Quiet thumps of footsteps and softly muddled sounds of someone speaking outside her door gradually pulled Wendy away from the chasm of darkness she was reluctant to give up her hold of. As she became aware of herself, her senses awakening, a throbbing headache thrummed at her temples, her jaw clenching in reaction to the light beyond her closed eyelids. Within a few moments she managed to peel her eyes open and glanced around the room, where was she? This room was far grander than her own personal bedroom in her father's home. The stark differences made it glaringly obvious that she was not at home. The linens were softer than the ones that scratched at her skin nightly, the room held more than her sparse one, with a large wardrobe, a vanity with three large mirrors ready to show your reflection at many angles, a wooden bench set in front to be seated on as you prepared yourself for the day, a settee with two plush chairs were spread out on a large rug near a lit fireplace, which was the most obvious clue, the estate already suffered from her father's addictions, therefore Bianca wasted no necessary resources on a failed daughter and a fire was a luxury Wendy had done little to deserve in her eyes.
Her skin warmed and the throbbing behind her eyes eased as she watched the flames dim while crackling sparks popped in the embers of the fire, sunlight peeked through full drapes and memories came back to her in a sudden succession of events playing out in her mind's eye. Bianca's torturously tying her corset, attempting to act through her pain at Lord and Lady Baxter's ball, falling into Lord Pennington as he took far too great of in interest in her sister and her head spun with fear, the girls rushed her to that room and then what? What happened next? bits and pieces flare behind her eyes as she squeezes them shut tightly. The windows that held doors to outside, she remembered desperately wanting the air. Wendy's head throbbed in protest as she strained to remember. Images flashing through her mind, the lantern lit garden, the chill air nipping against her skin as she desperately tried to pull heaps into her aching lungs only to come up short each time. She had the vaguest memory of a large figure holding onto her while breath after breath was heaved into her body.
She let out a most unladylike groan and forced herself up onto her elbows while an ache shot its way through her lower back, no doubt thanks to Bianca's heel stabbing into her. She worked into a sitting position on her bed with her legs dangling off the sides, her bare toes brushing against the warm wooden floor, staying as still as possible until the room stopped spinning. She looked around, it really was quite grand, the large, canopied bed was set against the furthest wall and gave Wendy a full view of the stylishly decorated bedroom, a bedroom that definitely wasn't her own.
"Hello?" Wendy managed to croak out and winced at the sound of her voice. Wendy tried to calm down while her heart began to pound painfully in her chest. The gaps in her memory serving to stir a further panic in her, where was she? Her mother and father were not going to take kindly to whatever had happened last night, no matter where she was Wendy already had the sinking feeling that something had taken place, something of such consequence that her life would never be as it was before last night. Wendy was lost to the panic about her parent's possible reactions when door to the room she occupied openly softly.
"Oh miss!" A maid cried out as she set the platter she had been carrying onto the table by the settee and stepped forward to feel at Wendy's forehead. The older maid servant wore a basic dress, blue in color with a lightly colored apron tied around her waist. She was around the same age as Bianca and her cool hand against Wendy's throbbing head caused a moment of weakness, leaning her head further into the woman's hand and closing her burning eyes against the tears clogging her throat with sudden emotions. "Oh, poor child," the maid whispered to herself and placed her hand on Wendy's head, stroking the hair from her face in a comforting manner.
"Where," Wendy tried to clear her throat and broke out in a coughing fit, her back heaving painfully in protest with her already sore muscles. Instantly the maid sprang into action, bringing her a cup of water to sip from the platter she had carried in with her, Wendy felt relief as the water cleared away the dry patch plaguing her throat "I apologize, but may I ask where we are?" She asked one of the many questions on her list of worries.
"You are still at my husband's Capital estate," Lady Baxter walked quietly into the room, the door having still been open from maid's arrival, her long black hair was styled in a very relaxed and youthful style, half pinned into an updo while the rest splayed in thick cascading waves down her shoulders. She wore a cream day dress with blue flowers detailed across the skirts and blue lace lined the hem and capped sleeves "You fell terribly ill last night, Wendy dear and my brother happened upon you and assisted in helping you before things became any worse." Lady Baxter said, a pained look tainting her grey eyes while they continued to shift uneasily to the side with every word. Wendy felt her face ignite in a fierce blush, how awful for her to have imposed so much responsibility onto her poor unassuming brother.
