In The Land Of The Lost Princess

EPISODE 3

A few miles from the house, at the large church, the carriage stopped with its final hoofbeat. Gwen exhaled deeply as she emerged from the carriage. She was confused as to why her family wasn't joining her and wished they were. When she noticed Lord Donald grinning at her, she grimaced. She had never seen him smile before, and it gave him a younger appearance.

She hesitantly accepted his hand as it was handed to her, accentuating the last few steps while gripping the train of her dress. "Miss Gwen, you look stunning tonight."

She says, "Thank you." She smiles, wanting to recall her wedding day as a fun occasion. She doesn't intend to be married again, so pouting is pointless. She had to make the most of her new life, which was this one.

As soon as the church door opens, Gwen steps out into the future.

The scene in front of Steph nearly made him stop breathing. His wife looked stunning in a white satin gown that accentuated her curves, her hair styled elegantly, and she grinned as she strolled hand in hand with his father. He couldn't stop staring at her since she was so beautiful.

Steph was brought back to reality by David's stern reprimand, "You never told me she was this beautiful."

Prior to his response, his father held his bride's little, delicate hand in his. He sensed a little tremble from them. He couldn't help but see how anxious she was.

"Do you Gwen Foxen take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband to love and to Cherish in sickness and in health till death do you part.." The preacher asked. Gwen didn't hear what the pastor had said since she was lost for words and was fixated on the attractive man in front of her.

When the pastor cleared his throat, Steph arched an eyebrow at her. "Well do you?"

"Ummm.....sure," she replied, to the amusement of the few guests who had been invited. Gwen blushed with acceptance.

"Yes," she said one again.

Gwen blushed; how could she forget the kiss? "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." If she knew how, she would have to kiss her spouse, which would be normal and less terrifying.

Even though he really wanted to kiss those pink rose lips, Steph couldn't help but notice that she was pale and that her body was tensing up. He reached in and gave her a gentle cheek kiss.

Seated by herself on the couch, Gwen saw the peculiar visitors chuckling and having a good time. On the night of her own wedding, she felt like a fake. She had been abandoned by her husband as soon as he got out of the carriage. Gwen wanted to cry since she was having such a strange and uncomfortable voyage back to the mansion. She had not envisioned her wedding day to look like this.

Fingering the ribbons on her dress and lazily musing, "I wonder why such a beautiful bride is sitting all by herself?" Glancing up, Gwen saw a stunning blond grinning down at her.

"Hello, I'm Jennifer Cummings, the countess of Birmingham." The countess sat down next to Gwen, who moved to make room for the stunning blonde.

She said, "I'm Gwen brys-" but quickly corrected herself. Not quite adjusted to it yet, she murmured the final syllable, "Gwen Donald."

Jennifer gives Gwen a pitying smile. sitting alone on her wedding night, not even able to see her new husband. Steph, where are you?

Jennifer stood to her feet and said, "How would you like to take a walk in the gardens."

Gwen grinned as she got up and adjusted her gorgeous outfit, saying, "I'll love to. It certainly beats sitting here all alone."

The garden was exquisite, with lanterns strewn all over it to guide visitors through the night and add to its splendor. Gwen grinned as she took in the crisp, new air.

"It is quite lovely, is it not?" Jennifer sighed.

With a scratchy voice, Gwen responded, "Yes, very thank you for bringing me out here." Just then, she started crying.

As they sat on the luscious green grass, Jennifer comforted Gwen, saying, "Oh, it will be okay. Gwen sobbed for her predicament and the folks she missed back home. The man she was married to didn't even enjoy having her around. Following the sensation of moisture on Lady Jennifer's exquisite lavender gown and a faint ache in her head. Gwen hastily used the backs of her palms to wipe her eyes and said, "I'm sorry."

"No need to be I understand. I was once being forced to marry a man I didn't love or know anything about."

Gwen's curious eyes enlarge. "What happen?"

Lord Cummings said, "Well, she found me of course." Gwen noticed that when Jennifer heard her husband's voice, her eyes brightened up like Christmas.

Glancing up at her attractive spouse, she asked with enthusiasm, "David, what are you doing out here?"

