by Jenna Brandt
“This does not end here!”
Shaking her head in despair, she lamented, “I must go in now. They are waiting on me. I am sorry that it is ending this way.”
She turned away from Richard and ran back the way she came.
Chapter 9
When Margaret entered the church, Sarah ran up to her. “Are you all right, my lady? Do you need anything?”
“I just need a moment, Sarah. All the excitement has made me a little faint. That is why I had to step outside to get some fresh air.”
Sarah looked at her skeptically but said nothing. The earl came from one of the side doors and approached Margaret. “Are you ready, daughter?”
She wanted to scream, No! I will never be ready for this! But she knew creating a scene would get her nowhere and only infuriate her father. Instead, she said, “As I ever will be, Father.”
Choosing to ignore Margaret’s ambiguous response, the earl took her by the arm and guided her to the chapel doors. He turned to her and said, “I love you, daughter, very much. You look so lovely today. I wish your mother and brother could have been here to share this with us.”
“That would have been wonderful,” Margaret said with a hint of melancholy in her voice.
He kissed her cheek and then pulled her veil down over her face.
Margaret took in a deep breath and leaned into her father, relying on his strength to get her through this.
The doors opened and she heard the string quartet playing the wedding march. As everyone stood, she realized all the pews were full to capacity. All eyes were on her.
Slowly, they walked down the aisle and she forced herself to look at Henry. Surprisingly, he seemed happy, and she had to admit he did look handsome in his black wedding suit.
Standing next to Henry was Reverend Portman, and as they approached the end of the aisle, the older gentleman gave her a sympathetic smile.
The earl handed Margaret over to Henry and then sat in the front row.
Henry took Margaret’s hand and placed it on his arm. “You look beautiful, Margaret.” Then they turned to face the reverend.
“Family and honored guests, we are gathered here today for the union of Lady Margaret Wellesley, daughter of the Earl of Renwick, and Lord Henry Wiltshire, the Viscount Rolantry. This day has been eagerly awaited as the happy couple has been betrothed for most of their lives. They have grown up together and have chosen today to make official their commitment to one another.”
Margaret felt herself starting to shake, her knees buckling under the pressure. She made herself concentrate on getting through this without fainting. Her stomach was in knots and she could hardly breathe, but she was not going to make things worse by fainting.
“Do you, Lord Henry, take Lady Margaret to be your wedded wife, until death does part you?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Lady Margaret, take Lord Henry to be your wedded husband, until death does part you?
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced out “I do.”
“Now it is time for the exchange of rings, a symbol of your commitment to one another.”
The couple placed the rings on each other’s fingers, and then the reverend said, “By the power vested in me by God, I know pronounce Lord Henry and Lady Margaret husband and wife.”
It was done. She was married to Henry, and she now had to live the rest of her life with that fact. It almost felt like she was in a daze and had just been going through the motions.
Everyone was clapping and she heard the reverend say, “You may seal the covenant with a kiss.”
Henry leaned over and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.
Defeated, she allowed Henry to escort her down the aisle and out of the church.
On the ride to Brookehaven, Margaret tried to come to terms with the situation, but she was unable to really wrap her mind around the fact that she was now wedded to Henry and she would never be with Richard.
As the carriage approached Brookehaven, she sat across from Henry in silence, dumbfounded because she felt so numb. With her head bent and her eyes focused on her hands in her lap, she could not think of anything but her despair.
She did not want to think about what was going to take place that night. Consummating their marriage vows frightened her. The mere thought of Henry touching her, kissing her, made her want to jump out of the carriage while it was moving. Anything would be better than what was ahead of her.
Her biggest fear of all was that Henry was still mad at her about what had happened. If he was, he could take it out on her, and it was perfectly acceptable for a man to force his wife in the marriage bed or to beat her if she did not comply with his wishes. Not that she could see him doing anything like that, but the slight chance that he could and might really terrified her.
But perhaps, with all the festivities, Henry would be exceedingly tired and he would not want to be with her tonight. But of course, there was always tomorrow night and the night after that and the night after that….
She placed her face in her hands and shook her head from side to side. What was she going to do? There was no way out. She was caged by the very prison her father had configured.
Henry looked at her with puzzled eyes. “I know that our marriage has not taken place in the best of circumstances, but we can make the best of it. We are going to be together a long time, and I would like it to be a pleasant marriage. I would appreciate it if you would help me.”
She glanced up at him and smiled grimly. “I will try.”
“Margaret, it is time for us to go in for the celebration. I know that you do not want to, and quite frankly, neither do I, under the circumstances, but it is our obligation to our guests to do so and so we must.”
After a few moments, they pulled up in front of the entrance to Brookehaven and the footman came around and opened the carriage door. With that, Henry took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. Then he led her down the steps of the carriage and through the front door of her new home.
On the other side, two of Henry’s female servants awaited their arrival to remove their cloaks and to help Margaret bustle her wedding dress for the upcoming festivities.
