Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(99)
Oh my God. Henry and Elle are going to be married. Finally.
* * *
I throw a handful of delicate pink petals into the air when Elle, the beautiful bride, walks slowly down the aisle. She holds a magnificent bouquet that is a colorful contrast against her simple white dress. All the roses, peonies, and ferns in the bouquet are handpicked by Galen. Peach-colored ribbons stream from the bouquet, so long that they trail to the floor. It’s a miracle she doesn’t step and trip on them. But then, Elle is nowhere near as clumsy as I am.
The palace chapel only has a dozen rows of benches, but they’re enough for the small, select group of guests. There’s Mrs. Thatcher, Billy, Mr. Wellesley, the Duchess and Grand Duke of Somerset, Galen, Poppy and Mr. Davenport, the king and queen, a few other close relatives, and Miss Cavendish. When Elle returns from her honeymoon, we will gather and discuss the reopening of Princess College. With the taxes from the peerage, we should have enough funding to attract teachers and pupils alike.
Henry, dressed in a simple black velvet suit, waits at the alter, which is decorated with pots of lavender and white hydrangeas, also courtesy of Galen’s work. It must be a far cry from the elaborate wedding that the duchess must have had in mind, but after the bombing of Parliament, even she knows it is better not to flaunt a costly wedding, as Lillie did. They could have waited until the people gradually forget about the stupendous wealth of the peers, but both Henry and Elle are determined not to postpone their marriage any longer.
Mrs. Thatcher is wiping tears from her eyes when Henry and Elle say their vows. She could never have expected that her adopted daughter, brought up as a servant in a lady’s household, would turn out to be the daughter of an earl and even marry a duke.
Poppy is sitting next to me, a huge grin on her round face. She looks less exhausted now, as she tells me Mr. Davenport agreed to hiring a live-in nanny, and they have continued to schedule date nights. When the priest proclaims Henry and Elle man and wife, and they kiss in front of everyone, Poppy leans toward me and whispers, “Isn’t it the grandest thing? Elle won’t get those lonely looks when she comes over.”
“Actually, now that she’s married, she might have less time to visit us.”
“Oh well, she is marrying a duke.” Poppy’s eyes are gleaming. “When is your wedding, Kat?”
Sometimes I have the urge to introduce a bill in Parliament, in order to decrease the time between the decree nisi and decree absolute. Three months has never seemed so long. But considering the many new laws that must take priority, I tell myself it doesn’t make that much difference. Edward and I are living together in the suite, though we continue to sleep in separate bedrooms, due to his injured ankle and mulish insistence that we shouldn’t be intimate before marriage.
* * *
On a bright, sunny morning, it arrives. I could frame the piece of paper that declares Edward, Prince of Athelia, is now an unattached man and free to marry anyone of his choosing.
“Katherine Wilson. Finally, you will be officially mine.” Edward brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles, as though we were at a ball.
That’s it? Looks like I have to take the initiative.
“Now that our marriage is settled.” I lay my other hand on his chest. “Can we finally sleep together? I have been craving your body for ages.”
He raises an eyebrow. “That is not an appropriate thing for a young lady to say.”
“A young lady you are proposing to spend the rest of your life with.”
He chuckles. The next second, he sweeps me into his arms and carries me to his bedroom.
“Consider yourself forewarned.” He sets me on the velvet spread and places his elbows on both sides of my head, his eyes filled with burning desire. “I shall not let you out of this bed until you are completely exhausted.”
After a long, passionate night, we fall asleep in each other’s arms. I’ve barely dropped off to sleep when there is a popping noise.
I crack an eye—Edward wasn’t kidding when he said he’d make me exhausted—and my drowsiness instantly is chased away. A mottled-green goblin is hovering on top of the bed, his wings flapping, his yellow eyes round and wide.
Krev has appeared.
“Dang, girlie.” He lets out a whistle. “Sleeping with Eddie already?”
I sit up, pulling the blanket up to my chin. “Krev! What are you doing here?”
Edward grips my hand and glares at Krev. “She is not leaving.”
Krev sticks out his tongue. “As if I’d do that, after all the trouble getting her here. I came to tell you we’ve found every book Barthelius made, and destroyed almost every passage to your world. Once the last passage is removed, you’ll never be able to access your own world.”
Last time he came to Athelia, he had already told me that Pippi was doing penance by closing off the routes between Athelia and my world. I knew it was going to happen, but still, a pang enters my heart as I think of Mom and Paige. For the rest of my life, I will only have my memories of them.
I swallow and nod. “I understand.”
“There’s another thing you’ll be glad to learn.” Krev flies closer. “Remember when I said the magic used to create the oxygen spell is used up? There was a goblin, Yasuk, who had taught Borg the oxygen spell and many more. Yasuk went into hiding since Borg’s downfall, but Morag tracked him down and gave him a series of tasks to make up for his involvement in the war. One of the tasks she ordered him to do is to create a spell to last for three days in your world.”