Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
“You look beautiful, sister,” Grace breathed, sweeping her eyes down Deborah’s wedding gown.
Deborah smiled, despite her nerves still being on edge from the wedding ceremony.
Her mind might have decided to despise Cedric.
Her body, though? Had other opinions. Warmth had swept through her hands and coursed through her entire body when he had taken her hands to recite his vows, shooing away the anxiety that had her entire body trembling before the priest.
It was the same when he had tenderly slid a tendril of her auburn hair away from her face when he’d lifted her veil, and when he’d pressed his lips against her forehead in an unexpected gesture to seal their vows.
The moment his touch left her, though, and she took in the anxious look on her mother’s face after the ceremony was over, that nervousness returned, and now she feared she might vomit.
“Thank you, Grace,” Deborah replied, fighting the sick feeling rising within her, “I am so very, very happy that you were able to be here. And that you helped me make my gown so pretty.”
Grace beamed up at her, a world of hope shining in her eyes.
How I wish I had that hope.
Instead of saying that, though, she swept her hands down her skirts and marveled at her sister’s talent.
Grace had taken the plain salmon pink cotton gown and transformed it into a thing of beauty.
Slightly bolder pink string had been used to embroider butterflies and birds among the skirts, accentuated by small, glittering beads that caught the light and made it sparkle.
“You did this?”
Deborah and Grace both turned to the voice, and Deborah’s anxiety waned a little when she saw Adeline. She had wanted the little girl to be included in the day, and she was glad that Cedric, though hesitant about it at first, had agreed to bring her after all.
“Adeline, I am so happy you came,” Deborah greeted.
Adeline gave a careless shrug.
“This was my house once. I wanted to see my old room again. So, you made this?”
Deborah looked at Adeline, surprised. She’d had no idea that Adeline had lived in Cedric’s London house, but it made sense.
Since her parents' death, the deed would have been returned to him. For a moment, she floundered, caught between wanting to ask more about Adeline’s past or answer her question.
“Good day,” Grace said, smiling sweetly as she curtseyed toward Adeline. “My name is Grace. I am Deborah’s little sister. And yes, I embroidered her gown. Do you sew?”
“My name is Adeline,” Adeline replied. Though she did not return the curtsey, her tone was at least polite enough. “My mother was teaching me how to sew before she died. But back then, I could barely sew a single straight line.”
Instead of becoming awkward over Adeline’s blunt confession of being an orphan, Grace readily turned the subject toward sewing.
“I could help you with that,” she said excitedly, “It is one of my favorite pastimes. My sister is quite talented as well.”
“Not as talented as you,” Deborah remarked, finally returning to her senses.
“But yes, I am sure we would both enjoy a visit from you, would we not, Adeline?” She asked, turning to the little girl.
Again, Adeline gave another careless shrug.
“It could be amusing,” she admitted, “If it happens.”
“I will ensure that it does,” Deborah promised.
Something like hope sparked in Adeline’s eyes, but she remained straight-faced as she gave another shrug.
“If you say,” she said blandly.
“Do you want to come with me, Adeline?” Grace asked, offering the girl her hand, “We can sneak some treats from the buffet table, and you could show me your old room if you like?”
A smile finally spread across Adeline’s face, and she quickly agreed. Deborah made a mental note to thank her sister for her kindness and watched affectionately as they skipped off toward the dining room, where the food was laid out.
With her sister gone, Deborah took a moment to check in not only with herself but also with her surroundings. Her stomach was still queasy, and her hands had begun to shake again. She grimaced at the discovery and tucked her hands in her skirts to hide them as she took a long look around the room.
The guest list had indeed been small. From Deborah’s side were Grace, their mother, and their uncle.
From Cedric’s side, Adeline, a man he introduced as the Duke of Hungate, and Cedric’s solicitor, a man whose name she’d already forgotten.
Each party stood on opposite sides of the room, neither mingling with the other now that the ceremony was over.
Her eyes found Cedric as he spoke to the Duke of Hungate, and they remained fixed there as she took him in. Redwyne the Divine. The illustrious rake was now her husband. Her husband.
