by K. Webster
A gentle breeze lifts her veil as she comes toward me, sending it trailing off to the side beside her. She’s an image of what dreams are made of. And as soon as she is close enough for me to touch her, I reach my hand out, and she takes it without hesitation.
After hauling her to me, I capture her lips with mine and ignore the chuckles from Jasper and Alcott and the gasps of shock from the elders in attendance. They can all keep their mouths shut, because this woman is mine and I shall kiss her whenever I damn well please.
“You’re so naughty,” she murmurs against my lips with an equally naughty grin of her own.
“You’re no angel,” I tease. Then I steal one more peck before turning my head to the officiant, who appears to be irritated by my bending the traditional ceremonial rules.
He clears his throat and begins his sermon, but I’m not listening. All I can do is stare into her wide, brown eyes and attempt to somehow thread our hearts together eternally.
Another clearing of the officiant’s throat startles me, and I blab out that I will. She agrees, and then we’re once again lost in each other’s gaze. Finally, he asks for our vows.
“Vows?” I turn my head over to him and glare. Nobody told me that we had to create any of our own. And it’s in this moment that I notice the folded slip of paper wrapped around her bundle of flowers.
“It’s okay,” Edith murmurs as her cheeks redden.
She’s excusing me for not having them. For not loving her enough to have come up with some. Which is not fucking acceptable.
I wink at her. “I memorized them.”
A sweet smile spreads over her face, and I smile back. I may not have any written vows, but it does not mean I don’t have any from my heart.
“Dearest wife, thank you for standing by my side these past few months. We might not have always seen eye to eye or slept in the same bed for that matter, but know that I always cared for your wellbeing. I was deeply jealous of any fool who looked your way even though, at times, I had a funny way of showing it. If I could take back the early days of our marriage, I would. I would replace them with countless moments of affection. Hours of kissing and cuddling. I would have showered you with the finest of gifts.”
She mouths at me to stop. I know that it was all part of our agreement in the beginning, but now, all I feel is that I wasted that time with her. She could have been all mine and I squandered that opportunity. I won’t waste another second though. Every moment of every day shall start and end with her.
“Edith, you have been a partner. A friend and confidant. And the most amazing lover a man could ever want. You’re my everything, and I vow to forever prove to you just how important you are to me. Please promise to love me forever, because forever, I’ll promise to love you.”
This time, her eyes shine with unshed tears. Seeing her so vulnerable breaks something inside me, and I need to hold her. Once again ignoring the babbling from the crowd, I draw her to me and kiss her gently.
“I love you, Edith Dumont. My Countess.”
At the moment I feel she’s been properly comforted, I release her and flick a gaze over at the aggravated officiant before indicating that he may proceed. This causes Edith to giggle, and I flash her a wicked grin.
“Countess?” he interrupts.
She lifts her eyes to mine and smiles. Her words too, it would seem, are from the heart, because she isn’t reading from her paper. “Alexander, thank you for choosing me to be your wife. Although you could have had anyone on this Earth, for some reason, you chose me. I’m thankful for that opportunity and grateful that our feelings only grew and intensified for one another over time. I’m not the woman you married anymore. I’m someone better, and I have you to thank for that. Thank you for loving me when nobody else could. I will love you forever too, Alexander.”
This time, the officiant gives his blessings for us to kiss. And boy, do we kiss. It’s almost too sinful to display in front of all of these people, but we do it anyway.
Edith kisses me back as if we’re the only two souls standing upon the lawn. But she also kisses me proudly in a way that tells people watching that she’ll always be mine.
Together, we kiss until Mother calls out that it’s time to cut the cake.
And then we kiss once more.
I’M FLOATING ON A CLOUD.
A lemon-scented cloud.
And I’m in love.
