Natalia’s wedding was supposed to be brief and impersonal, performed by a clergyman in her father’s extravagant gold salon. But when Natalia entered the room on her father’s arm, she discovered Clarice had managed a small miracle, given the short amount of time.
Thousands of white roses accented the gold and white décor. Elegant floral arrangements covered every surface and filled the heavy air with their sweet perfume.
Although still morning, dozens of candles burned on the small altar where the clergyman waited. They provided a romantic ambiance with their flickering light.
Only Michael, Basingstoke, Clarice, and Natalia’s father were in attendance. The Earl of Warren had not come, and she wondered what sort of man refused to attend his own son’s wedding.
But all thoughts about the guests, or lack of them, drifted away when she caught her first glimpse of her future husband. Dylan stood to the clergyman’s left, dressed in an elegant morning suit of the palest gray. His dark hair had been ruthlessly tamed, and his pale eyes glittered with appreciation as he took in Natalia’s elaborate, beaded white gown.
“You take my breath away,” he told her as the duke gave him her hand.
His sweet words held a ring of truth. “Thank you,” she whispered. Heat rose in her cheeks as Dylan’s strong fingers closed on hers.
The clergyman smiled and then cleared his throat. Solemnly, he read the words that would bind Dylan and Natalia together for the rest of their lives. All too soon, he reached the heart of the ceremony.
“Do you, Dylan Patrick Blake, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Patrick. His middle name was Patrick. Natalia tucked that little bit of information away for future reference. This was yet another thing she hadn’t known about her future husband.
“I do.” Dylan held Natalia’s gaze, the moment fraught with promise. Natalia found herself drowning in the depths of his turbulent gray eyes.
“Do you, Natalia Anastasia Sinclair, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.” Natalia promised to love and honor Dylan Blake in a trembling voice. Such a huge vow to fit inside two tiny words.
“You may kiss your bride,” the clergyman announced, breaking the spell.
Dylan blinked, and then slowly lowered his mouth to hers. The tenderness of his chaste kiss took her breath away. The small crowd of guests gave a spatter of applause.
She was now Mrs. Dylan Blake.
* * *
Dylan couldn’t tear his gaze away from his beautiful bride, who was resplendent in white lace and satin. Her intricate hairstyle left longer silky tendrils curling down her back. Diamonds sparkled at her throat and neck, but her emerald eyes far outshone such paltry treasures.
He still couldn’t believe she was actually his.
There had been a moment, there at the altar, when she’d given him an unguarded look filled was such sweet promise… And kissing her again had been sheer heaven.
As they turned away from the clergyman to accept the congratulations of their small circle of guests, Dylan held fast to her hand, unwilling to let her go.
Excitement pulsed through him at the thought of the night to come. Unfortunately, he still had to get through the wedding breakfast and then the first leg of the long trip to Edinburgh. He regretted having decided to start the trip today, but he wanted to get to Aldabaran as soon as possible.
* * *
Natalia drifted through the wedding breakfast in a daze. The fine champagne Basingstoke had provided for the celebration went straight to her head and relaxed her for the first time in days.
She was grateful for the tipsy detachment. Otherwise, she would have burst into tears. All her life, she’d imagined her wedding day, and this wasn’t at all how she’d planned it.
She’d expected her special day to be a huge formal affair, with hundreds of people laughing and wishing her well. Instead, only these few friends and family members had attended, and the atmosphere was far from festive.
Even her groom was quiet and subdued. Although, every time she turned her head, she found him watching her.
At last, the interminable breakfast came to an end. The small group adjourned to the parlor, where her father and the duchess presented her with an intricately carved ivory box that contained all her mother’s jewels. The gift touched her, but it still didn’t make the whole thing seem real.
Then the moment she’d dreaded arrived. Dylan wanted to leave directly for Scotland, and she was forced to say goodbye to her father and Clarice.
She embraced the duchess tightly. “I’ll miss you so much,” she whispered as she inhaled Clarice’s scent of lavender and sweetness.
