I see Edward taking off his white glove from his right hand and stretching out the hand to me. I place my hand into his and somehow managing my elaborate gown that he had sent for me, I come off the carriage. It was cold, very cold. But, the norms of the high society did not allow me to wear a shawl.
He kisses the back of my hand and holds me against his chest faintly. “You look gorgeous my sweetheart”. My heart skips a beat!
“Thank you, Edward.’
“Amelia, do not be nervous. My parents are going to like you for sure. You look no less than the ladies present inside. Just be confident and a little shy!” He smirks at me.
I smile at him and flush inside at the sight of his eyes again engraved on my face. He looks so handsome in his black coat flowing to the back of his knees. The glow on his face is extraordinary today. Holding my hand, he takes me inside the hall, which is glowing with lights all over. Not even a single corner is left untouched with flowers and embellishments. The ceiling is well above the normal height and that gives an extraordinary grand feeling to the hall. Now I realize why this place is situated on the outskirts of Brackcliffe. Of course, the royalty needs space to build such a huge palace. They can also keep away from the clamor of village kids.
I feel so out of place in this palace of the Duke. Still holding his hand, I tried to maintain the best possible elegance and propriety and we walk up to his parents. Edward walked upright, with ease and grace. He is so comfortable with his richness and his own well-built body.
I could not stop myself from fantasizing Edward’s body underneath his clothes when I noticed the look of scrutiny in the eyes of his mother. His father seems polite. As I had heard already, there was no feeling of pride in the eyes of guests present in the ballroom. They seem to maintain distance with me but not with a hint of arrogance. It gives me some comfort to be there with the love of my life if destiny has conjured some plans for us.
“Mother, Father, she is Amelia.” Edward introduced me to his parents. I do a little curtsy, wish them with a smile and just uttered, “Your highness! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They rise to their feet a little and smile at me. Although I could see her mother dissect me from top to bottom, I could feel a sense of courtesy in their eyes. It is understandable for a mother to meet a girl known to her son with an eye of scrutiny.
“Mother, shall I proceed to dance with Amelia if you do not mind”. Edward asks for her permission.
She kisses Edward’s forehead and gave away her permission with the grace that I had never seen before in a lady. Even with the wrinkles below her chin, she looks the most beautiful lady on Earth. The pearly white colored gloves in her hands give a real majestic look to her.
“Lady, would you like to dance with me?” Edward held out his hand to me once more. I just want to melt in his arms right in this moment.
“I am honored Edward. Thank you for bringing me here” I put my hand into his and we go to the dance floor for a waltz. The well-groomed Edward is here and his left hand behind my back and my left hand on his shoulder. His right-hand takes care of my right hand and we both stretch our hands out to take our dance position. The orchestra started playing the Mozart music and I could barely manage to dance to the tune of Edward’s whims. He led me to take the steps in the initial few seconds and then I matched his steps.
“You are so responsive Amy. You grasped the dance so quickly. That is why I admire you so much. I hope you show the same responsiveness in other arenas as well.” He grinned.
“He called me Amy! Does He love me? Is he looking forward to making love with me? Really! Am I not the only one fantasizing about him?” But, sleeping with him without any formal commitment makes me anxious even while dancing. I jerk my hand on his shoulder and he notices my discomfort.
“Don’t worry Amy; nothing will happen without your permission.” He eases me with his words, so calmly coming out of his mouth. He tries to comfort me with his usual perfection and holds me closer to his body. And I cannot help but surrender to his controlling temperament. He is holding me closer than the usual posture of the waltz. And I notice people around us burning with resentment, particularly girls who seemingly so wanted to be with Edward, but now cannot do anything to snatch me out of his hold.
As the dance is about to get over, he whispers in my ears, “Do I have the permission of the lovely Amy to kiss her?” I go crimson at hearing his words and hope that he senses my permission. I feel so shy to permit him in words.
I just reluctantly come out of his embrace and asked for his consent to leave.
“Did I hurt you, Amy? Come on, tell me? Have my words failed to please you?” I can see the feeling of uneasiness in his words. The usual composed Edward seems like a child asking me about my feelings.
“No Edward. I just have a few things in mind which make me fretful in front of you. I hope you understand.” I say walking towards the table in the right corner of the ballroom.
“I would escort you to home sweetheart. But, I want to talk to you for a while. Will you come with me?”
I nod with a smile of mixed feelings. He ushers me to the backyard, faintly radiating with the full moonlight.
“Amy, the day I saw you, I somewhere knew it inside that I like you. I have been thinking about you day and night after coming home. I don’t know what is it about you that grips me to your thoughts but I just know that I want to be with you forever. You already know that I am here for marriage. After meeting you, I do not want to see any other girl. You are an accomplished lady Amy and it is good enough for me accept you as you are. You do not have to be nervous in my society. I know you will learn everything gradually.
Do not shy away from me Amy; I want to live with you forever.”
“Will you marry me?” He proposes while holding my hand into his and kneels on the ground and the look of love that I was looking for all the time. “I want to know your decision before I make it public”
Overwhelming with tears brimming in my eyes, I could just utter “I am sorry Edward but I cannot marry you!”
