A Royal Secret

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHARA LAY IN BED THAT evening, listening to the sound of the fire slowly devouring the wood in the fireplace as its flames fought against the darkness in the room. She couldn't fall asleep, for she knew what was to come on a night like this; the consummation of her marriage to Jeffery. She expected him to make his way in through the doors of her bedchamber, or perhaps even summon her.

But as the time slowly crept by and he failed to show up, she realized he had no interest in consummating their marriage.

Perhaps she must be relieved? If he not only intended for their marriage to be for the briefest of time, but also intended for it to be false, then she must be thankful for that. She must rejoice in his decision to preserve her purity and dignity, allowing her to walk away unscathed.

Still, she knew the preservation of her dignity had nothing to do with his rejection because somewhere in her subconscious mind, the voice of the stranger who had rudely interrupted their ceremony echoed in her ears:

"Don't be ridiculous," his voice mocked her, "look at her! How do you suppose you shall consummate your marriage? In the dark? For surely such an unsightly woman shall prove incapable of arousing any passion in you."

Turning over so that the soft mattress was underneath her belly, she let out a soft sigh; he was right; she was undesirable. It certainly explained Jeffery's decision to stay away from her tonight.

It was, however, foolish to dwell on it, and it was foolish to desire something that could never be and that was never meant to be. What she needed to dwell on was the privilege of comfort—of a comfortable bed to sleep on and food in her belly.

She lay awake all night, holding on to the hope that Jeffery would show up. When he didn't, she fell asleep at dawn.

Moaning softly, she opened her eyes; sunlight immediately stinging her eyes. She pushed herself to a sitting position, holding up her arms to ward off the sunrays that poured into the room from the open curtain opposite her bed.

"Mrs. Hendrix." She traced the voice in the room to a maid.

"What time is it?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Just about time for lunch." She leaned down and carried the tray on the coffee table; Chara's untouched breakfast. It was probably cold and inedible by now.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" She frowned.

"Forgive me, we didn't think you would appreciate us interrupting your rest after..." she trailed off, her face catching fire.

Understanding the hidden meaning in her words, Chara blushed. If only the maids knew her evening had been anything but eventful.

"I shall return to help you get ready," she said, changing the subject.

Chara shook her head. "No need." Rising to her feet, she fought against the urge to give in to the humiliating thought of having to wake up to an empty bed on the morning of her honeymoon. "I shall help myself as usual." It was best, she told herself as she watched the maid walk away. Just like she needed to keep dressing herself up to keep the maids from noticing the mark behind her head, she needed to keep Jeffery from seeing it as well. And surely, if he had consummated their marriage the evening before, he would have indeed seen it, wouldn't he?

She nodded, even if she knew it to be false; he couldn't have seen it in the darkness, or so buried away by the mass of her now rapidly growing hair.

Quickly, she crawled out of bed and peeled off her nightdress, discarding it in exchange for a casual pink dress for lunch. It was one of the simplest items Rose had in her trunk and it seemed appropriate for lunch, because not only did Chara imagine Jeffery would choose not to join her, she wasn't in the mood to look her best.