The Wolf's Choice (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 4)

by Patricia Blackmoor

  “You look lovely,” my mother said to me, the first compliment she had given me in days. “Next time there’s a ball, we’ll make sure we do your face just this way. We’ll find you a husband yet.”

  My smile faltered. “Thanks, mum.”

  My mother glanced at the little gold clock sitting on my desk. “Oh, my! I’ve got to make sure everything’s ready! Our guests will be here any minute!”

  She hurried from my bedroom, and with a sigh of reluctance, I followed her.

  A leaf had been added to the center of our mahogany dining room table, stretching it so it could accommodate all the guests. I sat down next to my mother, and my brother sat opposite her, only for Adam to sit beside Harry and across from me. I fidgeted with my hands in my lap, trying not to make eye contact every time I glanced up.

  “Would you like some wine, my dear?” my mother asked me, motioning to one of the servants holding a glass in her hand. I hadn’t been paying attention, and the servant right beside me made me jump.

  “Yes please,” I said, perhaps too quickly because my mother raised her eyebrow at me, but didn’t stop the wine from being poured. As soon as the last drop hit the cup, I brought the liquid to my lips. It was bitter, but I didn’t care. I needed just enough to help me relax so I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out every time I looked at Adam.

  The servants began dishing out the lamb and potatoes, and I struggled to keep my gaze on my plate. Although the food was rich and delicious, I could only pick at it. I wasn’t sure my stomach could handle anything.

  “You all right?” Annabelle asked me in a low voice. I was thankful she had sat next to me, so I could avoid sitting next to the ostentatious Lady Rollins, with her bright red hair and garish cosmetics. Were it not for her fine clothing, many would assume she was a lady of the night.

  “Not particularly hungry,” I told her.

  “Well, you look lovely,” she said. “Your look is so subtle, only a trained eye could tell you were wearing anything on your face.”

  “You think?” I asked her, flattered.

  “Oh, absolutely.”

  “Lady Randolph,” said Lady Rollins from across the table, directing her question at Stephen’s mother and not his wife, “are you going to the duke’s wedding?”

  “Oh, I’m sure,” said the older Lady Randolph.

  “I’m thinking of wearing my furs. Do you think that will be too much?”

  “Bernadette, the wedding is at one o’clock in the afternoon,” Lady Randolph said.

  “That’s a yes, then?”

  The corner of Lady Randolph’s mouth twitched. Watching her, I could see why Stephen had married Annabelle. Both Ladies Randolph were similar, always keeping their head high and having very little patience for nonsense.

  “So, who did the duke choose?” I asked, speaking up at the table for the first time. “I’m assuming you can say, since the invitations have been sent?”

  “He will be marrying Christine Croft,” Annabelle told me.

  A grin spread across my face. “Oh, that’s fantastic. I was rooting for her.”

  Adam glanced over at me in surprise. “You were?”

  “We spent some time getting to know each other while we were at Wolf’s Peak. She’s lovely.”

  Annabelle smiled. “That she is.”

  “Perhaps you should have spent more time rooting for yourself than another girl,” my mother said. Annabelle nudged me and rolled her eyes.

  “Who is this Christine?” Bernadette asked.

  “She was a friend of the duke’s when they were children,” Annabelle said. “Practically childhood sweethearts.”

  “That’s sweet,” I said. “Those stories were always my favorites, children who grew up together and fall in love.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adam nearly choke on his food.

  After dinner, we moved the party into the living room. The servants kept the wine flowing, which kept the conversation moving. With the glasses refilled, my mother, entertainer that she is, suggested we play a game.

  The dreaded words. I hated games, and after I had sequestered myself to my room for the week, there was no way I was going to get away with escaping upstairs. Instead I sat next to Annabelle on the couch, digging my nails into my palm.

  “Blind Man’s Bluff?” my mother suggested.

  “Sounds delightful,” Annabelle said, and I nudged her to be quiet. She gave me an apologetic look.