We’ve been enjoying our reception for several hours now. Alexander keeps getting pulled in the direction of old friends and family members who are all vying for his attention to wish him well on his marriage. I keep hugging my sisters and father or swatting at Alcott for his ridiculous jokes. The very idea that Alexander surprised me with bringing my entire family together with his to witness our joyous renewal of our vows was incredibly surprising. The man is revealing a sweet part of himself that I am quite fond of. I’ll reward him later this evening in a way that he’ll most certainly appreciate.
My mind drifts to wicked thoughts and that’s when I meet the heated stare of my husband. Even though we’ve spent most of the evening apart, our eyes always find the other’s. Each time, Alexander flashes me a grin or winks in a way that promises me pleasure the moment we’re alone. His looks are addicting, and I find myself blushing each time our gazes meet. This time, he must recognize the glint in my eyes because his jaw clenches in that angry way that I now know equates to pure, animalistic want.
“I love you,” he mouths from across the room.
My heart patters about at his words. Only spoken a few hours ago, his first proclamation of his love to me shattered what was left of the blackened part of my soul, and I felt as if I were whole again. For once in my life since Mother died, I felt as if she would be proud of me.
“I love you too,” I mouth back to him.
“Were you talking to me?” a deep voice questions.
Turning my head, I meet Alcott’s twinkling, brown eyes. “No, you loon. I was talking to my husband. You’re a mess. Don’t you have some other woman to bother?” I tease.
He slings an arm over my shoulder and brings his lips to my ear. “I’d like to bother your baby sister, Ella, but for some reason, I don’t think you’d like that.”
I shove him, and he stumbles away chuckling.
“Damn, woman, I was teasing. She’s far too innocent for the likes of me.” He winks at me.
I roll my eyes at him. “Far too innocent. Alcott, God would strike you down from Heaven if you were even to look at her in a lustful way. Stay away from her, pretty boy, or I’ll break your kneecaps.” I say this with a sickeningly sweet smile and a giggle, but we both know there is truth to my words.
“Yes, sister.” He bows dramatically before he saunters off toward Ella.
That man just goes looking for trouble.
Speaking of trouble . . .
I’m finally free of anyone’s conversation, so I clutch my dress and make my way through the crowd, toward the last place I saw my husband. When I arrive at the other side of the room and still don’t see him, I nearly give up. But then I hear his voice down the corridor.
Figuring he must be calling for me, I steal off down the hallway and hope we might be able to sneak away from these people and make love.
“Nicolette.” Alexander says her name in a deep growl on the other side of a door. Just the sound of her name sends unease crawling up my spine.
“Tell her it’s off. Tell her you want to be with me,” she says tearfully.
Rage blooms in my heart, and my palm curls around the handle as I prepare to enter the room and stake claim over my husband. But then he murmurs something I can’t hear and she begins shouting.
“I saw the way you appreciated my naked flesh earlier! If your brother hadn’t walked in, we’d have already made love countless times! It’s not too late, Alexander.”
Her words rip a hole in my heart. He saw her naked? They were going to make love?
I don’t understand.
“Edith?”
Alcott questions beside me.
I whip my head in his direction, and tears well in my eyes. “You knew? Nicolette and Alexander? Together?”
He drops his eyes to the floor in shame, and the smile falls from his lips.
No!
“How could you let me go on and make a fool of myself?” I hiss. “I trusted you, Alcott!”
“Edith,” he rushes out, “it’s not what you think.”
So it is true.
He reaches for me, but I shove past him and run for the nearest door that will allow me my escape from the stifling home and give me fresh air. The moment I push through the door, I swallow in deep, cool breaths. Tonight, the cicadas are loud, but they can’t drown out the screams of despair inside my head.
I need to get away. Alexander doesn’t love me. He still clearly wants Nicolette. I’m nothing but a conquest to him. A trophy. A partner in his sham of a marriage.
My vision blurs with tears, but when I hear the soft neighing of a horse that’s strapped to someone’s coach, I know what I’ll do. I’ll escape while no one is paying any attention. There’s no way I can look at him while knowing he secretly prefers her over me.
All lies.
