His Sudden Bride (The Brides # 1) COMPLETED

Chapter Nine, Part Two

The wedding was only two days from now, Lexa realized as she checked the date. The wedding was to be on the twenty first of June. That was a week from her twenty second birthday. And today was the nineteenth of June. Time went fast. Only two months ago, she had met Edward at Matilda's engagement party, and now...

There was a knock to her bedchamber, and Lexa turned to see her mother entering. Like always, Lady Pembroke frowned at her daughter and said, "why are you hiding in your room, Alexandra?"

"I was just checking the date," Lexa mused as she walked away from her calendar pinned on the wall.

Her mother raised n elegant brow, and said, "There is to be a comedy playing at Theatre Royal called My Fair Lady by Sir Ambrose Lovelace."

"Sir Ambrose?" Lexa asked.

Lady Pembroke nodded, "Lady Lovelace told me. You may invite Anna, if you wish."

Lexa brighten at that prospect. If Anna went with her perhaps her nerves with the whole wedding might fade way. Lexa took off her glasses and after setting them in its case and placed it on the nightstand beside her stacked books. She was about to make her way towards the door when her mother unexpectedly walked towards her nightstand and said, as she picked up Lexa's glasses after taking them out of its case, "I always did hate these."

Lexa spun around, her eyes widen, in horror, as her mother took them by her hands and broke them.

Noticing her daughter's shock, Lady Pembroke, exclaimed, "What? Surely you don't think you'll continue wearing these. They are unladylike."

"Mother," said Lexa, as her voice wavered in anger, "I don't understand why you needed to do that. Those spectacles were written for me by Dr. Jenkins. He advised I use them when reading. You know that I can't see when reading!"

"Surely your vision has improved since then," said Lady Pembroke, "You needed them not when we were at church on Sunday."

"I forgot them," said Lexa, "and I was depending on Amara for instruction."

Lady Pembroke waved away unconcerned and said, "There is no need to fret over spectacles, Alexandra. As the future Marchioness of Douro you can't afford imperfections."

Then all at once, Lexa realized, that her mother's constant chastisement about being the prefect wife, the perfect mother was getting to her. And in truth, with a few day left to the wedding, she didn't need it. She didn't need the doubts to be seeded into her to become unconditional fears. Lexa exhaled and said, turning to her mother, "The last thing I need, dearest Mama, is perfection. Let me worry about the duties of a wife once I get married. I will not stress myself over the matter when all I can think about is the wedding. "

"Well you need to be told," said Lady Pembroke, "how else are you to learn? You rarely do embroidery, hardly play your violin, can't sing--,"

Lexa frowned, "I can too sing."

"All you think about is your scientific writings," Lady Pembroke said.

"I quite like writing about my observations," Lexa said, "and studying batony is quite fashionable for ladies these days. Even considered educational."

"I blame your father," muttered her mother. Sighing,  Lady Pembroke asked her daughter, "Are you still coming to see the play?"

Lexa nodded and watched as her mother made her way out. Lexa then exited her own  room and decided that she might as well invite Anna to see the play.

Anna Keane knew that once Lexa married off to Lord Douro she would miss her terribly. How else was she to tell someone about her complicated emotions regarding a certain gentleman named Lucian Herbert?