by Lucy Langton
“You must remember that I was raised a lady. I know all too well what it takes to pretend in front of people, to make them see what they must when you feel a completely different way on the inside,” Miss Hall said as she looked away, a soft smile on her lips even though she spoke quite sternly.
“What were your own parents like?” Marcus asked, desperate to know more about this woman.
“I had a very caring mother who was quick to teach me the ways of the world, the evils around every corner, and what it was like to be a wife. She had a very negative point of view of the world that often left me quite depressed about my future. My father was not very involved in my upbringing, and focused all his attention on his son,” Miss Hall explained.
“That explains your terms upon our marriage that I be involved in Beth’s life.”
“Indeed, Lord Kingston. You’ll find that I do everything with purpose. There is much of this world I have already experienced, and yet I am only twenty-four. I have used my experiences to help guide my thoughts and words to make the best decisions,” she said.
“You’re quite the creature to behold, if I do say so myself,” Marcus said, a true smile appearing on his face as he teased her. She looked up at him, seeming to study his face and the meaning of his words.
“Then perhaps we shall get along quite well if you find my bold opinions and words to be beholding. I suppose if you are used to Lady Evergreen, then you can surely accept me for who I am,” Miss Hall said in retort.
As the coach approached Hyde Park, the fashionable hour was underway as several couples walked the paths of the park in their best dress. Marcus knew that it was time to really put on a delightful face so that they could convince the Ton together.
Once the vehicle was pulled to a stop, Marcus alighted and turned around to help Miss Hall down. Then together, her hand resting on his arm, he ushered her towards the open gates of the park and onto the walking path.
“At least the weather is lovely,” Miss Hall said as she looked up at Marcus. He nodded, feeling that the warm weather was doing his injury some good. Being back on solid ground and away from the cold waters of the ocean would no doubt help his healing process.
“Miss Hall, one thing I would like to convey to you is that I am an honourable man who believes in honesty. Surviving as a captain, I had to rely on my crew to act in a certain way and always be truthful to me so the best decisions could be made. I know in time we will come to know each other well and will not feel as though we are strangers anymore,” Marcus said.
“It pleases me to hear such a thing,” Miss Hall replied. “And if we are to be speaking honestly, you should know that yesterday when you had come by, I thought your intention was to leave the child with Lady Evergreen. I was under the notion that men would turn their back on a child that wasn’t their own sire.”
“That explains why you appeared momentarily angry yesterday,” Marcus teased, causing her to laugh.
“Indeed, I was rather cross at the idea. I am glad that it was not the solution you chose.”
“Like I have mentioned before, I cannot even think of doing something like that because it would eat away at me for the rest of my life. Turning her away would have been my own demise,” Marcus admitted.
As they neared the central part of the park, Marcus stopped their conversation. He placed his hand over hers as it rested on his arm, trying to show small signs of affection. Miss Hall walked closer to him in turn, so that they would appear like a happy, engaged couple should.
Every once in a while, they would be stopped by another who wanted to wish them congratulations. Miss Hall did perfectly at enthusing over her engagement band and giving little snippets of the gown design she was thinking of. She did fantastic at pretending to be the happy bride to be, while Marcus concentrated on simply smiling when his tongue dried up and he was unable to speak much.
By the time they returned to the coach, Marcus was looking forward to escaping the sun. He had become rather warm that afternoon and could only guess that Miss Hall was feeling the same. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were parted as though she was thirsty.
“I think we are both exhausted from this heat,” Marcus said as he helped Miss Hall up into the carriage.
“I had no idea it would be this hot,” Miss Hall said as she sat heavily down on the seat. Marcus sat next to her, becoming worried about her condition.
“Here, lay your head on my shoulder and rest your eyes. We must get you back to Aunt Daniella’s right away,” Marcus said, his voice filled with worry as he gestured towards the driver that they should be off. Miss Hall obeyed without little objection. Marcus even raised his hand and helped to support her head against his shoulder, shielding the sun from her eyes the best he could.
“You’re very considerate,” Miss Hall said in a soft voice. He could barely hear her speak above the normal sounds of Town.
“Sun sickness is a common aliment when sailing. I can see it upon your face,” Marcus admitted.
“Ladies are not supposed to spend much time under the sun. It’s our pale complexion that often attracts a gentleman,” she said with a chuckle, making Marcus worry that she was become delirious from perhaps being dehydrated.
