Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

“ D o you think we could be moving any slower?” Lady Newsbury pulled back the curtain and looked outside. She took a moment, her nose curling with derision as she observed the rolling fields made of lush green meadows and verdant farmland, before throwing the curtain closed in a huff. “I swear, we could climb out and walk faster than this.”

“Mother,” Miss Augustina Barrington sighed. “We’re not moving that slow. You’re being silly.”

“I am not!” Lady Newsbury complained. She pulled the curtain back once more, looked outside for a few seconds—her frustration visibly building—and then threw it closed again. “Maybe if you and I climbed out and led the carriage ourselves? Based on the snail’s pace that we’re moving at, I dare say our driver is doing just that!”

Augustina shook her head. “Perhaps. But think about it logically, Mother. If we were to walk the rest of the way and lead the horses while doing it, we’d arrive covered in sweat and mud. Now how would that look?”

Her mother’s expression was unamused. “You think this is funny?”

“Not at all.”

“I will remind you that the only reason we’re late is because you refused to get ready when I asked it of you, which if you had done, we would be seated comfortably among our peers right now, bearing witness to one of the more transcendent moments in a young woman’s life. God is watching.” Lady Newsbury looked pointedly at Augustina. “And we’re nowhere to be found”

Augustina had to resist the urge to snort. “And you think climbing out of the carriage and leading the horses is going to get us there sooner?”

Her mother’s face dropped. “I think that if you would just listen to me for a change, then none of this would have happened in the first place.”

“Here we go.” Augustina sighed, folded her arms, and fell back in her seat.

“And I’m not just talking about your tardiness. It’s everything, Augustina.” Her mother sat herself up, and her expression turned serious. “You weren’t late in getting ready today because you simply lost track of the time. You were late because this is your way of hurting me, something which you seem to take great pleasure in doing. Although why that is—”

“I was late because I was with Father,” Augustina interrupted. “We were reading together and—”

“You knew what you were doing,” Lady Newsbury cut her off sharply. “You were hoping that if we left too late, I might change my mind and you wouldn’t have to attend today.”

“That’s just silly,” Augustina said. “Emily is my friend, Mother. Of course, I want to attend.”

“She will be Lady Hollowton soon enough,” Lady Newsbury pointed out. “Likely already, by the rate this carriage is moving at.”

Agustina looked at her. “Father is sick, and it makes him feel better when I read to him. I simply lost track of the time, that is all. It’s really not that big of a—”

“Oh, he’s not that sick. A cold at most. And, honestly, the fact he’s using that as an excuse to not be here with us…” Lady Newsbury shook her head. “The example that sets. It’s no wonder you’re not taking this seriously.”

“I am, Mother.”

“You’re not. If you were, you would have been ready on time, and we—” Lady Newsbury looked out the window again, her lip curling toward her nose as if there was some hideous odor emanating from outside. Then, she dropped the curtain, fell back in her seat, and crossed her arms. “And we wouldn’t be turning up so late that we’ve likely missed the entire ceremony! Everyone is going to see us arrive, they’re going to wonder at our lateness, and that’s how rumors start. Oh, just you wait and see.” She looked right at Augustina. “Just you wait and see.”

Why Augustina was surprised by her mother’s theatrics, she did not know. And now that she was well and truly in the swing of things, with her mother bearing down upon her like an encroaching storm cloud ready to erupt, Augustina wondered if maybe she should have been a little more aware of the time this morning and gotten ready at a decent hour. Anything to avoid having this conversation thrust on her!

Despite the way her mother was acting, however, Augustina knew well enough that their tardiness was only part of the reason for it. Maybe even less than that, truth be told.

It was an excuse, a not-so-needed reason for her mother to air grievances that had become almost routine by this point. And where Augustina would have liked to have simply ignored it, hoping that her mother would become bored and change conversational tracks, she knew there to be little to no chance of that happening today. Especially when taking into account where the two of them were headed.

“We shouldn’t be too much longer,” Augustina said softly, in an effort to try and calm her mother. “And these things almost never start on time.”

“Oh, so you’re an expert now?”

“Mother…”

“No, no, please, tell me more.” Her mother sat up and pretended to act interested. “How many weddings have you been to, exactly? I had no idea you harbored such an interest.”