  I sincerely believe that Blind Man’s Bluff was invented by a man who wanted an excuse to grope women. One person is blindfolded, while the rest of the room moves around him. The blind man has to catch one of the other players, and when he does, has to guess who he’s grabbed by touch alone. If he succeeds, the player he grabbed goes next, and the play resumes. My father started as the blind man, and he was quickly able to catch my mother. I tried to stay out of the way, not obviously, but enough so I wouldn’t be caught, especially when the blind man was a near stranger. I didn’t want Lord Rollins grabbing at me.

  For the most part I sort of lingered in the corner, and no one really noticed. The game went on, some players going more than once, with me managing to stay out of reach. I thought perhaps I’d get away without being caught at all until Harry caught Adam, and Adam became the blind man.

  The others spun him around for a moment, but he was able to get his bearings soon enough. With his arms outstretched like the fictional Frankenstein’s monster, he crossed the room, coming straight toward me. Since I was in the corner, I had nowhere to go. His hand landed on my neck, and he paused at the touch, aware that he had caught someone. Slowly, he brushed his hand along the skin of my neck to my jawbone, cradling my face. He gently ran his thumb over my lips and my breath hitched, my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Hazel?” he whispered.

  I tried to find my voice, but struggled. “Yes,” I managed to eke out.

  With his other hand he tugged off the blindfold and our eyes locked, his hand still resting against my face. I was acutely aware of the rise and fall of my cleavage as we stood only inches apart. I swallowed.

  A knock on the wall broke the tension. “Mrs. Ackerman, dessert is ready.”

  “Fantastic!” my mother said. “Bring it in. We’ll end the game.”

  Adam’s hand fell from my face, and I weaved my way around him. “I’m going to get some water,” I said to no one in particular. My head was spinning, and I didn’t know if it was from the wine or from my proximity to Adam.

  I went through the kitchen, and I did pause for water, but after I’d swallowed it, I went through the back door and into the courtyard. The moon shone brightly down, catching the dewdrops in its beam. I turned to walk down the porch to the swing.

  Our yard, like many on this stretch of road, was bordered by tall trees. Through the woods on one side was Adam’s house, and through the thick woods opposite the house was the lake. If I was quiet, I could hear the water lapping against the rocks and the fish breaking the surface, even through the crickets.

  I leaned my head against the back of the swing and pushed off with my foot, trying to clear my mind. The spring air filled my lungs, and I rubbed at my temples to help myself think. How on earth could a simple touch unravel me so much?

  I heard the back door shut and glanced over to see Adam walking toward me. I gave him a small smile and looked at my hands while my mind raced. I couldn’t understand why he would leave the party to come see me, but I suspected he would tell me as he sat down beside me.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Fine. Just needed to clear my head.”

  We sat quietly for a moment, the creaking of the swing adding to the soft nature sounds of the outdoors.

  “I didn’t know that you and Christine were friends,” he finally said.

  “I’m not sure we’re technically friends yet, but I think she’s lovely.”

  He fell quiet again before asking, “Would you like to come to the wedding?”

&nb
sp; I looked up at him in surprise. “My family wasn’t invited. We aren’t aristocracy.”

  He cleared his throat. “I meant, would you like to come as my guest?”

  My jaw dropped as I tried to gather myself. “I would love that.”

  “Fantastic,” Adam said with a smile. “It’s a date.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The day of the wedding, I could scarcely contain my excitement, which was strange, because I had always found weddings to be incredibly boring. I woke up far earlier than I needed to, but the sunlight was bright and I couldn’t fall back to sleep. Instead, I got up and went to eat breakfast.

  “Are you excited?” Clara asked me as she served some biscuits and bacon.

  “Terribly,” I admitted.

  “Oh,” she sighed, “I bet it will be stunning.”

  “I’m sure it will be.”

  “Tell me everything?” she begged.

  “Of course,” I promised.

