Page 74 of Married to the Icy Duke
Thalia bit the inside of her cheek. “Very well. I shall give you one last chance, however. Do you want to call off the wedding?”
Charlotte hesitated only for the briefest of instants. The decision had already been made, although whether it had been made by her head or her heart remained to be seen.
“No,” she answered firmly. “No, I do not want to call off the wedding.”
The wedding carriage was in need of respringing, a fact Charlotte only noticed once they were on their way.
Gabriel and Thalia sat side by side on the opposite carriage seat. Gabriel’s wedding clothes were too tight about the neck, it seemed, and he kept furiously fidgeting. Thalia leaned against him, shoulder to shoulder, their hands clasped carelessly together.
Charlotte’s bouquet was made up of wildflowers and a few wild thistles. It was beautiful, but the thick banding of burlap around the stems was not quite thick enough. If she handled it in the wrong way, the spines of the thistles pricked her fingers.
Getting blood on her new gloves would ruin them, of course, so Charlotte let the bouquet lie in her lap and did not touch it.
Thalia kept trying to catch her eye, but Charlotte just as resolutely avoided it. She was terrified that Thalia might bring up the subject in front of Gabriel. Who only knew how he might react? What if he insisted upon turning the carriage around and canceling the wedding altogether?
Charlotte allowed herself to consider what might happen if the wedding were canceled. For one thing, it would mean that her life was over. No respectable house in London would open to her. The Devils would likely turn on the Orions more vengefully than ever before, and who only knew wherethatmight lead.
Isaac would never forgive her for the humiliation. And hewouldbe humiliated. She’d never be permitted to see Tommy again. Sybella would likely cut Charlotte out of her life, and that was a disappointing thought.
No, it was too late for misgivings and second thoughts now. This thought did something to reassure her, at least. After all, if she couldn’t change anything, why worry about it at all?
As they neared the church—the lane around it lined with empty carriages and horses waiting patiently for their riders to return—Thalia nudged Gabriel, eyeing him pointedly.
“Tell her,” she mumbled. “Tell her what you told me.”
“Thalia …”
“She deserves to be warned.”
At once, Charlotte was on edge.
“Warned? Warn me about what?” she asked warily.
Gabriel sighed, closing his eyes. “I haven’t been able to find out for sure, but it’s possible that … thatshemight be here.”
Charlotte’s blood seemed to run cold in her veins. “Surely not. Surely she wouldn’t, Gabriel.”
“I said I was not sure. I only heard whispers, and that of course was enough to put me on edge. I am sure she would not dare. She must know that she is not welcome. See, Thalia, Charlotte is upset. I ought not to have told her. I might have ruined the day.”
“You haven’t ruined the day,” Charlotte answered quickly. “I… I am glad that you told me now, instead of my finding out later. As you say, I am sure she wouldn’t dare.”
They traveled on in a few moments in heavy silence, before the carriage finally crept to a halt in front of the church. Even from outside, it was clear that the place was full of people.
Fear came rushing up Charlotte’s throat, choking her. She imagined all those people in there. Some of them were her friends, to be sure, but far more were simply there to gawp, to watch, to wait for her to do something wrong.
Would they behopingfor her to do something wrong? She hardly dared imagine. There would be a few anonymous gossipcolumn writers in there, too. There must be, as the scandal sheets always seemed to know far too much about every wedding, leading one to conclude that they must have been there.
What will they write about my wedding, I wonder?Charlotte thought, heart thumping. She allowed Gabriel to help her down from the carriage, as her long, bustling dress was not easy to maneuver.
“I’ll go on inside,” Thalia said, smiling encouragingly up at Charlotte. “Don’t be too long, you two. We’re already a little late. They might think that you’re not coming.”
Charlotte couldn’t quite summon a smile at this joke. When Thalia eased open the door, she heard the murmur and bustle of countless people inside. She heard someone smother a laugh at a joke, while somebody else coughed heartily.
They’re all waiting for me.
It was a terrifying thought. Suddenly Charlotte’s low neckline seemed shocking, and her tight bodice felt as though it were trying to squeeze the life out of her.
Then, in a blink, Gabriel was at her side. He smiled down at her, offering his arm for her to take. Charlotte mechanically slipped her hand through it.