Augustina looked at her mother flatly. “I’m just saying—”

“I know what you’re saying,” Lady Newsbury snapped.

This had Augustina rearing back, which saw her mother grimace from guilt and soften.

“I’m sorry, dear. I am.” Lady Newsbury reached across the carriage and took Augustina’s hand. “It’s not you, it’s this darn carriage ride. I swear…” She clicked her tongue. “It’s going to be nightfall by the time we arrive.”

Lady Newsbury was exaggerating, but that was to be expected. It was still only mid-morning, and seeing as they’d been traveling for a little over thirty minutes by this point, Augustina expected them to arrive any moment now. And where they were almost certainly going to miss the ceremony—they were running rather late, after all—the truth of the matter was that Augustina was glad for it.

Lady Emily Egerton was a close friend of Augustina’s, one she’d had since the two were just little girls. Not best friends by any measure, but close enough that they were often spoken about in the same breath. What one was doing, the other was sure to be close behind. As young girls, this had referred to playdates and public outings mostly, tea parties and promenades, and the like. But now that the two ladies were aged twenty-and-one, well into the throes of young adulthood, the comparisons had taken on a different nature.

Marriage. That was all anyone seemed to care for. Everywhere Augustina went, every person she spoke with, this was the very first topic that was broached. Every single time. And it wasn’t that she was against marriage per se, it was more that she didn’t want to do it for the wrong reasons.

Or a better way of saying it, she wanted to do it for the right reasons. For love.

Today was Emily’s wedding day. That was where Augustina and her mother were headed. After six months of courtship, her childhood friend was finally set to be wed—and to a marquess, to boot. Emily was naturally excited and spoke of her love for her betrothed often and always. And Augustina was excited for her, thrilled and happy, over the moon that her friend had fallen in love and was marrying the man of her dreams.

Really, she was!

What frustrated Augustina, and what had led her to take her time today in getting ready, hoping that her mother might change her mind and decide that they didn’t need to attend the ceremony, was the pressure this put on her.

“It’s a shame your grandmother couldn’t be here today,” Lady Newsbury sighed wistfully all of a sudden. “She loves weddings.”

“Does she?” Augustina said dryly.

“You know she does.”

“How could I not? The amount you talk about it—”

“For good reason.” Her mother looked at her, and without having to say anything, Augustina knew what was coming next, for it was always the same.

Where Lady Newsbury wanted Augustina to marry because it was the proper thing to do, Augustina’s grandmother wanted it because, at her age, she wished to see her only granddaughter wedded and happy. She was so desperate for it, in fact, that it probably didn’t matter whom Augustina married at this point, so long as it was someone.

“She doesn’t have much longer, you know?” Lady Newsbury pointed out. “And I just know how much it will mean to her if—”

“Oh!” Augustina sat up quickly, cutting her mother off. “Do you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Her mother looked about expectantly.

“We’re slowing down.” Augustina was quick to lean forward and pull back the curtain. “See, told you’d we’d make it on time.”

Indeed, the carriage had begun to slow down, and one glance out the window was enough to confirm the reason. Where they had been traveling down a single, straight road for the better part of thirty minutes, finally the carriage was turning off said road and making its way along a wide-set avenue that led to a church sitting at the end.

The church was smaller than a typical chapel. That was because it was a private chamber built on Emily’s family’s property. Raised in the middle of a green field, which spread for several acres until it became swallowed by the encroaching forest. To the right, several hundred yards away, was the family’s manor, where Augustina could see several dozen carriages and horses much like the one that she and her mother rode in.

Lady Newsbury eyed the church as the carriage slowly edged its way toward the lot. “Nobody is about,” she mused hopefully. “They must be inside. At least that means we haven’t missed the ceremony entirely.”

“And you were worried.” Augustina tittered. “I told you that we’d be fine.”

“Arriving mid-way through is just as egregious, if not more.” Lady Newsbury shook her head. “I guarantee, if this was your wedding, you’d be nowhere near as cavalier.”

There it was. The first barb of the day. Subtle. A passing comment that might be easily ignored. And where Augustina might have been hopeful that her mother’s attitude would change now that they had arrived, she knew things would only get worse.

