Chapter 10
“Ido,” Caroline said, her tone stiff as the priest asked if she would take Damien as her husband.
Damien’s amber eyes glinted with satisfaction as she said the words, and she fought with all her might not to roll her eyes or sneer when the priest then asked him if he would take her as his wife.
“Oh, I most certainly do,” Damien replied, his tone dripping with triumph.
Caroline’s palm itched with wanting to slap the smug look off of his face to remind him that she was the one doing him a favor.
“Then I now pronounce you man and wife. Take these vows as solemnly as you do your faith in Our Lord,” the priest said, closing the Bible in his hands.
With the ceremony done, Caroline stepped away from Damien and turned to the little boy who was there to witness their marriage: Damien’s ward, George.
Damien had not been lying when he said the boy was small.
She wagered he was around five or six, but he was thin and short, and could have been mistaken for four.
It was only the sharp intelligence in the boy’s dark eyes that told Caroline that he was older than that.
“Thank you for being our witness, Georgie,” Caroline said softly, giving him a kind smile.
The little boy did not smile, but he did nod once.
“I-I th-thought that we-wedding t-t-took p-place in ch-church,” he stuttered out, then took a long, confused look around the parlor of Damien’s London estate.
“Smart boy,” Caroline praised. “Usually, yes, they do. However, under special circumstances, they may take place in a person’s home.
A church wedding would have been much lovelier, mind you.
With flowers, music, and a proper ceremony.
But some people were in far too much of a hurry for any of that. ”
“You would have had a church wedding if you had bothered to show up the first time,” Damien muttered from behind her. She turned her head and shot him a narrowed look.
She did not wait for him to react before turning back to the boy, and as she did, she saw his eyes grow impossibly wide and fill with fear as he looked at Damien.
Damien had not lied. It was obvious the boy was scared out of his wits when Damien was around.
Not wanting him to feel so frightened, Caroline put a comforting hand on his thin shoulder and positioned herself squarely in front of him so he could no longer see Damien.
“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you better, George,” she said, keeping her voice soft and sweet. “And we shall do that very soon, I promise. You will not have to be afraid of that grumpy troll anymore, now that I am here.”
Caroline’s heart swelled as the smallest laugh left the boy’s lips, and he almost smiled.
“Now, see that cake over there? I want you to have the maid cut you out the largest slice possible, then take it up to your room. I shall expect you to have it eaten all up by the time I join you.”
Little George gave an aggressive nod, sending his shaggy, straw-colored hair swishing into his eyes.
“Good boy,” Caroline praised, then nodded her head toward the table.
Without a word, he hurried to the table laden with cake and other foods and did as he was told.
Caroline watched him as she straightened her back and let out a weary sigh.
They had only returned to London an hour ago, and it already felt like the day would never end.
Damien had introduced her to the staff, had given her a hurried tour of his estate, and then had shown her where her rooms would be before the ceremony began.
Now that that was over, Damien and his solicitor stood side by side, watching her impatiently as they waited for her to finish with the boy. Caroline ignored the solicitor as she approached them and looked directly at Damien.
“What did you do to him?” she demanded, crossing her arms.
The skin around his amber eyes tightened as his left brow twitched.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“The boy,” Caroline specified. “He is far too thin and small for his age, and he has a stutter. Besides, he is terrified of you.”
A nerve in Damien’s jaw twinged, and with it came a rolling wave of anger that emanated from his large body.
“And you believe I am the cause of these things?” he asked.
“Are you?” Caroline countered. “He looks particularly terrified of you.”
Damien’s nostrils flared as his jaw ticked again, but he shook his head.
“That is how he came to me. I told you he was frightened of me, but even without my presence, the maids or nurse could not get him to eat much. That piece of cake he just carried off is no doubt the largest meal he has had since he has been here. Shame it is naught but sugar. I thought with your experience, you would know better than to give a child such treats.”
Caroline did not miss the condescension in his otherwise sharp tone.
“A meal is a meal at this point, you brute,” she whispered vehemently. “Do you have any idea how—”
“Ahem!” The solicitor cleared his throat, preventing Caroline from finishing her sentence.
“I apologize for interrupting such a… pointed conversation, Your Graces. However, before you continue, should we perhaps sign the contract you have had me draft? As strange a marriage contract as it was,” he added, murmuring such a thing under his breath.
Caroline flicked her angry gaze to Damien, who seemed only far too happy to glare right back.
“Follow me to my study,” he commanded, then walked away without another word.
His solicitor quickly followed, leaving Caroline standing alone.
For a moment, she simply stayed still, starting to feel overwhelmed with all that had already happened before the clock even struck noon.
However, she remembered that this marriage would only be how she wanted it to be if she signed the contract, so she forced her feet to move and hurried to catch up to them.
“His Grace briefly described your terms in the letter he sent me two days ago,” the solicitor stated, drawing a stack of papers from his satchel the moment Caroline stepped into Damien’s study.
Her new husband was seated behind the large wooden desk, but like the solicitor, Caroline chose to remain standing as they discussed the contract.
“You sent your solicitor a letter two days ago?” Caroline asked, flicking her eyes toward Damien.
He shrugged his massive shoulders.
“I told you I had to have him release the funds for the purchase of the orphanage. I figured I would go ahead and ask him to get started on our marital contract. However, if there is anything he or I have missed, write it down, and he will correct it.”
Although annoyed by his coldness, Caroline took the contract and read it over.
Her clause for no touching had been included, stressing that Damien was not allowed to lay a hand on her, much to her surprise, as well as her ability to access Damien’s funds anytime she wished.
It was also noted that she would, in return for access to such funds, be in charge of George until his true parentage was discovered.
“Well? Is everything there?” Damien asked, sounding bored as she reached the end of the contract.
She glanced up at him and saw that he was not looking at her, but studying his fingernails.
Although annoyed at his indifference, she bit back her sarcastic remark and shook her head.
It was only then that Damien turned his gaze back to her, his brow furrowing as he then cast an accusatory look toward his solicitor.
The man, for the first time, did not match Damien’s silent fuming demeanor, but instead appeared fearful.
“Your Grace,” he hastily replied, shaking his head vehemently. “Everything is in there, I swear it!”
“Not the part that I get to leave,” Caroline clarified, pushing the papers toward him. “His Grace and I agreed. Once the boy’s parentage was discovered, I would have the freedom to leave this marriage.”
To her annoyance, the solicitor shook his head.
“I am afraid that is not our country’s way, Your Grace,” he said to her.
“A marriage is a sacred union between two people and God, meant to be carried out until death. One that the two of you just willingly entered. I cannot grant or guarantee you a divorce once you have made that decision. I have never seen one approved by the crown in my time. I could, of course, help you file for an annulment, though this will not be easy either.”
Caroline’s eyes narrowed, feeling betrayed.
“Did you know?” Her eyes were still on the solicitor, but it was Damien she was asking.
“I had assumed that such a request would be troublesome, but I wanted to hear it from him to be sure,” Damien replied, his deep tone holding a hard edge.
She dared a quick glance toward him and saw he was still staring daggers at the solicitor.
“That does not mean I cannot provide you with a house when our agreement is finished. We might not be able to legally dissolve the marriage, but you can at least get away from me just like you always wanted,” he finished. “I give you my word that I will not bother or stop you.”
Caroline opened her mouth to defend herself as a surprising wave of shame made her cheeks flush. He almost sounded... hurt.
“I am sorry that I did not inform you sooner, Your Grace,” the solicitor apologized, drawing her attention back to him. “However, it was you who chose to move so swiftly on today’s agenda. You did not give me a moment to warn you before you had the priest perform the ceremony.”