Page 21 of Five Ways to Bed a Duke
THREE MONTHS LATER
“ O h, Cathy, you look so beautiful!” Lily cried when the final flower was pinned in Catherine’s hair.
Catherine gave her a watery smile. She indeed looked a vision in the beautiful pale green lace dress that had been commissioned for the wedding. Her hair had been styled and pinned in a mass of curls she hoped she did not ruin when it was time to dance.
“Indeed.” Her mother smiled, her eyes also filled with tears.
At the sight, her own tears fell.
“Oh, Mother,” Catherine cried, hugging her.
“My darling girl,” her mother said against her shoulder, “you make such a beautiful bride.”
They cried for a few minutes before realizing they were running late. Their faces had to be redone, and they had received stern looks from the maids.
“What if he changes his mind?” Catherine asked. “What if I’m making a mistake? How do I know he’s the one, Mother? I am scared that we might get tired of each other too early and fight all the time…”
“Are you saying that because of your father and I?” the Viscountess asked, looking alarmed.
Catherine tried to hide her guilt, but she couldn’t hide it quickly enough from her mother, who had a hurt look on her face.
“Mother, I didn’t mean to?—”
“I do understand that your father and I haven’t been the best examples, but I believe we have done our best to show you that even though we fight a lot, we do love each other very much,” the Viscountess interrupted her. “It might be hard to believe that, but it is true. Richard is a good man, and I have seen you two interact over the years. You’re different when you’re with him. He makes you laugh, he makes you smile, he makes you drop that mask you hide behind, and he makes you free. You’re not even that free with your own family. He makes you put down those walls you have hidden behind for so long. He brings out the best parts of you, my dear, and that is why your father and I agreed to the marriage.”
“But do we have to fight?”
“Fighting doesn’t mean anything, Cathy. Or rather, fighting doesn’t mean you don’t love each other. You won’t always see eye to eye, but love is found in choosing each other even after a fight,” the Viscountess explained.
“That are many things that we don’t agree on and that we might never agree on. I just really want to know, how do I know that he’s the one for me?”
“There isn’t just one answer to that question, Cathy. I had the same experience with your father. We were childhood friends who never agreed on anything. We never saw eye to eye, and then one day, my mother jokingly said that we would eventually get married. Even though I tried to ignore it, I started to see the good sides of him, and then even the bad began to pale in comparison to who I knew him to be. A loyal friend who stood by me despite all my shortcomings. The fact that Richard chose you above all else, the fact that he was willing to see you married to someone else to protect you from him are signs that he is a good man. He is after your happiness, not even his own. Those are all the signs you need, my darling.”
“Oh, Mother, I will miss you terribly.”
“No, you won’t.” The Viscountess laughed. “Maybe not for the next few weeks. You’ll be too busy being a married woman and enjoying marital bliss.”
She shot her a knowing look, which Catherine pretended not to see even though a blush crept up her neck and cheeks.
The night before, they’d had the talk , and she couldn’t bring herself to tell her mother that Richard had given her all the education she could possibly need and had said he would continue to do so.
“What is marital bliss, Mother?” Lily asked innocently.
“You will know in due time.” The Viscountess laughed. “Now I believe we’ve kept the entire house waiting. Come, let’s go downstairs.”
The Viscount’s eyes filled with tears when Catherine descended the stairs, and Hugh smiled and said she was the prettiest bride he had ever seen. She smiled and kissed his cheek, which he wiped furiously.
“I hear Miss Pembroke is coming today,” she teased when their parents were out of earshot.
His latest crush was a pretty brunette with such good manners that Catherine hoped his infatuation with her would last. Her brother was the picky sort, even worse than her, and looked for perfection everywhere. She knew he would be a pain in the future.
“Are we all ready?” their father asked.
“Indeed,” their mother answered.
The closer they got to the church, the harder Catherine’s heart pounded in her chest, both in anticipation and fear.
Her mother and siblings went inside, and soon it was just her and her father.
