Eve and Lucy had always been close.She knew Lucy was in love with Avery, and the heartbreak she faced in marrying a man who did not want her.Eve could only hope the kind-hearted Lucy would eventually win Avery’s heart.
“He is rather handsome,” said Caroline.
Eve nodded.The dark-haired Avery was lean and muscular.His long, powerfully built legs had her gaze trailing all the way to the top of them.She let out a small sigh, envious that tonight Lucy would be the one who would explore his magnificent, naked body.
Avery was exactly the sort of man Eve was seeking.Someone who had more to him than just a title or money.Those things could make a young woman comfortable in her life, and she wasn’t naïve enough to think she could marry a man who could not keep her, yet she yearned for more.A passionate marriage was her heart’s goal, and on that she would not compromise.
Avery had been to war and known a hard life before coming into an unexpected inheritance.He had faced real danger and overcome it.His left hand was continually covered with a black leather glove, which hid an unsightly war wound.
Watching as her uncle, the Bishop of London, married Lucy and Avery, Eve wiped away a final tear.She wished the newlyweds nothing but the happiest of marriages, but knowing the circumstances of their union, they had a hard road ahead.
When the groom placed a chaste kiss on the bride’s cheek, Eve and Caroline exchanged a sad look.
“He had better treat her well.Or he shall have me to answer to,” Eve muttered.
With the wedding service over, Lucy left Avery to talk to the other guests while she sought out Eve.
“Well done.You got through the service,” said Eve.
Lucy gave her a tight smile.“Yes, I managed that much.Now I just need to get through the wedding breakfast and it will all be over.”
Eve was about to make mention of the wedding night, but the look on Lucy’s face gave her pause.The bride clearly had plans contrary to the usual ones for a married couple’s first night.
“If I don’t get an opportunity to talk to you before the wedding breakfast is over, I shall write to you when I get settled,” said Lucy.
Caroline wandered over.“I do love your wedding gown, dearest cousin Lucy.It suits you so well,” she said.
Lucy looked down at her wedding gown.Eve had been with her when she chose the fabric and knew how many tears had been shed at the studio of the modiste.
“Thank you.I shall have to keep it well stored.Who knows?I may have a use for it again someday.”
Caroline gasped.
“I think Lucy is in jest, Caroline,” replied Eve.
Caroline frowned.Eve’s sister had turned down eight potential suitors in the past six months.Like her sister, Caroline also had her exacting requirements for a husband, though Eve suspected they were somewhat staider than her own.With looks that far outshone those of Eve, Caroline could have her choice of husband among the most eligible oftonbachelors.
Caroline was a true beauty.Her long blonde hair and stunning emerald green eyes ensured whenever she was at a gathering, a cluster of men would soon form around her.Her porcelain skin was flawless.Eve doubted her sister had ever suffered from a blemish on her face.
“Yes, well at least you have managed to get to the altar.This season has been so disappointing that I am beginning to wonder if I shall ever be fitted for a wedding gown.I should save my pennies and elope with Freddie Rosemount instead.He was the winner of that midnight horse race last week.I wonder if he would be up for a midnight flit to Gretna Green,” continued Eve.
Her words were met with a huff from Caroline.“You take the whole notion of marriage far too lightly, Eve.I shall go and seek a sensible conversation elsewhere.Excuse me.”
Eve pulled a face as her sister wandered away.She and Caroline were always at loggerheads these days, and she took particular delight in stirring up trouble with her sister.
“You are incorrigible, Eve.Why she takes the bait every time you say something outrageous is beyond me.Why do you need to do it?”said a flustered Lucy.
Eve shrugged.Caroline got under her skin.“I don’t know why.What I do know is that I need to find a husband and get out of my sister’s hair before we both end up hating one another.”
Lucy took hold of her hand.“Don’t make the same mistake as me and throw yourself at a man.But enough of my misfortune.Who is this Freddie Rosemount?The servants have been talking about a mad race that came past the house and had them all watching from the lower-floor windows.Is he the one responsible for my maid offering to run any errands which happen to pass by Grosvenor Square?”
Eve’s mood lifted at the mention of Freddie’s name.“Freddie Rosemount is Viscount Rosemount’s second son and is making quite a name for himself from all accounts.Oh, and did I mention he is rather dashing?Francis and I were in the crowd that welcomed him across the finish line.”
Caroline Radley, the Duchess of Strathmore, walked over from where she had been speaking to other guests.She took Lucy by the hand.Seeing Eve, she smiled.“Hello, Eve, my dear, sorry but I must steal the bride away from you.She and Avery have other guests to speak to before we sit down for the wedding breakfast.”
As she watched her cousin and aunt walk away, Eve was struck by the irony of the situation.Both she and Lucy were true believers in love.They had both wanted the fairy-tale courtship and the society wedding, yet fate had not seen fit to bestow its grace upon either of them.
Lucy was now trapped in a loveless marriage, while Eve spent her days being eaten up with frustration over her lack of success in finding a suitable mate.
“I won’t make the same mistake as you, Lucy, of that much I am sure.”
