Page 51 of His Forbidden Duchess
“Oh, thank you so much, Your Grace,” Lady Danridge said, her handkerchief once again at her forehead. “That is most generous.”
Eloise once again let out her breath, the nervousness in her heart calming considerably. Hannah embraced her, gushing about how wonderful the day was, and Percy offered his congratulations.
For just a moment, as the well-wishers chattered around them and Eloise clung onto her bouquet as if that would anchor her to the earth, she sensed a hint of celebration.
It almost feels like this is a real wedding.
Smiling, she looked around the chapel and caught sight of Felix’s solicitor slipping out the side door. She frowned, wondering why he had left so abruptly. Indeed, why had he attended in the first place?
And then it came to her. He was going to deal with her father’s outstanding debt to Mr. Carlisle.
The very reason she and Felix had married in the first place.
She looked at Felix, her eyes filled with hope, but he seemed not to see her. He was too engrossed in conversation, too lost in whatever quip Percy was making.
When, he finally did turn to her, he simply said, “I will meet you at the carriage.”
And then he left the chapel.
Chapter Twenty
By the time Eloise had mustered the courage to leave the chapel, Felix was already waiting for her in the carriage.
He said nothing as she climbed in. He simply stared forward, as if he didn’t even know her.
She keenly felt his coldness and again found herself confused by his odd comportment. His attitude toward her seemed to change by the minute, one moment full of fiery passion, the next like the ice on a winter morning.
His behavior ebbs and flows like a tide.
She risked a glance at him and offered a small smile, but he didn’t respond, so she took the seat across from him and looked ahead, her body stiff and her hands folded tightly in her lap.
Of course, Eloise understood why he had married her. She was eternally grateful for it. What concerned her was what camenext. She knew—had been told—what was supposed to happen on a wedding night, and it had excited as much as frightened her. But this was not an ordinary wedding, and she was not an ordinary bride.
The carriage jolted into motion.
The air between them was heavy, filled with all the things they did not know how to say. Her gratitude, her discomfort. Her yearning desire.
What is going through his mind?
She glanced down at her hands, the simple gold band on her finger glinting in the light from the carriage window. Now that they were married, it felt like everything had changed.
Eloise was certain that she had become a burden to him.
Her eyes still on her hands, she whispered a soft “Thank you.”
Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but the words found their way straight to Felix’s heart.
He’d been so confused throughout the wedding, a sensation he rarely experienced. He’d never intended to marry and certainly not to Jeremy’s little sister. He knew that he’d done what hehad done out of duty, and he was certain it had been the right decision.
But there was a small part of him, hiding in the depths of his heart, thatwantedthis. There was a part of him that was proud to call Eloise his wife. Of course, he couldn’t act on it, and he never would. He was not good enough for her, and he was well aware that theirs was a marriage of convenience.
His peripheral vision caught the downcast look on her face. She seemed so stiff, so unhappy. She had been forced into a wedding she did not want. He promised himself then that he would allow her total freedom. She could live her life as she wished, and he would live his, and they would be married in name only.
“Thank you.”
Her words echoed in his mind, but this time he looked directly at her. She had looked up, her gaze searching, and he wondered what it was she wanted from him.
“It is done now,” he replied, his tone even, his nod curt.
