“Ophelia…” Her father took her hand and squeezed it. “I know this might not be the day you wanted, but it is as good as could have been hoped for. All things considered.”
“I know it is, Father,” she said with a depressed sigh.
“His Grace is a good man, and I know he will look after you.”
“I am sure he will.”
“And who knows…” Her father squeezed her hand harder. “Perhaps one day, should you both allow it, you might even…” He hesitated, as if even he did not believe the words. “You might fall in love. Anything is possible.”
Ophelia was unable to bring herself to agree with her father on that point. Even her smile was forced and hurt her cheeks.
No… I do not think that will happen.
It was important to note that Ophelia did not blame the Duke for what was happening. Furthermore, she knew that she ought to have felt grateful. This was nobody’s fault, and the Duke was doing as he must to protect both his and her reputation. It was the right thing…
But that hardly made her feel better. Certainly not today.
As a little girl, Ophelia had pictured her wedding day more times than she dared to admit. The scene changed often. What she wore was never the same thing twice. But what did not change even once, what was a constant in these fantasies, was the very real fact that she loved the man whom she married, and he loved her back.
Such love would never be found with the Duke. Her conversation two days ago, while a small relief because it proved that he had her best interests in mind, was just as sorrowful because it proved also that he had no desire to fall in love with her.
Not that she wanted to fall in love with the Duke. Not that she imagined such a thing was possible! But that only brought more confusion. Ophelia looked out the window; she saw the church appear in the distance, and she wondered to herself what it was that she really wanted… and if it even mattered.
I will make the best of this, as I always do. But will it be enough?
Last night, she had thought it would be enough. All week, she had believed it to be. But now that the big day had come, realityarriving in force, and she struggled to see the light as she so often did.
“We’re almost here,” her father said, still squeezing her hand. “Ophelia, know that I will always be here for you. No matter what.”
She smiled sadly across the carriage. “I know it, Father. And I am sorry for being so…” She laughed. “This is not like me at all.”
“It is your wedding day,” he said. “You can be however you want.”
That was another lie. What Ophelia wanted most of all was to be in love with the man whom she was set to marry, and that was the one thing that she could not have.
The carriage came to a gentle stop outside the church. The doors were open and inside she saw the small crowd gathered in wait. The Duke was already in the church, waiting for her, and all she needed to do was walk through those doors…
In a way, Ophelia knew it was always going to come to this.
Perhaps not this circumstance exactly, but a situation beyond her control. Ever since the scandal that had changed her life three years ago, she had been running from the reality of her life. A ruin. A past that would doom her always. And as her father had said, this really was the best she could hope for.
“I am ready.” She steeled herself the best that she could and took a deep breath. “Are you ready, Father?”
His smile was loving. “Since the day you were born.”
Still holding her by the hand, her father opened the door to the carriage and stepped outside. Ophelia followed him, ignoring the tremble of her legs, just as she ignored the pit in her stomach.
She had no choice in this. It really was the best and only option. And yet… was it so wrong to want more? Was it so wrong to want a happy ending to her story? Sadly, as Ophelia had long since come to realize, it was.
One day, she would cry for such a sad tale, but not today. It was, after all, her wedding day…
Ophelia watched the wedding ceremony pass by as if she was not inside her body. Rather, she was a ghost that hovered above it, able to see everything that went on without feeling it as one should.
The first thing she noticed was the church itself. Its decoration was sparse and simple, and had she not known that a wedding was being hosted inside, she never would have guessed as much. The crowd too small for a duke, and few appeared happy or elated by the event. In fact, many looked bored, as if this wasbusiness to them and they were merely waiting until it was no longer rude for them to leave,
She did not hear the music as she walked down the aisle, but that was only because her attention was focused on her husband.
He stood with another man whom she did not know, a friend she assumed, although she had not known that the Duke had any friends. And this friend, like everyone else in the church, did not look at all interested or enthusiastic about the ceremony.
