Changing Her Stars

Chapter Five

When Leira awoke, she was alone. Hilda hurried in, a grand smile on her lips. She rushed over to her side of the bed and practically tugged her out of bed.

“Today’s the day, m’lady. What a beautiful bride yall make, too,” she chattered.

Remaining quiet, Leira let the other woman take her to be bathed and pampered. Her hair was washed with pleasant smelling soaps and her body was practically soaked in a light perfume. She didn’t hate it, and it was more than was done for her when she had last wed, but it did feel like too much. Hilda arranged her hair into an elaborately braided bun while a seamstress entered the room with possibly the most beautiful gown Leira had ever seen.

It was a white dress with intricate lace detail on the bodice. The lace was sheer and covered the top of the neck, while the white bodice underneath was a sweetheart cut. The lace continued into long sleeves that tapered to a point at her middle finger on each arm. The skirt of the dress was satin and only puffed out slightly from her legs to compliment her figure, with a modest train at the back. Small diamonds had been sewn into the bodice to add some sparkle. The veil was sheer, yet long and cascaded to the floor and was even longer than the train itself.

Leira felt beautiful as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Another maid was gently applying a light and natural look of make-up to her face as the seamstress adjusted her dress to fit properly. Her family had not given accurate measurements, since they hadn’t known her size. They had instead given her sister’s size when she’d been properly measured for her wedding. Leira didn’t mind, though, because she was so enraptured with the beauty of the gown.

“It looks marvelous on ya, m’lady, if I do say so meself,” the seamstress grinned.

“It’s gorgeous,” Leira breathed.

The woman beamed with pride. “It looks better on ya than in me own brain, if ya askin’ me.”

Leira shook her head. “Your talent in unparallelled.”

“Oh, m’lady,” she answered, tears pricking her eyes. “Yar much too kind.”

Everyone heard the bell toll four times. Getting her ready had taken many, many hours. Leira felt nervous at the thought of facing everyone, and she squeezed her eyes shut to calm herself down. It would be alright. She only had one line to say. It would be alright this time around. And then the wedding night would happen, and she’d deal with that too. If she was lucky, he may only want to bother her with marital affairs every now and then. The duke, afterall, was a very busy man. He would not have time to want such things. And, if he was displeased with her, he could always take up a mistress. Viscount Chancer had, and it hadn’t bothered her at all. It was normal for men of stature to take on a mistress or two. Besides, if she was able to produce an heir quickly, then he would have no need to visit her bedchambers.

The carriage ride to the church seemed to pass in a blink of an eye, and before she knew it, Leira was walking into the church. Her father was already waiting for her, which startled her. She hadn’t expected her family to even attend, let alone her father walking her down the aisle. Again. He took her arm and squeezed it tightly, making her wince in pain.

“Don’t f**k this up, Leira. I’m warning you. If he divorces you, I will not take you back this time. You will be disowned and live as a beggar or harlot on the streets. I don’t even care. Do you understand?” he threatened menacingly.

Leira nodded meekly, too ashamed of herself and scared of him to use her voice. The music started a few minutes later, the doors opened, and the people in the pews stood. Her father guided her down the aisle, and she felt her heart quicken at seeing the duke at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her.

He looked handsome in his crisp, white knight’s uniform. Medals adorned his chest, and little gold tassels fell off his shoulders. He grinned at her, almost as if he was happy to go through with the marriage.

As her father handed her off to yet another man, her new husband whispered in her ear, “You look absolutely breathtaking.”

She blushed and let him lead her up the stairs to the officiant, who began a very long sermon about the meaning of love and marriage. After droning on for some time, he asked if Duke Eldrin Montero would take her to be his wife.

“I do,” he said quickly.

He then asked if Lady Leira Freemont would take the duke to be her husband.

“I do,” she voiced barely over a whisper.

They exchanged rings. Hers was a beautiful band of diamonds with a large, prominent three carat diamond in the center, and his a solid band of gold. The priest looked between the two and announced loudly, “By the power given me by King Gerville himself, and the gods that have blessed these sacred lands, I declare that these two are bound together for the rest of their lives. You may now kiss your wife.”

The duke swiftly bent down and placed the softest kiss on her lips for a mere second before pulling away, grabbing her hand, and facing the cheering crowd. Stunned by the quick turn of events, she watched as the people clapped and smiled at them. She let him pull her down the stairs and down the aisle and then into another carriage that would take them to the banquet hall at his manor. They would eat and feast until they were sent away for their so-called “night of bliss”.

Once in the carriage, there were minutes upon minutes of silence before he took Leira’s hand. “Now, wife, will you call me Rin?”

His gorgeous, green eyes bore into hers. “Does it really matter?”

“Of course it does. I’ve asked you countless times now, and you’ve yet to do it. I find it irksome that you would ignore such a request.”

“I’m–”

He held up a hand and then crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t bother. You’re sorry, always sorry.”

She frowned at her lap. “Why does it bother you so?”

“Which part? Not using my name or hating how much you apologize?”

“Both?”

He let out a long sigh. “Well, it seems only natural for a husband and wife to use their personal names. No titles, no prefaces, nothing but the bond between them. And the apologizing? Well, you haven’t actually done anything wrong, so…”

“But you get so upset with me,” she chimed in.

The duke seemed taken aback. “I do?”

Leira nodded sheepishly.

“I mean, I know I lost my temper yesterday at lunch, but I wouldn’t say every time…”

“I would say so.”

He gave her a rueful smile. “See? This? This is what I like.”

“What is?”

“The snarky comments, the little jabs: you expressing yourself. I want to know you, Leira. I want us to know each other. I want–”

“We’re ‘ere, m’lord,” the coachman called, pulling to a stop and opening their door for them to exit.

Leira heard her husband let out a string of curses that would impress even a sailor and then climbed out of the carriage. He held out a hand to her, which she took, and assisted her out of it as well. The two walked inside and were ushered into the banquet hall. People began to trickle in as they greeted the guests and thanked them for joining. The wedding party was soon in full swing, with endless drinks, endless dishes, and endless music playing, which encouraged the guests to dance. As Leira sat perched at her table of two, she watched the duke mingle, easily chatting with the others. It was customary for the groom to be out on the floor, while the bride stayed at the sweetheart table and waited for guests to approach her. However, no one approached her.

She ate as much of the rich food that she could stomach, which wasn’t much, as her eyes followed her husband’s movements. She saw how women would place their hands on his arm, his chest, his cheeks. It bothered her, but who was she to refute him? He could do as he pleased, no matter how it made her feel. After a few hours, Hilda came to collect her. She needed to prepare for the night. She changed from her beautiful dress to a silky, tiny slip dress. It was white as well, making her roll her eyes at the very obvious attempt to make her appear pure. This wasn’t her first time with a man, and because of that, she knew exactly how awful it was and what to expect.

Hilda sat her down on the settee, posed her to appear enticing and seductive, and then she left, saying that she could expect the duke shortly. Leira counted the minutes, as they ticked by slowly. After over an hour, Leira felt the exhaustion creep up on her, and she laid down on the settee, closing her eyes. Perhaps he'd be too drunk to remember this part, or perhaps he’d taken another woman to bed. That would, at least, be easier for her.

However, her hopes were dashed when the door opened and he stumbled into the room. His greedy eyes took in her bare legs, slim shoulders, and ample breasts as he leaned with one arm on the door frame over his head. His other hand was hanging down by his side, holding the top of his beverage. His shirt was untucked with the top three buttons undone, but his eyes were clear and giddy with anticipation.

“Finally,” he murmured with a pleased smile.