Everlasting | 17 | An Arranged Marriage

Two weeks had passed and the couple were as close as ever. Elizabeth had really come out of her shell. Her husband noted that she was still slightly timid and worried about things every now and then, but on the whole, she was an entirely new person. And he loved every bit of her.

He smiled as he leaned against the door frame, his cup of coffee in hand, and watched Elizabeth twirl about the ballroom in her new gown, as two of her maids clapped and giggled with her, while another played at the pianoforte.

“You've performed a miracle, Your Highness.”

Christian lifted his eyebrow and glanced at the maid beside him. Caroline. He had come to find that Elizabeth cherished the older lady like no other.

“How do you mean?”

The maid gave him a look over her glasses and returned her gaze to Elizabeth, now dancing along with the maids instead of by herself.

“We have long tried to pull Elizabeth from her mother's proprietary clutches but she never wanted anything more than to please the one woman on earth who hadn't given her approval of her own daughter.”

Silence ensued as the two took in Her Highness.

“Mrs. Elizabeth has lived 20 years of her life seeking something she'll never have. Lady Camden has a hard soul and never wanted children. Elizabeth's been nothing but a nuisance in the eyes of the woman ever since her birth.”

Caroline thinned her lips and glanced up at Christian's surprised expression.

“Why do you think she was so quick to marry the girl off? She never had any qualms or questions for you or your parents. That never struck you as strange?”

“Well...” Christian sucked in a breath and looked down at the maid and then back to Elizabeth. “No. I can't say it did.”

The maid pursed her lips and said, “And of course Mrs. Elizabeth was none the wiser. She believed this marriage had been arranged since the day she was born. Lady Camden was the one to inform her of it so she believed everything.”

Christian looked down at his cup of java and swirled the content around as he thought. So it was much worse than he had imagined. But it certainly spoke of why Elizabeth had been so desperate to please him. She wanted the approval she had never gotten from her mother.

“She's a sweet and innocent girl, Your Majesty. And I'm sure you've come to realize that. Which makes me all the more grateful to you for pulling her out of her shell and allowing her to live freely.”

He smiled down at the older woman and pursed his lips.

“Could you have this cup sent back to the kitchens to be washed, Caroline?” he said, watching Elizabeth twirl on the dance floor. “I have some matters I must attend to.”

He saw the small smirk of Elizabeth's maid and smiled to himself. Winking at the other two standing with Elizabeth, he rushed up and pulled her into the familiar waltz with him

“Oh!”

Her laughter rang through the air as he guided them about the room. Such a sweet sound.

“Having fun without me, love? I say, I've got to remember to put that on my list of rules of things you can't do.”

She smiled brightly up at him as they flitted about the dance floor in time with the music. She laughed and leaned against him, slowing down their steps until the song ended. The couple stood there for what seemed like ages together. But neither made a sound. That is...until Elizabeth pulled back to smile up at him once more.

Smoothing the lapels of his jacket, she licked her lips and rose up on her toes to give him a small peck on the cheek. Blushing profusely, she pulled back but didn't retreat into her old self. She only had to look up at his adoring smile to know she was where she was meant to be.

He ran a finger down her ivory cheek and wound a tendril of her hair around his finger. He smiled and glanced at the maid on the pianoforte, motioning that she continue with another song, before taking his wife in his hands once more and swiftly guiding her about the dance floor.

After a few moments, he looked down into her gleaming eyes and said, “I must say, my dear, that you look exceptionally exquisite this morning.”

Her gaze floated up to his in a mixture of surprise and amusement. She scanned his features for a hint of what was to come but found nothing. She raised an eyebrow and said, “What is it you'll have me do, Christian?”

He smirked down at his wife and replied, “Now, why on earth would you think that I'll have you do something every time I compliment you?”

Elizabeth laughed gaily and continued to twirl about the room with the only man she loved.

“It's not every time you compliment me, dear. It's just the so very elegant and spontaneous compliments that make me wary.”

“I'll have to remember not to be spontaneous, as you call it, with my compliments after this then.”

He twirled her about and about until suddenly she found herself on the terrace, overlooking the gardens where she had found herself more and more often when she had nothing else to do.

Christian took her hand in his and gently motioned for her to walk with him down the stair and into the wide expanse of flowers. They strolled together in silence for a while and Elizabeth enjoyed every minute. She found that they could often be silent together without being awkward.

Elizabeth fingered one of roses as she walked by the bush and smiled to herself a Christian watched on. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and said, “My dearest, Elizabeth.”

Her gaze left the flowers and moved to watch him as he focused on something in the distance.

“You should know how I hate to put you in this position but I fear I don't have any other choice at the moment,” he said, sighing. “It's my turn, this year, to host the annual Regency Ball and, before now, I've always had my mother organize things. But, as I'm married and, technically, it's the duty of the...”

He was instantly shushed by her delicate finger and warm smile. She picked up his hand in hers and brought it to her lips, trailing kisses over his knuckles before laughing lightly and nodding her head.

“Yes, love. I'll plan the ball. It's what I was brought up for, remember? As much as you would like me to forget propriety, I can't just banish from my mind. It's stuck with me. And I can assure you I remember every detail. You'll be the talk of the tonne after we hold the event of the Season.”

He smiled down at her and placed a kiss atop her forehead.

“I don't know where I would ever be without you, my dear.”