Page 53 of Vicious Games

I couldn’t believe I’d blindly walked into my own surprise wedding.

Then, several steps before we reached the altar, Roman ushered me into a pew.

My fragile mind couldn’t process the information quickly enough. What the fuck was happening?

Just then, the orchestra played a rousing rendition of Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry’s Bridal March.

All the guests stood.

I turned to see the true bride enter. She was wearing a stunning Victorian-style wedding gown with a silk corset and elaborate crystal beading. I realized it was the woman from the masquerade party, Elizabeth. On her arm was the groom, Richard, the Duke of Winterbourne, Roman’s half-brother and practical twin.

My emotions were so intense I had to grip the pew in front of me to keep from sitting as a wave of exhausted relief washed over my body. Roman hadn’t deceived or tricked me. He had merely wanted to surprise me with the honor of attending his brother’s wedding with him. Quickly following my relief was a sickening guilt that I had thought he was capable of something so underhanded and despicable.

Feeling ashamed and unworthy of being Roman’s guest, I watched as the beautiful bride approached. Despite my own somber inner reflections, I couldn’t help noticing how similar we looked. Like the brothers, Elizabeth and I could practically be twins as well. I watched in awe as she flawlessly curtsied to the queen before ascending to the high altar. We were twins in appearance only. I was certain I would never have looked so elegant and poised as Elizabeth if this were me.

Roman smiled down at me as the ceremony began. As the bishop droned on, I tried to imagine what it would feel like if that actually had been me and Roman.

The idea caused such a conflict of emotions to swirl in my breast that I pushed it aside and just tried to enjoy the moment.

Just as the bishop turned to Elizabeth to recite the solemn wedding vows she was to repeat, Roman shifted beside me and reached into his inner suit pocket. Moments later, he pressed something into my hand. “Hold this for me,” he whispered in my ear.

Distracted by the pivotal moment of the wedding ceremony, I at first only glanced down at the heavy object in my hand… then my heart seized.

It was a gun.

Seconds later, a gunshot shattered the tranquility of the Abbey.

Chaos erupted around me.

Then everything went black.

CHAPTER 21

AURORA

Present day

What had I done?

I stared at the wrinkled and bloodied wedding dress. It seemed oddly familiar, and yet I couldn’t imagine why. I’d think I would remember willingly wearing a freaking Victorian wedding gown.

Think!

Nothing was going to come to me kneeling on the floor. I needed to get out of this awful dress and wash the blood off. Maybe then it would all come back to me. I ran my hands over my upper arms as a shiver racked my body. That was, if I wanted to remember.

I wrapped my left hand around a drawer handle and used it to pull myself upright. I then searched the other drawers for a pair of scissors. My only option was to somehow cut my way out of the dress. I found a pair of large, lethal-looking silver shears.

Just as I was about to thrust the opened blades between my breasts to cut the silk corset, I heard a sound behind me.

I turned, gripping the shears like a weapon and raising them high.

Roman stood in the doorway. His chest was bare. He was holding what looked like a wadded-up white dress shirt soaked in blood over his shoulder.

I gasped. “What happened?”

His eyes narrowed. “You shot me. And on our wedding day, no less.”

I blinked. “What? No. That’s not possible!”

---