The Contract Duchess, a Regency Romance: Key To My Heart Book 1

Chapter 13 Derrick

Derrick woke up before the sun rose the next morning, despite the fact that he had been up most of the evening working out all of the details for the wedding this morning. He had written missives to all of the guests explaining that there would no longer be a big ceremony at the church and informing them that a reception would be planned soon. He called on the minister to arrange for him to come to the Hollins house, citing the special license and the delicate nature of the bride's health, and he may or may not have offered the man a significant stack of coins for the inconvenience. He explained everything that he needed to Anne, and she assured him that all would be ready by nine in the morning, and he was sure that the Hollins family was not paying her enough.

Now that the morning had arrived, he found himself nervous. He knew that he was doing the right thing by his family estate, and he knew that he and Angie would get along all right. He decided that he must be nervous because neither the cook or housekeeper had been found, and it was possible they still might return and cause more harm. He was probably also nervous about caring for Angie, and worrying about how she would fare this day. She had not awakened again yesterday, and he would have bet several pounds that she was not yet awake today. Her health had already been something of a mystery, and now he had nearly lost her to the poison. He hoped he had done enough to try to ensure her comfort today.

In her room, Angie awoke as the light in the room increased, peeking around the sides of the heavy curtains like a child playing a game of hide and seek. She found she was somewhat improved from the day before, but her legs still felt weak and limp, refusing to follow her directions in the least. At least she could still reach the bell at her bedside. She rang it and lay herself back down on the bed to wait.

Within moments, Anne burst into the room, an excited smile transforming her normally reserved expression, making her look far younger than her nearly thirty years. "Oh Miss Angela, it is so nice to see you awake. Let's get you ready!"

Anne paused in her bustling across the room to the wardrobe when she saw the confusion pass over her mistress's face. "Oh dear, don't tell me you do not remember what today is?"

In a flash, memories of the previous day flooded back into Angie's mind, and she sorted them, quickly finding the conversation with Derrick and hearing him declare again that they would be wed on the morrow. Today! She felt more strength pour into her body, but knew it could not be trusted. Still it could be useful as long as it lasted.

She grinned at Anne, her excitement now matching that of her maid. "What is the plan?" she asked, knowing Anne always had a plan.

"The plan, miss, is to get you married to the man of your dreams right here in this house. But first we need to get you ready." The maid's eyes sparkled as she pulled an elegant gown from the closet and shook it out. The scattered sunbeams in the room caught the edge of a bit of gold trim and showered the room in sparks.

Angie felt as though her soul might catch fire inside her chest with the sparks of excitement that flooded her. She was going to marry her beloved Derrick today, and he would be hers forever.

Derrick fought the desire to go check on Angie. Was she awake yet? How was she feeling today? Would she get a burst of energy this morning as Anne had hoped? The minister would be arriving any minute, and her brothers were similarly arrayed in superfine waistcoats and soft breeches as they fidgeted and paced in the parlor. He had finally lost his patience and walked to the door when it flew open to admit the minister, a short stuffy man who was mostly bald except for a fringe of hair he kept closely cropped. He carried a book and looked irritated.

"Well?" he grunted. "Are we ready to begin?" He glanced about. "Where are the bride and groom?"

Derrick stepped forward. "I am the groom, and the bride will be down in a moment." He hoped. "As I mentioned, she is still recovering from a severe illness, but we could not wait any longer." He hoped his smile was confident enough to assuage the man's obvious annoyance. The glare he received in return confirmed the continuance of the annoyance. Just as he was about to offer the man a few more coins in return for a little patience, he heard a familiar throat clearing, and he looked up from the minister to look at Anne.

She was standing in the door and glaring at him almost as strongly as the minister himself, and Derrick took a step back, so intimidating was the sight. She waved her hands as though shooing a child or stubborn animal out of her way, and suddenly he noticed that he and the minister were completely blocking the door. He retreated, tapping the minister of the shoulder to indicate that he should follow.

"If you gentlemen would care to be seated, the bride is ready to make her entrance." Anne spoke politely, but her expression clearly would not allow for any argument. The men all found their seats, all of them having been told where to sit yesterday. Her brothers had chairs away from the fireplace, the minister sat with his back to the fireplace, and Derrick's chair was alongside the lounge that had cushioned Angie on the afternoon of the reading of the will.

With all in place, Anne nodded at the gentlemen, and began to sing a hymn of greeting as she stepped to the side of the door, glancing over her shoulder at the same time. The gentlemen all stood in anticipation.

Derrick heard a quiet rustle of fabric a moment before Angela stepped from the dim hall into the parlor, and he felt as though he must be suddenly in a dream. She wore a short lace trimmed veil that hid little of her face, lovely despite being a little more pale and thin from her illness. Her dress had sheer sleeve caps to support the moderately revealing neckline, and the bodice was sparkling with seed pearls that caught the light in the room, causing them to shimmer in a most fascinating fashion. The dress was tailored tightly to her form, not hiding her curves, until the gossamer fabric of the skirts blossomed out just below her hips. It was a magnificent sight.

Beyond this quick glance at her attire, Derrick could not keep his eyes from hers, checking that there was no hesitation or regret in her eyes. He was amazed to see that the lines around her eyes seem to have receded, and the glow from them was hypnotic. When he gazed into those blue pools, he felt transported back to the last summer they had spent before he had been sent away. He had noticed that summer that they were no longer children; his voice had begun to change, and her bodice could not hide her developing form. He had decided that summer that one of her best features was her eyes, and he had relished every time their eyes met during conversation.

I think I may have loved her, even then, he realized. It took all of his self control to keep his jaw from falling open and emitting a gasp. He knew he was not entirely successful in masking his surprise, because the smile on Angie's face slipped from joy to concern for a moment. He grinned at her, and the concern vanished like mist under a rising sun.

Just then, she stepped fully into a beam of sunlight from one of the few windows left completely uncovered, and the room was showered in sparks. Angie's gown was covered in thousands of tiny silver beads just waiting to catch the light, and the resulting vision appeared to be as though the dress itself had become a part of the beam of light, spreading its own light everywhere and illuminating Angie as though she were an angel sent from heaven on a sun beam to brighten not just the room, but his life from then on.