He bent down and pulled Jennifer up in his arms, kissing her passionately and getting her to grin in return. "Well, looking for you my Darling wife."

At such closeness, Gwen blushed and looked hastily at the floor. "David, please put me down. We are not alone." Jennifer gave her husband a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Placing his wife on the ground, he asked in a funny manner, "Oh, Gwen. What are you doing out here? Where is your scoundrel of a husband?"

As she got up to dust off her gown, Gwen exclaimed angrily, "I do not know his whereabouts." "He couldn't wait to get rid of me as soon as the ceremony ended."

Gwen was reluctant to go look for her husband because, in reality, he ought to be the one searching for her. "Let's go look for him shall we?" she asked.

As she coldly took his arm and Jennifer took the other, Gwen muttered, "A bride looking for her husband on their wedding night. How pathetic."

Steph held his drink and stood looking out over the balcony. His hair was no longer in a ponytail and was blowing freely in the breeze. Like any happy husband, he ought to be with his wife, but he wasn't content. How in the span of a few hours could he have gone from being a free man to a husband? He was London's most eligible bachelor just yesterday, but now that he was married, he was addicted.

He may still be able to have mistresses, but he was a man of honor who kept his word. He witnessed his mother's heartbreak at witnessing his father having several mistresses. It caused her to die inexplicably when he was a young boy. Under no circumstances would he do that to his wife.

Annie stood next to him and said, "I thought I'll find you out here. Always the pensive type."

Steph turned his head to face her. He took the whiskey glass in his mouth and downed it without flinching, saying, "Well Annie, aren't you looking dashing tonight."

Annie blushed a little at his praise. She was wearing a crimson velvet gown with an extremely low neckline that suited her figure like a glove and was accessorized with a distinctive braided hairstyle.

"You know hearing that from you never gets old."

"Well I'm a married man now so that would be the last you hear it from me." He responds.

Annie lets out a wild laugh. Annie spat, strolling to the other end of the balcony, "Well a married man who only knew about his wife the same day he was to get married and disappeared after the ceremony. What a wonder husband you are turning out to be."

As she noticed two women sitting in the gardens, she muttered, "I almost feel sorry for the poor girl."

Steph staggered toward her and said, "I didn't ask for your opinion. Shouldn't you be married by now?"

Annie sighed as Steph delicately touched her cheek. "Well that's the reason why I was looking for you. Jacky and I are leaving first thing tomorrow to France. I came to say goodbye."

"I'll miss you Annie."

"Well I shall be occupied, since I now acquired a talent thanks you." She grinned.

He roused, "W-what's t-that?".

She smiled and winked at him, saying, "I make cravat for handsome gentlemen." "I think this is yours," she said, holding the cravat in her hands.

"You're a piece of work you know that?" Steph asked, laughing until his eyes got wet. Taking the cravat from her fingers, he stared at it while a melancholy smile spread across his mouth.

After putting the cravat back in Annie's hand, he gave her a peck on the cheek before pressing his lips to hers. "I think you should keep it something to remember me by."

Gwen's eyes started to water at the sight in front of her again. Her spouse was kissing another woman and leaving them mementos to serve as a reminder of him. She was at her breaking point, as was her husband. She despises him! For her, he had turned into a poison.

There will never be harmony between us. She wiped a tear from her cheek and pondered through clinched teeth.

As she was fleeing the scene, she ran into David. They had spat up to locate her unfaithful spouse more quickly. "Did you find him?" they asked. Only for her to see a scenario this terrible. She said, shocking David and alerting their visitors, "I have found him alright."

Gwen pushed past him and discovered the enormous table in the ballroom. That was extremely arrogant, forcing them to the ground with all kinds of delicacy. She was standing on the table as a footman walked by carrying champagne, so she leaned over and took one swiftly.

A few gasps echoed through the room, "Oh hush you know who you are. By the by my husband couldn't make it to thank you personally because his lips are occupied kissing another woman. You only came here for some juicy gossip. To find out who really is this girl the infamous bachelor is getting married to now you got something more worth your time." She took a sip from her champagne and looked at it strangely before emptying the whole glass. "Attention, everyone!" she shouted, which was unnecessary because she had already caught their attention.