“In fact…” Lady Newsbury’s eyes flicked from the church to Augustina. “I was speaking with your father just last night, and apparently Lord Chesterfield is going to be here today, and rumor has it that he’s no longer courting—”

“Come on.” Augustina took her mother’s hand and sat herself up, readying to climb down from the carriage once it stopped. “We best get ready to sneak in. Maybe we can find a side door to slip through without anyone seeing.”

It was only going to get worse. On any normal day, her mother was known to mention marriage, and Augustina’s desperate need to find a man to wed, at least five times. But today, while attending an actual wedding, Augustina expected it to hit double digits.

Again, it needed to be emphasized that Augustina wasn’t opposed to marriage. In fact, she wanted it as any woman of her station would. But where she wished to fall in love first, her mother seemed to think this desire inconsequential and silly. Love was something that came after, Lady Newsbury believed, and rarely if ever was a couple in love with one another beforehand. That was highly romanticized and just not practical.

Well, Augustina could always dream. She could always hope. She could always pray. Why couldn’t one fall in love with the man whom they were set to marry? Was that really so crazy and unheard of?

Of course, Lady Newsbury wouldn’t hear of this, which was why Augustina planned on spending the day avoiding her. You know… once the two of them made it inside.

Alas, it was just as the carriage reached the front of the church that the front doors of the chapel swung open and droves of guests began to pile out. They noticed the carriage immediately, and Augustina recognized more than one pair of eyes which stared at them with open judgment and derision.

“Oh, no…” Lady Newsbury slunk down in her seat and tried to hide.

“So much for being subtle,” Augustina muttered to herself. “Turns out you were right, Mother. I really ought to have started getting ready sooner.”

To that, her mother simply glared.

“I’m glad you saw fit to make it.” Emily, now Lady Hollowton, smirked. “Maybe not on time, of course. But you got here eventually, which is something.”

“I’m so sorry,” Augustina said apologetically. “I lost track of the time, that is all. And our driver…” She shook her head and sighed as if to imply that somehow that was the real reason for her lateness.

“Right… the driver.” Emily raised a discerning eyebrow at her. “I suppose he took the backroads, didn’t he? The horse threw a shoe and had to be reshod? That kind of thing?”

“Exactly, that sort of thing,” Augustina agreed. “And we told him—I told him that one of my oldest friends is getting married today, so can we please hurry things along. But the man simply would not listen!”

Emily fixed her with an unamused expression. “It sounds like he was doing everything in his power not to make it here on time. Almost as if there was some other reason that he didn’t wish to be here…” She shot her a pointed look. “But I can’t imagine what.”

“Yes, well…” Augustina cleared her throat. “We made it, so let us count that as a win? And from the looks of things…” She took a step back so as to admire her friend’s dress. It was a stunning gown, colored in various shades of green and embroidered with golden stitching. Modest with its long sleeves and high collar, but still tightfitting around the waist. “Everything went according to plan.”

“You mean that he said yes?” Emily’s smile was excited. “Well, obviously.”

Augustina beamed. “Isn’t that all that really matters, then? You’re married. I made it. And my mother—” She indicated through the crowd to where her mother stood talking to some friends of hers. “—has something to complain about. Happy days.”

It was official, Augustina and her mother had missed the ceremony. Arriving just as it had ended, they weren’t even spared the indignity of being able to pretend that they had made it. The crowds saw their late arrival and then watched as they climbed down meekly from the carriage and slunk their way toward the manor, where the wedding breakfast was to be served.

The following ten minutes saw Lady Newsbury undergo damage control. As the guests slowly filtered outside and made their way to the manor, she intercepted as many as she could, explaining hurriedly that they left late on account of her husband being sick, that a horse threw a shoe on the way here, that the carriage became stuck in the mud. And on it went.

During the charade, Augustina was happy to walk ahead and avoid her mother, seeing no reason that she herself needed to participate. Truly, she didn’t think it was that big of a deal that they had been late, and so long as Lady Hollowton forgave her, that was all that mattered.

But it wasn’t about forgiveness. It was about perception. As Lady Newsbury had already explained, today was as much about Augustina as it was about the happy couple, and something as simple as a late arrival might give way to rumors, which might give way to slander, which might end in being the very reason that Augustina dies alone without a man by her side to love her. Slightly hyperbolic, sure. But to Lady Newsbury, it was as much a truth as anything.

