At first, I pretended not to notice him. He spent plenty of time ignoring my existence, so I felt it appropriate to pay him the same respect. I continued reading my story, and found the next page delightfully entertaining. I would have loved to find out what happened, but my barbaric future-husband snatched the book from my hands. My eyes narrowed on him as he dangled the book from his fingertips, a mocking smile playing across his lips.
“I do believe I selected that book first.” I forced an innocent smile across my face as I played along with his childlike mannerism. “I would offer to share, but I’m not certain you possess a suitable enough intellect to comprehend that particular story. I would be happy to direct you to some children’s literature instead, or would you need assistance with that, too?” A satisfied grin tugged at the corner of my mouth as I watched the anger settle in his eyes.
“Last time I checked, you were the youngest between us both.” His annoyed tone expressed a slight hint of malice. “If I had realized your maturity would be so underdeveloped, I may not have done you the honor of proposing.” He eyed me down proudly, as if he expected me to be grateful for his offer of marriage.
I rolled my eyes. “Then by all means, hire me a nanny and pass me a rattle. If that’s what it takes to make you call off the wedding, then I’ll do it.” My chiding tone snapped more abrasively than I had meant for it to, and my betrothed no longer looked amused.
“You better watch your tongue, Aurelia,” he spat bitterly. “There are dozens of girls who would kill to be in your position. I’m marrying you for the sake of your family. Would it be so offensive to your pride to show even the slightest bit of gratitude?” He tossed the book into my lap, as if it was some sort of treat I should be thankful for.
I rose from my seat, squaring up to him the best I could. “Thank you for your proposal. You and my father will be very happy together for the rest of your days. I’m sure he’s grateful for the union.” I smacked the book to his chest then attempted to storm off but my body halted as a tight grip on my arm reeled me back.
“No.” Theo pulled me in front of him, locking his controlling eyes onto mine. “That’s not how this is going to work. Starting tomorrow, you will be my wife, and I expect far greater respect than you have offered me. If you want to live happily ever after, then I suggest we start acting as a married couple should.”
I glared him down fearlessly. “You mean, as equals?” This man was not going to have any power over me, unless he relinquished his own. His steel blue-eyes burned into mine as he tightened his grip on my arm.
“I mean as a wife,” he growled then left in a huff.
I let out an exasperated breath. Our verbal duels often ended this way. Talking with him was like speaking to a self-assured rock. I scooped up my book that had fallen to the floor and flipped back through the pages. The story couldn’t hold my attention as well as it did previously. I shut the book and turned my attention to the window. It was a beautiful day, just as it had been the day I first tried to escape my engagement.
I pressed my cheek to the glass, relishing in the cool contact it made against my skin. Each cloud passed by so freely, so carelessly. I wished I could be like them—fluffy and soft without any set destination, and the ability to cry whenever you darn well pleased.
My lashes fluttered shut as the warm sun eased them to look away. As I napped, I dreamed of Elias. The image of his hazel eyes alight in the moonlight filled my unconscious. His words kept ringing sweetly in my ear.
“I love you.”
I would have stayed asleep forever, if I could. The sweet sound of Elias words morphed into Bear’s loud barks. My shoulders snuggled closer into the glass, wishing that the animal in my mind would quiet down for a moment so I could fade back into sleep. But the quiet never came, so I opened my sleepy eyes... and still, the quiet didn’t come.
My eyes grew wide and I pressed my hands to the glass, blocking the sun from my view as I scanned the garden. Sure enough, a massive fluffy black dog was racing around the garden chased by a grouchy butler.
I instantly raced to my feet, barely even stopping to switch from my slippers to my boots. As I clamored out into the garden, all the servants turned their eyes toward me. They had been instructed to watch me closely in case I tried to run again, but I wasn’t leaving the grounds, so they could stare all they wanted. When I reached the frazzled butler, he gave me a curious look before he turned his attention back to the fluffy intruder. Bear’s long pink tongue dangled gleefully out the side of his mouth, clearly enjoying the exercise the servant had been giving him.
