Cold Hearted by Serena Valentino

Author:Serena Valentino [Valentino, Serena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2021-07-06T00:00:00+00:00

The wedding was a whirlwind. The vicar had been waiting for them in his tiny white chapel, and rather impatiently at that. He hurried the ceremony, had them sign the papers with his wife as witness, and it was done. Just like that. There were no rose petals, no kisses, no cake. No one had thought to decorate the chapel or arrange for a bundle of flowers for her to hold. No friends or family cheering for them as they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife. She felt like an afterthought, and remarkably alone.

It all seemed like a formality, not at all what she had expected.

Once they were outside the chapel, a royal carriage was waiting alongside their own, and Lady Tremaine wondered, her heart full of hope, if perhaps Sir Richard didn’t have something grand planned for them after all.

“Ah, it’s the Grand Duke,” he said. “Come, my lady, let me introduce you.” Sir Richard rushed them over to the carriage, where a lanky man stood, sporting a formal gray livery and an elaborate mustache that reminded Lady Tremaine of a writhing serpent.

“Grand Duke, this is Lady Tremaine, my new wife.”

The duke wrinkled his nose, which made his mustache quiver. “So you’ve finally done the deed. Very good, man. The king expects you immediately. I assume you have all the paperwork, signed and ready?” he asked.

“I do, Grand Duke,” said Sir Richard.

“Very well, then you may ride with me to the castle. It was lovely meeting you, Lady Tremaine. I will send your regards to the king,” he said snottily, which made Lady Tremaine flinch. She had hardly had a moment to say a word, let alone send her regards to the king. Here she was already making the worst of impressions.

“Things are done so strangely here, my love. Must you rush off to register our wedding papers now? I wish you could come back home with me to celebrate rather than go straight to the castle.” She gathered from the look on his face that this was not to be the case, so she added, “But if you must go, then please let us depart with a kiss.” She moved toward him, but he flinched and backed away from her.

“Lady, please!” he said stiffly. “Not in front of the Grand Duke.”

Lady Tremaine flushed, embarrassed. She wondered how many more indignities she would suffer this day. Nothing was at all as she had imagined. As she made her way home in her carriage alone, she wondered how she had gotten herself into this mess. She was exhausted, her wedding had been rushed, and her husband had already started making excuses not to kiss her. She didn’t have a good feeling about any of this.

She felt more alone than she had after her first husband had died. At least in England she had had her friends to comfort her. Here she was almost entirely alone.

When she returned to the château, she let herself inside and stood in the vast vestibule.

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