Chapter 4 #2
“It is,” he said simply. “And yet, I am quite sure that come the day of the ceremony, I will see you at the end of the aisle, smiling as if it is the most wonderful day of your life.”
Her eyes flashed hatred. “Are you really so –”
“Sorry to interrupt.” Stepping around them was Ironvale, and he wore a cheeky smirk. “Lady Thalia Harrington, I presume?” He offered her a short bow. “His Grace has just been telling me all about you.”
“Is that so?” she said dryly. “It must have been a short conversation, as His Grace knows almost nothing about me.”
Ironvale laughed. “Oh, she is wonderful.”
That is one word for it, but not the word that I would use.
Caspian was not surprised by her antipathy, but that did not mean he appreciated it. Despite the strange circumstances that brought this union about, Caspian still needed it to go smoothly.
He looked down at her, keeping his visage calm, letting his eyes show her that he did not appreciate the hostility. She met his eyes, matched his stare, her jaw setting as stubbornly as any mule’s.
This had Caspian thinking quickly.
His initial plan was to have as little to do with his wife as was possible. He would see her on the day of the wedding. They would consummate until she was with child. And then, hopefully, they could continue on as if the other did not exist.
A mode of operation I believe she will be perfectly willing to accept.
Now, Caspian was starting to see a problem… one that, in hindsight, he should have predicted. The woman was just so cantankerous, and he wondered if she was already trying to find a way out of this arraignment.
If she was, he would need to stop her. And to do that, he would need to keep an eye on her.
“A gown, you say?” Caspian asked her.
“That’s right.”
He turned slightly and noticed that they were standing outside of a modiste. “From here? I believe this shop has quite the reputation.”
Lady Thalia narrowed her eyes. “It does, but I do not expect you to –”
“Wonderful,” he cut her off. “I shall join you.”
“What?” she gasped.
“Ah, Caspian…” Ironvale stepped beside him. “We have business, remember? The entire point of our meeting today.”
Caspian cursed silently. The meeting he had was important – they all were, because he did not schedule meetings otherwise. And Caspian hated cancelling at the last minute. Alas, this was infinitely more important, an admission that irked him terribly.
“I am sure you can handle it without me,” he said.
Ironvale frowned and leaned back. “Without you? When have you ever –”
“You will be fine.” He looked pointedly at his friend.
“I guess I will be,” Ironvale said carefully. “Lady Thalia, it was a pleasure to meet you.”
“As it was you,” she said stiffly.
Ironvale was quick then to hurry down the street, leaving Caspian alone with Lady Thalia and her maid.
“I would really prefer if you do not join me,” she said.
“I am sure you would prefer a great many things,” he responded coolly. “But as you are surely starting to realize, in this world, we rarely get what we want.”
The look she gave him wasn’t so much hate as it was disbelief. Her expression contorted, and she shook her head. The doubtful, look in her eyes suggested that she did not understand what she was looking at exactly. As if it was a dream that she could not wake up from.
“Fine,” she scoffed. “If you insist.”
With that, she stepped around Caspian and strode inside. And Caspian, sensing that this day was going to get worse before it got better, followed in after.
“Good morning, good morning!” the modiste greeted the second they entered her store. “What might I help you both with?”
“She would like –”
“I am shopping for a wedding gown,” Lady Thalia spoke over him. As she did, she purposefully put herself between Caspian and the modiste.
“Oh, how exciting!”
“Not really.”
For the next few minutes, Lady Thalia and the modiste spoke about things that Caspian did not understand; fabrics, designs, colors. He stayed back, aware of the way that Lady Thalia was trying to ignore him, and very aware of how foolish he was starting to look.
What am I doing here? Yes, I have my reasons, but those are starting to seem… well, nowhere near as necessary as I wanted to believe.
Ultimately, he needed to ensure that this marriage went ahead without incident. Which, he had to admit, would be far more likely was Lady Thalia not his bride.
He watched as she and the modiste spoke and walked the shop, pointing out random samples, and trying to ascertain a better image of his wife. Who was she? How could he control her?
“What of this one?” Lady Thalia held in her hand a purple fabric with golden stitching.
“Oh, no, you don’t want that one,” the modiste said and snatched the fabric away. “With your coloring? I would think something in yellow – oh! I know just the one.”
Lady Thalia pushed her tongue into her cheek and Caspian braced himself for her objection. She was, after all, the type to argue just for the sake of it.
“Fine,” she sighed instead, turning away. “Whatever you think is best.”
The moment was subtle but it surprised Caspian greatly.
Firstly, he was of the opinion that the purple would suit her well.
While he might not have liked Lady Thalia’s personality, even Caspian had to admit that she was a beautiful creature who would look good in just about anything.
She was tall without it being obvious. She was slender but was blessed with ample curves in her waist and bosom.
And her dark hair, her ivory skin, and her green eyes ensured that there were few who could call themselves her equal.
Secondly, that she was so willing to kowtow to the modiste’s suggestion told him that Lady Thalia was not totally unreasonable. She was willing to lose. Sometimes.
“Oh, yes!” the modiste purred as she produced a yellow gown. “Something like this. Of course, it will be made to fit your figure, but this is a good place to start. Shall we try it on?”
There was a small changeroom toward the back of the store, and the modiste led Thalia inside. The curtain that covered it, however, was crumpled, and when the modiste pulled it closed, it did not slide the entire way.
