Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“Hathor, the wedding would happen today, as in now. Your family will not be there, and then I shall be forced to leave—”
“But you will return. If you wished to abandon me and planned never to return, you would not be seeking to marry me now, before you left. And I know you would not ask if it were not important.” She lifted my hand and kissed it. “I trust you, because I love you.”
“Will you forever shatter my mind and heart like this?” I whispered.
“It is only fair, since you chose to do the same to me.”
Leaning in, I kissed her lips quickly. “Here is to a lifetime together, and the marriage of two of the most ridiculous people in England.”
She grinned wide and nodded. “When the world finds out, they shall tell the most epic stories of Hathor and the prince.”
“The prince and Lady Hathor?”
“I like my title better.” She hopped up off the bed. “Now, where are we getting married?”
It did not matter where to me so long as the day ended with her as my wife.
30
Hathor
I used to have great expectations of my wedding day, of the type of dress I’d wear, the type of cake we would have. I did not expect my wedding to be in the palace, just after dawn—but that is when the royal carriage came for me, a servant saying the queen wished to see me immediately. I was wearing the most modest of dresses and no jewelry. I had left home as quickly as possible, thinking something was the matter with Wilhelm. Instead, I arrived to him asking me if we could get married now. I’m sure he did not expect to be so casual, in trousers, a clean nightshirt, and a long jacket. Meanwhile, we were in a chapel filled with sacred gold.
None of this was how I dreamt it, but it was altogether perfect. After all, who else could say they were married by the archbishop before two queens, and Queen Charlotte’s fourth daughter (who was apparently good at keeping a secret), along with Sir Darrington as my witness.
“Do you, Lady Hathor Du Bell, take Prince Wilhelm Augustus Karl von Edward of Malrovia to be your lawfully wedded husband, before God, king, and country?” the archbishop said, keeping things brief, as he was ordered to.
“I do. As I love you,” I said, staring at Wilhelm. He smiled.
“And do you, Prince Wilhelm Augustus Karl von Edward of Malrovia, take Lady Hathor Du Bell to be your lawfully wedded wife, before God, king, and country?”
“I do. As I love you,” he replied, and I smiled back.
“Then with the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Your Highness, with a kiss, you seal this covenant.”
“Gladly,” Wilhelm said, moving slightly to me, making me giggle as his lips touched mine. He would have kept kissing me, if not for someone coughing. “We must continue later, wife.”
“Very well, husband.”
“I must advise against that,” Sir Darrington said quickly, bringing the wheelchair over to him, but Wilhelm swatted it away with his cane.
“At least let us have today, all of you,” he said, taking my hand. “My wife and I will be busy.”
Each time he said wife, I grinned. “Come on, I shall take you away with the wheelchair.”
“I do not want the chair,” he frowned.
“A good husband listens to his wife,” I reminded him, taking the chair from Sir Darrington. He gave me a pitiful look, and I gave him one back.
“Fine.” He sighed, taking a seat.
“Where shall we go?” I said, already pushing him down the aisle.
“Anywhere but a church—I fear to speak freely here.”
“And where can you speak freely?”
“Our bedroom, of course.”
I laughed, and quickly pushed him there.
I could not believe it.
Just like that, I was married.
And I had not, and could not, tell my family. I could only imagine how angry they would feel. Damon was right: I really was a troublemaker, even when I wasn’t trying to be. But I could not be sad. I was far too glad to finally be his wife.
“The only thing that would make this day more perfect would be both of us in bed, making love to each other,” he said when we’d returned to his room. He lifted the back of my hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry it had to be done like this. When I return, we can make it a much bigger spectacle, I promise.”
I placed my hands on either side of his face. “So long as you go and come back safely, I shall not care.”
“You are too good to me,” he said as I helped him sit back on the bed.
“It’s only because you are injured. When you are recovered, I shall go back to behaving stubbornly against you.”
“Is that so?” His hand reached around, grabbing my bottom. I jumped, surprised. “I am prepared to deal with that in various ways.”