She stood, letting her dress swirl to the ground in all its glory. “You know me too well.”
As he took in the sight of her, she could see a faint glimmer of lust bubbling in his eyes. “You look divine,” he whispered, his raspy voice heavy with desire.
His dark curls had been tamed, and his emerald and bronze suit hugged his toned figure in all the right ways. Smiling, Jax reached his side and took his arm. “I am so proud to call you mine, Perry.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “Shall we go take a look at the chapel?”
ǂ
Her eyes shimmered with happiness as she gazed around the vast hall, the dying sunlight creating the ethereal shadows she’d pictured in her mind all along. “It’s perfect.”
Perry pulled her close. “I would get married in a mud puddle if it meant spending my life with you, but I’m glad this suits you.”
Wrapped in each other’s arms for a blissful moment, Jax was the first to pull away. “I imagine our guests are waiting for us.”
“It would be rude to deny them their meal any longer,” Perry said with a chuckle.
Jax placed a hand on her stomach, feeling it rumble underneath her corset. “I think I’ll ask Uma to send out the appetizer before I make my welcome address. I don’t think I can ignore my hunger pangs any longer.”
“Well, then, by all means, we must go before you faint from starvation.”
They arrived hand-in-hand at the entrance to the banquet hall, greeted with bows from the stewards who manned the doorway.
“Your Grace, all your guests are accounted for. Shall I announce you?” a steward called Gregor asked.
“Announce us both, if you will. Consider it practice for future occasions.” Jax squeezed Perry’s arm, feeling giddy. Protocol had always required them to enter separately, Perry first, followed by Jax, but with their marriage, he would inherit the title of Prince Consort, allowing him to enter by her side.
Gregor disappeared through a side chamber that led up to the steward’s balcony. From the other side of the sweepingly grand door, she heard him clear his throat, bringing a halt to the chatter in the room.
“Announcing his future Highness, Lord Pettraud, and her Illustrious Highness Jacqueline Arienta Xavier, Duchess of Saphire!”
The massive door parted, candlelight from the regal chandelier flooding their path. Sharing a tender glance, Jax and Perry walked into the hall, their friends swarming to meet them.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect to see until tomorrow!” Jax feigned as much surprise as she could muster as her aunt Annette appeared before her, arms outstretched.
“Oh, don’t even bother. Darian can’t keep a secret from me to save his life,” Annette said with a laugh, wrapping her arms around her niece.
It always startled Jax how much Annette looked like her sister, Jax’s beloved mother, Duchess Amaryllis. They shared the same delicate nose, sculpted cheekbones, and beautiful honey-colored hair. Standing before her now, Annette had a youthful glow about her that Jax hadn’t seen in many, many years.
The source of her happiness appeared at her side, his expression sheepish. “She has a special way of weeding things out of me,” Darian said with a grin.
Jax laughed. “I really don’t need to hear the details.” Seeing them both blush at her joke, she gave their arms a squeeze. “It makes me so happy to see you like this,” she said to Annette, planting a kiss on her aunt’s cheek. “I look forward to catching up over dinner.”
Turning to her other guests, Jax greeted them all warmly. She felt particular satisfaction at how close Emyr stood to Carriena and how Edmund’s eyes never left Giovanna’s stunning face.
Uma appeared at her side, leading the group toward the glistening mahogany table, lined with the most well-crafted dining chairs gold could buy.
“Uma, dear, could you please send the appetizers out before the toast? I’m in need of some refreshment before I have to stand up in front of everyone.” Jax spoke in a murmur only her lady-in-waiting could hear.
“Of course,” Uma replied with a bow, hustling with grace toward the pantry doors.
“Everything all right?”
Hendrie, Perry’s loyal friend and valet, appeared out of thin air next to Jax, his gaze trailing anxiously after Uma.
Knowing how much Perry valued Hendrie, Jax had tried to befriend the young man, but always seemed to fall short in her attempts. With his being outspoken and oftentimes rebellious toward her politics, she felt an ever-shifting chasm existed between them. Jax thought Uma’s promotion to lady-in-waiting might convince him of her sincerity in trying to change the stark divisions between common-born and nobility in the realm, but Hendrie retained his usual cool demeanor.
