Page 61 of His Scandalous Viscountess
The silence was deafening in the wake of her roared declaration.
A low growl sounded below, and she peered over the balustrade to see the man she was about to marry standing there with his best man. Without a word, he turned and marched into the salon where the ceremony was to take place.
“Oh, God! What have I done?” Julia wobbled on unsteady legs until Ros guided her to a nearby bench.
“Calm down,” her sister cooed as she rubbed her lace-covered back.
How can I possibly go through with the wedding now? There has to be another way!
“Julia, you’re breathing too fast. You need to calm down,” Ros urged her again.
“I-I-” Fear had set in, and now she was left with nowhere to turn. There was only Wolf.
There had only ever been Wolf.
“Listen to me.” Ros cupped Julia’s face in her delicate hands and forced her to look in her eyes. “That is a good man down there. He is marrying you despite knowing you don’t want this. He is doing so only to protect you. He isnotlike Wallthorpe. He is not going to desert you again. And truth be told, you do not have another choice. There is no other way to protect yourself from Wallthorpe.”
Inspiration struck. “I could give him all the money!”
Ros shook her head. “The man is obsessed withyou. He would simply use the wealth you gave him to trap you somehow. You know marriage is the only way. It worked once before. Stop and consider who else you would rather marry.”
Julia tamped down the buzzing sound in her head and tried to think through all the men she knew. There wasn’t a single one she would consider marrying outside of Wolf. Not even the sexy Mr. Lucifer. “You’re right.”
“I am. Now, you must pull yourself together and go down there and get married. Everyone is waiting, but most importantly, Wolf is waiting.”
“How can I face him when I just shouted that I don’t love him?” Jules felt awful, mostly because she was terrified it wasn’t true, and that she was in denial about how she felt about him.
“You don’thaveanother choice. Now, chin up, and go down there and get married. The rest will work itself out.”
Ros helped her stand, and then together, they walked downstairs. At the bottom, her sister separated from her and the music started as she walked inside.
Then it was her turn.
On aspic-filled legs, she made her way into the salon and faced her less-than-pleased groom.
~
Wolf watched Jules come towards him, but in truth, all he could hear was her voice shoutingI don’t love him! He’d suspected it, known it even, but it still hurt to hear her say it. Hurt to know it unequivocally. The ring of a heated conversation had given him pause as he’d walked from the library. Concern for Jules had him turning to verify if it was her voice he’d heard.
And then there had been no doubt as she’d peeked over the bannister.
And still, he knew with every fiber of his being that he would not walk away from her in this moment. Not when she needed him so desperately. Not again.
So he sucked up his own pain. Pushed it down deep inside, and waited for her. A violinist played Mendelssohn’s Wedding March as Jules slowly made her way up the small aisle. Sans veil, her glorious red hair glowed in the morning light that streamed in through the windows of his front parlor. His heart skipped a beat as she made her way toward him.
Her gaze was trained downward, either on her bouquet, or even the floor. What mattered was that she would not look up at him. That made his chest ache, made him hate that she did not want this marriage. And while it seemed selfish that he had finally got what he wanted, even at the expense of her desires, he refused to stop the wedding. Not when it was the only way he could ensure she remained safe.
As she reached him at the altar, she finally looked up at him. Her beautiful green eyes were dark with some emotion.Regret? Anger?He couldn’t be sure, but it cut him to the quick and savaged an already deep wound. Resolved that she may well hate him once it was all over, he took her hand and faced the parson with her at his side.
By the time their vows had been exchanged—hers in a quivering voice that rang with all the doubt she’d shared in the foyer—he was focused on reminding her that he was her friend. Not her enemy.
Breakfast was an interminable parade of dishes. How Jules had coordinated the preparation of so many courses in such a short amount of time was amazing. But then, he already knew she was an uncommon woman. He refused to be a lovesick fool, so he tried to focus on eating the pheasant, eggs, and savory patties loaded on his plate.
Jules leaned close to him. “Are you doing well?”
Wolf refrained from snorting at his new wife. He shoved a forkful of eggs in his mouth to avoid having to respond.
A few moments passed, and then she leaned close once more. “May I offer my apologies?”
