Page 5 of Duke of the Sun

Cordelia looked away. It felt as though there were two sides of her, one that ached to be accepted and cherished by the family she adored. And the other, the one that craved a future of her own making, something she could build herself from her own desires. She knew long ago that she would never reach the standards Irene had set out before her. She could never be as poise, as gentle, as respectable, as graceful. But perhaps she could do one thing.

“Let’s go, then,” Cordelia said. “I believe I’ve made everyone wait long enough.”

A sweet smile spread across Irene’s face. “Wonderful, sister.” Irene slipped into the church before her.

Cordelia drew in a deep breath to gather her courage and held her head up high.No matter what,she thought to herself,do not forget your confidence.Not even a beastly husband could tie her down, shape her into something she wasn’t. Marriage or not, Cordelia knew herself, and would never once give that up.

As she passed into the church, the room became clear. There were, in fact, not many people attending the ceremony. Irene just slipped back into her seat when Cordelia began to walk down the aisle.

Her curiosity soared higher as her gaze landed on the Duke of Solshire. He was taller than most men she had interacted with, even her father, who normally loomed over her whenever he stood. The Duke’s brown hair rested just below his ears, not too long to be scorned by the Ton’s high standards. He was as broad as he was tall, shoulders reaching out on either side of him.

The closer Cordelia came to the altar, the more she felt the urge to shrink backwards like a frightened animal. Though she wasn’t one to succumb to fear easily, the Duke’s aura radiated in waves, his intimidation and commanding presence incredibly hard to ignore. It was mainly in his narrowed, dark stare, with a tightly furrowed brow. He watched her approach steadily, not once pulling his gaze away. Cordelia held his stare, despite it sending a shocking chill down her back.

Finally, Cordelia stood directly across from him as the rector took his spot in front, beginning to give his remarks to the small congregation. The Duke frown stretched across his face as he turned towards the rector, a distant look in his eyes.

Cordelia quickly forgot her manners. She glanced over at him with any chance she got. Not once did the frown lift from his lips. And down, when she managed to stare at his folded hands, her curiosity grew even more. Small, pale scars lined his hands, striking across his tanned skin like lightning bolts. The artist in her wanted to reach for him, to investigate his hands without a care for decorum.

The Duke’s gaze snapped over to her when she clung to his hands for too long. His frown deepened, if that was at all possible.

Cordelia’s heart beat even faster. Whether it was from embarrassment or the feeling of his hot stare clinging to her, she couldn’t tell. In the end, she called it embarrassment and nothing else. Even when she looked away, focusing back on the rector when he produced simply made wedding rings, the Duke’s observant stare remained on the side of her face.

The ceremony flew by and before Cordelia knew it, all of it was over. Her life was bound to the Duke of Solshire, and suddenly, she had an important title of her own. The scandal that once hung around her neck became a distant memory, the idea of once marrying the Earl of Vaun sounding like someone else’s life.

The moment the rector said his last lines, he gave the Duke a firm nod.

“Very well,” the Duke finally said.

Cordelia raised her ace to him in front of the altar. Somehow, that wasn’t what she expected his voice to sound like. It was gruff, deep, coming from the very depths of his chest. It wasn’t quiet or timid, like she assumed. The Duke spoke like he didn’t want to. Cordelia was so windswept by him that she didn’t even notice his lips moving.

“Are you deaf?”

Cordelia blinked. “I’m sorry?”

He glowered. “At least you aren’t mute,” he muttered, taking a few steps down the aisle. “Say your goodbyes. We leave at once.” And just like that, the Duke stormed down the aisle, shouldering by Cordelia’s lingering family.

Irene approached her first. “Congratulations, Cordelia.”

“I believe it isyour Gracenow,” she teased.

Duncan scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You are the last person I thought would care for titles.”

“I don’t,” Cordelia said with a shrug. “But I thought I’d be more like my family.” The teasing barely touched her brother. He huffed, raising a brow but not daring to laugh.

Solomon walked between her siblings. “If you manage to ruin even this,” he suddenly snapped, “I will no longer consider you to be my daughter.”

Before the words even sunk into Cordelia, he stormed off, staggering down the aisle in the same fashion of the beastly Duke. Duncan reached to give Cordelia a light kiss on the cheek before leaving the church with the rest of them. Irene was the only one to remain, her smile sad and small.

“I will miss your free spirit, Cordelia,” she said.

Cordelia glanced at her. “I’m sure you want to run off as fast as the rest of them.”

Her sister let out a heavy sigh, but did not argue. Irene barely smiled before she followed the rest of the family out of the church. Cordelia remained at the altar a moment longer, staring at the threshold as the Duke’s carriage rolled to a stop at the steps. She breathed in slowly, trying but failing to steady the racing beneath her chest.

Suddenly, the church’s exit was shrouded by an intimidating silhouette. The Duke of Solshire stood there, staring down the aisle at her with a dark and unreadable expression. Even with the distance, and the shadows casting dangerously across his face, Cordelia could not ignore the unusual chill that rolled down her back.

“Wife,” the Duke said, his voice ringing throughout the quiet and empty church. “We leave now.”

Cordelia walked back down the aisle, towards the haunting rest of her life.

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