The moment the coach stopped outside his aunt’s townhouse, he motioned for the driver to open the door so he could gather Miss Hall in his arms and carefully carry her inside. She’d fainted during the course of the ride and he’d done his best to support her body while not appearing as though they were doing anything inappropriate. That would surely undo everything they had accomplished by being seen together.
The driver went ahead of Marcus, pushing open the front door so he could walk right in with Miss Hall. The butler had a look of surprise as he saw Marcus enter, carrying a young woman in his arms.
“Where is her bedchamber? She must have a place to lie down and have cold water applied to her skin,” Marcus quickly said. The butler didn’t even speak as he pointed upstairs. Marcus did his best to walk up the stairs quickly as the butler followed him and led him to Miss Hall’s chamber. He even opened the door for Marcus so he could carry her inside and lay her upon her bed.
“Have the housekeeper and maids bring plenty of cool water. She must be stripped and bathed,” Marcus said, his voice urgent and full of concern.
“What’s happening?” Miss Hall said in a weak voice, her eyes flitting open as she raised her hands in front of her. Marcus collected her hands in his and urged her to lay down as he took off her gloves and set them aside, her bare hands rather sticky with sweat.
“It’s sun sickness, Miss Hall. Your body has become too hot,” Marcus explained as her eyes fell closed once more. The housekeeper entered the room not long after, followed by Aunt Daniella.
“What on earth happened to the poor girl?” she asked, resting heavily on her cane. His aunt was dressed in her robe and more than likely had been woken by the commotion.
“It’s a hot day, Aunt. The sun has done a number on us both. She needs to drink plenty of water and bathe,” Marcus explained.
“Well then, out you go. Us women can handle this,” Lady Evergreen said with a stern voice. Marcus simply nodded and looked down at Miss Hall one more time before moving from the side of her bed and leaving the chamber. He knew it would be good for him to return to his townhouse to check on Beth. But he felt a bit guilty for leaving Miss Hall without knowing how she was faring. Having no other choice, Marcus left his aunt’s townhouse, determined to trust his aunt at her word.
Chapter 6
It took a few days for Catherine to recover from the sun sickness, but thankfully she felt back to normal by the morning of her wedding day. She’d spent the following two days inside, drinking water by the bucket full and staying away from any of the windows so she wouldn’t get any more sun on her already scorched skin. At least now, as the maids helped her dress into her gown, her skin wasn’t as red as it had been.
While Catherine had recovered, Lord Kingston had visi
ted her in the afternoons to pay his respect. He’d apologised on more than one occasion for keeping her out so long. She reassured him that she didn’t feel ill until they returned to the coach. It also gave them time to talk and learn more about one another.
The best part of their visit yesterday was when Marcus had brought Beth, so that she could sit and hold the babe. Looking down into her little eyes had been the moment that Catherine knew that she had fallen in love with the child and would look forward to each day getting to raise her.
Catherine couldn’t easily smile that morning with the confidence that she was at least marrying a good man. She had faith that Lord Kingston would take good care of her and Beth, and since she had always wanted to marry and have a family, she figured that her dream was finally coming true.
The only part of the day that worried her was the fact that at some point she would come into contact with her brother. And since the two of them hadn’t spoken in over a year, she wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable confrontation.
“Ah, what a vision of an angel,” came Lady Evergreen’s voice as she stepped into Catherine’s bedchamber. “You can’t even tell you’ve been sick all week.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Catherine retorted as they chuckled together. “The satin feels rather cooling on my skin.”
“It is much finer than cotton and but not as light as lace. I do say, you look rather beautiful though in the layers,” Lady Evergreen observed her as she came near, looking with Catherine at the gown in the looking glass. For a moment, Catherine had a longing to have been able to share this day with her mother. But after all the kindness the Countess had shown her over the last year, she knew that there was much for her to be grateful for.
“Alright, time to put on the veil and head to the church. The ceremony will be short and sweet, and we shall enjoy a good brunch before you are whisked away to the country,” Lady Evergreen said as she turned to leave the room.
“Auntie, may I have your opinion on one small matter?” Catherine said, her cheeks reddening as she finally got the courage to speak up on such a sensitive topic.
“Yes, my dear?” Lady Evergreen asked as she turned back towards Catherine.
“I have never been with a man, yet I understand what happens on the wedding night. What advice do you have?” Catherine asked before she lost all her courage.
Lady Evergreen smiled, then started to laugh with gusto and without shame. Catherine felt silly then for her question, but the Countess gestured for her to come near as her mirth subsided.
