"As low as you can go, Lady Danbury?" The Queen questioned as Carina, Simon, Lady Danbury and her mama, all stood before the Queen for their appeal.
"With these knees, yes, Your Majesty." She replied with a smile. Carina swears Lady Danbury fears no one and nothing.
"Very well. Let your young people come forward." Carina and Simon stepped forward, standing side by side.
"I have heard a rumor that the special license you seek to marry has been denied. I am not quite sure what you believe I am to do about it. Well, plead your case." The Queen states.
"Your Majesty, I assure you nothing untoward has occurred." Carina started. She had thought a romantic story, worthy of a fairy tale happy ending shall win her heart and so she began spinning her tale, "It is only that we love each other so very much. While I was deeply flattered by the attention of your nephew, the prince, I... I simply could not ignore my long-standing affection for the duke. You see, Your Majesty, it was love at first sight."
Simon loudly interrupted, "It was not, Your Majesty."
Now, clearly he either did not understand the severity of this situation or he understood and just did not care, because he was going crazy mad.
"The young lady flatters me, but it was not love at first sight for either of us. There was attraction, certainly, at least on my part. But Miss Bridgerton thought me presumptuous, arrogant, insincere. All fair, really." He spoke up, when Carina interrupted him, offended by his words. No matter how true they were, they should not have been uttered in public, in front of the Queen, no less.
"You are one to talk, you thought me a prim young lady barely out of leading strings." She exclaimed while he smiled at that. Yet, his eyes did not stray from the Queen and Carina's couldn't remain off of him.
"Not to mention the sister of my best friend, and so romance was entirely out of the question for both of us. But in so removing it, we found something far greater." He continued. At this, Carina smiled and said, "Friendship. We found friendship."
Simon continued, "You see, Miss Bridgerton and I have been fooling all of Mayfair for some time." Carina's jaw dropped in shock. Oh so they were being completely honest now?
"We have fooled them into thinking we are courting... when really, all along, we simply enjoyed each other's company so much we could not stay away from one another. I have never been a man that much enjoyed flirting, or chatting, or, indeed, talking at all. But with Carina... Miss Bridgerton... conversation has always been easy. Her laughter brings me joy." He said. Now Carina's jaw dropped for a different reason, along with the butterflies in her stomach and tears in her eyes.
"To meet a beautiful woman is one thing, but to meet your best friend in the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart." Simon's voice cracked, and Carina could see tears in his eyes as well. Maybe, just maybe, they would be alright after all.
"And it is with my sincerest apologies, I must say it took the prince coming along for me to realize I did not want Miss Bridgerton to only be my friend. I wanted her to be my wife." Simon pleaded.
"I want her to be my wife." He emphasised.
After a deep breath, he spoke up, "And so I plead with you... not to make us wait."
"Simon..." Carina tearfully whispered, Simon's gaze still to the front of the room.
"You are wise... or perhaps unusually lucky to understand friendship to be the best possible foundation a marriage can have. Even if that foundation should crumble as quickly as it was built. I shall like to offer you the choice, Miss Bridgerton." Hearing her name, Carina finally turned her gaze away from Simon, and to the Queen.
"Do you wish to marry this man?"
"As Simon said, Your highness. I plead with you... do not make us wait. For having him in my life, by my side, it would be the greatest blessing I could ever imagine." Carina whispered. And unknown to each other, every word spoken that night, was true.
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The day of her wedding, the day that should have been the happiest day of her life, was spent in a daze. Carina's memories were hazy, it was as if she had been seeing herself going through the day through someone else's eyes. The only thing Carina recalled vividly was Simon, the groom. Her groom, her husband.
Husband.
She could get used to that. Calling the man she loves her husband. Gods she could get used to a lot of things that came with being married to Simon if only he would stop pretending Carina somehow vanished into thin air in his proximity. Well, maybe his erratic mood swings is something she could not get used to, ever. But still, that man needed some serious talking to.