It was for that reason that Augustina chose to leave her mother’s side as soon as she was able. The breakfast was being held inside the Grand Hall of the manor—a simple affair, as these things often were. There were long tables lined up in a U shape around the edges, and in the center, each one was set with polished silverware and the finest China, while various colorful bouquets and posies hung from the walls and sat in the center of each table.

The primary reason for this feast was eating, as the name suggested, but that was still some time away. The guests had to make their way from the chapel and into the house. Then they had to socialize and banter for several minutes, discussing the ceremony and how beautiful it had been. Then, they had to say their best wishes to the bride and groom, making sure they were seen , and only then was the food finally served.

Augustina walked idly through the Grand Hall, keeping to herself until she found the only person she really cared to meet. Her very reason for being here in the first place.

“But really, how are you?” She clasped her friend’s hands. “Is this exactly how you pictured everything?”

“It’s even better.” There was a twinkle behind Emily’s eyes, proof that she meant every word. “I mean, can you actually believe it? Me married to a marquess? Who would have thought?”

“Well, me, for one.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“Seriously!” Augustina decreed. “I remember when the two of you first met last season. You and I had just finished complaining that there wasn’t a single man at the…” She bit her lip in thought.

“Willflower Ball,” Emily prompted.

“Exactly. Not a man in sight, we had complained.” Augustina nodded her head rightly. “And then, from nowhere, Lord Hollowton blew in and swept you off your feet. I’ve never seen someone change their mind so quickly.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that quick.”

“It was worse.” Augustina grinned. “If I remember things correctly, I didn’t hear from you for six weeks after that. Too busy crooning and being sought after, courted properly for the first and last time. No…” She shook her head. “I don’t think there was ever any doubt.”

“Oh?” Emily perked up. “Someone is sounding optimistic. Is there a chance…” she trailed off.

It took Augustina a moment to understand what her friend was trying to imply. When she did, her face dropped, as did her shoulders. “No, just swept up in the grandeur of your wedding day, I think. But as things stand…” She glanced about the hall, pretending to study the other guests. “… you might have gone and snapped up the last decent man in all of London.”

Augustina was speaking hyperbolically, of course. At the tender age of twenty and one, she knew that there was still plenty of time for her to find a husband. And what was more, she knew that the small sample present at this wedding hardly constituted the entire eligible male population in London.

What frustrated her more than anything was the perception that she was single because she wanted it, because she had some sort of aversion to being courted and wanted to end up a spinster. It was absurd! And vexing.

“Oh, all right then…” Emily said with a knowing smile. “I’ll drop it. I know how much you hate the topic.”

“I don’t hate the topic,” Augustina insisted hotly. “I’m just saying—”

“I know what you’re saying,” Emily cut her off. “But I also think you’re being a little na?ve.”

“I am not na?ve.”

“That’s exactly what a na?ve person would say.”

“I am not—”

“I have one more thing to say, and then I promise I won’t bring it up ever again.” Emily looked at Augustina, who reluctantly indicated for her to continue. “Despite what you might think, I wasn’t as infatuated with my husband when I first met him as you think—”

“You so were!”

Emily looked pointedly at her friend. “I was not. I was interested. I was intrigued. But in love? Obsessed?” She laughed. “Of course, I wasn’t. It took time, and patience. Getting to know one another before the love I feel today blossomed.” She sighed wistfully, her body relaxed, and her gaze moved past Augustina to where Lord Hollowton was standing with some friends of his. A smile grew on her lips, and that twinkle was back in her eye. “But now… I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make.”

“The point ,” Emily continued, “is that love isn’t something that just happens all of a sudden. It takes work and time, and patience. You’re so set on some fanciful notion of a whirlwind romance that you’re not willing to be realistic and actually try at being courted.”

Augustina scrunched her face. “Have you been speaking with my mother?”

Emily laughed and shook her head. She then opened her mouth to rebuke, only to glance over Augustina’s shoulder and break into a smile. “You’re in luck.”

“And, why is that?”

“As it turns out, you’re not the only one here today that has an aversion to marriage.”

“I don’t have an aversion to—”

“Ladies,” a familiar voice spoke suddenly from just behind Augustina, “I was wondering why every male gaze in the room was drawn to this exact location, and now I know.”

Augustina felt a large body swoop in behind her, and she stiffened.

“It happens to be the exact same spot where the two most stunning creatures in all of London are congregating. What are the odds?”

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