Charlotte’s Story (Pride & Prejudice & Potions)

Chapter 1

“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance,” I said as I tried to straighten the wataboshi resting on my black locks. My silk veil trembled slightly in my hands. Maybe from my nerves, maybe from the clock ticking down. The ceremony would start in less than ten minutes.

“It’s not entirely by chance, Charlotte. You could stack the odds a little if you married someone besides Mr. Collins.” Lizzy brushed my hand away and fixed the headdress for me.

I bit my lip instead of mentioning that stacking the odds was precisely what I had done when Firth—even though it was sometimes still weird to call Mr. Collins that—and I agreed on the conditions of our marriage of convenience. We’d set up our own terms to make it agreeable for both of us.

I pulled out my makeup for a quick touch-up, careful not to spill anything on the white kimono I’d borrowed from my mother. “I could be just as happy with him as with any other man… or fae.”

“But he doesn’t even like the Unmarked.” She threw her hands in the air. “Hex, he barely even likes those marked by magic unless you’re a high-born fae!”

“He likes humans enough to propose to one.” I glanced around, but we were still alone in the small anteroom off the chapel with bare wooden floors. Turning, I focused once more on the mirror with a silver frame propped on a windowsill to fix my makeup.

“Lady Catherine told him to marry a witch to show that he isn’t so judgy, and I think he thought marrying a human would impress her even more.”

I pursed my lips. If that were true, it almost made sense in a twisted way.

Witches were just humans with magic, so if he judged people by their magical ability, then humans would be the lowest rung on the Austen Heights social ladder.

And while Firth’s disapproval of the other races was troubling, I also wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Lizzy glanced toward the door, where the faint strains of music seeped through the old wooden walls. “We don’t have to go out there, you know. It isn’t too late to change your mind.”

I shrugged. “It’s fine, Lizzy. He has his reasons for agreeing to this, and so do I.”

“You mean because your aunt tweaked her will?”

“Exactly. If I’m not married by the end of the year, I lose my inheritance—and I need that money to buy the building for my candle shop.” I shoved aside the sliver of annoyance that rose every time I thought about my aunt tying my future to a wedding ring.

She sighed. “But don’t you want your marriage to be more than just a business deal?”

“We aren’t all looking to be swept off our feet,” I said. “I did that before, and look what happened.”

The reminder of my terrible ex silenced us both.

Lizzy straightened my obi, the soft white sash cinching the kimono to my frame.

Okaa-san and I were the same size at this age—short and thin—which gave me a glimpse of how I’d look in the future.

In fact, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect for most of my life going forward.

“You know not all men are terrible,” Lizzy said, her voice as soft as the snow falling in waves and dusting the ground outside.

I bit the inside of my cheek. It had always been hard for me to find someone I liked, but I’d fallen hard and fast for Hugh. Everything had just clicked.

Or so I’d thought.

Every promise, every lingering touch—it had all been a lie.

The wind rattled the windows, and I glanced across the small room toward the snow-glazed glass, thinking of that cold, wintry day two years ago.

“They don’t have to be as terrible as Hugh to still be terrible,” I said.

I’d rather keep my heart to myself than let someone tear it apart again, and since I sincerely doubted I’d ever find someone I truly cared about, it didn’t matter who I married.

I’d never fall in love with Firth, but I could trust him, and that was enough for me.

“But you hardly know Mr. Collins.”

“Maybe it’s better to know as little as possible about your partner’s faults before marriage.” And even more so if it was a marriage of convenience. I twisted the lid back on my mascara. “Besides, I know enough to know what I’m getting into with Firth.”

“Marriage to a ridiculous man with more hair on his head than sense in it?” Lizzy quipped.

“You shouldn’t be so quick to judge him,” I said. “He’s awkward and maybe a little full of himself—”

“And his sermons read like he swallowed a textbook mixed with the Bible.”

“But he’s reliable and polite to my family,” I said.

“How romantic,” she said dryly.

I elbowed her. “Plus, if I get married, my mom and aunt will finally stop worrying about me. Apparently, being twenty-seven and single is a full-blown crisis.” That was part of why I’d moved out of Lucas Lodge—my family’s too-full house where my dating life, or lack thereof, was everyone’s favorite topic.

Lizzy narrowed her eyes. “You do realize twenty-seven isn’t actually old, right?”