After all, Carina has been trying to talk to him for the past two days, right after they had left the Queen's palace, only for him to ignore and try to escape her each time. She did not understand what went through that stupid man's mind to think this would be somehow a good idea. He had to know that they were now bound for life and it was only so long before he could escape her?
The only time he hadn't shied away from her had been on the altar, as the archbishop had been marrying them while they repeated their vows and put the rings on each other's fingers. The only time he seemed even remotely satisfied and not utterly regretful of his agreement to the marriage had been when they were getting married, as he was slipping her glove off with such gentle hands as he looked at her with those stupid brown eyes of his. He looked at her like she was his world, like being there with her was the only thing he had ever wished for, and as a fool, Carina yet again believed those eyes.
Only to find herself alone all night, entertaining the guests at their wedding reception, with her husband nowhere in sight. At least, not for long as he would run away anytime she would find him. At least she found out she had a trust fund she could use for her children or perhaps her education. No matter how much he ignored her, Simon knew her well enough to know how important her freedom was to her.
Now, without her groom by her side, Carina stood appalled by the way her life had progressed so much so swiftly, and it all just dawned on her. Suddenly, she was beyond just overwhelmed and rushed to her bedchambers to take a moment to catch her breath when her mama came in. She had so terribly tried to explain the act of making babies to Carina by hounds and natural feelings, Carina was appalled.
Not only was she sure her mama would combust due to the discomfort of the conversation but she also realised how badly unprepared she would have been if all were up to her mother. How badly prepared all of the debutantes must be before their wedding nights. This was not good for the women at all. Carina would have literally been blind to the concept of marital relations if she did not already know.
Watching the painful view of her mama trying to explain things so cryptically, she decided to put her out of her misery and said, "Mama. Stop. Do not torture yourself." Carina chuckled, trying to joke to lighten the atmosphere, "I already know, you do not need to explain anything to me, if that is what you are trying to, anyways."
The look of relief that crossed Violet's face was instant, but the look of confusion and horror that followed was even more quick, "You know?" She whisper yelled, "how? Why? I do not understand..."
"Mama! Do not worry. Stop all those horrifying thoughts running through your head. I had accidentally found a book in father's library, it was a medical book, explaining motherhood and childbirth. The... process was also mentioned." Carina simply said.
With an exasperated, yet relieved sigh, Violet put her hand on her heart, "Oh, I give up with you lot! And you! Carina Bridgerton! What did I say about always reading those books of yours!" She said as she swatted her arm. "Oh, stop it mama! You and I both know it is good that I read that or else I would have been so ruined if I had trusted you!"
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Carina giggled as Hyacinth and Gregory argued about who she would take with her on her honeymoon. The reception was over, and so was Carina's life as a Bridgerton.
Bidding farewell to her siblings, as she got ready for her departure, she realised how she was leaving her family for one she wasn't even sure would be there.
This was hard, leaving her life behind, not only for her but for her family too. She was sure she saw Hyacinth cry as Gregory wiped a tear away but they would deny it. Colin was also pouting, constantly, and had been teary eyed the entire time.
But this was it. There was no going back now. She was already married and she had a new life waiting for her. A life with the duke, her duke. It was now just them together, as a family too. Just us against the world, she thought, just us two. The duke and I.
And as they departed, the Duke looked at her, properly looked at her, for the first time since their wedding and blurted out, "We should reach the inn before nightfall."
"The inn?" Carina inquired
"Clyvedon is much too far a journey, and the roads are not safe after dusk. We need to rest before continuing on in the morning." Simon explained.
"So you speak to me the first time all day and you do that to tell me we will be spending our wedding night at the inn?" Carina sharply said with incredulity clear in her voice.
"Why... I should have told you." Simon realised.
Carina just pushed her frustration down and put on a sweet smile, "Not at all, Your Grace."
And all Carina could do for the rest of the ride until they reached the inn during nightfall, was try to enjoy the scenery and berate herself for her disappointment over silly things when she knew she never should have expected anything out of this marriage.