Leaning back on the table, Isabella groaned with pleasure, only wincing ever so slightly when he went a little too far. Beads of perspiration had appeared on her chest by the time she shookwith pleasure, letting out a silent scream as he placed his free hand over her mouth.
She breathed deeply against his skin for what seemed like a very long time before opening her eyes.
He helped her from the table and straightened her clothes just in time as the hall doors opened.
“Isabella, are you still in here?” the Duchess of Ironstone asked.
Isabella looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head, signaling for him to stay as she left.
Cassian could hear everything they said as Isabella walked away.
“Where is the Duke, dearest? Did he allow you to win?” Her stepmother asked.
“No, the game was fair. He did not hold back.”
Cassian looked down at the imprint she had left in the garments and smirked.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cassian stood near the altar of the small chapel his soon-to-be father-in-law had arranged for the ceremony, his shoulders drawn, his expression unreadable. He had wanted a smaller wedding, but he knew that his grandmother and Isabella’s stepmother would not have allowed it.
The moment Isabella entered, walking slowly down the aisle with her father at her side, he forgot, for the briefest instant, how to breathe.
I love you, Lady Isabella…
His words from a week ago flashed across his mind until even he began to question if they had been a lie.
She looked like a vision conjured from a place he had never deserved to enter.
Her gown was a waterfall of ivory satin, the neckline modest yet exquisitely cut to frame the long curve of her neck. Her dark hair was swept back, adorned with small pearls and a pale veil, her cheeks carrying a soft, natural flush that made her appear almost ethereal. She moved with grace, touched by nerves, but her warm, steady gaze held something that twisted inside him with surprising force.
She reached him, and her father placed her hand into his with a solemn expression, lingering a moment longer than necessary before stepping away.
Cassian felt her fingers tremble, felt something within his chest jolt at the fragile trust pressed into his palm, and just like that, the ceremony went by like a dream.
The vicar stepped forward in his white robes, welcoming everyone to the ceremony as he raised his hand in the air. His snow-white hair made him look paler than he possibly was as he pushed his half-moon spectacles up his stubby nose. He had a stout build that almost made him appear square, and Cassian could not help but focus on that.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. Marriage is an institution that is not to be entered into under pretenses or by force. It is to be taken lightly, not should it be treated in a manner that is less than fitting for what it means.” The man’s surprisingly deep voice boomed over the heads of the congregants in the tiny chapel.
Cassian’s hand twitched at his side.
I intend to care for her. That is not false.
He sucked in a silent breath as the vicar continued.
“If anyone present knows of any lawful impediment as to why these two individuals should not be joined together, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.”
The congregation behind them fell silent as not so much as a breath could be heard.
Seemingly pleased with the lack of response, the vicar lowered his arms before reaching into his robes and retrieving a small black book. “We shall now proceed to the exchange of vows.” He paused to clear his throat before turning to Cassian first.
A rush of emotions filtered through Cassian’s chest as he waited with cool reserve.
“Wilt thou, Cassian Brentwood, Duke of Everthorne, have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thy only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” The vicar raised his eyebrows in a most serious manner as he waited.
Will I love her?
The question flashed across his mind, bringing the seriousness of the matter to the front of his mind. And then, without thinking, he knew the answer.
