Her Disabled Heir

Chapter 2: The Disabled Heir

Pins.

There were three women stuffing pins into my hair whilst some other ladies in the room got me ready for what was supposed to be the best and most magical day of my life – my wedding day.

It turned out that Mr. Williams was a man who was diligent in all things, and he kept to his word. Preparations were already being made to get me ready for my wedding and the once-empty mansion now had staff walking all over the place, busying themselves with one task or the other.

Not long passed before Mr. Williams’ maids were all done with me.

One of the maids who looked too kind and sweet to be true led me to a body-length mirror where she did a few adjustments. “You look beautiful, miss,” the kind woman said with an equally kind smile.

I smiled back, although it didn’t reach my heart.

Looking forward, I stared right back at the woman trapped in the mirror. She had on the prettiest white wedding dress with intricate details that made me wonder how long it took the stylist to make the dress. The bodice was crafted to perfection. There was also the woman’s hair. Her long brown hair was placed into a low and elegant bun. It felt different but it looked nice. It was perfect for the occasion.

There was one thing though. Although the woman trapped in the mirror looked as beautiful as everyone said she was, her eyes reflected something else. It reflected fear and a heavy ounce of disinterest.

Adjusting my gown, I turned away from the mirror.

“You make a fine bride,” the kind maid added.

“Yeah, sure.”

Before I knew it, I was standing right outside one of the grand halls in the mansion, getting ready to get married. It was funny how, just a couple of hours earlier, I came in as a nuisance and the daughter of a thief, and now I was going to walk around as the bride of the powerful Mr. Williams. The thought itself was daunting.

Since I had no father, Mr. Williams arranged for one of his bodyguards to walk down the aisle with me. If it were up to me, I would have preferred to walk down the aisle alone. It would have made all of this slightly more tolerable.

The large doors of the grand hall opened and I went still. The dread I had felt earlier suddenly tripled, but I had no choice but to focus on anything and everything else. This was my life now. There would be no running or hiding. Marrying Mr. Williams was the best bet I had at saving my mother.

The orchestra began to play ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love with You’ by Elvis Presley and I braced myself. My father's representative looped his arm around mine and, together, we went in.

Bright white lights attacked my sight as we stepped in. Red roses of all sizes decorated the hall, making the hall look like something out of a Pinterest board. The designs and setting were so beautifully done and, for a slight moment, it felt like I had been trapped in some sort of dream, or dare I say nightmare. The only difference was that this was a beautiful nightmare.

Much to my surprise, there was an audience. We had guests, and we had a lot of them! To say that I was bewildered would be a big understatement. Where did all these people come from? And didn’t we just agree on a wedding a few hours before?

The more questions I asked myself, the more questions popped up in my head. It was like a never-ending loop, so I did my best to clear my head and kept moving forward.

Everything else faded. The music. The people. The man beside me. Everything.

The only one I focused on was Mr. Williams. Through my veil, I could see him sitting down, and more questions popped up in my head.

Why was my soon-to-be husband sitting while everyone else stood?

Why did no one look bothered by it?

Did the man think that he was so high above everyone else, so he could just sit throughout his entire wedding ceremony?

Or was I seeing things?

Maybe this thick wedding veil was affecting my sight?

By the time I got to the altar, all the thoughts and questions I had in my head came to an abrupt halt.

It turned out that Mr. Williams was in fact sitting, but the man wasn’t on just any chair. The man was sitting in a wheelchair. My soon-to-be husband was in fact disabled.

My heart plummeted in an instant.

All of a sudden, my brain turned to mush. I didn't know how to react or what to do next. Everything just seemed a bit too much at the moment, but none of that mattered. I had sealed my fate already, and it was time for me to live up to my word.

Without warning, the officiant started and my attention shifted to him entirely.

His words sounded robotic, as if he had said these same words so many times before, and now they were ingrained into his very brain. Maybe they were. I suppose they were.

All his words blended together until I heard the words that would change the trajectory of my life forever.

“Do you, Eleanor Thomas, take Chase Williams as your lawfully wedded husband, to cherish in love and friendship, in strength and in weakness, in success and in disappointment, to love him faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as you two shall live?”

My eyes moved until they met with Mr. Williams. Even in his wheelchair, the man remained as smug as ever, maintaining an aura of power around him.

Reminding myself that all this was for my mother, I answered, “I do.”

The man repeated the same words to Mr. Williams and when he responded, the officiant said something else that shook me to the core. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Seconds passed and then blended into a minute or two. Whispers from different directions in the hall met my ears and the dread and shock I had earlier felt was now replaced with a sense of awkwardness.

“Kiss me,” Mr. Williams ordered like it was the most normal thing to do.

His lips were pulled in a tight line and his blue eyes held every bit of seriousness in them.

Clearly, there was no way that Mr. Chase Williams could stand up and kiss me, so I removed my veil and bent until our heads were equal. Then, I did as he ordered. I kissed Mr. Williams.