“She’s just going to fetch the stewards to bring out the first course,” Jax replied, unsure why she felt so defensive.
Hendrie’s chocolatey eyes narrowed for a moment before he released a slow exhale.
“Is everything all right with you?” Jax asked.
In a rare show of comradery, Hendrie blushed as he scratched his straw-colored hair. “I’m actually not sure, Duchess. Uma’s been avoiding me lately,” he admitted.
Jax’s eyebrows shot up. It was no secret that Hendrie and Uma cared for one another, so this news surprised her. “Not to pry, but have you done anything that might have upset her?” she asked, concerned more for Uma than for the young man before her.
Hendrie looked genuinely perplexed. “I’ve wracked my brain and can’t think of anything I’ve done.”
Jax gave him a sage smile. “When it comes to wooing a lady, you’re held accountable for the things you haven’t done as well.”
“Well, goodness, how does one ever know how to please a woman?” Hendrie asked with a resigned helplessness.
“You don’t.” Jax chuckled. “And it keeps us greatly entertained.”
Hendrie finally caught on that he was being teased, and his ears reddened. “If it’s not too much to ask, Duchess, could you perhaps make sure she’s not angry at me?”
Even with all she had on her plate, Jax didn’t hesitate. “I’ll see what I can wheedle out of her, but you know how private she is.”
“Boy, do I ever,” Hendrie mumbled just before he melted into the surrounding crowd.
From the head of the table, Jax motioned for her guests to take their seats. Perry took his usual spot on her left, with Darian and Annette on her right. Carriena secured the seat next to Perry, bumping Emyr down a chair.
Jax saw mild displeasure blossom across Charles’s face as he watched Giovanna seat herself between Edmund and Bran. She hoped the young man would find time to enjoy himself, rather than minding his sister.
Uma emerged from the pantry, taking the empty chair between Annette and Jaquobie’s young wife, Lysette. Lysette had flourished being away from the snowy fortress that had been her home in Lysandeir. Where once she’d been socially awkward and abrasive, she now displayed a relaxed and elegant manner, allowing Jax to understand why Jaquobie had fallen for the crimson-haired beauty.
Once Uma had taken her seat, an army of stewards appeared from the shadows carrying silver and gold trays laden with delicious breads and fruits. Carts followed, bearing plates of mixed greens, grapes, and sliced pears, a traditional salad in Saphire.
Her food had barely settled in front of her before Jax seized a fork and began to eat, signaling the others to do the same. The Pettraudian visitors cast confused glances at each other, clearly expecting a speech as a prelude to the meal. However, those closest to Jax knew that food often took precedence.
Once the growling in her stomach had subsided, Jax dabbed her lips before standing. A hush immediately descended on the crowd, forks and knives laid to rest for the moment.
“Lord Pettraud and I are delighted to welcome you to the first of many joyful evenings in celebration of our wedding,” Jax began. “It warms my heart that you all were willing to travel across the realm to visit us, and I hope you treat Saphire as your home
for the next few days.” She paused, taking the time to beam at each of her guests. “You are always welcome within these hallowed halls,” she decreed, her musical voice floating throughout the cavernous room.
“Virtues praised!” In a resounding chorus, everyone raised their glasses to the health and prosperity of the duchy.
Settling back into her seat, Jax looked to Perry for assessment.
“Short and sweet,” he said, and kissed her hand.
Having had plenty of downtime during the afternoon, the dinner table was quite rowdy as boisterous personalities multiplied and the empty bottles of mead stacked up. Jax was sure she spied the court sommelier whisking away the fifteenth bottle, only to bring forth another, filling Skander’s glass to the brim before moving on to the next goblet.
“Duchess,” Skander said, his words slurring, “Saphire seems to be home to the finest wine cellar I have ever had the pleasure of sampling.”
