The Contract Duchess, a Regency Romance: Key To My Heart Book 1

Chapter 11 - Angie

Over the next few days, Angie had to remind herself that she was not living in one of her girlhood dreams. A couple of days resting in bed restored much of her energy, and seeing Derrick every day for tea restored her spirit. Anne commented more than once that she had not seen her mistress in such good spirits in a very long time, and Angie had to agree. It was hard to remember when she had felt so good.

Derrick said that he had his house nearly ready, and the special license had been approved. They decided to get married quietly in the parlor of the Hollins house, with just her brothers and a few friends as witnesses. Derrick's family lawyer was invited, of course, to make sure that the will's condition was fulfilled and that there would be no objections later.

All of their guests had been reminded that the wedding might be canceled the morning of the event if Angie was unable to participate that day. Angie hoped it would not be necessary to cancel. She had invited a seamstress to the house to fit her into her mother's wedding gown. It had been carefully preserved for just such a day, and she was proud to be able to wear it at last, and to do so to marry the man she had loved for most of her life was the most amazing part of all.

It was two days before the wedding and a week and a half before the deadline in the will for the marriage. Everything they could think of was ready, except waiting for one of Derrick's cousins to arrive. They were just about to settle down for tea when a messenger arrived for Derrick about a business matter, and he had to leave suddenly.

"I am so sorry, Angie. Can I come by and join you for supper instead?" he pleaded, his expression telling her just how much it tortured him to have to leave her side.

"I think that can be arranged," she said with a smile. Usually she ate supper propped up in her bed, as she was usually exhausted by evening, but surely it would not be unseemly to dine in her chamber with her husband-to-be, especially if Anne were to join them.

After he left, Angie enjoyed the tea in solitude, a rare thing, not just with the bustle of wedding preparations, but also in life with her condition. She was used to having some sort of company just about every waking moment, including when she needed to use a chamber pot. It was blessedly peaceful.

It was only after her 2nd cup of tea was nearly finished that she noticed she did not feel right, somehow. She had managed to not collapse over the last week until after supper, and she had taken to sitting in a regular chair for tea with Derrick in the last couple of days. Now as her legs and arms grew heavy and it became increasingly hard to breathe, she regretted that decision.

Her head tilted backwards to rest on the back of the chair without her purposefully doing so; she simply could not stop it from happening. She was glad that in this position, she was less likely to tumble to the floor, but it also made it still more difficult to draw a full breath, let alone call for help. Whatever was she going to do? Where had all of the staff disappeared to for so long?

Just when she feared she was about to lose consciousness, Anne peaked her head around the doorframe and was clearly shocked to find her alone and clearly in distress. She turned and yelled over her shoulder for help and then rushed into the room. A gentle hand on her neck to check her pulse and a swift movement to pull over an ottoman, and Angie relaxed a little, fear receding as she smiled slightly to acknowledge that Anne had finally come and had assessed the situation as dangerous and was taking charge. She dozed off just as she felt her feet being lifted onto the ottoman.

When she opened her eyes next, she immediately had to close them again. The room was spinning in circles, and it was impossible to focus on anything long enough to figure out where she was. She was lying down, so she assumed that she was in bed, and she hoped she had not missed supper. She really wanted to spend some more time with Derrick. Except she had not had a chance to tell Anne that Derrick would be joining her for dinner and so she would be too.