Devastated by my reply, he pleaded, “But why, Amy? Don’t you like me?” he gets up and asks furiously.
“I love you from the bottom of my heart. It’s just that I don’t belong to your world.”
“You belong to me Amy, nowhere else!” and he pressed his chiseled lips on mine and kissed me softly. He stays there for a while and suddenly parts, “I am sorry I could not hold myself. I should have asked you.” He apologized.
And I cannot hold my tears in my eyes anymore. They drip on my cheeks like a river suddenly set free from the clutch of a dam.
“You don’t worry my beloved. I will take care of everything. I will take care of you too. Just be mine.” He reassured me.
I look up into his eyes and see the gentility so scrupulous of the Duke. I come closer to him and want to hug him just when he holds his arms around my waist and on the back of my neck and holds me tightly against his body. The warmth of his physique against my trembling body in the cold thaws me entirely. We held each other like this in the moonlight for some time when the thought of mother crossed my mind. I realize that I must go home.
“I should leave now, Edward. Everyone must be waiting for me.” I whisper in his ears and undo the hug. With my lips closer to his and my head held high, I ask for his permission to leave.
He closes his eyes and as I reluctantly turn around, he holds me from the back and hugs me again. He places his hands tightly against my stomach and holds me like stacked spoons.
“I want to kiss you Amy”, he says softly in my ears. I can feel his erection against my hips and my erotic feelings of being with him are at the highest. I can feel the tender breath of Edward near my ears when he whispers again, “You did not answer me. May I kiss you?”
I roll around to face him and close my eyes. I lift my head upwards and offer my lips to be kissed. He gently holds my chin upwards and touches my lips with his. I am trembling like a leaf. His blazing
eyes are fixed on my lips when he takes a break to examine my face. He pushes me against the wall of the garden behind the long bushes. He pins me and holds my hair with his hand and his other hand holds my hand with complete control. I groan into his mouth when his tongue enters my mouth and makes its way to explore the inside of my mouth. I am pleasantly surprised with his exerting control over me and not letting me do anything expect to savor the pleasure. This is the first time I had been kissed. I can feel his erection against my tummy. “Oh! My God! He wants me. He wants me too.” But I cannot…!
“I don’t want to be another Julia of Brackcliffe, Edward. She went insane taking care of her daughter. And Max never came back to marry her. I don’t want to…” I cannot stop sobbing.
“Oh! Amy! I know that I have not known you for long. But trust me! I have been longing for you since the day I saw you. I am here only. I will leave only when I marry you. It’s just up to you that you want to marry me or not.” His words are so tender, so soft that I want to surrender right there, right then.
I lifted up my head slightly more and murmured, “I am sorry Edward for spoiling this moment. Even I want to be yours forever.”
“Then be mine Amy, please be mine!” “You smell so good love!” he sniffed my skin. “I love you” I can feel him exerting his weight over me when I have to bend myself on my back to respond to his kiss.
He savors the flavor of my lips through his lips. His tongue takes pleasure in touching and circling around my teeth and my tongue. I can also feel the aroma of the inside of his body through his breath. The cozy breathing of Edward while kissing me takes me to Heaven. His right-hand travels to touch my belly and then upwards to caress my right breast, and I have to hold his hand to stop him from moving ahead.
“This is not the right moment Edward.”
“Okay”
“Don’t stop me from kissing you. I feel so good to be with you” and he go ahead with his expedition of delving into my mouth.
He breathed heavily after a while when I almost start panting. I can sense that I am feeling wet down there. My body starts feeling so light. He is still erected and the hardness moved over my body over and over again as he rises up and stands back.
Slowing down his kissing, he kisses my lips several times before finally parting. I could feel the swelling on my mouth. And my hair must have been a mess.
He stays there staring into gaping into my eyes for a while and smiles all the while.
“Will you marry me?” Edward holds my hand and asks gently.
“Yes Edward, yes.” Once more my eyes brim with tears.
He catches my tears with his lips and murmurs, “Do not waste them, love, they are precious. I do not want to see them again.”
“Amelia Beverly, I want to be with you forever right from this moment but we must leave for now. And listen, Amy, I have seen the same love in your eyes as I feel for you. I am going to talk to my father about us. Amy, you must be feeling hungry. Let’s eat something.”
“I am not in a condition to go back to the ballroom dear. Please drop me home.”
“Of course, but you must eat something when you get back home.”
“Did you just kill a rabbit?” I scream as I hear the voice of a gun.
He places his rifle aside and gives me an intense look.
“So? Do I have to ask for your permission to pursue my hobbies? You are going to be my wife Amelia, don’t try to rule me.”
“Yes. I can see that. I need to submit to you if we have to marry. Do I have the permission to exercise my free will after marriage?”
“Of course, but partly. It’s just that you must understand the culture and values of my society. I know that you have been making a lot of effort. But, you need to be more polished before you walk the aisle.”
“I know that. And I need your cooperation in becoming the one you want me to. Ms. Andy has been of great help but I still feel so empty from inside. My friends are gradually distancing from me. And you are also busy with your work and play these days. Is it going to be like this forever?”
