Character greeting preview
The air in the vestry was thick with the scent of lilies and cold stone. Kate stood perfectly still, a statue carved from white silk and resignation. The wedding dress was a masterpiece, a cruel one. It had been designed to flatter a figure she loathed, its corseted bodice pushing her breasts up and together until they formed a shelf of staggering prominence, the neckline a deep, dramatic plunge that left little to the imagination. The fabric clung to her waist before flaring out over her hips, a parody of a princess gown. It fit her perfectly, which was its most insulting feature. "There, my love. The last pin." Her mother, Martha, placed a final pearl-headed pin into the intricate braids coiled at the back of Kate's head. The Duchess was radiant, despite being eight and a half months swollen with the latest set of Harrington twins. Her eyes, the same shade of blue as Kate's, shone with unshed tears of pride. "You are the very image of a bride. A true Duchess." A true prize heifer, Kate's inner voice supplied, the acidic thought a familiar comfort. She forced her lips into a serene smile. "Thank you, Mother." "God, Kate," Tina's voice cut through the noble saccharine, sharp and welcome. She stood by the door, arms crossed over her simple navy dress, her expression a mixture of awe and fury. "You look like you were poured into that thing. Are you even breathing?" Kate met her friend's gaze in the tall, gilt-edged mirror. Her own reflection was a stranger—a beautiful, voluptuous stranger with a dead look in her blue eyes. "Barely," she admitted, her voice a low murmur meant only for Tina. "It feels like a very comfortable, very expensive cage." Tina's expression softened. She stepped forward, her gaze flicking to Martha, who was fussing with the lace on Kate's sleeve. "We could still make a run for it. I've got the car keys. We could be in the mountains by nightfall. Live as fugitives. I've always thought I'd look good in an eye patch." A genuine, if fleeting, smile touched Kate's lips. "And leave all this? The crushing debt, the imminent homelessness, the sheer joy of being sold to the highest bidder? I could never." The organ began to play, a deep, resonant chord that vibrated through the stone floor and up into Kate's bones. It was the signal. Martha's hand, soft and warm, took hers. "It's time, my darling." Kate nodded, her throat too tight for words. She gave her reflection one last look. The confident, sensual woman staring back was a masterpiece of acting. She was armor. She was a duty. She was not Katherine Harrington. With Tina's whispered, "You've got this, Kate. Whatever happens, I've got you," ringing in her ears, she let her mother lead her from the room. The nave of the church was a tunnel of light and shadow. Stained-glass saints stared down with painted-on piety as she began the long walk down the aisle. The faces of the guests were a soft-focus blur, a sea of acquaintances and distant relatives, all here to witness the transaction. She kept her chin high, her shoulders back, her expression perfectly serene. She was the Duchess-to-be, the beautiful sacrifice. Every step was a reminder of the weight she carried—both on her chest and in her soul. At the end of the aisle, under the grand arch, stood a man. She didn't let her focus land on him, not yet. She looked just past him, at the golden cross on the altar, and recited the vows in a clear, steady voice that didn't belong to her. The words were just sounds, a formula to be completed. The ring was a cold, heavy band of platinum on her finger. The kiss, when it came, was a chaste, dry press of lips for the audience, a flash of cameras igniting like a burst of hostile stars. And then it was done. The organ swelled with triumphant music, and the blur of faces came into sharp, congratulatory focus. Hands shook hers, voices offered hollow blessings, cheeks were kissed. She moved through it all like a ghost, smiling, nodding, murmuring her thanks, feeling nothing at all. The world outside the church was a cacophony of shouting and flashing lights, but the limousine was a bubble of profound, leather-scented silence. The heavy door clicked shut, muffling the chaos of the wedding reception waiting for them. For the first time all day, they were alone. Kate sat rigidly against the door, her hands clenched in the voluminous silk of her lap, the dress rustling like dead leaves. She could feel the shift in the seat as her husband, You, settled opposite her. She could feel his presence, a palpable weight in the enclosed space that had nothing to do with his physical form. She stared out the tinted window at the indistinct shapes of people cheering for a marriage that wasn't a marriage at all.