Caspian tried his best not to watch… but he was only human.
His eyes drifted over the changeroom and found the gap. Through it, he spied Lady Thalia’s naked shoulder, he saw clearly the curve of her waist, and his eyes widened when she stepped further across so that he could make out the way her hips wiggled as she tried to slide into the gown.
His heart was racing suddenly. His skin flushed hot. In that moment, all Caspian wanted to do was go to that curtain, throw it open, and gaze upon the beauty of the woman who would soon be his wife.
He did no such thing.
Self-control was a point of pride with Caspian, and he forced himself to turn away. Even when he did, he could not quite erase from his mind the image of Lady Thalia’s outline. Such an image as that, and he could feel blood pumping through his body, past his thighs, and right toward his –
The curtain rustled open, then closed. “What do you think?” Lady Thalia’s voice interrupted him.
He turned and looked at her simply, making sure not to smile or give anything away. Hopefully, she would not notice the flush in his cheeks. “It is nice,” he offered her simply.
Indeed, the gown was ‘nice’ in all the ways that mattered. But now that he had seen so much of her, now that he knew what was hidden, Caspian found that nice wasn’t nearly good enough. He wanted more.
“It should be tighter,” he said without thinking. “Around the waist and beneath the bust.”
Lady Thalia frowned at the comment.
“It will be!” the modiste announced. “As you can see…” She hurried toward Lady Thalia. “The back is not done up properly. Once it is, and once I make the necessary adjustments…”
“I could not do it myself.” Lady Thalia looked across the shop and found her maid. She widened her eyes at the maid, who jumped on the spot.
“Sorry! I will just –”
“Allow me.” Caspian strode across the store and straight for Lady Thalia. She saw him coming and her eyes widened in surprise, soon replaced by an angered glare.
“There is no need,” she said.
“In this world, if you want something done right, you must do it yourself.” He reached her and cocked an eyebrow down at her, daring her to argue. “Now, if you do not mind…”
She looked up at him curiously, her green eyes assessing him, no doubt searching for some sort of trick. “If you must,” she sighed and turned around. “It is not as if saying no to you has worked in the past.”
Caspian was only supposed to tie up the back of the dress. In fact, he could not even say why he was bothering. He did not care what dress she wore. But his usually sharp mind, detached from emotion, wasn’t working how it was supposed to.
For that reason, what was meant to be a simple gesture turned infinitely more… erotic.
His hands shook as he took the leather cords and began to tie them.
His fingers brushed the bare flesh of her skin, he heard her gasp and hold her breath, and he stepped in closer so that his body was inches away.
He struggled more than he should have done, his fingers continuing to graze her skin.
He could feel her shaking too, he could see the flush on the back of her neck, and if he did not miss his guess, he would have said that she was not breathing.
The room around them seemed to vanish.
Just the two of them, alone, as he slowly brought her dress together. He pulled it tight, which had her leaning back into him, her hair under his nose, her backside pressed into his crotch, his body leaning over her as if he meant to wrap her in his arms.
He could hear his own breathing. His heart racing. His eyes drifting to the bareness of her neck, her supple skin, so smooth and perfect. It was not like him. It was not how he usually behaved or thought. But in that moment, all Caspian wanted to do was lean down and place his lips on her neck…
“Almost done?” she asked suddenly.
Caspian snapped himself from the moment and dropped his hands. Then he took a quick step back. “Y – yes,” he stammered. “All done.”
“Isn’t it perfect?” the modiste said. “Oh, you look beautiful.”
Lady Thalia was looking at Caspian curiously, and he looked away as if she might be able to read what was on his mind. Good luck, as even I do not know what is on my mind.
“I suppose so,” she sighed and turned to find a mirror. “Yes… it will do.”
She was not happy with it, and even Caspian could see the apathy she held as she looked at her reflection. The yellow of the dress was nice enough, but it was missing something… an answer found when he saw her eyes flick across the room, landing on the purple fabric swatch from before.
Caspian should not have cared. This wedding was for a purpose, and it had nothing to do with his wife’s wants or needs. It barely had anything to do with his own. And yet, he remembered the feeling that had taken him just now, at the dull, empty look in her eyes, he simply could not help himself.
“It will not do,” he said loudly. “The yellow…” A shake of the head. “It does not suit her nearly as well as you say.”
“Oh…” The modiste blinked. “I… I think it is a lovely color.”
“I do not wish for lovely,” he said. “She is to be my wife and when people see her, I expect them to be star-struck. Dazzled.” He pointed across the room at the purple swatch. “That is the color that will do it.”
The modiste frowned. “Your Grace, forgive me, but the yellow –”
“Is not what I want.” He looked right at the modiste, not with anger, not with fury, but with an expression that he used often, one that told whoever he was speaking with that they would be smart not to argue.
“Of course,” the modiste said with a nervous bow. “Allow me to…” she hurried across the room.
Caspian found Lady Thalia and was unsurprised to see her watching him with unabashed curiosity. He tried to remain composed, no expression whatsoever, but a smile somehow crossed his lips, and then it reached his eyes.
Lady Thalia frowned in surprise, and then she matched his smile when she realized what he had done. It was such a small thing, but in the context of everything else, both seemed to understand just how huge a moment it was.
Just like that, this wedding, this marriage, became infinitely more complicated.
Caspian hated complications.