Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Evan had managed to obtain a special license that allowed him to get married at his estate’s chapel instead of the local church.
It was much more convenient this way, and it was safer for Lilly.
He shuddered to think about what could happen to her if she escaped her nanny’s watchful eye when she was not on estate grounds.
He stood in front of the altar with the clergyman. The chapel pews only had a few people present. His daughter and her nanny were on one side of the church.
Marina’s family looked like a small crowd in comparison to his own. Her parents sat with Amelia and Bethany, along with two young girls who looked practically identical. He assumed they were the twins Lady Shirley had mentioned. They looked barely sixteen.
The twins did not seem to care about their surroundings or the events of the day, because they simply huddled together, whispering to each other with mischievous smiles. Bethany and Amelia stared straight ahead, looking a little wary but generally happy.
Lord and Lady Shirley were by far the most unsettling duo.
Lord Shirley was staring off into space, looking completely indifferent to the thought of attending his daughter’s wedding.
Meanwhile, Lady Shirley had an ambitious gleam in her eye as she looked around the chapel as if she herself owned it.
That woman does not care one whit for her own daughter. She is only happy that her daughter is to be a duchess. The thought left a bad taste in Evan’s mouth.
Before he could think more about it, the chapel doors opened, and Marina entered the room, dressed in a pale blue wedding dress and carrying a bouquet of pink flowers. Her eyes met his own, and he drank in the sight of her honey-colored hair and almond-shaped amber eyes.
She is beautiful.
There was no question about Marina’s beauty, but as she walked closer, he noticed something was wrong.
She looked pale and a trifle thinner than the last time he saw her, even though it had been less than a week since her visit to Pemberton Manor.
Perhaps her corset was too tight, and that accounted for the thinness. That did not seem like a better option.
Dark circles under her eyes marred the skin, giving her a sallow look. He glanced at Carlson, who was standing at attention at the back of the chapel. He seemed calm, and Evan knew the older man had not noticed Marina’s state either.
Was he the only one?
She joined him at the altar, not meeting his eyes, even as he stared intently at her. “Are you all right?” he asked quietly.
She glanced up at him before looking down. “I am fine. I would just like to get the ceremony over with, please.” Her voice sounded slightly strained, as if even speaking the words took a toll on her.
He nodded at the clergyman to start the ceremony, but he could not pay attention to the man’s words. Instead, he was looking at his bride, his concern for her growing.
What if she is unwell? Am I really introducing a new mother to Lilly only for her to lose her, too?
“Your Grace, do you take Miss Marina Hooper to be your lawfully wedded wife?” The clergyman asked.
It took him a moment to remember to answer. Marina looked at him with impatience, but all he could focus on was her shallow breathing. “I do,” he said.
“And do you, Miss Marina Hooper, take—”
“I do,” she said quickly. Her cheeks reddened, and she looked at the audience. Her twin sisters snickered to each other, barely audible, and her mother looked murderous behind the fake smile pasted on her face. She looked at the clergyman. “Please, let’s finish quickly,” she whispered.
The man nodded, satisfied with her answer. “Then I announce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Evan leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers for the ceremonial kiss.
It was brief, formal, and passionless, but it sent a thrill of …
something … down his spine. How tedious.
Why does the wedding ceremony include a kiss when it’s a marriage of convenience?
It just leads to confusion. The worst thing he could do was indulge in emotions on his wedding day.
“You call that a kiss, Your Grace?” a young, female voice called out. Evan’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“Louiza!” hissed Lady Shirley. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace. The interruption will not happen again.”
Evan looked out to see the twins giggling while all the other Shirleys looked mortified—although Bethany might be hiding a smile with the way her hand was covering her mouth.
“What?” said Louiza. “That was barely a kiss. It shouldn’t count.”
Marina seemed to agree. Her expression did not change throughout the kiss. Instead, she seemed to be staring off into space.
When the ceremony was over, it was time to sign the wedding registry, and then they would be officially married.
