Page 17 of The Pureblood Princess
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Lady Rosetti pauses in the doorway and turns back. “Miss Magdalena, there’s one final detail I’d like to discuss with you. Benjamin, will you see Lady Gray to the dining room? We’ll be there shortly.”
“Of course, my lady. If you’ll follow me, Lady Gray.” Benjamin nods politely and then sweeps from the room. Lady Gray glances back over her shoulder, but she seems put at ease by Nadia’s encouraging smile, and a moment later she’s gone, her soft footsteps fading in the hall.
Lady Rosetti turns back, and Nadia pauses before her. The countess’s green-eyed gaze cuts to the hallway, and a second later, she smiles. “I needed a moment alone with you. While I do fully intend for you and Theodore to be married here, at the estate, there’s also the vampire community to consider.”
Nadia blinks in surprise. She hadn’t even thought to include the vampire community. Weddings tend to be small, intimate, often for family and close friends only. The idea of getting married in front of a sea of strangers... It causes a mix of excitement and trepidation to twist in Nadia’s stomach.
“A marriage between two pureblood families is a rare and spectacular event; your wedding will be the highlight of the season. That said, there will be two weddings: one here, a private affair for the families, and one at Riverhill, the home of the brotherhood. We’ll need two gowns, of course, and there will be much more to plan, but I’ll guide you through it all.”
Nadia swallows down her apprehension. “It sounds wonderful, Lady Rosetti. And thank you for your kindness. You’ve made this difficult transition much easier for me.”
“Of course, my dear.” The countess reaches out to squeeze Nadia’s hand, then gestures toward the hall. “Shall we? I’m famished.”
They walk down the long hallway together, and Nadia feels, perhaps for the first time, what it may be like to be the countess’s daughter. Lady Luciana Rosetti is as polite as she is stern, as beautiful as she is kind, and following in her footsteps, Nadia can only hope to one day be worthy of the title of countess. The very thought has butterflies fluttering about her belly.
Rounding the corner to the dining room, Nadia pauses. Theodore stands in the doorway, making polite small talk with Lady Gray. He smiles easily, and something he says makes Lady Gray blush delicately. Giggling like a young woman again, she waves him off and heads into the dining room, Lady Rosetti on her heels.
“Well, there you are,” Theodore says as Nadia approaches. “I hear you’ve spent the day wedding planning.”
“We have. Flowers, food, dresses—details I’m sure you’d find dreadfully boring, my lord.”
Theodore reaches out to brush a strand of hair delicately behind Nadia’s ear, and his touch sends heat blazing across her skin and down her neck. “I’d spend days discussing tablecloths and calling cards if it meant I’d get to call you my wife.”
A jolt goes down Nadia’s spine, and for a moment, all she can do is gaze into Theodore’s intense eyes.
Hearing that word on his tongue sends want flooding through her.Wife.It’s what she’s always wanted to be, and now this beautiful man standing before her is going to make that dream come true.
Glancing quickly over Theodore’s shoulder into the dining room and finding everyone’s attention otherwise engaged, she grabs him by the hand and pulls him away from the open doorway. They hurry down the hall and around a corner, where the candlelight is softer and casts gentle shadows across the walls.
“What are you—”
Before he can finish his sentence, Nadia pushes him back against the wall and rises onto her tiptoes to press her mouth against his. Under her hands, the muscles in his chest soften, and he reaches around to pull her against him.
He tastes of wine, and his skin smells of the autumn air. It’s as if she cannot get close enough to him, even as he clutches her dress in his hands, their lips and tongues brushing in a tantalizing dance.
She snakes her hands up his chest and around the back of his head, pushing her fingertips through the thick curls at his nape. As she does, his mouth moves from her lips, placing kisses along her jawline and down her throat. A soft whimper slips from her lips as his tongue brushes along her neck, seductive and enticing, almost teasing her.
A vision of dragging him farther down the hall and having her way with him flits through her mind, but then someone clears their throat, and Nadia pushes away from Theodore with a start.
“My apologies, my lord. I don’t mean to interrupt, but this arrived for you, Miss Magdalena.” Benjamin stands at the end of the hall, an enormous bouquet of black roses held in his hands.
“Flowers?” Nadia says, embarrassment giving way to curiosity as she meets Benjamin at the end of the hall and reaches for the bouquet. “Who are they from?”
Benjamin settles the roses into her arms, then snatches a tiny card from within the petals. He holds it out to Nadia, and she takes it gently from his hand. She scans the card, and her brow furrows.
To the beautiful bride.
Theodore steps up close behind her, and she shifts her weight back ever slightly, finding comfort in his sturdy presence.
“Well?” he says.
“There’s no name.” She passes him the card, and he looks it over with narrowed eyes.
“Benjamin, who delivered these?” he asks, voice stern.
“The usual mail carrier, my lord. Is there something the matter?”
“No, no. All is well. Thank you.” Theodore nods, and the butler bows quickly before heading back toward the dining room.