"I'm afraid, there is a bit more to the story, dear Wendy" Lady Baxter continued with a twist of her fingers, the normally confident woman stood a stiff spine, clearing her throat before she bit her lip and spread her hands in front of her as she spoke "The Earl and Countess Folly came upon you two just so during the time that my brother managed to help you and grossly misinterpreted the situation without a willingness to see reason upon further explanation" Lady Baxter watched Wendy's face closely as she held her hands up in a defensive way "My brother is on his way now to your father's house to arrange a marriage contract between the two of you."
The words left Lady Baxter's lips so slowly that Wendy could have sworn they hung suspended in the air between them, she felt her face go pale as the blood drained and the room spun nauseatingly again, her fingers gripped at the blankets below her in an effort to stay upright. "Please, quickly" She muttered still half in shock, but her mind already raced with possible ways to repair the situation "I must get home, I have not a moment to spare."
The maid made haste again and instantly got to work helping her dress into a pretty green day dress, a red and gold design stitched into the hem at her feet and wrists, the sleeves clung to her slender arms. It hugged her waist flatteringly while flaring right above her hips, the square neck bodice taught until reaching down to the skirts that brushed lightly and loosely against her legs, it was nicer than any dress she had ever owned, she made a mental note to return it as soon as she could with some way to thank Lady Baxter for all she had done. Rushing she braided her hair into a single rope that hung down her back, curls still wildly escaping to frame her worry struck her face.
"The duke... my brother..." Lady Baxter sighed before stepping forward and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder "Rhys is a good man, Wendy. He would always strive to do well for you and protect you. And I find myself believing that should you find in yourself the ability to set aside how this might have come about and instead give this a chance, if you let the wedding continue as planned... " It was obvious Lady Baxter wanted the marriage to go forward and Wendy stopped the frantic scramble to leave as she stared at her gracious hostess, whom she counted as a friend and whose own brother had obviously saved her life last night.
"Please, Lady Baxter" Wendy spoke with a hoarse voice, emotion she kept locked deep within her chest clawing to get out of their cage and show the world just how flawed she was, how unworthy she was of anyone's affections or kindness. But this woman, one of the only people in her life who had ever shown her such kindness, she deserved to understand why this couldn't happen, Wendy took her hands in hers "I am not the right woman for your brother, he has done me a service I will never be able to repay but I hope by sparing him of the disappointing life that would ensue from being my husband, that saving him from a lifetime of my parent's greed and demands or the shame of me for a duchess, if I spare him from that than maybe I will have repaid him in some way. Now I must leave, I must right the wrongs that were born from the events of last night." Wendy moved towards the door as Lady Baxter blocked her way, grabbing her shoulders in each hand as she tried once again to convince her.
"What if it is you that deserves to be spared and protected, Wendy?" She breathed and her hands squeezed gently on her biceps "To be saved from your parent's greed and forced to live like a disappointment when you are far from it? What if you and Rhys are not something wrong but instead the beginning of your happiness together? What if the best way to repay him is to spend the rest of your life loving him?" Lady Baxter held Wendy's gaze unwaveringly as she listed off her dreamlike scenarios with impassioned determination to sway her opinion.
"What you suggest sounds far too good to be true, Lady Baxter, and far too good for what I deserve. I hold no delusions of love, or of being saved from my life. I would be remiss if I subjected the duke to the repercussions of graceless, ugly, disgrace for a wife, if you want something good for your brother you will help me to return to my father's house as quickly as possible to put an end to this." Lady Baxter stared for a moment before she sighed, nodding, and moved to the side speaking as Wendy walked from the room without looking back "Marge will call for a coachman to ready a carriage for your return to your father's house, hopefully my brother will have more sense than to let this slip through his fingers." Wendy ignored her and followed the maid, Marge, quickly out of the vast estate, walking through the rooms and halls that were so full of life the night before and yet so still now, a large number of servants cleaning the messes of careless nobles as some stopped to whisper while she walked by, her cheeks flaming at the onslaught of images dancing in her vision, strong arms held her as they wrapped tightly around her body, a group of eyes watching her, Bianca's eyes that burned with a fire that spelled out her demise, the gust of cold air against her back and the warm chest she fell into that smelled of spices she had never come across before.
