Page 55 of The Viscount's Unwanted Bride
Andrew stared at her, his eyes wide. “I beg your pardon?”
“There’s something I must know the answer to before we wed. I’ve written it on this note. Won’t you take it to him please?”
Lady Drake groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to stand him up at the altar.”
“That isn’t my plan.” Although it might happen, depending on what Blackwell’s response was. “Please, Andrew.”
Andrew sighed and took the folded paper from her. “Is he going to flatten me when he reads this?”
“I don’t think so.” There was no way to know for sure.
He looked up at the ceiling as if begging God for patience. “The things I do for my family.”
With that, he got out of the carriage and hurried through the arched entrance.
“What on earth are you about, Kate?” Lady Drake asked, her eyes narrowed.
Kate chose to look at Amelia rather than her mother. “I’m making a stand.”
She wouldn’t be separated from her new husband for whatever ridiculous reason he’d deemed necessary. She would do her best to make this marriage work.
Barely a minute later, Andrew jogged back out of the church. He gripped the sides of the carriage door and leaned in.
“Blackwell says, ‘Very well.’”
Kate grinned. “Excellent.”
She offered him her hand and used the other to lift her dress enough to descend from the carriage without tripping over its hem. Releasing his hand, she stepped aside so Amelia and Lady Drake had room to leave the carriage too. Once they were down, Lady Drake and Amelia joined arms and walked into the church together.
Andrew blew out his breath. “Now, can we do this?”
“Absolutely.” She took his arm and raised her chin as they moved together across the paved ground and through the doorway.
There were only a handful of guests present. Less than twenty. But all eyes were on her as she glided along the aisle toward the altar with Andrew at her side. She met Blackwell’s dark gaze and steeled herself to make the most significant commitment of her life.
Hopefully it wouldn’t be a mistake.
CHAPTER 18
Theo’s breathlocked in his chest.
Oh no.
He was in deep trouble.
They weren’t even married yet, and he couldn’t tear his gaze from Kate. She was exquisite, her cheeks flushed from the cold, her gown fit for royalty. She made it difficult for him to think. Made him foolish.
This wedding was a terrible idea.
Her eyes met his, the gray irises sparkling with something he didn’t recognize, and his rib cage constricted. Her perfect pink lips tilted up in a smile, and his trousers tightened in a way that was wholly inappropriate.
He barely noticed her brother as he moved to take her arm, figuratively taking on the responsibility for this beautiful woman who was going to turn his life upside down.
As they turned away from the flower-lined aisle, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d made a mistake in agreeing to her last-minute change of terms. She was enough of a temptation already. If she insisted on accompanying him to Oxfordshire, and he couldn’t get enough space from her to clear his mind, he was doomed.
She was too. She just didn’t realize it yet.
She might have high hopes for their marriage, but she didn’t know what a failure of a husband he was. Unfortunately, she’d learn the truth soon enough.