  I heard a noise on the back staircase and turned to see my mother, wrapped in her dressing gown, approach.

  “You’re up early,” she commented before turning toward Clara. “Cup of tea, please.”

  “Of course, ma’am,” Clara said, ducking into the kitchen, leaving me alone with my mother.

  “I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep,” I told her.

  “Big day,” she said as she sat down next to me. I think she was a bit jealous that she and my father hadn’t been invited to the wedding, but at the same time, I don’t think she had really expected to be, either. They didn’t have titles, and while they were close with some of the duke’s friends, they weren’t close with the duke himself. I assumed most of the guest list would be filled with royalty from across England.

  “It should be fun, I think.”

  “Awfully kind of Adam to take you.”

  “He knew I grew close to Christine during our time at Wolf’s Peak,” I said, trying to keep my voice light.

  My mother only grunted, the way she always did before her morning tea.

  Thankfully, Clara had it ready to go, and brought it out to my mother only moments later. After taking a few sips and starting on her breakfast, my mother turned to me again.

  “Have you decided what you’re going to wear?” she asked me.

  “I’ve been thinking my sage dress with the rosettes,” I told her.

  She nodded. “Fantastic. That’s what I was going to suggest.”

  I gave her a tight smile. “Glad we’re on the same page,” I said.

  “What time is Adam picking you up?”

  “I think around twelve thirty, he said.”

  “Great,” she said, leaning back in her chair and surveying my face. “That gives us plenty of time.”

  I paused. “Time for what?”

  “To get you ready, of course,” she said, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. “Hurry up and finish your breakfast.”

  I finished, eating the rest of my food as quickly as possible without giving myself a stomachache. I knew there would be plenty of food to eat at the wedding, but I had to be sure that I wasn’t going to get hungry before that.

  When my mother and I had cleared our plates, she disappeared into the kitchen. I waited patiently for her, unsure what she was up to.

  She returned a few moments later with a bowl. “Come on,” she said, “let’s go upstairs.”

  “What is that?” I asked, pointing to the mush in the bowl.

  “I’ll explain when we get up there,” she said. Once at the top of the stairs, I slipped into my bedroom, and she followed along behind. She instructed me to sit down at my dressing table, and once I did, she set the bowl down on the table. I glanced into it, unsure of exactly what I was seeing, while she tied my hair back with a ribbon. My mother dug her fingers into the mush and brought it to my face.

  I pulled away. “What is it?”

  “Banana, honey, and oatmeal,” she told me somewhat impatiently.

  “Why are we putting that on my face?”

  “It will make your skin glow,” she promised, and when I went to wash it off a half hour later, it turned out she was right. My skin looked radiant, even more so once she had put my cosmetics on, the same way she had at the dinner party. She called Clara up once more to help me into the corset and gown before I sat back down at the dressing table again so she could do up my hair.

  After several hours, I was perfect from head to toe. The powder helped mute the color of my freckles, and my eyes looked wide like a doll’s with the powders and gels she had used. My lips and cheeks held just enough color to give me a natural, rosy glow, and the sage of the dress pulled out the green in my eyes. To finish off the look, I pulled on a strand of pearls, lace gloves, and white boots. Perhaps I wasn’t as attractive as Lillian or Hattie or Stella, but today, I just might be able to compete.

  I was still gazing at myself in the mirror when a knock sounded through the house. My heart leapt into my throat. It had to be Adam. I rushed across the room and looked out the window to see him standing on the doorstep as Tubbins greeted him.

  Standing back up, I brushed my hands off on my dress, trying to smooth out invisible wrinkles. Only moments later I heard my name being called, and with my heart racing, I opened the door to my bedroom and started down the stairs.

  Adam was waiting for me beside the door and gazed up at me as I descended the staircase. His face broke into a smile that only made my heart beat harder. I knew he could hear it, and I hated that, but there was no way to stop it.

  “Are you ready?” he asked me.

