Page 32 of Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Duchess (Wallflower Season #3)
Chapter Twenty
I t was dawn when the finger of sunlight forced itself through the heavy curtains of Andrew’s bedchamber.
He had only slept a few hours before he awoke to the sound of one of the maids treading down the hallway.
As much as he was loath to do it, he had to wake Kate.
It would never do for her to be discovered here.
He kissed her forehead, and she made a small mew sound before her eyelids flickered. When she finally awoke, her face bore a small smile of satisfaction.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Startled, Andrew said, “For what?”
“For giving me a night that I will never forget.” She buried her face against his chest and allowed her fingers to touch the small patch of hair on his chest.
Andrew felt a small pang of unhappiness at the thought of not having her sleep by his side every night, but he didn’t have time to stop and think about it. “Kate, I hate to have you leave my side, but it is almost six o’clock and soon the guests will be stirring, and you will be discovered.”
Kate stopped her explorations and her eyes widened. She leaped up from the bed and realized she had no idea where her gown was. “My gown?”
Andrew slid off the bed, and for a moment, Kate stopped her frenzied search of the bedchamber to admire his body before her.
He slipped on his trousers and ran a hand through his tousled hair.
“Ah. There it is. On the foot of the bed, buried in the blankets.” He plucked it up and when she reached for it, he snatched it from her reach. “Just one more look before you escape.”
Feeling shy, Kate stood before him. As his eyes traveled her curves, she felt a warm tingle, not of embarrassment but of pleasure.
It was short-lived though, as she heard the chiming of the clock on his mantel.
Grabbing the dress from him, she struggled into it.
He grabbed her arms and made her stand still.
“Let me help.” He carefully tied the dress and then stood back and inspected her once more. “Almost as good as if Sally had dressed you herself. Now, you best go before you are discovered.”
Andrew slowly opened the door and glanced around to ensure no one was about before he motioned for Kate to escape.
As she slipped past him, he stopped her and planted a kiss on her lips.
With a quick smile, she dashed down the hallway, her footsteps making barely a muffle as her bare feet danced along the wooden floor.
He waited until she was safely at the other end of the hall and into her own bedchamber before finally shutting the door behind him. He sat down on the end of the bed and considered what to do.
Andrew was still sitting there two hours later when his servant came to help him dress in his clothes for the wedding breakfast. As he slipped on the coat, he gave a small laugh at the surprise that was in store for the guests this morning.
Back in her room, Kate was lost in thought.
She lay across the coverlet on her bed and tried to recall every touch.
Last night had been as she had imagined and so much more.
The fact that she would never experience it again filled her with grief.
She couldn’t imagine a life without such pleasure and love.
And she did love Andrew. Her feelings for him were much stronger than she could imagine her capable of.
It felt like a physical hunger that couldn’t be satisfied.
Sally entered her bedchamber, a gown of dusky rose in her hand. She laid it across the chair and strode over to the window to open the curtains. “It’s a glorious day for a wedding. The sun is shining and after all this rain, the gardens are gloriously green and gold.”
Kate wandered over to the windows and looked out upon the gardens.
The sun glinted off the dew-covered grass giving it a magical appearance.
It was as Sally said. A marvelous day for a wedding.
She let out a sigh. She had failed to stop the wedding and now, it was too late.
There was nothing to do but support her friend even if Julia was making a huge mistake.
Sally assisted her with her morning ablutions. As she allowed her to fix her hair into beautiful curls that framed her face, Kate gazed at herself in the looking glass.
Will anyone know that I am no longer the same? She peered at her face. It was all the same. Only her heart was different.
She dressed in the gown and as Sally fastened it, Kate’s thoughts flickered back to that moment only an hour ago when Andrew’s own hands had done the same task. She blushed.
Sally straightened and looked at her. “You look lovely. Your complexion is glowing, and this gown is very becoming.”
“Thank you. I’m glad I changed my mind about the dress.
This one is more suitable. The other color would have been too bold.
” Kate fingered the bit of lace at her neckline.
She was pleased with her choice. Although she didn’t follow the latest fashions like many women, she still wished to be appealing to the eye.
Once she finished dressing, Kate went to Julia’s bedchamber to help her friend prepare.
