Page 18 of The Scarred Duke's Bride
Isabella continued to bounce up and down on the bed. “Are you not excited? Is it not an exciting day?”
No, it is not.
With a sigh of defeat, Freya sat up and regarded her sister bleary-eyed. “One would be forgiven for thinking it was you who was getting married today.”
Isabella grinned. “I like your betrothed. He is kind. And his brother is amusing. I think they will make good relatives.”
“You are just excited for more people to live at Stark Manor,” Freya rasped.
“Well…yes. I won’t deny it. It will be nice to have a house full of people. And Mama Campbell is lovely.”
“Well, they did not say that they will come to live with us.”
“Yes, they did! I asked William, and he said so.”
Freya was slightly taken aback by this news since Eric had not mentioned anything of the sort to her. But going over their own time together last night, she had to acknowledge that they had spent most of their time sniping at each other. There really hadn’t been an opportunity for their living arrangements to come up.
She pushed her blankets aside and shuffled out of bed, pushing her feet into her slippers and shuffling across the room to peer behind the screen and see what Diana was up to. Her lady's maid had the bath full of steaming water, and she was in the process of pouring in oils and petals. Freya wondered if she should expect this every day now.
She was not complaining, but it seemed like an awful lot of work.
Diana got to her feet and smiled. “Good morning my lady. Your bath is ready.”
Resigning herself to her fate, Freya stepped behind the screen and took off her nightgown. She sank into the water, sighing with pleasure as the hot water enveloped her.
I could get used to this.
Her shoulders relaxed, and she could feel herself becoming less tense as she lay in the water. Diana hummed a soothing tune as she picked up Freya’s foot and began to massage it.
Mmm, I could really get used to this.
ChapterTen
Eric waited impatiently at the doors of the chapel for his bride’s carriage to appear. They were to be married at Saint Peters where his brother’s funeral had taken place. Eric didn’t mind, but he was surprised that the Duke had not chosen a more prominent venue if only for his own sense of importance.
But then when he thought about how the Duke treated his children, it made sense that he would make the minimal amount of effort for them. Eric had been feeling particularly sympathetic to the Stark girls ever since his last conversation with the Duke.
The man was truly insufferable.
The sound of wheels on cobblestones had him straightening to attention. Hands behind his back, he stood straight and waited for the carriage to come to a stop. The Duke was first to alight, leaning heavily on his cane. He was followed shortly by the governess and then Isabella. Finally, Freya appeared.
He could not suppress a gasp as he saw her. She had truly outdone herself, and he was sure that if she had bothered to participate in the season, she would have been a diamond of the first water, top of the trees, surpassing all other ladies there.
He could not help feeling a little smug, that he was to be her husband.
Her luminescent green eyes looked fearful, and he could not blame her at all. She must feel beset from all sides. He made a quiet vow to himself to do better by her. She took a step forward, her sky-blue satin gown trailing on the cobblestones. She looked like a dream of a princess with diamonds shining in her ears and her hair. Her neckline, exposed in the deep V of her dress, showed clearly the rapidly beating pulse at her throat. He wanted to reach out and embrace her, soothe her like a skittish horse; instead, he simply smiled encouragingly, offering her his arm. “You are lovely,” he murmured, so only she could hear.
Her lip twitched like she wanted to smile, but all she did was nod jerkily at him, avoiding his gaze.
One step at a time Eric.
That voice from last night encouraged him. He covered Freya’s hand with his own and led her slowly down the aisle.
* * *
Freya did not miss Eric's warm glances nor his admiring gaze. But she had no idea what to do with it all— it just made her feel hot and uncomfortable as if she no longer fit within her skin. It was all she could do to stop her hands from trembling as they paraded down the aisle.
The church was filled with family only, which meant it was quite empty, and yet Freya still felt intimidated. Mama Campbell smiled kindly as she passed, and Freya nodded to her. Soon they were in front of the priest, and it was time to say their vows.