As the couple made their way into the ballroom, everyone she had ever known growing up was there. Her family and friends were all present, gathered together to congratulate them, not knowing what a sham the whole marriage truly was. She heard a big roar as they walked in and a bunch of shouts of congratulations and best wishes. Only a few seconds past before they were separated and each was pulled in opposite directions.
Baroness Wollingleer emerged from the crowd of women and pressed against Margaret, grabbing Margaret’s arm and ushering her towards the ballroom, saying, “My dear, little Margaret, you finally got Henry to the altar, which is a very good thing too, since I hear that Lady Esther had her eyes on my godson. But we were all hoping it would be you, of course, my dear.”
“I am sure you were, Lady Helen, but as you know this wedding took place actually earlier than everyone thought it would.”
Giving one of her inordinate smiles, she replied, “Yes, well, our Henry did not want to lose you with the duke pursuing you and all. I mean, a duke! Who would have thought that our little Margaret would catch the eye of one so high?” She patted the younger girl’s hand and continued, “Of course, in my day, I would have caught his eye as well. But looks fade, my dear, and soon you will see that.” She glanced down at Margaret’s figure meaningfully. “But of course, you made the wise decision.” She leaned in towards Margaret, as if she were revealing a secret. “Moreover, I heard that the duke sought after you only in retaliation towards Henry. That, and your—” She paused, looking for the right word and adding the dramatic tension she loved to infuse into her conversations. “—unusual beauty, were the only reasons he threw in his suit for you at all.”
She looked around and then turned back to Margaret, expecting to stir up some gossip. “So, my dear, we do seem to be missing the p
resence of His Grace. Where is the duke, by the by?”
Margaret was not in the mood for this. She stopped walking and turned to face the older woman, stripping off her pretenses and presenting the old bat with a glare. “How should I know, Lady Helen? I have been quite busy today with my wedding and have not been able to keep track of anyone else’s schedule,” she said tartly.
The Baroness cackled and replied, “Come, come, girl. This is between you and me. We both know you married Henry for convenience and, more pointedly, to please your father and fulfill a pact that he made with my beloved Henry’s father. We both know that the ton does not frown upon discreet, shall we say, ‘rendezvous’ between the opposite sexes.”
Narrowing her eyes, she frowned. “Lady Helen, think whatever you would like, but I am and will be faithful to my husband. I do not like what you are insinuating. Furthermore, I would advise you to let the whole subject alone. For the future, know that I will not be your source of gossip.” Then, with a terse curtsy, she added in a clipped tone as she turned away, “Good eve, Lady Helen.”
With that, Margaret abruptly departed towards the ballroom, leaving the flabbergasted baroness alone.
Oh, how she hated that… that bandy of a woman! She had known right from the start that Lady Helen had been fishing about the love triangle between herself, Henry, and the duke. Margaret sure was not going to help that woman get any information about it. That was the last thing that needed to happen.
She disliked social events, people staring at her and picking her to pieces, as she well knew they did. And most of all, she disliked Lady Helen and her circle of gossips that loved finding out everyone’s dirty secrets so they could hold them over them, then use them against the person when he or she least expected it.
No one was dancing and she wondered why. Then she remembered that it was customary to wait for the bride and groom to start the ball with the first dance. Oh, how she hated traditions. If she were Queen of England, she would do away with them altogether. But then, that was wishful thinking.
Tightening her lips, she tapped her fan on her hip as she listened to the music playing.
“You look sullen.” She turned and glanced up at Henry.
“You know how I hate these functions and being the center of attention.”
“Well, that is easy enough to fix. I will be the center of attention and you can come along in tow.”
She attempted a smile. He always did have a way of making difficult situations seem easier. “I guess since you put it that way, I may not mind as much.”
He took her hand once more, but instead of placing it on his arm, he took it in his own hand and pulled her along to the dance floor.
“I may not have had the privilege of your first dance at your first ball, but I will have the honor of your first dance at our wedding celebration.”
He bowed before her gracefully, and after a moment’s hesitation, Margaret curtsied in return.
“My lord.”
“We are husband and wife now. Can you not call me by my given name?”
“As you wish… Henry.”
He took her into his arms and they began to dance. Margaret focused on the steps to the waltz, and the couple danced for several moments without either of them saying a word.
Finally, Henry broke the silence by looking down at her and whispering softly, “This is not an ideal situation for either of us, but I think we can make it work.”
Averting her eyes, she fell out of step for an instant.
“What is it, Margaret?”
She looked up and blurted out, “Why do you still want me? You know that I do not have the same feelings for you that you have for me. Why did you marry me?”
He touched her lightly on her cheek and tapped the tip of her nose playfully. “I have loved you all my life, Margaret. You are my best friend, my ideal woman, and now my wife all rolled into one.” Pleading with his eyes, he added, “Please, try to help me make this work.”