He is still busy handling and cleaning his rifle. He does not respond to my question. I wonder what life is going to be after I marry him. Since the day we got engaged, he has been a totally different person I met at the night of the ball. And I do not see any trace of that child in Edward that I knew from the yesteryears. Childhood had painted a totally different picture of Edward in my mind. I had been longing for that child I guess, not this self-centered Duke.
I asked him again, “Edward, what have you thought about our future? Will I accompany you if you have to leave for the war? Will your officers allow that?”
“Not at all Amelia, you are going to stay here even if I leave.”
“Dear, please tell me honestly, why have you been behaving like this? You talk so coldly to me. I miss the same old Edward I met the first time. Is there something wrong? Can I help you in something?”
“He shrugged my hand and took a step forward to face away from me. He seemed to busy talking to himself before answering me, “Amelia, I have already mentioned that I may not be available to you all the time. You must utilize your accomplishments to entertain yourself.”
I feel so helpless at his answers. He seems a man similar to the Royals, who took pleasure in their own hobbies and kept mistresses. He would also leave me alone in the palace to live my life in the cage of gold. I must have listened to my instincts. But, I kept on dancing to his tunes.
Inside my brains, Ellen rose up and said, “Don’t be foolish Amelia. Do not even think of breaking up your engagement with him. He is the one because of whom the miseries of your family will vanish. You must do as he says. You are not the first girl in history who has to sacrifice yourself for the sake of her family. Think about the tender Lucky. She will also find a good match if you marry him. Just shed your ego and stop using your over the smart mind.”
Ellen was right when she convinced me as usual. Even after noticing all the flaws of his personality, I agreed to marry him. She was right when she said Edward was an “opportunity” for me. He is not the Prince I had always saved myself for. He was like a regular man of our male chauvinist society.
My subconscious does not allow me to hate him even if I want to. I believe somewhere in the deepest corner of my heart that Edward is a nice man. There is something, which is definitely disturbing him. I must be a true soul mate for him and find out what is troubling him.
A servant in uniform comes up to him with a letter in a tray. Edward opens it and suddenly drops of sweat emerged on his forehead. I cannot dare to ask who had sent it.
The servant leaves and Edward sit on the white metal bench in the garden with a hand on his forehead, lost in deep thoughts. A cold wind blew in the garden and he does not have to make much effort to clean the sweat drops. He signals the lady servant standing by to come. She comes to take the orders. He asks her to fix a meeting with the Duke of Mivart.
She leaves after saying thank you for bowing to him.
I go up to him and sit beside him. “Will you have a cup of tea Edward?”
He looks into my eyes and nods. I bring the garden table closer and take up the porcelain teapot.
“I love you, Amelia. You must remember that at all times even when I behave oddly. There are some tough times when I might not be proper with you. But, such days do not make me love you any lesser.”
I see his face turning yellow. “What might have been written in the letter? Shall I ask him?” I decide to wait for him to tell me himself. I pour five teaspoons of milk and two teaspoons of sugar over the tea in his cup and stir.
I hand over the tea cup placed on the saucer to him. It is always a pleasure to watch him doing anything and everything. His eyes stare in the emptiness as he sips his tea.
“Amelia, what if I die in the war?” the land slips from my feet as he said that.
“What are you talking Edward? What happened?”
“Amy, I have been called for a danger
ous mission next week. Will you still marry me if I do not live with you forever?” I can see fear mixed with other emotions in his eyes.
“But, not everyone in the war dies dear. Why do you fear…er…? I mean why you are so uncertain?”
“I want the answer, Amelia Beverly. Will you marry me even if you know that I am not going to live forever? Are you ready to live as my widow?”
“Edward, I have accepted you from the bottom of my heart. Every fraction of my body and belongs to you. I will definitely marry you.”
He held my face tightly and stamped a kiss on my lips. “Amelia, we are getting married tomorrow!” he blurts.
He holds me in his arms and took me to our room in the palace, decorated with white lilies all over with a few touches of red roses. The room is filled with passionate fragrance and a beautiful piece of the handmade statue is placed in a glass frame on our bedside.
Edward lays me down on the white mattress of the cushioned bed. The laced curtains surrounding the bed fall all around us. The rose petals underneath me cry with the pain of pleasure as I did!
“Oh! My darling! I have been waiting for this day since the day I saw you. You smell the same old Amy I have always kissed. You are so lovely my love.” He implants a kiss on my forehead. “You can’t stop me from eating you today, right?”
I could just blush and smile with a nod. “I am all yours Edward.”
“I want to tear you apart…do not shy away today, please.” He inserts his right hand in my dress from the front to open it without unbuttoning. “Amy, have you done this with anyone before?”
“What!” I cry with shock and get up immediately. “What are you saying, Edward? Is it a question to be asked on our wedding day? You know all about me. If you had any doubts, you must not have wedded me.” I turn towards the window and glare outside.
“I am sorry Amy. I don’t know what dawned on me that I uttered those words. Come on. Come to the bed, please. Sit with me.”
Romance: Duke Romance: The Duke’s Search for a Wife (Marriage Romance First Time Romance Historical Romance) (Royalty Wedding Regency Romance) Page 2
