“The staff will introduce themselves to you properly tomorrow morning,” Cedric told her as he led her upstairs, then added as she turned and met his gaze, “You look tired,”
“I am,” Anna replied softly, unable to say anything else. “It’s been a long, weird day,”
Cedric nodded in agreement, “I agree that it’s been a long day. I wouldn’t say it was weird, but I guess I understand why you would say that,”
They stopped in front of a door, and he released her. The fiery part of her seemed to be absent tonight, he observed. He could still see the desire in her eyes as she looked at him, but she also looked a bit…Scared. As if she was worried about something. Was she worried that he wouldn’t keep his word and hold off their wedding night until she was ready?
Cedric couldn’t blame her. He wanted her. That was the truth and just the thought of being alone with her in a room filled him with a need he never knew he was capable of feeling towards a woman. She’d looked stunning in her wedding dress and she still did now. The red dress she was wearing now was strapless, showing off a mind wrecking amount of cleavage, and when they’d been in the car, all he could think of was the way the dress had moved even higher, showing off smooth, creamy skin of her laps. All he had to do now was unzip the dress from behind, and she’d be naked before him, at least half naked as he knew she wasn’t wearing a bra underneath that dress.
But he’d keep his word.
He opened the door and they both stepped inside the bedroom that was going to be hers. It was painted green and white, and much larger than the one Anna had had all her life, furnished perfectly with expensive curtains and furniture. Anna’s gaze fell on the huge four poster bed, and her heart clenched.
“Your bedroom,” Cedric told her. “Mine is the one beside it,”
Anna felt a lump in her throat, so she simply nodded. So they were going to have separate bedrooms, she thought. What the hell did you think? She asked herself. Have you forgotten that this isn’t a real marriage? You’re only here because of a will and because you needed the money. All of this was temporary until she fulfilled her part of the agreement, and Cedric had only had this big wedding to prove a point…not for her.
She waited in anticipation, wondering what he’d do now. Wondering if he’d demand his wedding night now, judging by the way he was staring at her. He leaned forward, and her eyes closed slowly. Her lips waiting for his kiss, but instead his lips brushed softly against her cheek as he kissed her there instead. Her eyes flew open.
Goodnight, Anna,” he said throatily, and then he turned and walked out of the room.
____________
The following morning, Anna woke up a little later than she usually did. She’d been very tired after the wedding celebrations and had fallen asleep almost immediately after Cedric had left her room and went to his.
Or maybe her body had just automatically relaxed, knowing that her duties of working at the cafe and taking care of her father were gone. She wondered what life would be like now. What being Cedric’s wife would be like, and what a duchess usually spent her day doing.
She got off the bed and looked around, really taking her new room in for the first time. It was beautiful no doubt and saying the bed was comfortable was an understatement. She opened the back door and found herself in a long balcony, and immediately she realized that her room and Cedric’s room shared that balcony, she hurried back inside.
She felt silly when she entered the room again and asked herself why she was hiding from him. He was her husband now, and she was going to be seeing a lot of him whether she liked it or not. He’d kept his word last night about their wedding night but it was going to happen at some point, so the earlier she got used to him, the better for her. Speaking of Cedric…..
Anna walked to the communicating door she’d noticed as she checked out the room, knowing the room on the other side was Cedric’s. She knocked on it and waited, shifting off one foot onto the other. When there was no answer she opened it and she saw yet another terrifyingly imposing bedroom containing huge ornate furniture that looked as if it had been designed a good few centuries ago. It seemed all the more intimidating when set against its backdrop of gilded paneled walls. She breathed in deep. Maybe she should have been prepared for Cedric’s absence, she told herself ruefully.
After all, she had slept alone. Alone on her wedding night. While it was her decision that they postpone their wedding night, she had no idea why she’d felt so bad after he left. Last night she had drifted off to sleep while a silly part waited for him in solitary splendor, and now he wasn’t even in his room. Hadn’t even bothered to check on her that morning.
A maid knocked on her door and brought her breakfast in bed. After she’d showered and just finished dressing, another knock sounded on her bedroom door and another maid walked in.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” the woman greeted, “I’m Juliet, your lady-in-waiting. His Grace, has asked me to take you shopping today,”
Anna wasn’t sure how she felt about being called, ‘Your Grace’. Did everyone have to be so… Formal around here? She smiled at the woman, “Good morning. If I may ask, where is he?” she asked.
Juliet looked surprised by the question. “At work, your grace. He has gone back to the city on a business trip. He said he’ll be back in a day or two. We’ll be shopping for a dress for you to wear to the party you both will attend when he returns,”
Anna couldn’t believe her ears for a few seconds. A day or two? Married one day, back to work the next, Anna reflected. Weren’t they supposed to be spending at least some time together as the happily married couple? But then she reminded herself that they weren’t happily married and their marriage wasn’t real. He’d put on a show yesterday and now he was done with it.