An Earl’s Broken Heart by Ella Edon
Chapter Twelve
In spite of Alexander's curiosity of how the wedding was being planned, he never once made any true effort to be involved. Each time the thought crossed his mind, he would have it drowned away by thoughts of the work to rebuild the estate, that diversion worked for as long as it could and held him off until the day he was to be wed. Before the time came, Isabel had sent him a letter informing him of when the wedding would take place and had told him that it was his responsibility to prepare his household for the wedding breakfast.
Despite the fact that Alexander had not been certain of what the first message from Isabel would be, he had also not expected that it would be so plain. Reading the letter from her had set a lot of emotions within him because he had spent the better parts of the days prior trying not to think about Isabel or the wedding and he had failed miserably. A small part of him was looking forward to the wedding, but the larger part could not help but hate Isabel for putting him in such a position. When the day for the wedding arrived, Alexander felt jittery; his heart thudded at the thought of getting married to Isabel. Once, long ago, this had been his dream – to wed Isabel and build a family with her. Now he was conflicted as to what he wanted.
Her rejection had set his life on a different course, and he had never recovered from it. He wished everything had worked out very differently, and then he would have been quite excited about this wedding. His inner conflict did not however stop him from envisioning Isabel in his mind. While he watched his valet pick out his coat, he wondered what Isabel would look like when she walked into the church and when they said their vows, he pondered about the way his would react. Finally, he was going to have a wedding with Isabel, but it was not at all what he had dreamed of in his younger years. Another thought that crossed his mind was seeing her father again after all those years. The last time he had seen the Earl, he had been declaring his love for Isabel and promising to wed her by any means.
Alexander shook his head as all those memories rushed back to his mind. He had never underestimated the effect that Isabel had in his life, but never had he thought that this was what the future held.
"All done, my Lord," said the valet as he dusted off the shoulder of the coat that Alexander had on. Alexander looked into the mirror at his reflection. The black coat with gold embroidery matched his dark hair just well and was bright. It contrasted with the dullness his eyes held. He found he had no enthusiasm whatsoever for the day.
"Ask that the carriage be readied,” Alexander said.
The valet bowed before departing. He breathed out and thought about what else he needed to put in order before he left for the church. When nothing else came to mind, he made his way out of the house and into the carriage.
* * *
The church was a quaint beautiful building. Supported by four alabaster columns, its walls were decorated with lovely multifoil rosettes. A mural on the ceiling depicted a scene from the scripture with angels in the clouds. It was enough for him to feel the sanctity of the place as he stepped inside, and he was suddenly aware that today was to be a consummation of a holy ceremony. It was an acceptance of certain lifetime vows and a commitment to uphold duty.
For Alexander that meant that it was a thing to be taken seriously, no matter what his feelings towards Isabel might have been. An elderly vicar stood at the center of the church’s dais flanked on each side by attending priests. They moved with slow obedience and put everything in place for the commencement of the ceremony. Alexander's heart thudded as he watched it all. In a few minutes the event would begin, and he would be wed. When Michael had impressed upon him the need to find a wife to save the Earldom, never had he imagined that it would be to Isabel. There had once been a time when nothing could have made him happier than to be wed to her but seeing it happen now, his chief feelings were fear and trepidation. He had dreamt of something intimate but beautiful when he was younger and had been crazily in love with her.
He breathed out, trying to forget about his past.
Michael appeared soon after. Michael was to be his best man for the ceremony and to make sure that Alexander made no attempt to ruin the union at the last moment. When Isabel finally arrived, he knew there was no chance he would make any such attempt. His breath caught when he saw her. Almost before thinking, he removed his top hat as though in reverence. She was dressed in a lovely blue dress, her hair was packed up in a chignon, and her face was covered with a veil. He already anticipated seeing how she looked like beneath that veil, and he could not wait to see her.
The vicar announced that the ceremony was to commence. Alexander looked away from Isabel then and made his way down the aisle to take his position by the altar. Just before the ceremony began, Alexander saw Isabel's father arrive. A shiver of anxiety travelled up his spine. Quite suddenly, all the positive feelings he has mustered inside faded to mist. It was a face that still haunted him. A bluff, stocky man with an aquiline nose, storm cloud grey hair, and a terrible concentration in his eyes. Alexander had never quite forgotten the image of him the last time they saw, ordering him to leave his manor. His eyes fixed on him like he was a stray dog that had crept in. The memories rushed back to him as he stood there and he could not help but think about how ironic the situation was, given that Lord Lichfield had sworn that Alexander would never be wed to his daughter yet it was he who would give her away once the ceremony kicked off. There was a part of him that wanted to make it known to Lord Lichfield that he eventually had the last laugh as he married his daughter right before his eyes. The rage that burned within him was only quenched when the orchestra struck.
Following the sound of the orchestra, Alexander looked down the aisle and watched as Isabel made her way down. Her father took her by the arm and led her. Looking at them as they advanced towards him, Alexander almost smiled because the scenario captured the dreams of his younger years. Every step they made towards him filled Alexander with the surety in his stomach that there was no coming back from this. By the time she came at last to the altar, he knew for certain. This was it. With a hardened gaze, the Earl handed Isabel to him. Alexander only inclined his head while Isabel took her stand beside him. He was yet to properly see her because she kept her gaze down. Inside him, he yearned to behold her and, hopefully, to kiss her. In spite of all that transpired, the intimate moment they had shared at that event days ago was proof that he enjoyed kissing Isabel.