Continuing to evade meeting his eyes, she refused to give in to his demands. “I… I cannot, Henry. I do not think I am able to do what you want.”
“You are, Margaret. You just do not want to, at least not yet. But you will because it is my intent to make you want me.”
After several hours of dancing, eating, and drinking, the night was winding to a close.
“Can you believe that we are finally married?”
Shaking her head absently with her thoughts a million miles away, she contemplated what was coming soon.
She hated the fact that Henry practically owned her. In their society, husbands ruled over everything and women had no say whatsoever.
How was she going to be able to be intimate with him when the idea of doing what a husband and wife were expected to do on their wedding night, made her quake in her dancing slippers. There had to be a way around it.
“You are nervous. I realize this. But here is something you probably never thought to hear me say: I am as well. You see, I want tonight to be perfect, yet I have this fear I will wake up and you being here with me will be a dream.”
“It is all too real for me, I fear. I do not know what to do. I want to please you, but I fear that I will not.”
He grinned at her. “Just you being my wife pleases me more than you will ever know. You were so beautiful when you walked down the aisle at the church. Despite everything, I could not wait to become your husband and start our new life together.”
She forced a smile, trying to mask the guilt she felt over her thoughts of Richard. “You think much too highly of me, Henry. Truly, I do not deserve such high favor. I think I will only make you unhappy as time goes on.”
Opening his mouth to respond, he was halted when the earl appeared beside them.
“There you two are. I had wondered where you had gotten off to. I see that the two of you are talking—a good sign.”
Margaret turned to face her father, waiting for him to continue.
“Well, the guests have all assembled downstairs to see you up to the bridal chambers. Are you ready?”
She looked over at Henry, who appeared as eager as a schoolboy at his first day of school.
Realizing that this was the perfect opportunity for her to avoid consummating their wedding, she prepared to claim that she was too tired and needed to sleep. Henry would be unable to argue with the guests so close by.
She took back what she said about traditions. She did not hate them too much if they helped her in the long run, and by God, this one was going to help.
Hugging her father, she laughed. “All right, Father, if you are so anxious to see us upstairs, then by all means, we are ready. Are we not, Henry?”
Taken aback by her quick acceptance, he raised his eyebrows and replied, “Yes, by all means, let us make our way to the marriage bed.”
He grabbed her hand and all the assembled guests made their way to the bridal chamber.
The guests surrounded them as they ascended the spiral staircase. The men were patting Henry on the back and the women were giving Margaret hugs. There was laughter, merriment, and lots of shouts of good luck as they reached their destination.
Baron Wollingleer opened the door and ushered everyone in. Several of the women took her into her dressing room and helped her disrobe while a few of the men helped Henry do the same. Then, after putting them in their nightclothes, the women brought her back to the sitting room and her father started to speak.
“On behalf of all the guests gathered here in your honor, we want to congratulate you and wish you both the best. May your marriage be filled with love, joy, and many children.” He winked at his daughter. “Many, many children.”
“We are counting on it, Henry,” Margaret heard the Baroness Wollingleer shout above the other voices.
Another voice shouted, “Yes, Henry, do not let us down. Make us proud.” She recognized the voice of Baron Wollingleer.
They were such an obnoxious couple. Leave it to them to make her blush with embarra
ssment.
The newly wedded couple was led into the bedroom. Husband and wife turned to face their guests and stood there looking like two odd pieces to a puzzle.
Slowly, the guests left, giving their final words of advice and congratulations, until finally they were left alone.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind the last guest, Henry turned to Margaret with his face shining with anticipation. “So, this is it. I have waited for this moment for so long, I cannot believe that it is finally happening.”
Margaret whirled away and started to make her way over to her private chambers, saying, “I am tired, Henry. Perhaps we can do this tomorrow night. I truly am quite exhausted, and I see no sense in having to do this tonight.”
Henry rushed up behind her and pulled her around to face him. “I realize that you are tired, and so am I, but I promise you will not regret staying up a little longer.”
He moved towards her, and she stepped back cautiously. He smiled and said, “Do not be afraid. Come here, my love. I want to hold you.”
She studied him for a moment. She was quite sure he was not going to hurt her, but she still feared what was coming nonetheless.
Despite her protesting mind, she stepped forward and into his arms. She stood stiff and still, afraid if she moved, her perfectly constructed control would collapse.
“It is all right. I promise that it will be all right. Here—” He caressed the side of her face. “—let me lead you in this.” Henry reached down and gently removed the elaborate comb from Margaret’s hair, allowing her curls to cascade around her.
As he gathered her into his arms, Margaret went rigid in her husband’s arms as he ever-so gently kissed her forehead, eyebrows cheeks, eyelids and finally her lips.
Her eyelids fluttered opened in surprise. Shockingly, his kiss was not as repulsive as she thought it was going to be. Still, she remained stiff, hoping Henry would give up his attempts.
“Oh no, my love, you are not going to evade me, or this,” he said as he firmly kissed her lips once more.