She was supposed to be seeking revenge for Hester by now, but instead, here she stood in a wedding dress, yoked to a man whom she found offensively cocky and noncommittal.
What have I done? Her heart sank in her chest at the question, and she turned to look at her mother.
For the thousandth time since Cedric had proposed, Deborah wondered what Hester would say or do if she were there to give her the advice she desperately yearned for.
Frances saw Hester as weak, but Deborah knew better.
Hester had been incredibly brave to take the risk she did, and she had done so in the pursuit of fixing a mistake she should not have been responsible for.
It was only when Hester’s heart was broken that she had crumbled. So if Deborah kept her heart protected from any silly feelings, she could still accomplish everything she wanted, despite unexpected setbacks.unexpected setbacks.
My heart is firmly unbroken. I am still strong. I will remain strong, and I will avenge you, sister.
Tingles spread through her lower belly, then as she felt a hand smooth over her lower back, she turned in time to see that Cedric had joined her.
“You look like someone trying to choose a side,” he mused, the heat of his hand spreading from her lower back to her entire body.
“No,” she replied, ignoring the delightful warmth tingling through her veins, “I have firmly chosen.”
Cedric perked a curious brow.
“Me?”
Deborah gave him an exasperated look.
“Surely that is obvious,” she replied with open sarcasm, and her heart throbbed as Cedric answered with a laugh.
She may not like much about him, but she had to admit, she did appreciate that he seemed unbothered by her penchant for speaking as dryly and sarcastically as he did.
At least she would not have to worry about watching her tone or offending a delicate ego.
“Indeed it is,” Cedric agreed, “But it is also obvious that you have yet to eat something.”
He cast a pointed glance toward her hands, which were still trembling.
She looked at him, surprised.
“You noticed that?” She asked, “But I was hiding them!”
“Not well enough, obviously,” Cedric replied wryly, then shook his head. “Come, let us announce breakfast. With the ceremony over I do not want to waste any more time than necessary being in London.”
Deborah did not miss the glimmer of worry in his dark eyes as he took a long glance around the room.
“Besides, I do not want to risk upsetting Adeline by being here much longer. Had I known that you were insistent on her attending, I would have chosen another venue,” he said quietly.
Deborah studied his expression, surprised that he actually looked like a concerned father looking for his child.
“She is upstairs with my little sister, Grace,” she said quietly, unable to deny the urge to soothe him; if only for this particular reason. “She shared with us that this was once her house. She wanted to see her old room.”
Cedric’s gaze snapped back to her, his dark eyes wide with shock.
“She spoke to you about that?” He asked.
“Yes?” Deborah replied, “Is that a problem?”
Cedric shook his head as he looked back toward the stairs.
“No, not a problem at all. I am just surprised. She does not talk to anyone about her past,” he answered.
That confused Deborah, as Adeline had seemed quite ready to speak about herself to Deborah the first night they had met. Then, just a little earlier with Grace, Adeline had been quite blunt about her parents' deaths. The two girls continued to chatter as they left the room.
“Perhaps she was not yet in the proper company,” Deborah offered.
“Mmm. Perhaps,” Cedric mused.
Deborah’s breath hitched as Cedric began to rub soothing circles over the small of her back, as if they had always been so familiar with one another.
The logical part of her brain insisted that she reach back and remove it at once, but her body and another, the need-based part of her mind, resisted, rattling off explanations as to why it was better that she allow his touch, even if just for the sake of appearances.
While it was true there were no enemies or strangers at their small wedding, a small part of Deborah hoped her mother was watching them.
Perhaps she’d see the small act of comfort Cedric was offering, and Frances would stop acting as if Deborah had signed her own death sentence.
She dared another quick look at her mother to see if she was doing just that.
Frances was indeed looking, but she looked no happier than before.
“You are right,” Deborah confessed, suddenly weary from the day despite the early morning. “We should have our breakfast and take our leave.”
She waited, sure that Cedric would have some sort of quip at the ready for her willingness to agree with him.
Instead, he only gave her a small, appreciative smile.
He kept his hand on her back as he made the announcement for the meal, and even once they were seated at the table, his hand moved to her leg.