Page 7 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
What if I protest?
Her heart raced with anguish as she contemplated what would happen if she refused to proceed with the wedding. Her father would be left without so much as a penny to his name, while she would be forced into yet another unwanted marriage to a man who would more than likely not be as well-off as the Duke of Oakdale.
There was far too much riding on their union.
The vicar’s voice broke through her thoughts.
“Do you, Philip Ellington, Duke of Oakdale, take Lady Aurelia Godwin to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
The vicar turned to the Duke expectantly, waiting for his response.
“I do.”
The sound of the Duke’s rich voice once again sent shivers of pleasure down Aurelia’s spine. Their encounter in the study had been so brief and charged that Aurelia had almost forgotten how deep his voice was.
The vicar repeated his question to her, making her heart race with indecision.
Hundreds of questions raced through her mind at once. What would happen when they reached his home? Surely a man like the Duke would want to consummate their marriage as soon as possible.
The moment seemed to linger on forever until her father cleared his throat.
“I do.” The words tumbled past her lips, devoid of thought or feeling, as the realization that she could do nothing to change her situation finally dawned on her.
“Then by the power vested in me by God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal your union with a kiss.” The vicar lowered his hands and took a step back, leaving the pulpit almost immediately.
Aurelia could hear her heart beating in her ears as she turned to the Duke, allowing him to lift her veil. His eyes still glinted with strange emotions as he placed the veil at the back of her head and leaned in for a kiss.
Closing her eyes, she waited for his lips to press against hers, the desire she’d felt when she first saw him in her father’s study coiling in the pit of her stomach.
How can I be attracted to him, when he has done nothing but hurt me and my father?
The thought quickly disappeared when his lips met hers. She was about to pull away from him when something entirely unexpected occurred.
She responded to him, her kiss soft and gentle like the quivering of a butterfly’s wings.
It was the Duke who broke the kiss, taking a step back from her as his gaze lingered on her lips.
Her eyes fluttered shut a few times as her mind tried to comprehend what happened.
She hadenjoyedthe kiss.
Her heart pounded furiously with the realization, and her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths.
“Aurelia, I need a word with you before you set off.” Her father broke the silence that had fallen between her and the Duke.
The Duke nodded at them both. “Do not take too long. We must reach Oakdale Manor before the evening. I must speak with my solicitor before he leaves.”
He took his leave without so much as a glance in the Earl’s direction.
Aurelia turned to her father after watching the Duke march down the aisle. All the hurt and betrayal that she had felt in the study flooded back as she looked into his eyes.
The Earl repeated her name as if it would make her forget everything that he’d done. “Aurelia, I hope you can see that everything I have done… It has been for you. I never intended to hurt you or get you involved in any of this…”
Something in her chest went cold as she looked into his eyes. “Everything? Even the debts that you incurred? Were they also for my benefit?”
An anger she’d never seen before flashed in his eyes.
“I am sorry Father, but I cannot speak to you right now. I am not sure I know who you are anymore,” she said before he could respond.
