Page 1 of An Accidental Bride for the Duke
Chapter One
“Ido wish you would not frown, dear. It will not do to look so morbid on a day such as this one.” Sitting beside Iris was her mother, who was sure to keep a hold of Iris’ hand and squeeze it gently as if trying to instill in her some semblance of joy.
“I am not frowning,” Lady Iris Hawkins said simply as she gazed out the window of the moving carriage, watching the meadows pass by, wondering what might happen if she was to leap from the carriage right now and make a break for it…
In this dress? In these shoes?! I would not get far. Even if I did, I doubt it would make a difference. Like it or not, this is happening and there will be no changing that.
“Pouting then,” her mother corrected. She was the Dowager Countess of Grayhill, resigned to the situation at hand, doing what she could to make the most of it. “What will people saywhen they see you looking as if you are attending a funeral? As if they don’t have enough to gossip about.”
“Leave her alone, Mother.” Sitting across from them was Iris’ older brother, Daniel Hawkins, the Earl of Grayhill and he watched his younger sister with deep concern etched across his face. “That she is doing this without complaint should be enough.”
“For which I am grateful.” Her mother squeezed her hand again. “And I am that, Iris. So grateful…” She bit her lower lip with worry. “I wish things didn’t have to be this way. Both of us do.”
“That’s right,” Daniel agreed.
“But as is so often the case, in this life, we don’t get what we want. Rather, we make the most of what we are given and pray that is enough.”
“We are both so proud of you, Iris,” Daniel was sure to add. “You have no idea how much.”
“So proud,” her mother was sure to parrot. “We know how little you think of…” She sighed and shook her head, for she too despised the man as much as Iris did. “And for that, we cannot blame you. But try and see the good that will come from this. Focus on that.”
Iris could not help but laugh. “The good? And what good is that, exactly?”
“That your name is not ruined for one thing,” her mother pointed out. “That he agreed to this for a second – that alone should be cause for celebration. From what we know of him…” She exhaled sharply. “That he was made to see reason is nothing short of a miracle.”
“His brother, the Duke of Crayford is the reason,” Daniel said, scoffing as he did. “Believe me when I tell you, he was no more impressed by his brother’s actions than we were. But he made him see reason, as only His Grace could do.”
“Yes, he is quite…” Her mother swallowed. “Convincing, isn’t he.”
“He does not take no for an answer,” Daniel laughed. “Again, for the best.” Daniel then reached across the carriage and rested a hand on Iris’ knee, his voice softening, the look in his eyes grateful. “We understand what this means for you, Iris. Just as we do the sacrifice. But I promise you that if you try and see the good in this match, that you commit yourself fully and go at it with an open mind, then it might not be nearly the tragedy you expect.”
“Oh, I am sure it won’t be as bad as I imagine,” Iris assured her brother. “It is bound to be much worse.”
Daniel’s face dropped.
“We’re almost there.” Her mother looked out the window, noted the landscape, and began to fuss with Iris’ hair. “A smile, dear.It does not have to be anything too bold, but we would like it to appear that you’re not being dragged down the aisle.”
“He will be there when we arrive,” Daniel added. “I sent ahead as we left, so once this carriage stops, we are to walk into the church, and the ceremony will begin. Iris…” He fixed his sister with a most no-nonsense look. The time for worry was over, the time for pragmatics had started. “Are you ready?”
“Do I have a choice not to be?” she said with a sigh.
Daniel grimaced. “Sadly, no. This is happening and, well…” He forced a smile and took her other hand. “It is as Mother says. Best to make the most of what we have and hope that is enough. Can you do that for me? For us?”
She wanted to say no. She wanted to scream and kick and tell her mother and brother that she would not go through with this. It was unfair. It was wrong. It was the exact opposite of how she had always pictured her life unfolding, a complete denouncement of what she knew in her heart to be her future and how it might be lived.
Sadly, none of that mattered. There was nothing she could do and nothing she might consider doing to stop this because rebellion and troublemaking had never been Iris’ strength.
Sometimes, the worst simply happened and all that one could do was accept it and move on because complaining changed nothing.
“Then yes.” Iris sat herself up, removing the pout from her lips and doing what she could to not look as if the world was ending. “For you, I am ready.”
Both her mother and brother breathed a sigh of relief which just so happened to occur at the exact moment that the carriage came to a stop.
“Oh!” her mother cried. “We’re here. We’re here.”
“Yes, yes,” Daniel said with a click of his tongue. He shifted across the seat and looked out the window. “Everything appears to be ready. Iris…” Daniel popped open the door and looked back at Iris. “Shall we?”
“No point in delaying, I suppose,” she sighed, taking her brother’s hand.
