Harriet could barely register the shock, “Marriage? When do I have to give him an answer?”
“Do not be silly. Considering the gravity of your situation, your father and I already expressed our approval on your behalf. You shall be married by the end of the week.”
Harriet felt as though someone had pulled the rug from between her feet. “What…what do you mean I shall be married by the end of the week?”
“It is a good match,” William nodded. “Certainly up to the standard. As a duke, he shall provide for you well and I have no reservations with the union.”
“Neither do I,” Albina clapped her hands together, “In fact, this is what I wanted to begin with.”
Harriet felt her hands shake. How easily had her parents just decided her fate for her — and she had not even been consulted.
“Harriet, wipe that frown off your face,” Albina chided. “You should appear happier about the news of your match. Surely,the other girls are going to be envious that you have managed to secure yourself a match with a duke.”
“How can you decide my future so quickly? This isn’t what I wanted and this scandal was not even my fault.” Harriet’s voice was weaker than she had anticipated. Her head was spinning, unable to come to grips with what had been so casually revealed to her.
“We are your parents, and have only your best interests at heart,” William nodded, his gaze hardening. “The duke is a respectable man, and this marriage will surely secure your future.”
Harriet shook her head. “Is it in my best interest to thrust me into a marriage of convenience with a man I barely know?”
Harriet’s heart sank, a wave of despair washing over her as the reality of the situation settled in. How could everything she had ever dreamed of for her future be decided in an instant, without her say? The weight of her parents' decision pressed heavily on her chest and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she struggled to keep her composure.
“Your sisters had marriages of convenience, and they are happy. You will be, too,” Albina replied. “Quite frankly, I should get them to talk some sense into you. You are being ungrateful.”
Harriet’s voice rose with desperation. “You can’t just decide this for me! The duke is a stranger,” she remembered how stiff he was in her presence, and how easily he had accused her ofentrapping him. “How do you know that he will make a good husband?”
William’s voice was unyielding. “You will do as you are told, Harriet. This is the best thing that could happen to you. You are nearly a spinster, and the duke is a most suitable match.”
Tears of frustration welled up in Harriet’s eyes. “You don’t understand. I want to marry for love, not out of convenience or societal pressure.”
Albina’s expression softened, but only slightly. “Sometimes, love follows duty. You will learn to care for him, just as your sisters did with their matches.”
Harriet shook her head, her heart aching with the weight of their words. She was about to walk away, her spirit crushed, when her mother spoke again.
“Don’t worry, dear,” Albina said, her voice filled with forced cheerfulness. “I am more than happy to help you with the wedding arrangements.”
Harriet did not bother answering, and hurried upstairs, tears pricking her eyes.
She had been betrayed by her own parents — the two people who were meant to love and care for her unconditionally.
That night, Harriet cried in her bed, feeling alone in the confines of her own house. But when she woke up the next morning, she decided that she could not let emotion rule her actions.
She had been thrust into a situation that she had not wanted, but now she had to deal with it. And so, Harriet’s heart grew blunt around the edges, making her numb to the whole scenario. She felt detached as the days drew nearer and nearer.
And, on the day of her wedding, as she stood in the chapel with her husband-to-be, she could have sworn that it was someone else’s wedding entirely. Because surely, it did not feel like her own.
Simon Wylde, the Duke of Atherton, stood beside her, his posture rigid and formal. As the priest recited the vows, Harriet’s gaze drifted towards her soon-to-be husband. For the first time, she truly looked at him. His dark hair was neatly combed, his strong jawline and high cheekbones giving him an air of stern elegance. His amber-green eyes, though cold, held a certain intensity that was hard to ignore.
To her shock, she found herself mesmerized by the sight of him. It was the first time that she had seen him properly, their only other acquaintance having been when they had met in the dark orangery — the meeting that caused this chain of events to transpire.
He was… dare she say it…handsome.
But just as quickly, her thoughts turned bitter. This man, who had so carelessly decided her fate without a single word to her, was now to be her husband. The anger bubbled up inside her again, and she had to remind herself to breathe evenly.
Simon turned his head slightly and their eyes met. She was not sure how a new husband was supposed to look at his newly wedded wife, but his expression did not seem one of affection.
“By the power vested in me, I pronounce you —man and wife.”
The minister’s announcement pulled her out of her thoughts.
