Page 16 of The Duke and the Hellion Bride

“She’s not cold,” her cousin snorted. “Obviously, she is just nervous. Poor thing,” she then added with a coy wink.

“Oh.” Her mother, surprisingly, beamed. “Well, that is to be expected. What bride isn’t nervous on her wedding day.”

“I don’t want to be nervous,” Diana pouted. “And I certainly don’t want to be trembling as I walk down the aisle. How will that look.”

“Like you are nervous,” her cousin chided.

“You will look like a bride who is excited to be joined in eternal matrimony with her husband.” Her mother took her by the hands, and her expression took on one that Diana did not recognize. It looked... it looked as if she was about to cry. “You know how I have wished for this for years. How hard I have worked. The pain and effort and --” She took a breath, her chin trembling. “That is not important. What is important is that for all I have done, you are the reason this is happening. The duke saw something in you, Diana. Something that I see every day and... and... and...” She sniffed. “And I know that if you are half as good a wife as you were a daughter to me...” She sniffed again, barely able to control herself. “You will make him the happiest man in all of England. Oh, what is happening to me!” she cried out and turned away, the tears now flowing.

“Mother... please,” Diana said awkwardly, not sure how to react. Not only had she never seen her mother act this way before, but again that feeling of guilt reared its head because again she reminded herself this was not a true marriage.

“You look beautiful too,” her cousin added. “Even if Ihateto admit it.” She rolled her eyes, and Diana stuck her tongue out as the two burst into a fit of giggles.

Not that this stopped her from shaking the way that she was. If anything, it only made it worse.

Technically, her mother was right, and being nervous was nothing strange for a bride on the day of her wedding. But Diana reasoned that she shouldn’t be feeling this way, for this was not a typical wedding. It was not as if she was marrying the man of her dreams. And it was not as if she was in love. So why could she not stand still!

The three women had found themselves in a small antechamber attached to the side of the church, there to wait for the beginning of the ceremony and to double check that Diana was properly put together for her big day. From the little room, Diana could hear the chatter of friends and family as they gathered in the church, eagerly anticipating the coming nuptials.

Before her was a full-bodied mirror and she forced herself to look once more, perhaps to distract herself and do something about all this shaking.

The dress was an elegant gown of silk, colored sunbeam yellow. As her mother had chosen it, it was more modest in the way it covered her shoulders and arms and chest, but it was still tight – her darn curves made sure of that. Her jewelry was mostly white pearls and rubies, a silver tiara in her hair, a pink blush to her cheeks. Her cousin was right, she was a dream come to life.

A knock at the door had her turning about, and her stomach dropped because she realized the time must be now. Only, when the door opened, it was not one of the guests come to tell them that the duke was ready and waiting. Rather, it was the duke himself.

“Your Grace!” her mother gasped at the sight of him. “What it is? Is something the matter?”

He lingered awkwardly in the doorway. Dressed in darker colors, it was his vest -- dark green -- that matched perfectly with his eyes. It had been over a week since Diana had last seen him and once again she was forced to admit that above all things, he was nothing short of perfection.

“All is well, my lady,” he said with a smile that was all teeth. “I was just wondering... I know this is not the normal procedure, but might I have a word alone with my soon-to-be wife?”

“With me?” Diana said stupidly.

“Yes, with you.”

“Of course,” Diana’s mother said without pause. She was quick to grab Evelyn by the arm and drag her across the room. “We will be right on the other side but take your time, take your time.” They reached the door and Diana’s mother was about to step through, only to stop and look back. “And Your Grace, does my daughter not look lovely?”

Diana’s entire face turned so red that she could have died.

“She does,” he said without missing a beat. “A true beauty.”

The door then closed and Diana and the duke were left alone. Not a situation that should have been as tense as it was, because they were to marry any minute. And yet Diana’s entire body shook even more violently than it had been already.

“Is something the matter?” the duke asked, noticing the way she was shaking.

“It -- it is fine,” she assured him. “You -- you wished to speak with me?”

He studied her for a moment, cool and collected. Under his gaze, Diana’s body continued to vibrate, and she was certain he was about to mock her. Such that she prepared herself to snap back, not at all in the mood for such a thing. Not on today of all days.

“It occurred to me this morning that the two of us have not had a chance to speak properly since last week,” he began finally, thankfully not mentioning her shaking. “Which might not be so strange, were it not for the circumstances surrounding this marriage.”

“I -- it is fine,” she stammered. “I... I am aware of wh – what this is.”

“That is the problem,” he sighed and then strode further into the room, right for her. Diana’s first instinct was to take a backwards step, but she remembered what the dowager duchess said about challenging the duke, so she stayed where she was. “I worry that you might have gotten the wrong impression of what is to be expected. That I...” He shook his head to himself. “That I may have given you the wrong impression.”

“Oh...” She blinked. “N -- no. You told me what this is. A marriage of convenience,” she confirmed while looking at him. “We will be married in name. You expect me to help you to raise your nieces. Fr – from the outside, we are to appear...” She considered the wording. “Content.”

He sighed. “And therein lies the problem. I fear that I made this arrangement sound almost like a business contract. Call that an occupational hazard,” he chuckled. “And where indeed there are aspects of it that might appear as such, I wanted to make my position a little clearer.”

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