  “Do I look ready?” I asked, self–conscious.

  “You look lovely.”

  A blush spread across my cheeks. “Thank you.”

  My feet hit the floor, and Adam took my arm to lead me out of the house.

  “Have fun,” my mother called after us as Adam helped me into the carriage, and I waved at her through the window as we started off.

  Adam was seated across from me. “Beautiful day for a wedding,” he commented.

  “It’s lovely,” I said. “Where is the wedding?”

  “It will be at Wolf’s Peak.”

  “Even the ceremony?”

  “Yes. It will be held in the courtyard.”

  “I expected it to be in a church.”

  Adam shook his head. “The duke...he doesn’t hold much a fondness for churches.”

  I laughed. “I think my mother would murder me if I didn’t hold my wedding in a church.” Of course, that would have to mean that I was getting married at all, and the older I got, the less likely that was.

  Once again, we pulled through the gate of Wolf’s Peak. This time the front of the house was bustling with activity, carriages stopping to let off well–dressed wedding guests who were ushered around to the back of the house. There was quite a line of carriages, and we sat, watching the spectacle, until we were close enough to disembark.

  Adam helped me out of the carriage and once again slipped his arm in mine as we followed the throng around to the courtyard.

  The sight took my breath away. Annabelle had mentioned that she had been in charge of the wedding planning, and she had taken great pains with the decor. Garlands of dark leaves and orange blossoms were wrapped around the fountain, with flower petals floating in the water. Rows upon rows of chairs faced the balcony, draped in white tulle, with the same garlands strung along the back. More petals were scattered along the walkways.

  “When I get married, remind me to have Annabelle do the planning,” I said breathlessly.

  “I shall,” Adam said with a smile. “Are you ready to sit?”

  “Yes, where are we seated?”

  Adam gestured to the front row. Each chair held a card with a name written in in looping ink. Near the center on the left side were cards that read Lord Wellington and Miss Ackerman. I picked up my name card before sitting down on the chair, fidgeting with it in my hands. Adam took his seat next to me.

 
I looked around the gardens at the other guests as they filed in. I caught sight of Hattie and her family, and Lillian with hers. The two girls were walking together, and stopped short when they saw me sitting in the front row with Adam. The two snickered together before going to sit in the unreserved rows with their families. Even once they were seated, I still caught their eyes on me.

  I saw one ostentatious couple walk in and my jaw nearly hit the floor. I tugged on Adam’s coat sleeves. “Is that the prince?”

  He craned his neck. “Oh, yes, it is. I wondered if he’d come.”

  I watched in awe as the prince and princess passed by us, close enough for me to reach out and touch, and sat on the opposite side of the aisle in the front row. I had to force myself to stop staring, but still found my eyes flickering to the regent couple. It wasn’t until the string quartet began to play that I pulled my attention away.

  The duke and his bride had only one attendant on each side. Annabelle and Stephen walked down the aisle followed by two adorable children. One was the couple’s son, Daniel, and the other was a little girl who I believed to be Annabelle’s niece. Once they had made their way down the aisle and up to the balcony where the duke waited, the music changed and a few moments later I caught sight of Christine walking through the trees.

  She had filled out a bit since last I saw her, her face less haggard and narrow. She wore a stunning dress of lace and silk, with orange blossoms woven into her hair. In her hands was a bouquet, and when she reached the balcony she passed it off to Annabelle. She and the duke joined hands, and Lord Udolf began the ceremony.

  Sitting in the sun with Lord Udolf droning on, I could have easily gotten sleepy. Instead, I was acutely aware of Adam’s arm against mine, of the breeze that brought the scent of his cologne to my nose, of the romance drifting through the air around us.

  It was hard to hear all the words, since the couple was above us and Christine was soft–spoken, but there was no denying the chemistry the two had. The duke looked at her as if she were the only woman on earth, and Christine looked at him as if she were a princess in a fairy tale, finally marrying her prince.