The ride back to her father's felt as though it was passing by all too quickly and yet never ending at the same time, once she saw the familiar house in the distance her heart rate steadily increased, her palms became damp, and her face regained that sheeny green hue. It was now or never; she knew what thoughts were playing in Bianca's head, the money that her father was no doubt envisioning and salivating at the thought of. The safety of the duke's estate, legacy, and most of all his pocketbook was her main priority and on a boost of determination when the coach was not yet fully stopped, Wendy flew out of the carriage's cab before any servant had the chance to open it and ran towards the house.
She stood in the little foyer for only a moment, though still fit in size for a noble family, their house was small compared to most others of their station and drab with little furnishings, paintings, or decorations, no plants lining walls, and little candles everywhere an oil lamp might burn in other establishments hinted at the impending and inevitable poverty of the family. But due to the lack of items you could hear the sounds in each room if you listened closely enough, after a moment with her eyes closed, she heard the sound of murmured voices drifting from the sitting room to the right and Wendy rushed towards them.
Without any thought to the manners that had violently instilled in her she threw the door open, coming to a halt when every pair of eyes turned to her. Her father's bloodshot eyes turned towards her with obvious annoyance towards her, her mother's burning with their usual hatred, she knew they would be angry with her for any humiliation she brought on them last night and she winced at the thought of Bianca's switch cutting into the soft skin on her back that already held the scars of her previous punishments. Her eyes swung to meet the last person in the room, though she wasn't prepared for the way she felt her breath leave her body on a gasp, her eyes locking with the shuttered grey eyes of the man she knew must be Lady Baxter's brother. The duke of Thornberg
Realizing she was staring at him with her lips unashamedly parted, her cheeks warmed red, and she clenched her jaw while she dropped her eyes to the floor, dipping into a curtsy, her voice sounded annoyingly breathless even to her own ears as she spoke, her blush working its way down her neck. She was acting as though she had never met a man before, swooning like a young miss in her first season, and for a man so unobtainable to her it was laughable "Forgive me, your grace" He flexed one dark, black brow up on his tan forehead as she came to stand next to him, acutely aware of the heat she felt on her arm radiating from his body, while she just as avidly avoided dwelling on the way it made her feel safer than she had her whole life. With great difficulty he watched as she turned her back to him, facing her father while her shoulders came back and her back straightened as though she was readying herself for battle, a stance he had seen time and time again from his best soldiers.
"Father... " She knew she was stepping far over a line there would never be a way for her to recover from, but she could not stop the words that came tumbling out of her mouth "What has taken place... " Another flush heating her pale skin, burying her dotted freckles in a sea of red and pink "The blame should be laid on my shoulders only." She stammered with a quiver of fear in her voice that had Rhys' heart squeezing the same way his fist tightened on the pommel of his ceremony sword, dressed in his regal clothing as was customary for a marriage meeting "I was faint, Sir, and were it not for his grace being there who knows what might have happened to me." Her arm came out and her fingertips lightly brushed down his arm, her skin running against the fabric of his coat sleeve until it rested against the thumping base of the pulse on his wrist, his hand relaxing as hers remained there for a moment, his attention snagged by the contrast of her pale complexion on his darker one. "It was my mistake, but it was mine alone that has landed us into this. Forgive me for the shame I brought to our family, but please do not force him to pay the fee for a crime he is innocent of." The room was heavy with a pregnant silence long after Wendy's pleading speech. She hadn't known what she was going to say until it had all come flying past her lips, and she burned with embarrassment, what this man thought of her now she could only imagine, he was probably more accustomed to the ladies of the capital who were graceful, demure, beautiful, and certainly didn't create problematic situations for him that resulted in forced arranged marriages. No part of her would have been able to be silent while the disaster that was her was forced on him.
"There is only one way to recover what little of our reputation can be recovered, and that is for the two of you to marry. I will hear no more from you about the matter, you will do well to remember your place before you think of giving your opinion so decidedly to me again, child." His eyes drilled her with the memory of the last time she had upset him, the thought of the pain as his cane slammed against the back of her legs caused her to flinch as she took an involuntary, fearful step back, her hand dropping from the duke's wrist to hide in the skirts of her borrowed dress while Rhys took a step forward at the obvious threat coating the Earl's words to his daughter.
A servant stepped into the room at that exact moment, announcing that her father's lawyer had arrived, causing the Earl to step out of the room, leaving Wendy alone with the Bianca and the duke. After a pause she realized how closely she still stood next to the duke and an awkward bowing motion as she back away from him, out of the corner of her eye she took to studying him, he was tall, his shoulders board and his chest firm under his stately clothing, with a start she remembered realizing that last night, her hands rested against her waist at the memory on his steady hands holding her up as her legs gave way beneath her.
