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Liza, Daciana, and Ileana stepped back, clasping their hands together as they inspected me. Their eyes shone with unshed tears. My family. If they kept this up, we’d all be sobbing messes together. A knock came at the door and suddenly the newspaper article was the furthest worry from my mind. My heart raced as I pushed myself to my feet.
Daciana let my father in and he halted when he saw me. It was hard to tell the exact emotions playing across his features, but the hitch in his voice was unmistakable. “Are you ready, Audrey Rose?”
I drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I am.”
It was finally time to meet my husband at the altar. Neither the devil, nor a nightmare, nor any other nefarious thing would ruin our day.
St. Paul’s Chapel, New York City
EIGHTEEN
MY VOW TO YOU
ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL
BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY
6 FEBRUARY 1889
Father clutched my arm, his eyes misting as he placed the veil over my face. “You’re a vision, my sweet child. Your mother would be overcome with pride. You look very much like her today.” He adjusted his diamond-pinned cravat and leaned in, whispering, “There’s a carriage waiting in the alley in case you’ve changed your mind. I’ll take care of the details.”
I laughed, then quickly blinked tears away. Once I was certain I wouldn’t ruin my kohl, I looked at my father and smiled. He’d take me from this chapel at once, no questions or judgment, should I choose a different fate. And I loved him for it. I tried not to focus on the sudden overwhelming sadness of closing one chapter and stepping into a new one. No matter how much I’d longed for freedom, it was a strange sort of thing to no longer be under my father’s roof. Another bout of emotion welled up, threatening to spill down my cheeks. I uselessly fanned my face, picturing how angry Aunt Amelia would be if I cried my makeup off.
As if he’d crafted some magical tool to see into my mind, my father hugged me near, patting my head. “There, there, Audrey Rose. You’ll always be my darling baby girl. If you’re happy, then I am, too. I just wanted you to know that you have choices. Options. Whatever you’d like, I will make happen. As I ought to have done for you a long while ago.”
I accepted a handkerchief and dabbed at my eyes. “I scarcely know why I’m crying,” I said, unable to stop the flow of tears that had begun. Aunt Amelia would definitely murder me if she wasn’t preoccupied with last-minute arrangements. “I want this. More than anything. It’s… everything is going to be different now, is all.”
“Ah.” Father gently took the handkerchief from me and tucked it back into his pocket. “Part of growing older means letting go. You can’t move forward if you never take those first few steps onto new ground. Now’s the time to be brave, Daughter. Walking into the future means trusting in yourself even when you can’t see around the bend. As long as you’re certain this is what you want, all will be well.”
First Thomas and now my father. If this had been one of Liza’s novels, I’d probably have to face this question another dozen or so times before my journey was complete. I listened to the steady beat of my heart, waiting for a whisper of doubt or a niggle of uncertainty.
Standing in my wedding gown, hair flowing most scandalously down my back in loose waves, with a braid of flowers and pearls twisted into a coronet about my crown, I glanced at the scarlet diamond glittering from my finger.
“When I imagine my life without Thomas, that’s the only time I worry.” I hugged my father. “I’m quite sure about us, though I’m sad to leave you.”
“Me, too. We shall both visit often.” Father sniffled and gave me a short, curt nod as he straightened. “Let’s see you two off, then, hm?”
“I love you, Father.”
He looked at me once more, his eyes filled with emotion, and I wondered if the same memories were playing through his mind. Me climbing onto his lap while he’d crafted mechanical toys in his office. The two of us dashing through the gardens and hedge maze at our country home, Thornbriar. Our whole family—Mother, Nathaniel, Father, and me—sitting out on the lawns of Hyde Park, enjoying a picnic along with the fairies Father had claimed were all around us. He swore folklore held kernels of truth—that evidence waited for curious little children to unravel the mystery of the Fair Folk and other, darker mythological creatures.
All of it seemed as if it had occurred yesterday. And yet it also felt as if a hundred years had passed. I glanced down at my bouquet, at my mother’s heart-shaped locket, which Liza had thoughtfully woven around the stems. I hoped there was an ever after, and that my mother and brother were both smiling down upon me now. I certainly missed them and all the memories we never had the chance to make.
“Ready?” Father asked, squeezing my hand gently.
I took a deep breath and nodded. It was time to create new memories together. We’d do it for ourselves and our loved ones. As we stepped up to the aisle, a pipe organ began playing Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” My hand tightened on Father’s arm ever so subtly as everyone in attendance turned to watch us enter the room. I paused for a moment, breath stolen, as I finally got my first glimpse of the chapel.
From the flowers to the lush greenery and colors chosen, it was gorgeous yet somehow a bit dangerous. Light with a hint of dark. Like dappled sunlight slipping into a moss-covered forest deep in the woods of Ireland or some other more magical land.
“It’s like the enchanted forest you used to tell us about,” I whispered to Father. I blinked tears away. Liza must have recalled how much I’d adored those stories as a child. Back before I’d been altered by death.
Garlands made of fern fronds, eucalyptus greens, lamb’s ears, and white cabbage roses were strung along the pews. Strings of peonies hung in varying intervals from the rafters like a canopy of petals. On the altar, a large decanter with red roses sat majestically—a centerpiece that demanded attention. Instead of setting the flowers right side up, Liza had opted to put the blossoms in the water, leaving the stems and thorns pointing heavenward. It was strangely beautiful and wholly unique.
Orchids and more peonies in purples and petal pink were also woven into the floral design. My favorite flowers mixed with Thomas’s, each coming together to create something magnificent. There was so much to see, yet the only thing my gaze was desperate to find was—
Thomas.
The priest stepped aside, revealing my love in all his splendor. I suddenly forgot how to breathe. I felt everyone’s gaze as it landed on me, heard their intake of breath, but could only concentrate on not grabbing my skirts and rushing to the young man standing at the end of the enchanted aisle. My dark prince.
