over to Helena’s wardrobe and hung the dress inside. “Now, that is taken care of. Let’s get you into your underthings, and I’ll do your hair.”

The woman took over everything. Helena wasn’t at all used to having someone wait on her. It was odd, but it did make her feel very pampered.

Matthews took over half an hour of pulling, twisting, and pinning before she was satisfied with what she’d created with Helena’s hair.

“It’s exquisite,” Helena breathed when the woman showed her what she’d done.

“Oh, but we’re not quite done yet.” She turned to a small jewelry box Helena hadn’t even noticed and took out a handful of diamond-topped pins. These were carefully placed into Helena’s hair, so she sparkled every time she moved her head.

"Those are beautiful," Helena commented. "Do they belong to Lady Wells?"

"No, miss. The butler handed this box to me when I came in. I believe it’s from your father." She looked back into the box and pulled out a beautiful diamond necklace. It consisted of small clusters of diamonds accented by deep-blue enamel work around each one.

Helena gasped. Vaguely, she remembered her mother wearing this necklace, and it brought tears to her eyes.

"Now, now, miss, don't you go and start cryin' on us. You don't want your eyes all red and puffy."

Helena sniffed and shook her head, doing her best to control her emotions. She turned her back to the maid, so the necklace could be clasped around her neck. A pair of matching ear bobs were produced and slipped into place.

Very carefully, the maid finished dressing Helena first in the under-dress of fine lace, and then the velvet gown which parted in the middle to allow the under-dress to be seen.

Looking in her mirror at the miraculously changed woman staring back at her, Helena felt and looked like a princess.

All sorts of noises were coming from downstairs by the time Helena was dressed and ready to go down.

There were, of course, the sounds of people's voices. Even though the wedding breakfast was to be held at the Hazelton's home, there were still going to be a number of people at the ceremony to be held here, so Helena's father could attend. At first they'd thought to hold it in his very bedchamber, but they decided that would be awkward. The drawing room would have to do.

Just keeping the number of people in attendance to a minimum still meant there would be eleven people there: Pine, naturally, the vicar, Lord and Lady Hazelton, Lord and Lady Colburne, and Lady Welles—or Lydia, as she had insisted on being called—who would stand up with Helena. Ash would be there to stand with Pine, and because they couldn't have him come and not his sisters, Marigold and Daisy would be there as well. Along with Helena and her father, that was going to be a much larger wedding than Helena had originally thought. She supposed now that it would have been unreasonable to think it could have been just her, Pine, the vicar, and one witness—her father. But somehow that's how Helena had originally envisioned it in her mind. The sound of someone knocking on her door recalled Helena to the moment. Matthews answered it, and Lydia came in.

"Oh my," she said softly.

Helena gave a little shake of her head, also in disbelief. "Matthews has performed miracles."

"She most certainly has. She has brought out the beauty in you. I'm certain it was always there, but—"

"The dress and the hair," Helena agreed. "Two such simple things."

Lydia smiled. "Not simple at all. But you do look stunning."

"Thank you. I may look stunning, but I'm feeling more than a little stunned."

That caused Lydia to giggle. "I think everyone feels that on their wedding day. And speaking of which, we are ready for you downstairs."

"Everyone is here?" Helena asked, shaking out her hands by her sides.

Lydia nodded. "And your father has been brought down. They're just waiting for you."

"Oh goodness," Helena said, not really meaning to.

Lydia came forward and took her shaking hands. "It's going to be fine. In fact, it's going to be wonderful."

Helena took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She gave a nod. "Yes. Yes, it will."

"Ready?"

Helena gave a nod, and they went downstairs to join the others.

Pine was standing by the fireplace, looking incredibly handsome in his morning suit. It was a deep blue, and his waistcoat was maroon with dark-blue embroidery. Speaking to him were the vicar and Ash, who was also dressed in his finery—a black suit with a gray waistcoat.

Her father was sitting nearby in his red brocade dressing gown, a blanket across his lap. He smiled as she came into the room.

Helena felt very self-conscious as the room fell silent. She swallowed. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she heard from a chorus of voices.

And then Pine was by her side. Or perhaps she was beside his, because she suddenly found herself in front of the vicar as well. Ash had moved behind his brother.

"You look so handsome," she said to Pine, unable to keep her heart from her words.

He blushed a little. "And here I am, standing speechless at your beauty."

Helena could feel her cheeks heat a little as well.

"Shall we begin?" the vicar asked.

The ceremony was done before Helena took another breath—or so it seemed. And she was simply standing there staring at Pine, happier than she'd ever been in her life.

"Helena, my dear girl," she heard her father say.

She turned and dropped to her knees, so she could give him a hug. "Oh, Papa."

He gently patted her back. He was either chuckling or having trouble breathing—or perhaps both. He was certainly smiling when she pulled back to look at him.

Pine came to stand by them, so she got to her feet.

“You have made… me very happy, Daughter. And you—”He looked toward Pine.

"I will take excellent care of her, sir. You will be able to see to that as we'll all be living here together in this house."

Cumnor nodded. "Living," he said under his breath before closing his eyes. He looked exhausted.

She turned, and it was as if everyone in the room had been waiting for that signal.

She and Pine were quickly surrounded by pats, hugs, and cries of congratulations. Champagne was brought out, and the couple toasted.

To her surprise, Helena noticed Lord Hazelton pull up a chair next to her father. She moved closer to hear their conversation.

"Still remembering… that old feud, Hazelton?" her father was asking.

His lordship gave a little shrug. "It's the only thing I ever heard about you and your family."

Lord Cumnor nodded. “Only spoken of… in bitterness, I imagine. And… here we are, now… with our families united."

"Thanks to the fact that your daughter and my son both wanted to get their revenge on me," Hazelton said with a shake of his head.

"There have been worse… things that… have brought people… together. The Greeks—'' he started, but Lord Hazelton just held up a hand.

"I get enough of that from your daughter."

Helena's father laughed but became serious again after a moment. "I'm sorry I won't be around to see all the improvements you'll make to Cumnor."

Hazelton widened his eyes at that and sat back a little.

"Helena told me… you have great… plans you are… eager to get started with."

Lord Hazelton had the grace to look embarrassed. "Go ahead," Cumnor said, "Get started. It makes… no difference to me. It will… be yours soon enough."

"Thank you, Cumnor. You're a good man. I'm sorry we didn't meet earlier."

Helena's father reached out, and the men shook hands.

Lord Colburne came over. "I think it's time for you to retire. What do you think, my lord?"

Helena’s father just nodded.

With shocking ease, the doctor lifted him in his arms and carried him back up to his room.

"What do you say, shall we go continue the celebration at our home?" Lord Hazelton said, getting to his feet.

"My Lord, I am sorry," Helena began.

He stopped her words as he had her father’s. "I'm actually glad you tried to trick me. I should not have denied your request. On the other hand, if I hadn't, my son would not now be married.”

"We seem to have all achieved what we wanted,” Pine said, joining them. “I married for love, and Helena will continue living in her home."

Helena looked up and smiled. "This is, indeed, a wonderful way to start the year."

Pine leaned down and said quietly in her ear, "And we both got our revenge, my sweet wallflower."