“I know. But it doesn’t feel that way when my younger siblings are all falling in love and getting married.”

“That doesn’t make you old. It just makes them really young to be getting married.” She sighed. “I can’t blame you for wanting your parents to stop harping on you, and I’ll stop bothering you about this—but I have to ask one more time: are you really all right with a marriage of convenience?”

I smiled. “I really am. It works out well for both of us. I get my boutique, and Firth gets…”

“The approval of Lady Catherine de Bourgh?”

“Exactly.”

We both laughed and Lizzy took a sip from her gingerbread latte to counter the chill of the church’s drafty wooden interior. She’d offered to bring me one, but I wasn’t willing to risk spilling it on my kimono.

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances to speak with her.” Lizzy’s smile widened. “After all, I hear that Mr. Collins’s estate abuts Rosings Park.”

I winced at the fact that it sounded like she was quoting Firth and that he’d used the word “abut.”

A knock sounded on the door and Okaa-san stuck her head in. “You look lovely, my dear.”

“I look well enough.” I gave myself another once-over in the mirror, then faced my mother. “Is it time?”

She nodded and handed me my bouquet, a gorgeous combination of poinsettias and white roses with an enticing smell that made me want to try to make a candle to match it.

Someone must have enchanted the bouquet, because once I touched the flowers, the petals shifted color slightly until they were the exact shade of white as my dress while the red matched my lipstick.

Okaa-san took my hand and gave me a small smile. “I still remember holding your hand when we left Japan. Now look at you about to walk into a whole new fairytale.”

“This is no fairytale. It’s real life.” I didn’t need a fairytale. I just needed a life I could live with, and I could build that myself. The first step was this marriage. “Now we should go. I don’t want to be late to my own wedding.”

We exited the tiny room on the side of the chapel and headed toward the soft sounds of Christmas carols. Okaa-san bustled ahead to let them know we were coming, and the Christmas carols switched to a wedding march. A sudden rush of heat crept up my neck, and my heart tapped a quick, uneven rhythm.

Lizzy gave me a quick hug. Relief flowed through me at the simple gesture. Despite the awkwardness that had fallen between us after she rejected Firth and I accepted him, we would be okay. She fell into step behind Maria and my other sisters, who looked adorable in matching red bridesmaid dresses.

Just before I headed down the aisle, Firth walked toward me, his hazel eyes locked over my shoulder but his expression determined. At his side, his hand twitched as if he were fighting the urge to run his fingers through his brown curls, which weren’t messy for once.

My heart skipped a beat. Was he regretting our arrangement? “What are you doing?” I hissed at him as he joined me in the foyer.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Right now?” I glanced at the room full of waiting townspeople.

“Yes.” He fiddled with the cuff of his tux, which was worn and slightly ill-fitting. “I wanted to tell you that you look lovely today. Your dress in particular looks remarkably wrinkle-resistant. A quality I deeply admire.”

“Oh, um, thanks. It’s my mother’s.”

“I also wanted to confirm that you’re still okay with our deal.”

“I am.” I looked at him—shoulders squared, gaze fixed slightly off to the side. This was just how Firth was, and I’d have to get used to it. When he decided something needed to happen, he did it right then. Which, all things considered, wasn’t the worst trait in a man. “Are you?”

“Yes. I believe it will function smoothly—with separate sleeping arrangements, a shared schedule, and no unnecessary displays of affection.” He nodded once, as if finalizing a well-constructed blueprint.

Good thing Lizzy wasn’t here to overhear our business-like proposal and the terms we’d agreed on. She already thought I was unromantic. “Okay, then maybe you should go back so we can start the wedding.”

He sucked in a breath, then handed me a small wooden box with both hands. He didn’t meet my gaze, but the tips of his pointed ears were red. “This is for you.”

Opening it revealed a tiny quill on a delicate chain. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed.

“It’s enchanted to assist me in expressing myself.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t always… articulate things properly, but when it grows warm, it means there’s something I want to say, even if I haven’t found the words yet.”

“Thank you,” I said softly.

“There may not be love in our marriage, but I will treasure you.” With that, he hurried back down the aisle before I could respond.

Considering our arrangement, I hadn’t expected him to say anything like that. But maybe the word “treasure” meant something different to him. There was no point reading into it.