The Usurper's Queen | COMPLETED

27 | the new winterbourne

He chose the room since I was a lady. We went to the room, and Gilbert did not even lay on the bed, and he simply sat in the corner near the fireplace, but then a priest from the local parish stormed in, saying that we were doing dirty, immoral things. Gilbert tried to explain our situation without telling them who we were, but the townspeople were adamant and refused to believe him.

At daybreak, we were dragged to the parish to be wedded, under the reason that we had sinned together and that we must get married to prevent from future sins. I did not even touch him, Lady Anne, and we were both fully clothed when they stormed in!" Cecily cried out, and her eyes became teary again.

I inwardly sighed, knowing that both of them had been duped. In small, unassuming villages, there would be inns that always seem to have one room left, and when a man and woman checks in, the innkeeper would go fetch the local priest so that they can raid the room and call out the man and woman on their infidelity. The man and woman would be forcefully wedded, and they would have to pay a hefty sum of money to 'purify them from sin'.

Of course, my brother would not care to know about such things, and there was no way that a princess would find out about this dirty practice.

"Did they ask for payment, Cecily?" I asked while setting the comb aside and picking up a silk ribbon to tie her hair with.

She nodded somberly, and said, "They asked for five gold coins. I heard the innkeeper lady whispering to the priest that I was wearing silk brocade, and they could charge us more than they are used to."

"My suspicions were correct. It appears that you were tricked by that unholy priest and innkeeper. Using the name of God to further fill their own pockets, those sinful pricks," I said through gritted teeth. "But the wedding indeed did take place, didn't it?"

"Yes, Lady Anne. We said our vows and we were blessed by that priest. I cannot go home, now that I'm married to Lord Gilbert," she said anxiously.

"You can stay here with us. You are a Winterbourne now, Cecily. No one, not even your father will dare to slight you again. Come, let's get you into a clean dress, and then we can go meet my parents," I said reassuringly. Deep down, I hoped that my father would accept her, and that my mother would at least act civil.

Before dinner, Gilbert had broken the news to my parents as gently as possible, and although my father accepted it well, my mother was hysterical.

"So this is what I get for bringing you into this world! You disregard my wishes, and you got married without me even knowing! What kind of son are you Gilbert?

I already knew that Anne would be obstinate and ungrateful, but I had no idea that you would turn out the same! What have I done to give birth to such ingrates!" she shouted, and her voice echoed loudly throughout the castle, and even Cecily and I who were standing in a different room could hear her.

"Mother, I would be wedded to her anyway sooner or later. In this case, it was simply hastened, that's it. We haven't even consummated it," Gilbert tried to explain calmly, but another thing caught my mother's attention.

"The wedding is unconsummated?" she asked, her voice finally returning to its usual tone, as opposed to her shrieks from earlier. "Splendid! Then just annul the marriage and give her back to her father, so you can go and marry your cousin Corinne!"

Cecily became tense when she heard my mother's harsh words, so I reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "You do not need to care about her. You have me and your cousin Edmund, so you mustn't worry," I told her.

I saw Edmund standing near the bottom of the staircase, listening to my mother's rambling, and I felt embarrassment bloom in my chest. After hearing those harsh words, it would be impossible for anyone to view House Winterbourne highly anymore, and I was grateful that there were no outsiders to listen to my mother's reckless words.