I returned the smile, thankful to have him near so my thoughts would not dwell on the coming day.
12
NEW YORK CITY
AUGUST 1, 1914
The wedding was set to take place just four blocks from our home at St. Thomas Episcopal Church at ten o’clock.
Despite my resolve to trust God, and the distraction of Henry’s company the day before, I awoke in 1914 with a heaviness upon my chest like nothing I had ever experienced.
Today I would marry the Most Honorable Marquess of Cumberland, and I had no choice in the matter—not if I wanted to protect Father. The newspaper reporters had camped out in front of our house for the past twenty-four hours, trying to get a glimpse of Lord Cumberland or me. They would be ready and willing to smear the Wells name if anything went wrong.
A soft knock at the door preceded Edith’s tentative entrance. “Good morning, Libby.”
I didn’t rise to greet her but stayed in my bed, feeling listless and exhausted, though the day had hardly begun.
She puttered about in my room, opening the curtains to let in the light, picking up my wrapper, which must have fallen off the edge of the bed, and setting something on the vanity. Finally,she came to the bed and looked down at me. Sadness lined her hazel eyes as she took my hand in hers, pressing a handkerchief into my palm. “I will be here for you. I promise.”
Warmth filled my heart at her words and the love in her voice. I pulled myself into a sitting position and wiped at the stray tear that had escaped my eye. “Thank you, Edith. You are my dearest friend.”
Edith smiled and pointed at the window. “Go and look.”
I pushed off my coverlet and allowed her to put my wrapper over my shoulders. I padded on bare feet across the room, tossing my hair behind my shoulder as I looked out at the street.
Hundreds of people lined Fifth Avenue.
“They go all the way to St. Thomas,” Edith said. “It’s rumored thousands of people will come out to get a glimpse of you.”
I didn’t do anything but stare at those people for several minutes. None of them knew me. They’d simply read about me in the newspapers, imagining some sort of fairy-tale love affair between Lord Cumberland and me. If they knew the depth of my pain, would they be so quick to applaud and celebrate this travesty brought about by my mother’s manipulation?
“We need to get you bathed and dressed,” Edith said with forced cheerfulness. “I brought a breakfast tray up for you.” She nodded at the vanity where she had set the tray. “Your mother said you’re not to go downstairs until it’s time to leave for the church. She will be up in two hours to inspect our progress.” She paused as she glanced toward the door. “And she’s posted extra footmen to keep guard this morning.”
More guards? What little appetite I felt vanished. “I’m not hungry.”
“You should eat the toast, at least,” Edith said. “You’ll need all your strength to get through today and make yourself presentable to the marquess.”
I grunted in disapproval. It didn’t matter what Lord Cumberlandthought of me. Since his arrival in New York, I had only seen him for a moment—and not by my choice. Mother had insisted.
“If not for yourself or Lord Cumberland,” Edith said, pointing at my breakfast tray, “then do it for me.”
I ate the toast dry and choked it down with orange juice. My stomach turned and threatened to expel its contents, but I held it back by sheer determination—and the look Edith gave me.
A bath was drawn for me, though I felt no pleasure in the warm water and soothing lavender soap, knowing guards were just outside the doors. I felt sloppy and weak as I went through the motions of washing my body.
Sooner than I liked, I was back in my room. Mother had chosen an elaborate headdress with a heavy veil as part of my wedding ensemble. Edith curled my hair and then set the headdress in place to style my hair around it. The fresh flower bouquet I would carry had been brought in while I bathed and displayed on my vanity. It filled the room with the scent of roses.
I stared at my reflection, unable to believe this was happening to me. I wanted to run to Father and tell him I had changed my mind, but I couldn’t do that to him. I tried to convince myself I was strong enough to face this challenge. In eleven months I would leave it all behind, but a scandal and a lawsuit against Father could devastate him for the rest of his life.
“Now for the gown,” Edith said. “Your mother will be here any minute.” She looked at a clock on my vanity, her movements getting choppy as her anxiety grew. “And you should be leaving for the church in less than thirty minutes.”
Thirty minutes? Despite my resolve, tears started to fall. Would I ever see Father again after today? Would I ever see this house or the servants or New York City? It hadn’t occurred to me until now that when I moved to England, I would turn twenty-one before coming back. This wedding would mark notonly the start of a loveless marriage I did not want, but also the end of my life here. For good.
With tears falling down my cheeks, I allowed Edith to help me into my elaborate wedding gown, which Mother had chosen. It was sewn out of yards and yards of the most expensive white silk. The train was magnificent, with embroidered flowers trailing along the scalloped edges. It scratched my delicate skin, but that was the least of my worries today.
A knock at the door announced Mother’s arrival. She stepped into the room as Edith finished buttoning up the back of my gown.
Mother closed the door and then stood for a moment to inspect me. She had regained the weight she’d lost, and her cheeks held a healthy pink glow. The gown she’d chosen to wear today was simple yet elegant, a soft lavender color, and her hair was perfectly coiffured.