“Are you well, Cathy?” he asked, holding her hand.
Her father wasn’t one to ask questions like that often because he usually kept to his work. Her mother was the only person who could bring him out of his shell. It was a marvel how Catherine was able to do it.
“I am, Father,” she answered, smiling at him. “Thank you.”
He smiled back at her. “I know I haven’t really spent time with you to ask you anything about your relationship with Richard, but do you think he’ll make you happy?”
Happy?
Catherine thought back to all of her and Richard’s interactions and smiled. He would make her happy.
“Yes, Father,” she answered.
“Good.” The Viscount nodded. “If you don’t want to go through with this marriage, you know you’ll have mine and your mother’s support.”
“I want to do this.”
He nodded, and the church doors opened. She took a steadying breath and focused on putting one leg in front of the other.
She saw the faces of friends and family surrounding her but still felt fear until her eyes landed on Richard. He looked so handsome that her heart swelled with love for him.
He was hers now. Well and truly hers.
“What if she changes her mind?” Richard asked, sighing deeply. He had been pacing the chapel’s entrance since they had arrived, and he couldn’t seem to stop.
Emmeline and Simon watched him with concerned looks, seeming to communicate with their eyes.
He paused for a moment, observing the two of them, and shook his head, coughing when their silent discussion lasted longer than his patience could take.
“Sorry, Brother,” Emmy mumbled, blushing. “Did you ask a question?”
“Is there something you two want to tell me?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
It would be the oddest thing if somehow his best friend and sister had fallen for each other. He would be against it, staunchly , because he knew Simon was a rake of the highest order. He did not need anyone risking his sister’s virtue.
But he would also be thoroughly perplexed because they had never gotten along from their first encounter, when Emmy had been ten and Simon had come for a visit.
She had screamed at him and run away, crying, and they had been at each other’s throats since then. It would be something if they eventually saw past their differences.
“Nothing, Brother,” Emmy answered, shaking her head earnestly.
Simon remained silent, so Richard made a mental note to watch them closely. The man was normally talkative, so his silence meant something fishy was afoot.
Guests started arriving, so he put aside his anxiety. He greeted the lords and ladies of the ton, including their daughters, who were weeping at the fact that he was no longer on the marriage mart.
When they were all seated and it was time for the bride to enter, his heart started pounding in his chest, and the moment he saw her, his breath caught in his throat.
She was a vision in the dress she’d finally chosen after almost two months of indecision. The wedding planning had revealed an indecisive side to her that he found endearing.
When her father gave him her hand, he nodded at him once, and the man patted his hand. They had found shared interests in certain investments and had been working quite closely with each other since Catherine introduced them.
When saying his vows, Richard looked into her eyes, knowing he meant every word, and when it was finally time to kiss her, he did so chastely, knowing if he went any further, his body would embarrass him with his lust for her, which had only burned hotter as she had sworn him to wait until after the wedding to touch her again.
Catherine stared up at him, her cheeks and neck a pretty red as everyone cheered.
The ball was grand, and he watched his sister and Simon dance and laugh. He shook his head, wanting to see what could come out of this new development.
“Who is that gentleman with Emmy?” Catherine asked from beside him.
“Lord Talbot, my best friend,” he answered.
“They look happy,” she noted, smiling.
What was it with married women and matchmaking?
She was only just newly married, and she already had started matchmaking.
“There is nothing there.” Richard shook his head. “They hate each other.”
Just then, Emmy laughed at something Simon said and slapped his arm.
Catherine shot Richard a smirk that had him frowning. She laughed and squeezed his arm.
“Come, husband,” she said, rising from her seat. “Make me happy.”
Richard took her hand and practically dragged her to their chambers. She laughed at the urgency in his steps and quickened her pace.
He looked back at her and wondered what he had done to deserve such perfection in his life. She smiled at him, her eyes shining with love and trust.
He swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to keep that look in her eyes.
The End?