“My dear, it has been such a long time since I’ve considered intimacy that I had long forgotten it existed. Tis the reason I laugh, not because of your question,” Lady Evergreen assured. “Now, I am quite certain that Marcus would not expect such a thing from you tonight. Eventually the marriage should be consummated to make it official, but you two have just met one another. He is not the type of man to sleep with just anyone.”
“Ah, I see. But when the act does happen, what should I do?” Catherine asked.
“You should simply allow your body to tell you. You’ll begin to feel things you’ve never felt before and you’ll be surprised how fast the body just takes over. It’s not so much about thinking, more about doing. Though, a woman’s first time can be rather painful. I would request a bath the moment you can afterwards to help heal the body,” Lady Evergreen advised.
“Thank you, Auntie. Your advice has always been invaluable.”
“Then I suppose I should start charging young people for it. That seems to be all I do these days,” she said with a chuckle. Once the veil was pinned into place, Catherine followed Lady Evergreen from the room and down the stairs, careful to not wrinkle her fine white gown as she went. As they left the townhouse and stepped up into the carriage, the footman came and helped Catherine tuck in the long train of her gown into the carriage so it wouldn’t be ruined.
“The only thing I wish is that we could have someone to walk you down the aisle,” Lady Evergreen said as the carriage took off from the house and made its way through Town towards the church.
“For such a small wedding party, I think this is all rather perfect,” Catherine said. She had refused the idea of allowing Denver to walk her down the aisle because she felt rather strongly towards the man and wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so with him. She was displeased with her brother and felt the less time they spent together, the better.
Catherine’s heartbeat quickened as the carriage came to a stop outside of the church. When the door was opened, the footman first helped Lady Evergreen down, making sure she was stable. Then, the man helped Catherine down as her dress flowed behind her.
Catherine looked up at the modest church, thinking it was suitable for the occasion. She would have thought that being married to an earl would be a much larger affair. But considering they would be leaving for the country by this evening, she understood why everything was rushed and simple.
“I’ll see you inside,” Lady Evergreen said with a smile. Catherine waited a moment before heading inside, watching the Countess stride ahead of her. She hoped that one day that she could become as strong and independent as the woman who walked before her. Catherine had all sorts of hopes and dreams moving forward and could only pray that Lord Kingston was as kind as he seemed to be after they were married.
Taking a deep breath, Catherine made her way up the stairs towards the church with the hem of her gown being raised as she gathered the satin in her hands. At the top of the stairs, she could hear an organ being played. A soft melody eased from the church, seeming to calm her nerves. As she let go of her gown and looked inside the church, she saw Lord Kingston standing at the altar with the priest. In the pews were a handful of people, members of the public who had no doubt got wind of the wedding and wanted to witness it for themselves.
As Catherine began to walk down the aisle, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander. Lady Evergreen had gone to stand at the front pew, and there Catherine caught sight of her brother. She noticed how different he looked; his blond hair was darker, his face was pale, and large dark circles framed his eyes. Yet, he still appeared stylish as ever.
On the groom’s side of the church stood a single man that Catherine had never met before and could only assume was Lord Hunter. Lord Kingston had talked in detail about the man he’d served with in the Navy. He was tall with broad shoulders, black hair, and wearing a Navy uniform.
Catherine finally focused her eyes on her intended. His brown eyes appeared lighter today, almost the colour of honey. She noted the way his eyes took in her appearance, traveling down her body and up again. She smiled then, thinking she was happy that her soon-to-be husband appeared to approve of her gown.
As she reached the end of the aisle and placed her hands in his at the altar, she was able to get a better view of his Navy uniform of navy blue and white trousers. She thought he was rather handsome, for having to wear something for their rushed wedding.
As the priest began the ceremony, Catherine kept her eyes focused on Lord Kingston’s. She focused on his facial features, wanting to remember her wedding even though she wasn’t marrying for love but more for security and a better life. The earl was kind enough to smile in return, seeming to at least be at ease with what was happening.
It seemed as though the ceremony only took a few minutes. They recited their vows, exchanged simple rings of silver, and then when Lord Kingston raised her veil in preparation to kiss her, Catherine suddenly panicked. She hadn’t been focusing on the kiss but more on what would happen after the ceremony. She was more worried about speaking with her brother than anything else.
When it came time, Lord Kingston leaned down and placed his lips on hers as she stood as still as a board. The kiss was light, and ended more quickly than Catherine could prepare for. But for that moment, she had felt a strange sensation race across her body as though she was enjoying his kiss. After all, it had been the first time a man had kissed her on the lips and she was lef
t wondering what a proper kiss for more than a second would feel like.