Page 45 of The Rogue and His Flower

“That’s why I accepted this gift, and why it means something to me. So thank you for thinking of me.”

“And I apologise for my lack of understanding before,” I say, reaching across the table to gently grasp her hand. “If nothing else, I’m learning some things here.”

“The right way to treat women, you mean?” Daisy asks, smiling a little.

“No, the right way to treatyou,” I reply, squeezing her fingers before releasing her hand.

“Because I’m your best friend’s little sister, and he’ll murder you if you treat me badly?” she questions.

“No, because you’re my fiance, my soon-to-be wife, and the future mother of my child, and I don’t want to be an arsehole to the person who is going to carry a piece of me inside of them,” I reply.

Daisy’s eyes widen, then she breaks out into a wide grin. “Seriously, have you been abducted by an alien and had your brain rewired?”

“Funny,” I grin back as she chuckles to herself. “So, are we friends then?”

“We’re a step up from enemies I think,” she muses. “Frenemies?”

“I can live with that.”

For now.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DAISY

Blotting my ruby red lips with tissue, I straighten up to survey my appearance in the full length mirror before me. Objectively, I know I’m not an unattractive woman, but I don’t quite meet the expectations of the well to-do men and women of Princetown. I never have.

It doesn’t matter that my last name is Hammer, I still carry the stigma of being adopted into the family and not born into it. Drix has felt the same judgement throughout his life, but when Hubert was alive it never hurt as much because he always made us feel so accepted, so loved. He’s the only man, aside from Drix, who understood all the parts of me, who ever truly made me feel like I belonged, who wholeheartedly accepted me for everything that I am, who encouraged my individuality, and who loved me for it without restraint.

I miss him dreadfully.

Blowing out a steadying breath, I steel myself for the evening ahead. Mingling with the well-to-do families of Princetown has always been a daunting affair, but I’m well accustomed to the judgemental gazes and whispered criticisms disguised as polite conversation. Tonight, however, I’m determined to hold my head high and prove once and for all that I belong here justas much as anyone else. After all, I'm soon to become Mrs Dalton Gunn, and whilst the pain of knowing this is a marriage of convenience still stings, I refuse to let it show. This was my choice, and I will stand by it.

Downstairs I can hear the faint sound of a string quartet playing, signalling the beginning of this evening’s event. Taking one last look in the mirror, I smooth down the fabric of my royal blue gown and adjust the silver necklace Hubert gifted me, drawing strength from it as though he were here with me too. For a moment, I feel a pang of self-doubt creeping in, but then I remember Hubert’s words echoing in my mind. “Stand tall, Daisy. You are a gift to this world, and to anyone lucky enough to have your love.”

With his words echoing inside my mind, I make my way downstairs to join the party unfolding in the grand hall. Gathering the material of my skirt, the multicoloured crystal-encrusted bodice shimmers under the glimmering chandeliers that hang from the ceiling, casting a cascade of prismatic light around me. This dress is probably one of the prettiest I own, and I chose it not just for the beauty of it, but for the way it makes me feel. Powerful, if not entirely happy. Beautiful, if not slightly out of place.

Forcing my shoulders back, and lifting my chin, I catch a glimpse of Drix standing at the bottom of the ornate staircase, his eyes meeting mine with an unspoken understanding. He knows me better than anyone else, understands the turmoil churning beneath my composed exterior.

“You look stunning, Daisy,” he says when I reach him, taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I joke, eyeing him in his smart black tuxedo. “Where are Lia and Toby?”

“Talking with Sterling and Ben in the hall. We’ve missed you, Daise. How has it been this past week?”

“I’ve had better,” I admit, wincing when he scowls.

“If Dalton has upset you, I’ll…”

“Dalton has been fine. It’s just taking me time to adjust, that’s all.”

He nods. “So, are you ready to face the vultures?”

I nod. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s get this over and done with, shall we?”

As we enter the grand ballroom, all eyes are on me, and I can feel the intensity of their scrutiny. My heart races and my palms start to sweat, but I ignore both and focus on projecting an air of confidence. Drix is my saving grace, his stoic expression betraying none of the discomfort I know he feels. He squeezes my hand once again before releasing it, and I give him a reassuring smile as we walk through a sea of people dressed in black and white. My marriage to Dalton might be a contract forged out of necessity rather than love, but I refuse to let it define me. I am still Daisy Hammer, with or without the prestigious name I am soon to be bound too. And tonight, as I pass through the ballroom filled with Princetown’s elite, I hold my head high and remind myself that true belonging comes from within, and not from the expectations of others.

“Oh, here we go,” Drix mutters as Mrs Fernsby approaches.

---