After rushing over to the horse, I quickly untie him from the post and climb up the steps to sit where the driver normally holds the reins. Because I grew up on the farm, I know how to drive a coach and immediately snatch the crop up.
“Hiya!” I shout as I whip at the horse to go faster.
He thrusts into action and takes off away from the estate. I clutch one side of the seat to keep from falling out and keep my eye on the path ahead. As we bounce along, the moonlight reflects upon the grass and lights the way. Even though my eyes are swollen from my crying, I can see well enough to guide the horse away from the trees.
God, I’m such a stupid woman. I fell for him hook, line, and sinker.
We’ve been bouncing along for several minutes, full speed ahead, when I hear shouting. Flicking my gaze over my shoulder, I see that the lights from the party at the house are barely twinkling—they’re so far away now.
“Edith!”
A shadow on a horse barreling for me materializes from the darkness.
“Hiya!” I swat at the horse again to make him go faster.
Even though the horse is going as quickly as he can, the coach we’re pulling is slowing him down. I soon hear the thuds of another horse galloping behind us.
“Leave me alone!” I scream.
“Never!” Alexander.
“Go away!”
“Edith, I love you!” he yells back. This time, he’s so close.
When I look over, I see that Alexander, on his horse, is trotting at the same speed as I am. His hair is wild with the wind, and my fingers twitch to smooth it down for him.
“You love her! Not me!” I sob.
“Stop the coach, woman!”
I shake my head and make futile attempts for the horse go faster. Eventually, I give up and drop the reins.
“You broke my heart,” I bite out tearfully as my horse slows.
“Edith, it isn’t what you think. The woman has an obsession. She keeps throwing herself at me. There’s only one woman I love. That woman is you.”
As the coach comes to a stop, all that can be heard again are the cicadas and the soft sounds of breathing from the horses. Then my breath hitches when I warm hand slides over mine. I turn and see that Alexander is no longer on his horse—he’s standing beside me.
“Come here. I need to hold you,” he murmurs as he squeezes my hand.
A resigned sigh rushes from me, and I give him one nod. The truth is that I want to believe his words. And I do want him to hold me.
He doesn’t wait for me to change my mind, tugging me right out of my seat and into his arms. Relief floods me as my arms wrap around his neck and his circle my waist. He stumbles back with me in his grip a few steps before letting me slide down his body to my feet. Finally, his palms find my cheeks, and his thumbs graze over my cheekbones.
“I love you, Edith. You have to believe me,” he begs. “She means nothing to me. But you? You’re my whole fucking world.”
I stare into his dark orbs and find only truth.
I find love.
“But she said . . .” I trail off.
“She lies. She’s delusional. Yes, she threw herself at me. No, I did not accept her advances. I. Love. You.”
I allow his words to wiggle their way into my heart, which was quickly hardening. They soften the edges, and I relax.
“I love you too. I can’t lose you, Alexander. You filled a part of me that was incomplete. Without you, I’m nothing,” I admit.
His brow furrows, and his lips press into a firm line. “Don’t be foolish, Edith. You’re a diamond. A fucking jewel—so very precious. You’re my everything. Don’t ever call yourself nothing. Ever.”
My whimper of relief is silenced when his lips crash to mine. I urgently kiss him back. The next thing I know, we’ve fallen into the thick grass with a thud and he rolls me beneath him.
“My God, Edith. I thought I’d lost you,” he groans as he works his body between my legs. His thickness presses against me through our clothes, and I moan out in bliss.
“I’m here,” I gasp. “I’m here.”
“Forever,” he reminds me with a growl as he pushes harder. I may come simply from the friction of our bodies.
“I’m sorry, Alexander. I panicked. Everything seemed too good to be true. I couldn’t have handled the humiliation if you didn’t want me anymore,” I tell him.
His mouth finds my neck, and he sucks the flesh hard enough to leave a mark. “I would die by my own hand before I ever lost you for good.”
