Excerpts from The Substitute Bride - a Regency Romance by Noël Cades
Scarcely able to breathe from nerves, Lily tried to gather her courage as Betsy helped adjust the heavy lace veil over her face. Lily’s own hand trembled as she pinned her hair with a pearl ornament, a wedding gift from her cousin.
"I can’t take that, it must be valuable. Aunt Maud will notice it’s missing," Lily protested.
"She won’t. She’ll think I wore it, remember?"
They stood back to review the finished ensemble. Lily felt like a white ghost and was sure her face was even paler than her gown.
"You look lovely," Betsy told her. "The gown fits you perfectly, it suits your figure much better than mine." She could afford to be generous now that her younger cousin was relieving her of this terrible fate.
Lily’s head