The clergyman produced the book, and Evan signed first before passing the pen over to Marina.
His elbow brushed against hers for a moment.
A shiver ran through him from the contact, and he pulled away from her, startled.
First, he had that feeling from the kiss, and now this. What is wrong with me today? I certainly had no trouble controlling myself at my first wedding. I did not have these meddling feelings.
They were not necessarily negative feelings. But they were confusing. He did not like confusion in his life, so it was troublesome.
Marina barely glanced at him as she started to sign her name.
What was that about? Why would a simple, accidental touch affect me so much?
It must be discomfort. After all, he had always been uncomfortable within close proximity to other people.
Marina noticed him pull away, and she rolled her eyes as she finished signing her name.
“Do not worry, I will not be annoying you with my proximity for much longer. I solemnly swear that as soon as we are behind closed doors, I will be a stranger to you. Two strangers raising a child. Nothing more natural than that.”
He gave her a stern look as the clergyman closed the wedding registry and backed away from the newlyweds.
He was clearly eager to leave the chapel.
Evan barely noticed him as he focused on his wife.
“You knew my expectations when you decided to become my wife. What is the point of arguing about them now?”
“Just because I know your expectations does not mean I like them,” she said hotly. “To be frank, they are entirely unrealistic. How are two strangers supposed to raise a child together?”
“Easily,” he said. “It is much simpler if we do not let emotions get in the way. You have to know that. Our duty is to Lilly, not to each other.”
She did not look convinced. “If we are to give Lilly a stable home life, then we have a duty to each other as well. She needs a family, after all.”
“She has a family. She has a father, and now she has a mother again. What more could she want?”
She looked at him, exasperated. “You cannot really mean that.”
“Mean what? I am just speaking facts.”
“Then your facts are wrong. Children need love and compassion. They need to be raised by people who are compassionate and kind to each other because they learn from example.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Unless you wish for her to end up in a loveless marriage.”
Irritation prickled under his skin as he remembered his first marriage. “I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself,” he said. “You have been my wife for less than five minutes. You do not have the faintest idea what my daughter needs.”
“I know what it is like to be part of a family,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “I know emotions cannot be simply shut off the way you think they can.”
“You are not acting rationally. You are unwell.” A faint sheen of sweat was glistening on her forehead now. He needed to get her out of the chapel and into the manor so he could call a physician. “We should go. Everyone else has already left the chapel.”
He did not know when the chapel had emptied out, but they were indeed alone. Most likely, their guests were waiting at the manor. Even though there would be no wedding breakfast, Marina’s family would most likely linger to say goodbye to her.
She looked at the empty chapel, surprise flickering on her face. She had been as oblivious to the guests leaving as he had been. “All right,” she said. “I am more than happy to leave for the manor.”
She picked up her skirts and strode quickly to the chapel door. Evan fell into step beside her, trying not think about the way her breathing was getting more labored with every step. When he opened the door, he found the Shirleys standing just outside the entrance, talking quietly with each other.
Lilly and her nanny had already gone back to the manor, and Carlson had probably gone with them because he was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at his wife, making sure he stayed right next to her in case she needed his arm for support.
Lady Shirley turned to look at Evan with a simpering smile. “Congratulations on your wedding, Your Grace!” she said. “It was so lov—”
Out of his peripheral vision, Evan saw Marina waver, and he immediately stopped paying attention to Lady Shirley’s insipid platitudes.
He wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist and slowed her descent as she collapsed in a dead faint.
Her head bumped against the stone floor with a light thud, and dread shot through him at the sight of her unconscious.
Amelia, Bethany, and the twins gasped audibly and quickly surrounded their sister. “Marina!” Amelia shouted, kneeling at her sister’s head. The other sisters were quick to surround her, but all of them were frozen because they were unsure what to do.
“Please, step to the side,” Evan commanded. He pushed between the girls and knelt next to his bride. Carefully, with shaking hands, he turned her around, so she was on her stomach. He grabbed the back of her dress and her corset and tugged on it until there was a slight tearing sound.