“Fine,” she scoffed. “If you insist.”
With that, she stepped around Caspian and strode inside. And Caspian, sensing that this day was going to get worse before it got better, followed in after.
“Good morning, good morning!” the modiste greeted the second they entered her store. “What might I help you both with?”
“She would like –”
“I am shopping for a wedding gown,” Lady Thalia spoke over him. As she did, she purposefully put herself between Caspian and the modiste.
“Oh, how exciting!”
“Not really.”
For the next few minutes, Lady Thalia and the modiste spoke about things that Caspian did not understand; fabrics, designs, colors. He stayed back, aware of the way that Lady Thalia was trying to ignore him, and very aware of how foolish he was starting to look.
What am I doing here? Yes, I have my reasons, but those are starting to seem… well, nowhere near as necessary as I wanted to believe.
Ultimately, he needed to ensure that this marriage went ahead without incident. Which, he had to admit, would be far more likely was Lady Thalia not his bride.
He watched as she and the modiste spoke and walked the shop, pointing out random samples, and trying to ascertain a better image of his wife. Who was she? How could he control her?
“What of this one?” Lady Thalia held in her hand a purple fabric with golden stitching.
“Oh, no, you don’t want that one,” the modiste said and snatched the fabric away. “With your coloring? I would think something in yellow – oh! I know just the one.”
Lady Thalia pushed her tongue into her cheek and Caspian braced himself for her objection. She was, after all, the type to argue just for the sake of it.
“Fine,” she sighed instead, turning away. “Whatever you think is best.”
The moment was subtle but it surprised Caspian greatly.
Firstly, he was of the opinion that the purple would suit her well. While he might not have liked Lady Thalia’s personality, even Caspian had to admit that she was a beautiful creature who would look good in just about anything. She was tall without it being obvious. She was slender but was blessed with ample curves in her waist and bosom. And her dark hair, her ivory skin,and her green eyes ensured that there were few who could call themselves her equal.
Secondly, that she was so willing to kowtow to the modiste’s suggestion told him that Lady Thalia was not totally unreasonable. She was willing to lose. Sometimes.
“Oh, yes!” the modiste purred as she produced a yellow gown. “Something like this. Of course, it will be made to fit your figure, but this is a good place to start. Shall we try it on?”
There was a small changeroom toward the back of the store, and the modiste led Thalia inside. The curtain that covered it, however, was crumpled, and when the modiste pulled it closed, it did not slide the entire way.
Caspian tried his best not to watch… but he was only human.
His eyes drifted over the changeroom and found the gap. Through it, he spied Lady Thalia’s naked shoulder, he saw clearly the curve of her waist, and his eyes widened when she stepped further across so that he could make out the way her hips wiggled as she tried to slide into the gown.
His heart was racing suddenly. His skin flushed hot. In that moment, all Caspian wanted to do was go to that curtain, throw it open, and gaze upon the beauty of the woman who would soon be his wife.
He did no such thing.
Self-control was a point of pride with Caspian, and he forced himself to turn away. Even when he did, he could not quite erase from his mind the image of Lady Thalia’s outline. Such an image as that, and he could feel blood pumping through his body, past his thighs, and right toward his –
The curtain rustled open, then closed. “What do you think?” Lady Thalia’s voice interrupted him.
He turned and looked at her simply, making sure not to smile or give anything away. Hopefully, she would not notice the flush in his cheeks. “It is nice,” he offered her simply.
Indeed, the gown was ‘nice’ in all the ways that mattered. But now that he had seen so much of her, now that he knew what was hidden, Caspian found that nice wasn’t nearly good enough. He wanted more.
“It should be tighter,” he said without thinking. “Around the waist and beneath the bust.”
Lady Thalia frowned at the comment.
