“Well, technically, I did not have a wedding night,” Cecilia answered and cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably.
Cecilia bit her lip, glancing at Emma, who shrugged softly. “Honestly, Dorothy, we never truly had a proper wedding night ourselves either,” Emma admitted quietly. “Our circumstances never quite allowed for it.”
Dorothy shrugged, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Then it’s not important.”
The sisters exchanged glances before Cecilia pressed gently. “It is important, Dorothy. If you can have it, the wedding night is very good to have. It marks the beginning of a new chapter.”
Emma nodded in agreement. “It’s a special time, one you ought not to dismiss lightly.”
“But if you two never had one,” Dorothy insisted, shaking her head, “then it can’t be that vital. Besides,” she added with a small smirk, “I have far more pressing matters than mysteries of a wedding night.”
“Dorothy, maybe we haven’t been explanatory,” Emma said. “Cecilia, go get ink and paper. We can… do some visual learning as well.”
Despite their protests, Dorothy stood. “I need to go to the modiste now, and I want you both to come with me and help me pick out my dresses. It has been some time since I shopped for new gowns…the season holds little excitement for me. But if I am to be married, I must at least travel with good dresses.”
“Now?” Emma asked.
“Yes,” Dorothy answered. “Please, Emma. It’s important. I get married in two days.”
“All right,” Emma agreed. “We’ll be ready to leave in an hour.”
“Thank you,” Dorothy beamed.
With that, Dorothy left the room, leaving Emma and Cecilia exchanging worried but fond glances as they prepared to follow.
Dorothy burst into the room, cheeks flushed and breath coming in short gasps as if she had been sprinting. She paused just inside the doorway, panting slightly, eyes wide as they met his.
Magnus was there, standing near the tall window, his silhouette sharp and still, gazing out at the fading twilight beyond the estate grounds. His hands were clasped behind his back, and there was a faint crease between his brows.
He turned slowly, his gaze sharp and assessing. “Did you run all the way here?” he asked, his voice calm but carrying a teasing undertone.
Dorothy swallowed, struggling to steady her breath. “They told me you’d been waiting a while,” she admitted. “Apologies, Your Grace. I was out, shopping for dresses with my sisters.”
A slow, almost amused smile curved Magnus’s lips as he stepped forward, closing the space between them until only a breath separated their faces. His eyes held a seriousness beneath the teasing glint.
“So,” he said, voice low, “you ran all this way because you were terrified of keeping me waiting?”
Dorothy looked away from his intense gaze, her mind swirling. Why had she run all that way? She could have simply walked. There was no eagerness pushing her forward. Was it that this man unnerved her more than she cared to admit?
She kept silent, the question hanging heavy in the air.
Magnus’s smile lingered, though tempered by seriousness. “Next time, I’d prefer you not exhaust yourself quite so thoroughly, Dorothy,” he added softly. “You will come to find out that the rumors about me aren’t half true.”
Dorothy swallowed, steadying her nerves. “So, what brings you here so late, Your Grace?”
He stepped back slightly, his gaze scanning the room before settling on her once more. “I came to inquire about the wedding preparations. I want to know how things are progressing.” His tone was straightforward.
Dorothy nodded, trying to sound calm despite the flutter in her chest. “The arrangements are well underway. The modiste hasnearly finished the gown, and the house is abuzz with activity. The invitations have been sent, and the staff are preparing the guest rooms.”
He studied her for a moment, then asked, “Have you been given any say in the details? The venue, the guests, anything of that sort?”
Dorothy shook her head. “My father has managed most of it. I was only consulted on the gown and a few minor arrangements.”
Magnus’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “That is often how these things go. But soon, you will have your own voice and your own place to make decisions.”
She allowed herself a small nod.
Magnus paused. “Do you have any questions for me, Dorothy? I won’t be here long tonight, but I can spare a few moments to answer whatever you wish to know.”