The ceremony began immediately. Alexander was barely attentive to what the Vicar was saying, he was mainly focused on his inner thoughts which dashed between yearning to kiss Isabel and hoping that the ceremony would be done soon enough. When it was time for the vows to be exchanged, Alexander did not search for Isabel's gaze. He kept his gaze down as he recited after the Vicar. Isabel said hers after he did. When she was done, the Vicar's next words shocked Alexander into the reality of the wedding.
"You may kiss the bride,” said the Vicar.
Alexander felt his heart begin to thud, his palms became sweaty, and the gaze he had avoided for so long stared back at him. Isabel had already turned to fully face him and he knew she was waiting for him to roll over her veil. Alexander breathed out, raised his hand, and pulled it away from her face. When he did, Isabel's beautiful face stared back at him. Her beautiful brown eyes stared back at him boldly and he felt a chill go through him. Her lips were plump and ready for him just the same way her eyes stared at him readily. Alexander tilted in a bit. He did so gradually, leaning towards her with intention. Isabel leaned in as well and when Alexander saw her close her eyes, emotions flooded through him. He did not know why he then said:
“You are beautiful.”
Isabel’s eyes opened instantly and they stared back at him with a softness that warmed his heart and drew him closer to her. He wished they were not surrounded by so many people so he could do to her what he wanted. That was more than kissing, but for now he had to make do with just that.
Before he could lean in and kiss Isabel, the most beautiful look crossed her face and she said to him, “Thank you.”
Unable to wait any longer, he pressed his lips against her gently, hoping to take the moment slowly and tenderly.
Isabel's lips were moist when they met his and it sent a thrill through him. He recalled the kiss that had gotten them to that point, and he shuddered in delight. That kiss had been amazing, and he hoped to make this even greater. He ran his tongue over hers, seeking to find the highest point of her satisfaction. He wanted to feel her skin against his palm; he wanted to touch her till she shuddered. He wanted to see her reaction as he expressed his cravings because of the kiss. It was pleasing to know that Isabel still wanted him. He savored her even more as that knowledge thrilled him.
A part of him wished that they were not surrounded so that he could devour her just the way he wanted. It was nearly unbelievable to him that his want for Isabel had not wavered over the years, despite his change of feelings towards her. Surely wanting her was not the same as being in love with her because he knew that he no longer felt the later. However, he did not wish to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he still yearned for her because then she would feel the need to lure him into her trap again. He would never let that happen. This thought made him pull away from her. His cold gaze stared back at her soft and vulnerable ones and for that moment he felt content that he had been able to make her weak with a mere kiss.
"Alexander...” Isabel whispered, before licking her lips. He swallowed and looked away from her, facing the smiling faces of his friend, her sister, and her father.
While his focus was averted, Isabel slipped her hands beneath his. Alexander did not like it one bit. It was a false marriage after all, there was no need for them to pretend that it was anything more than that and this caused him to sneer at Isabel.
“We must remember that this is no real marriage,” he whispered, more to himself than to her. Her reaction showed that she had heard. He did not feel so satisfied on knowing that. Rather he felt guilty for being quite harsh towards her.
"I apologize,” she whispered softly.
Alexander suddenly felt terrible for sneering.
The instant they were out of the church, the carriage was to take them to the Carter Manor wheeled up in front of them. As was a gentlemanly thing to do, he aided Isabel in entering the carriage. Once she was comfortably seated, he followed behind her. Before them, their family waved whilst the carriage wheeled away.
Alexander wanted the day to end as soon as possible so that he could go back to his daily life. He had initially thought about relocating to the country just to be away from Isabel, but that would not enable him to secure an alliance with her father which would benefit his estate. The option of moving away was erased from his mind.
The ride to the manor was silent. Isabel kept her gaze focused on the road while he stole gazes at her. The ride to Carter Manor did not take so long as they arrived soon enough. Upon their arrival, they were welcomed in by the butler.
"Congratulations, my Lord.” He bowed towards them. "My Lady. "
Alexander watched as Isabel smiled at him. He said nothing as they merely walked side by side towards the dining room where the breakfast had been set. The silence between them maddened him and he wished that she would say something, anything at all. He liked to hear her speak and most especially when she was made angered by something, the fury in her eyes fascinated him. He wished that she could express her irritation towards his attitude there and then because he knew that while she tried to be tender, he had been the utter opposite towards her. In a way he was comfortable with that, but the part of him that wanted a reaction from her tried to stir up something so he spoke up when he pulled out a seat for her to settle in.
"I wish that all this can be gotten over with so I may return to more important matters.” He said. After a little while, he added, “We will have to discuss our living arrangements.”
Isabel took her seat then turned to him. She began to say something when they were interrupted by the butler.
"My Lord, the guests have arrived." He said, pushing open the door.
The first person to walk through was his dear friend, Michael, before Elizabeth and the Earl. Alexander breathed out whilst Isabel looked away from him. This marriage was going to be a lot harder than he anticipated and he had to learn to deal with it. Meanwhile, since the guests had arrived, it was a good opportunity to not have to speak to Isabel. The company of Michael would keep him from doing that.