The very thought of him dying guts me. I need him to be closer to me. “Make love to me. Now, Alexander.”
He doesn’t reward me with an answer, but his hands do find his trousers. The moment he’s freed himself, he pushes my knickers down my legs. When he lowers himself over me, he doesn’t give me any warning before he slams himself into me.
“Ah!” I scream out into the night air.
My body is already wet for him, and the way he stretches me is almost too much to bear. Then his lips find mine again, and he pounds into me hard enough that I know the grass is staining the back of my beautiful dress.
But I don’t care.
If I could find a way to bottle this moment up and live in it, I would.
“Harder,” I beg him.
“I want to stay like this forever,” he growls, voicing my exact thoughts.
We grunt and pant and fuck like two wild animals until we’re both unraveling in each other’s arms. It feels like an eternity of bliss whereas in reality it is probably only a few passionate moments. Finally, Alexander breaks the seductive trance we’ve been suspended in when he comes deep inside me and collapses on top of me.
“You’re perfection, sweet wife,” he murmurs against my neck. “This is where we belong. Together.”
When he lifts up to look down on me, I smile at him. “I love you, Alexander Dumont. You’re mine.”
“And you’re mine, Countess. I’ll love you until I’m ashes in the dirt. Then I’ll love you even more.”
His words flood my soul, and I close my eyes. “Take me home, husband. I’m ready to begin our forever.”
He thickens as he begins a slow thrusting inside me and his lips hover over mine. “Edith, our forever has already begun. It began the moment I locked eyes with you.”
And we lock eyes again, just like the first time.
We sneak back into the party, and Alexander guides me toward our wing. We’re nearly there when Jasper shouts for us.
“Alexander!” he says grimly. “It’s your mother.”
“What about her? Where is she?” Alexander demands.
He motions for us to follow him, and Alexander all but drags me toward his parents’ bedroom. When we walk in, several men are around her, fussing about.
I cry
out once I see her sprawled out on the bed. “What’s wrong?” I shriek as I run toward her side.
Her face is pale, but she’s awake. “Oh, darling, I didn’t mean to ruin your party. Go be with your guests.”
I shake my head at her and squeeze her hand. “No. I’ll stay here with you.”
“So, what do you think, Dr. Egnater?” Alfred, his voice thick with tension, questions. Dr. Egnater clears his throat and scratches his beard. “I’ve seen a case similar to this in London when I was there on holiday last winter. They determined that it was called dropsy—a heart condition, if you will.”
I gasp and burst into tears. “How will you fix her, Doctor?”
He chuckles, and Alexander growls angrily. “Oh, dear, if it is indeed dropsy, it isn’t life threatening. Now, the antidote is a little hard to come by. They treat this condition with foxglove leaves. We’ll need to send for someone to get not just the leaves, but the plant. I would suggest you plant some here on the estate so you’ll always have access to them.”
“I’ll leave in the morning to acquire the plants,” Alcott says firmly from one corner of the room. I didn’t realize he was there until this moment.
“So, she’s going to be okay?” I ask.
Dr. Egnater smiles warmly at us. “Yes. Once we have the plants, she can begin her treatments. She’ll always suffer from the condition in her heart, but now that we’ve identified the source of her faintness and weakness, we can take measures to prevent those episodes. I’m afraid, though, she will need to live a life free of exertion.”
“Oh, bollocks. I think I’ll be just fine,” Ma finally rushes out in exasperation. Her voice is weak and shaky.
“Mother, please. Listen to the doctor. He knows what’s best for you. Besides, we need you to be well so you can be here for your many grandchildren with which we plan on bestowing you. Edith and I plan on making this a reality very soon,” Alexander tells her firmly.
His words cause her ashen face to alight with joy. “Grandchildren.” She beams. “Alcott, hurry back with those wretched foxglove leaves.”
“And this one,” Alexander murmurs against the shell of my ear as he drags his thumb over a freckle on my shoulder, “I shall name Gertrude.”