The door swung open to her touch. She stepped into the room and was surprised to find it empty.
The bed did not appear to have been slept in, and the curtains were still closed.
Kate strode across the room and opened the curtains herself to allow the light into the dark room.
Next, she strode over to the wardrobe and opened the doors only to find them empty.
A quick search of the rest of the room revealed that the trunk she had spied the previous evening was gone and all the clothes and toiletries had been removed.
Had she already had the servants take her trunk to the wedding carriage? Where was Julia?
Hurrying downstairs, she glanced in every room searching for her friend. She stopped one of the chambermaids and asked if they had seen Julia.
“No, Miss Avery. I haven’t. Some of the guests have already gone to the chapel. Perhaps she is already there.” The maid bobbed and hurried away. Kate knew the servants had been up for hours preparing for the wedding. If Julia had been inside the castle walls, someone would have spotted her.
Kate considered it and then thought that maybe Julia had arisen early and gone to the chapel. There was a small chamber to the side that would allow her to have some quiet, contemplative moments before the wedding.
Several of the guests descended the stairway, and Kate had no time to look for her friend.
She had to get everyone to the chapel so that the ceremony would take place on time.
For better or worse, Julia had decided to continue with the marriage.
Kate offered up a silent prayer that Julia would soften Harry’s heart and turn him into a better man.
As the weather was so glorious, most of the guests chose to walk from the castle down the path to the chapel. The Dowager Viscountess and Dowager Duchess dismissed Kate’s suggestion that they take a carriage down and insisted upon walking.
“Do stop fussing, Miss Avery,” the Dowager Duchess said. “I take a morning walk every day. It keeps me strong and healthy. I could fit into my own wedding gown if the thing hadn’t disintegrated from the moths' ages ago.”
Kate’s grandmother cackled. “That’s not the only thing that’s disintegrated.”
“As if you have not experienced the passage of time yourself,” the Dowager Duchess countered, but there was no malice in her words. She smiled at her old rival. “Miss Avery, have you spoken to my grandson this morning?”
“I—uh—I…” Kate sputtered. A pang of anxiety visited her. Did the Dowager Duchess know she had spent the evening wrapped in Andrew’s arms? They had been careful not to be seen. Kate was certain no one knew.
“Spit it out, girl. Your grandmother claims you are well-spoken, but you seem to stutter and shake every time I mention Andrew’s name.”
“No, I haven’t spoken to him recently, Your Grace.” It was more than three hours since she had, so it wasn’t a lie. Kate’s eyes slid away and stared across the lawn.
“Humph. He better not be late. I can’t abide a late start to a wedding. Most displeasing start to a marriage if the guests are late.” The Dowager Duchess’s cane beat out a command as they strode along the flagstaff path.
It was a pleasant walk, and Kate wished once more that the wedding would be held outside. The flowers were still in bloom despite the battering they had taken from the rain the previous days. Birds chirped in the nearby trees adding nature’s music to the morning.
At the chapel, the guests mingled outside. Kate spied Andrew underneath a large, oak tree. She hurried over to him. “Andrew.”
He gazed down at her and frowned. “I have something to tell you, Kate.” Kate’s heart clenched as she prepared for him to break it in two. She closed her eyes and waited for the words to deliver the blow. She would not flinch when the words were said. She would remain steadfast.
“Julia and Nicholas ran off together last night. I was going to tell you—”
“What?” Kate exclaimed, practically yelling. A tumult of feelings washed over her. Relief that he hadn’t broken her heart yet. Confusion over the news. Joy that Nicholas and Julia were together. “They ran away together?”
A murmur from the guests rose up and a few of them glanced their way. Kate lowered her voice. “What do you mean they ran away together?”
A line formed between Andrew’s brows. “I don’t want you to be angry with me. I had my reasons for not telling you.”
Kate experienced the same feeling of frustration she had the previous evening with Miss Chambers. “Please just tell me what is going on.”
“Very well. I told your brother about Harry. When he realized the extent Harry would go to, Nicholas couldn’t stand by and allow Julia to marry. I helped them meet yesterday so that he could declare his love for her.”
“You did?” Kate felt hope rising in her chest. “And what did Julia say?”