Page 18 of Her Duke By Accident
Alicia straightened and began to walk down the aisle. At the head, in front of the vicar overseeing the ceremony, was the duke, dressed in the dark garments he always wore. He held his arms behind his back, staring stiffly in her direction.
His furrowed brow and ever-growing frown as Alicia got closer and closer fueled the dread that swarmed to her chest. She wanted nothing more than to run, to escape the church and go back to Lady Tollock’s ball. But the responsibility kept her there, the ever-present gaze of her family that expected her to follow through.
He is angry,Alicia thought to herself as she stood beside the duke.I cannot blame him.
As the vicar opened his book and began to recite the well-known words spoken at a wedding ceremony, Alicia allowed the flowers to prick her finger, bringing her back to the moment where she stood.
The vicar addressed the duke, droning on without a smile till it would be the groom’s turn to speak.
Alicia tried to glance at the duke as he spoke, but he remained still and stoic, staring forward.
“I do,” he said.
The vicar turned to Alicia, repeating the vow.
Alicia swallowed. “I do.”
When it came time for the ring, the duke and Alicia faced one another. The vicar read from his book of prayer as he took Alicia’s hand, a simple gold band in between his fingers. As heslipped the ring into her left hand, their gazes met, and Alicia felt her chest heave. The responsibility that brought her there felt distant now, almost nonexistent.
The pair knelt to finish the ceremony. She fought back the urge to grip her stomach, as the tension in the air seemed to pull everything out of her lungs. Alicia struggled to calmly breathe as the vicar began to close the ceremony with a prayer. She turned slightly, once more trying to catch a glimpse of the elusive duke.
He turned at the same moment, and to her surprise, their eyes met once more.
Quickly, the duke snapped his head back forward, the cold stare returning to his gaze as he watched the vicar. Alicia turned and quieted her gasp.
And as quickly as it began, the wedding ceremony was concluded. A carriage awaited them outside the chapel, Alicia’s few bags already stacked in the back. The duke uttered no words afterwards, only standing beside the carriage till she was ready to depart.
Alicia grasped her mother’s hands, standing at the threshold of the church. “I will visit the first moment I can,” she promised.
Owen laughed from her right, a smirk on his lips. “Try not to.”
“Brother.”
“You’ve got the man, Ali,” he said, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. “Now’s the time to keep him and make the heirs that will solidify the union.”
Alicia felt the redness rush to her cheeks.
Lady Egerton shot a glare at her eldest son. “Now,” she said, giving him a stern look, “it’ll be Owen’s turn.”
He flushed. “That–that’s not what I meant, Mother.”
“I know, but it made the point,” she said, pinching him on the elbow. “Leave your sister be, Owen.”
Lady Egerton took Alicia’s arm and moved them a few steps down the stairs from the church for a private word. “Your marriage has only just begun,” she began, deep thoughtfulness filling her soft eyes, “but I feel as though the stress of it weighs heavy in your gaze.”
“How is it supposed to feel?”
“As if you are stepping back into your home,” she whispered. “Not leaving it.”
Alicia crept closer to her mother, leaning to speak in a hushed voice. “I’m afraid I haven’t felt it yet, Mother.”
“Give it time. It rarely comes right away.”
“But you and father?—”
Lady Egerton laughed lightly. “Were lucky,” she said. “My dear, things happen that we can only simply accept. Your father and I managed to use that to our advantage. It is up toyouto make this into something that will feel like coming home.”
“But,” she said again, a fear creeping up her throat, “what if I cannot, Mother? What if that is not meant for me?”