Considering all the Savantian vineyards she was currently financing, Jax would not have expected any less. “I’m delighted you are enjoying our stock. I hope we have enough to keep your glass full for the duration of your stay.”
Emyr and Bran snorted in an identical manner. “Is that a challenge, Your Grace?” the elder brother asked.
Jax gave a wicked grin. “I’ve never met anyone who can come close to drinking Lady Carriena under the table.”
To emphasize the point, Carriena finished off her glass and waved it in the air. “I’m just getting started over here.”
The heated stares between Emyr and Carriena almost made Jax blush. “Well, why don’t we soak up the mead with some braised pheasant.” Jax gestured for the dining staff to serve the next course.
As she polished off her cherry cordial chocolate soufflé, Jax was grateful she’d had the sense to stop at two glasses of wine. All around her, her guests were in various states of frivolity, but she knew they’d regret the excessive indulgence in the morning.
“A song! A song!” Carriena called, slapping her fist on the table, urging Giovanna to perform.
Skander and the Viscounts joined in the chant. Jax opened her mouth to shush them, closing it when Lady Giovanna popped up from her chair, her face aglow. Considering how the young woman had protested when she was last called for an impromptu performance, Jax was pleased to see the actress throw inhibition to the wind.
By the end of the heartfelt ballad, Jax felt certain that Edmund had fallen head over heels for the singer. If she wasn’t mistaken, even Skander and Bran looked interested, causing poor Charles to sink so low in his chair his head could barely be seen.
Good nights were exchanged all around as the group realized that their drinking was finally getting the better of them. Courtiers appeared from the door, escorting—and in some cases dragging—their charges to their suites for the evening.
Jax had the last laugh as Bran tried kissing one of the gargoyle statues adorning the hallway, mistaking it for a flirtatious maiden. “I would have thought your friends could hold their liquor a little better. Did you see how effortlessly Carriena strode out of here?” she teased Perry as he walked her back to her chambers.
Perry failed to conceal a hiccup. “I said they liked a good mead, not that they were good at handling it.”
“Well, I hope they all remember the fun we had tonight. I fear I’ll be so busy with the ducal delegations that I won’t be able to see them again.”
Perry held the door open for his beloved. “No one could ever forget you, Jax.” He gave her a kiss, albeit a sloppy one.
“You need a bath,” she said, pulling her lips away with a giggle. “See that you get one before everyone thinks I’m marrying a barnyard animal.”
Grinning like a madman, Perry faded into the shadows as he headed toward his private apartment. In his place, Uma appeared.
“A successful evening, you think?” she asked, looking hopeful.
Jax nodded, drifting whimsically into her sitting room. “Indeed. A sublime job, Uma,” she praised. “I hope your winning streak continues.”
Relieved, Uma sank into a chair beside her. “I can only pray that the Virtues keep up their end of the bargain.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth radiating from their full stomachs.
“Hendrie was asking about you,” Jax ventured.
Even though her eyes were closed, a frown settled over Uma’s face. “Oh?”
“He thinks you’re avoiding him.”
Uma snorted. “Well, I am.”
Jax sat up, intrigued by the gossip. “What has the poor sod done?”
Uma shifted in her seat. “Well, it’s probably silly…”
“Try me.”
Uma opened her eyes and looked to Jax for advice. “He hasn’t asked me to be his date at your reception.”
Her brow furrowed. “Really?”
“I think he thinks he doesn’t have to ask me,” Uma admitted. “But he does, right? He can’t assume I’d go with him. I mean, I don’t know if we’re even courting.”
Jax sympathized with her friend. It had certainly taken Perry long enough to take a hint. “Why not ask him?”
Uma rolled her eyes. “Oh, what do you know?” she jested. “Your love story reads a bit differently than that of a mere common-born lady.”
“Just because my father arranged for Perry and me to wed doesn’t mean I don’t know a thing or two about courtship,” Jax retorted. “If you recall, we fell in love before we made our engagement public.”
Uma’s grimace told her that she’d made her point. “I’m not the ruler of an entire nation, Jax. I can’t just ask a man to be mine exclusively.”
