Page 14 of Wedded to the Loveless Duke
A cry of pain and anger broke free. “You cannot have!”
“It is your wedding day. Put a smile on your face and look as though you are happy.” William’s expression hardened, and he pulled away. “There is no way out of this now, Eleanor.”
“H-how could you!” She clenched her fists at her sides, crumpling the skirts of her elegant gown. “How could you!”
“I did what I had to do. There is no time left for dallying. Collect yourself and that stubborn nature of yours. Behave as if this is a wedding and not your funeral.”
Terror clawed at her. He had not even told her who she was to marry. “What is his name?”
“You will discover it soon enough. Does it matter? You have told me many times that it would not matter because you would despise any man I would choose for you.” He offered his arm again.
Eleanor’s chest squeezed, and she took her father’s arm, forcing back her tears. He would not allow her to escape this now. She could only compose herself and pretend that she was not furious, not terrified and not hurt all at once. Digging her nails into the fabric of his jacket, she forced herself to walk alongside him, but she did not look up. She could not. If she were to get through this behaving as a chaste, submissive bride should, she would not bear to look any of the people there in the eye. That included her groom. She would discover his identity when it was over.
CHAPTER 6
Eleanor stared at the ground as she and her father walked towards the back of the rows of chairs. There was a rustle of fabrics as the guests rose in respect for the bride. For her. Her throat tightened, and she fought a rising wave of panic as she began to pull away from her father.
As the music for the bridal procession began, William tightened his hold on her hand, leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “You will go through with this wedding, and you will behave yourself, Eleanor. I have chosen a suitable man for you, one who both befits your station and has the kindness and patience to deal with you.”
Pain blossomed deep in her chest, a mix of emotional and physical pain that threatened to bring her down to her knees. Tears blurred her gaze unbidden, and she sucked in a sharp breath, trying to hold them at bay. All this time, she had truly been nothing but a burden to her father. He said that he loved her, but he cared only about getting her down the aisle to hand her off like some property to another man. A man she didn’tknow and would likely not ever love or respect. Her father had finally realized that a daughter was only a burden and could be useful only to secure power, money or lineage. A quick marriage was his solution to finding himself stuck with a daughter who was no longer young enough to find herself a match at theton’snumerous social events.
Eleanor forced a smile on her face and held her head high, though she kept her gaze trained firmly on the ground. For now, she would accept her fate. There was no better choice. She could only choose between embarrassing herself before half of thetonor submitting with cold grace. And Eleanor had always been a master of cold grace. She would be unyielding and hostile with all the chill she could muster, and she would not allow her resolve to waver. To that end, she refused to look at the groom. If she would find a stranger there, it would be easy, but if she would find a man she knew, it would suddenly feel all too real. She needed the distance provided by avoiding eye contact with her husband-to-be.
The crowd and the music were nothing but a distant noise now. She could hear nothing but the pounding of her heart, feel nothing but the rough fabric of her father’s coat against her forearm and the swish of her skirts around her legs. The walk down the aisle seemed to be over too quickly but dragged on for too long at the same time. It felt as if time was undulating around her, running too quickly and then too slowly. Her father said something to her, but she kept staring at the ground, head bowed, and did not acknowledge him.
Another pair of hands took hers. They were rough with work. She closed her eyes, determined not to cry in front of the guests.Her heart beat faster, and she felt as if the stays that had been comfortable only moments ago were now making it hard for her to breathe. The minister before them droned on, and she stared at her groom’s polished black boots, watching the sunshine bounce off them.
The steady pressure of her husband-to-be’s hand on hers kept her grounded but increased the sense of being trapped. She felt so tied down that she could not flee the fate barreling down upon her. The minister spoke, and she faintly heard the groom respond. Nothing was registering. Shock had set in, and everything was a faint roar in her ears. When was she meant to say the vows that would set society’s demands upon her shoulders as this duke’s bride? Had she missed them already? It didn’t matter. They would go through with them without her consent. She didn’t need to speak the vows or acknowledge them.
A hush fell on the dull roaring, like the calm before a storm. It seemed everything was balanced on a single inhale before it all crashed down on an exhale. The minister said something into the silence that still didn’t break through the haze in her mind. But that haze was finally lifted as the first person began clapping. The words of the minister finally sank in.
You may now kiss the bride.
She had never spoken her vows, she realized, as firm hands gently turned her towards the man she had just been wedded to.
Finally, she could no longer avoid looking at him. She raised her eyes to see whom she had been sold to, and the Duke of Richmond’s gentle hazel gaze met hers.
“You?” The word was a bare, harsh whisper, and she hadn’t realized she said it until it hung in the air between them.
“Let us be done with it, Eleanor,” he whispered back before sealing their fate with a chaste kiss.
The crowd erupted in applause all over again, and Eleanor felt the tears coming. She prayed that the assembled crowd would think they were tears of joy and that the Duke would not realize they were tears of mourning.
How could he do this to me? The man who had sat beside me and listened to me voice out my despair over Father’s plans for me had been the one who would marry me all along!
Phillip took her hand, and they both turned to face the crowd as the minister announced them as the Duke and Duchess of Richmond. Eleanor didn’t even know what her husband’s Christian name was, but here she was, taking his title as the new lady of the house. She’d never met his family and knew only that he claimed to share her love for literature.
Had that too been a lie? Had it all been a lie?
She took a shaky breath and forcefully pasted a smile on her lips as the crowd came to speak with her.
Phillip let go of her hand and leaned closer to murmur in her ear. “I must tend to something, Eleanor. Tend to our guests and try not to let on that you are upset.”
She stiffened and continued to stare at the ground lest she glares and reveals to everyone else how much she loathed him at this moment. He disappeared through the crowd, abandoning her to deal with their wedding guests.
Sarah rushed up when it was her turn and wrapped her arms around Eleanor. “Oh, Eleanor, you made such a lovely bride! Why did you not tell me your father had arranged something? To marry a duke in such a short time! You are certainly fortunate.”
Eleanor felt cursed, but she kept that to herself and offered Sarah a faint smile. “I am so glad you could come, Sarah. I know it was rather short notice, but we simply could not bear to wait.”