I summoned up my loudest voice, then commanded, “Bear! Heel!” The dog’s ears instantly perked, then he saw me.
He immediately bounded toward me, knocking me to the ground with a joyful tackle. I laughed for the first time in a week. His warm tongue lapped across my entire face as I embraced his fluffy body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and enveloped him in a warm hug.
“I missed you so much, boy.” A single tear ran down my face, but I wiped it away quickly. There were still plenty of eyes on me, and I didn’t want to draw further attention. Elias might be here too, and I didn’t want to risk getting him spotted.
As casually as possible, I glanced around the edge of the gardens. I desperately hoped I might catch a glimpse of an unshackled Elias. After thoroughly searching, I turned my attention back toward Bear.He hadn’t come alone, had he?
I continued to comb through his thick mane of fur until a sudden resistance caught my attention. There was something around his neck again. I looped my fingers around the hidden collar and found that a ribbon had been tied on him once more. I subconsciously touched the old yellow ribbon that bound my thick braid. I had kept careful care of it ever since leaving the Oberon estate. My beating heart went wild as I discreetly undid the knot. The servants were still watching me with the foreign creature, so I played off my fiddling as petting. Once the knot came free, I turned my body so they couldn’t see the ribbon fall into my lap.
My fingers brushed against the new ribbon until I found what it had been carrying. It was a note, rolled up into a tiny scroll. I fumbled to my feet, trying to disguise the movement of me placing the scroll into my pocket. My gaze fell back onto Bear with a solemn weight in my heart. There was no way I would be permitted to take him inside, so I was just going to have to hope that Elias or someone else was nearby to collect him.
I bent down one last time to give him a long squeeze. His tail wagged happily at the contact, and I nearly cried just from his sweetness. “Be safe... and thank you.” I gave him one final pat of the head, and he took off into the woods as if on command. I stared after him in search of a companion greeting his retreat, but no one appeared.
After Bear was gone, I walked as calmly as I could back to my suite. My feet urged me to move faster, but I didn’t want to risk drawing further attention. The scroll in my pocket might be from Elias, so I wasn’t about to let anyone confiscate it. Once I was safely behind a closed door, my hand raced for my pocket and unfurled the note. I scanned the words over and over again. Each time I wished there was more, but only a few cryptic words lay etched on the paper.
Tomorrow’s the big day. Stay in the carriage. -E
I must have turned the paper over a dozen times, but that’s all that it said. My heart warmed at the sight of the signature. “E” must have been Elias, and that meant he was at least free enough to have been around Bear. But what did he mean by stay in the carriage? There would be two carriage rides I had to partake in tomorrow. One would be the ride with Theodore to the chapel, and the second would be the ride back. Which one was he referring to? Did he want me to hide in the carriage throughout the entire duration of the wedding? It wasn’t an unappealing idea, but not a very intelligent one. I’m certain Theodore would drag me out by my hair if necessary to get me before the altar.
My thoughts ran dry as I considered every possible meaning to his implication. I suppose I would simply have to trust him. That wasn’t hard to do, but I did worry about what the Dugals would think when the bride-to-be refused to exit the coach. The idea actually sparked a small snicker from my mouth.A chaotic wedding might be the perfect start to our unpleasant union.
I set the note down then gazed upon the wedding dress pinned up across my borrowed wardrobe. My gaze switched between Elias’s handwriting and the elaborate white gown. It was as if I was staring at the representation of two entirely different lives—either a life as a nameless peasant with the man I loved or the extravagant life of a lady with the man I loathed. If the choice was mine to make it would have been simple, but that wasn’t the case. My parents had chosen the life of a lady for me, despite the fact that I had never truly been one to begin with.
Wait a moment… I wasn’t a lady.
An ingenious thought flickered into my mind as a smile adorned my face. For the first time ever, I picked up my skirts and ran in search of my betrothed.This was it! I knew how to get out of the marriage!