Page 73 of A Lady's Dangerous Secret
“You look beautiful, my dear niece. I’m proud of you.”
Charlotte was shocked.
A single sniffle emerged from her aunt before her typical façade returned. The moment was gone before it began. “The carriage waits to take us to the church. Your father and Arthur are downstairs.”
Aunt Frances swept out of the room and Charlotte was left to look at herself one more time in the mirror. She felt like a princess with her shimmering jewelry and gorgeous gown. Her cheeks possessed a healthy glow from the excitement of finally marrying James and starting the next chapter of her life. She picked up her bouquet of pink peonies and white roses from the garden that were tied with a white ribbon. Charlotte stood and turned toward the door. She took one last glance over her shoulder to catch her reflection in the mirror before walking out the bedroom door and into her future.
She was descending the stairs and saw Arthur standing at the bottom. He looked up lovingly at her before his face broke out into a wide smile. Charlotte wanted to run down the steps, but she maintained a steady pace and did not trip over her gown.
“Wow, Charlie, you look stunning,” Arthur exclaimed. He covered her gloved hands with his own. Arthur knew her as his tomboyish younger sister, not a full-grown woman. From the look on his face, he was just realizing this now.
“Thank you,” she replied.
Arthur pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat. “Shall we?” He offered Charlotte his arm to escort her to the town coach.
Charlotte linked her arm with her brother’s, “Where’s Father?”
Arthur raised his eyebrows. “He’s waiting in the carriage.”
Charlotte knew she should not feel a pang of disappointment that her own father did not care enough to catch a first glimpse of his only daughter on her wedding day.
Arthur sensed her discomfort and gave her arm a squeeze. He bowed his head to speak softly into her ear. “Charlie, this is your day. Don’t let him bother you. I love you dearly.”
Charlotte lifted her gaze to look at Arthur and gave him a reassuring smile. He was right. Wishing for things that would never be had no place on her wedding day. Her future was with James.
Charlotte and Arthur entered the carriage and sat across from their father.
“Daughter.” He glanced at Charlotte before turning his attention back to looking out the window.
The equipage jolted and headed to the church. Charlotte studied her father and felt a sense of liberation. He was actually a pathetic excuse for a man. He had ruddy cheeks, a bloated face, and a distended abdomen, all from overindulgence andlaziness. She did not need his approval. In fact, she did not even want it. After all that had transpired, Charlotte was now a more confident woman who no longer needed to act out to gain the attention of her family as she had done in her youth. She had the brother she adored seated beside her, and the man she loved waiting for her at the altar.
That was all Charlotte needed.
The coach stopped rocking, indicating they had reached the church. Charlotte felt butterflies in her stomach while she waited for the footman to open the door. She noted the heavy breathing of her father before he waddled out of the carriage. Arthur alighted next and held out his hand to help her down. Her aunt waited in the atrium of the church. She had taken a different carriage with her husband. Her aunt had decided her spouse, who lived a separate and happy life, should attend their niece’s wedding.
“Most people are seated,” her aunt announced. She eyed Charlotte’s father. “Peter, you have one job. Walk Charlotte down the aisle and deposit her in the front.” She was about to turn when she paused. “Oh, and look happy about it.”
Her father gave an insouciant shrug. In the light, Charlotte noticed the wrinkles on her father’s face and the thinning of his hair. He looked years older than his true age. Her eldest brother Henry resembled him and also lived an indulgent life. The last she had heard, Henry was out in the country at one of the earldom’s estates with his latest mistress. He was eating and drinking to his heart’s content with several other bachelors who did not want to be bothered by the Season. If Henry did not change his lifestyle, this was the future that awaited him.
Aunt Frances shifted her attention to Charlotte and assessed her appearance once more. “You look perfect.” With that declaration, her aunt slipped into the narthex, leaving Charlotte with her father and brother.
“I’ll be right back.” Arthur followed his aunt and then returned shortly after.
“I don’t see your betrothed, but Carrington was near the altar. Let me check if we can get this wedding started. Wait here.”
Her father quickly found a bench in the atrium on which to sit. He rested his clasped hands on his protruding abdomen and leaned back against the wall. He was already fatigued, despite the short walk from the town coach to the church.
“Will you be all right?” Charlotte looked at her feckless father.
“Quite,” he responded. He closed his eyes to rest before the arduous task of walking his only daughter down the aisle.
Charlotte could not sit down and wait. She paced in nervous anticipation, her bouquet hanging from her hand. She simply arrived before James. After a few moments, she could not lie to herself. Charlotte was worried. She had become too accustomed to expecting the unexpected and now feared the worst. Didle Diableattack James? Was he in some horrible carriage accident? Was he crying off their wedding? Her pacing quickened as she ran through all the possibilities.
Return to reason.
Charlotte was in the midst of ranking her worries by probability of occurring when a snort broke her train of thought. She turned toward the source of the sound and found her father snoring with his mouth gaping open. He really was an impossible man.
Before she could dwell on his failings further, the door between the atrium and narthex flew open. Arthur strode toward her with his brow furrowed.