Bianca studied the dress Wendy wore with narrowed eyes filled with jealousy, the sage green fabric paired perfectly with the rose red thread dancing around the bottom of the skirt and sleeves that ended perfectly to accentuate slender arm, the gold thread shone in the light and her dark curls rested against her collarbone that was displayed by the square neck, seeing her in a dress that far outweighed the worth of her own clothes boiled her blood with rage. Bianca's cold voice pulled everyone from their thoughts as she stood from her cushioned chair and smirked at Wendy. "I must admit, Wendy, I never thought about entrapment before when I pondered on how to make someone marry you, but it makes sense" She suddenly clapped her hands together with seeming delight and gave a mirthless chuckle with a slow approach towards Wendy "You have not the looks to seduce, so, entrapment would make the most sense."
Wendy felt all the blood rush to her face and neck, burning with heat at her mother's blatant accusation, caring not that the duke watched on as she insulted Wendy. "Unlike you, Ma'am" Wendy spoke in a low and controlled voice, anger tightening her throat, and her fingernails dug sharply into her palms, her words spurred on by the hurt in her chest "I do not resort to underhand tricks to achieve a husband." Wendy's head snapped to the side with the force of Bianca's palm, the crack of the slap against her skin echoing slightly through the room, a warm palm yanked Wendy into the side of the duke's body mere seconds after the blow was delivered. A growl leaving his chest as he glared at Bianca before looking down to inspect the red print slowly blotching purple in some places under her eye, his brow drawn together with a frown. Never had he been so close a witness to a mother hitting their child, his stomach twisting in disgusted anger.
As he brushed his hand softly over the slowly swelling cheek, Wendy gazed directly into his eyes, the way she had carried on from the hit showed him a lack of novelty to the event and she showed a strong sense of what she viewed as justice while she spoke softly to him, moving on from and ignoring her mother completely. "I would not blame you, your grace, if you wish to leave. I understand completely if you want walked away and never look back." Her hand came up and removed his from her cheek, holding it in hers, palm up, as she brushed her fingers over the rough calluses and scars while she continued " You and I both know what truly happened and that nothing untoward took place. You saved my life, and I refuse to see yours fall to ruin for your actions." She sighed heavily before dropping his hand completely and stepping back, her right arm grabbing at her left as she pinched her skin with nerves. " If my father has threatened you with a Royal court hearing, you must know as well as I that it would be thrown out for even having his name on it, let us not mince words when understand that at this point there is little to the estate in my father's name and even less respect given and good opinion thought of him by the Capital, you seem to be a man of great station, serious importance, and high regard and I do not think it would be agreed by many families that no matter what anyone thinks they saw, they would not argue that you chose not to link yourself to such a family of ill reputation."
Rhys felt his jaw twitching with a muscle thumping wildly at in his cheek at the woman who was so boldly addressing a situation many would agree she had no say in. She was well informed, if she knew of her father's position without having been told, she was smart and she paid attention. He had worried she might be quiet and submissive, scared of her own shadow with unwavering timidity, as he had stared down at her seemingly frail form sinking into the bed in his sister's house. But even though there was fear lacing her eyes, a tense unease locking her shoulders, and her spine stiffened with tension, she stood before him now with fire blazing in her blue eyes and her curls escaping the confines of her braid to create a halo about her head, he knew she was anything but submissive and his blood lit with passion for the small woman, igniting feelings in him he had never felt for a woman before.
He stood and she straightened her shoulders, as if preparing herself for him to say that he was leaving, that she would have to deal with the gossip alone as they both knew he would have little to no ruin come to his reputation. But no, he grinned down at her while her lips pursed and brow furrowed in confusion at his sudden mirth, he would get her as his wife, whatever he had to do now to marry her, he knew he would. This woman was going to be his, she was the minute she fell into his arms and a fierce wave of possessiveness swept through him at the thought.
He stepped forward and grabbed Wendy's hand as he bent over it, pressing his lips to her skin and she felt a shiver of feelings unknown to her settle in the pit of her stomach, when he straightened again her hand remained in his as he spoke "My name is Rhys Granger, Duke of Thornberg" His voice was deep, smooth, and clear. She felt like she could listen to it forever " and we will be married." She gasped as he bowed to her once more and left the room, gliding across the hall in a few strides he turned back to her, his eyes boring into hers with a steely intensity before closing the door to her father's study behind him.