Was I a prisoner here? Moving quickly from the bed, I reached for the brass doorknob and held my breath.
Alexei had said this was because I had chosen it, but—
The knob twisted, and the door was pushed open. Startled, I took a step back as five women sauntered into the room. Each so put together that they all looked like supermodels.
“Amy?” The front-most said with a smile that flashed teeth that were so white and even that they had to be fake. “You’re Amy, right? Our beautiful bride?” Her eyes appraised me, but her smile didn’t even fade.
Silently, I nodded. Shuffling backwards so they could crowd inside. The last one carried a huge garment bag, and I eyed it warily.
Was that my dress? It was strange because I hadn’t even thoughtabout what I would be wearing. It kind of made sense that Alexei would have thought of everything.
“We don’t have long, so let’s get you sat down and—” the lead woman, who I was guessing was some kind of make-up artist, took me by the arm and led me towards the vanity, but paused when she caught sight of my face in the three mirrors.
“Are you OK, Amy?”
“Yes.” I took my seat, staring at my reflection. I looked pale and drawn. The lack of sleep had given me a hollow look, and there were dark circles under my eyes. I looked haggard. I didn’t look like a blushing bride at all.
“Yes, of course.” I forced myself to smile, and hers faded a little. “I’m just tired and a little nervous.”
She looked like she wanted to believe me, but didn’t. “Nerves are to be expected,” she said finally and patted my shoulder. “But you don’t need to worry, we are going to make you—”
“Beautiful?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You are already beautiful, Amy. We are just here to enhance that beauty. Don’t you worry. By the time we are finished with you, that handsome groom of yours won’t be able to keep his hands off of you.”
I blushed scarlet at her words. Would Alexei want to consummate the marriage? We hadn’t talked about that side of things, but then again, we hadn’t really talked about anything. I knew absolutely nothing about him, except that he was dangerous, and in less than a few hours, I was going to be his wife.
“Ready?”
Blinking stupidly, I met her gaze and nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
“And do you have any ideas on hairstyle? There’s a veil and—”
I cut the other woman off. “Up, please.” I said without hesitation, and they began speaking amongst themselves, making plans that I wasn’t a part of, even though they directly involved me.
That’s what my life was going to be like from now on, I realized. Alexei would dictate every aspect of it.
I hated the very idea of it, but if it meant my sister got the bestmedical care, then I would be the best fake wife Alexei could ever want. I would be everything he needed me to be. Even if—
“There, all done?”
I glanced up in shock. What did she mean by “all done”? But one glance in the mirror, and I knew what she meant.
My face was flawless, smoky eye, subtle glistening lips, and a soft glow. My hair, which was usually wayward and curly, was pulled back in a sleek twist.
“Wow.” Leaning forward, I touched my fingers to my cheek. “I don’t even look like me.”
“You look beautiful.” They stepped back, clearly pleased with their handiwork. “Do you like it?”
“Yes.” And I did like the way I looked, but whether I liked it or not didn’t matter. It was Alexei’s opinion that mattered around here.
“Dress next. Up you get.” I was pulled up by my hands when I didn’t move and dressed like a child, twisted and pulled into the figure-hugging satin until I couldn’t breathe.
“And our work here is done.” She turned me towards the full-length mirror, and I stared at myself without really seeing anything. It wasn’t me who stared back. It was someone I didn’t recognize, someone who would look good on Alexei’s arm, not some exhausted care-worker from a nothing family.
“Your groom left this for you. We were told to give it to you when you were done.” She handed over a small envelope. My name was written in beautiful cursive on the front. I ran my fingers over it.
“We will leave you to read your love letter,” winking and giggling, they shuffled out, leaving me alone with my thoughts and, more importantly, the letter in my hand.