“And why the Virtues not?” Jax responded.
Uma’s mouth opened but nothing came out. After a moment, she tried again. “Well, I don’t know, really. I guess I just want to be asked.”
“Ah,” Jax said knowingly, “you want to feel desired.”
Uma got up and stalked around the room. “Is that so bad?”
“Of course not, dear one. Hendrie’s a fool if he doesn’t make you feel that way every day. Perhaps I’ll pass along some sage advice to Perry that trickles down to him?”
Uma knelt before her. “Oh, Jax, would you? I don’t think I have it in me to say it to his face myself.”
Jax kissed the top of her friend’s head. “I’d be happy to.”
Beaming, Uma gathered her skirts and headed for the door, turning around when she reached it. “Thank you so much, Jax. Maybe by the time I get back from the flower shop tomorrow, Hendrie will have some sense knocked into his head.”
“The flower shop?”
“Yes, I’m collecting the arrangements for use at the rehearsal dinner ahead of time,” Uma explained. “The fireblooms need at least two full days in darkness before they blossom. The florist said if I pick them up tomorrow morning and keep them in the wine cellar, they’ll open in time for the rehearsal reception and remain in bloom through the entire event.”
“Why not send one of the wedding planners to get them?” Jax did not see the sense in her lady-in-waiting wasting time on such a menial task.
Uma crossed her arms. “I’m willing to trust them with some things, but fireblooms are incredibly rare and require a careful hand. I’d rather see to it myself, given the significance of the flower.”
The exotic orange-and-yellow fireblooms had been on display at every ducal wedding since Saphire’s founding. Just thinking of her parents surrounded by the same flower during their marriage celebrations made Jax feel as though they were with her in spirit. “I can’t wait to see them. Did you know it is a royal decree in Saphire that fireblooms cannot be used for any purpose other than a wedding?”
Uma’s lips pursed. “A bit selfish, really.”
Jax dismissed the taunt. “I’ve never seen one myself before. Perhaps you can give me a secret preview when you arrive back home?”
Uma shook her head. “Oh no, they will be kept under lock and key, away fro
m any prying eyes until the rehearsal reception,” she said pointedly.
“Fine, have it your way then.” Jax shooed her away. “Good night, Uma.”
“Sleep well, Jax. Only three nights left before you’ll move to your new chambers with your husband,” Uma trilled, waving goodbye.
Jax shuddered, a sudden unease filling her chest. Uma was right. These rooms would no longer be her home once she and Perry married. Over the past few months, Uma had been overseeing the renovation of Jax’s parents’ apartment, which would soon belong to her and Perry. Jax had resisted the move for so long, as she felt it disrespectful to disturb the memories tied to the royal chambers, but the newlyweds would need more space than Jax’s current suite offered.
Vita emerged from the door connecting her service chambers to that of her charge. “Duquessa, I trust you had a pleasant evening?”
Nodding, Jax remained silent as her lady’s maid went to work removing the layers of makeup and brushing the curls from her hair.
Within a half hour, her gown was tucked safely away and Jax lay in her canopy bed, staring out the window. Stars infused the sky, lulling her into a peaceful dream.
Chapter Five
“Stop fidgeting so much, Perry,” Jax said as she slapped his hands away from the gold buttons of his uniform. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“Is it really, though?” He cursed under his breath, and Jax noticed he had resumed tapping his foot impatiently on the marble floor.
A Pettraudian courtier had arrived at the castle gates a few moments ago, heralding the approaching envoy transporting Duke Pettraud. Considering they had not been expecting the Duke to arrive until well after lunch, Jax and Perry hastily excused themselves from a late breakfast to go greet the party.
“Did Emyr and Bran seem like they were still drunk to you?” Perry asked.
Jax chuckled. “Even if they are, that does not reflect poorly on you. Didn’t you say your father arranged for your meeting in the first place?”
Her words did little to soothe him. “He’ll find a way to berate me. You’ll see.”
Throne of Threats (Ducal Detective Mysteries Book 5) Page 5