The Wallflower's Revenge

Chapter 8: The Wedding

Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open. 

-George Bernard Shaw

Tatiana Rostova's POV

I have dreamt of my own wedding since I was a kid. Imaging myself walking down the aisle with the man I loved waiting for me at the altar, wearing my wedding dress that I personally picked. Well that day has come. Today is my wedding day. The joy of the bride should be felt on her very special day that was noticeably missing on me.

Allegra had offered to arrange my out-of-style hair into a simple but elegant knot. While I was sitting in front of my dresser examining my diamond engagement ring Lucca had given me yesterday.

It was worth a fortune, I decided. Several times more expensive than the engagement ring Paolo had given me. I supposed Lucca had gone off the mark in making our union more realistic than necessary.

There's an old saying about that, wasn't it? 'Fool yourselves before you could fool others.' That must be it.

"Nervous, Your Excellency?"

I looked up and stared at Allegra through the mirror. "Huh? Not really. And please remove the 'Your Excellency' thing when you're talking to me, Allegra."

The straight-laced Italian girl shook her head. "I can't, my lady. Because starting today you are now the new Duchess of Caprielle."

I sighed. If I have learned anything in the past few days living in the luxurious villa of Lucca Cavelli is that his maids are very dedicated to their work and clearly adored their master.

"You must be shocked to learn that upon meeting the duke for only a matter of days, now I am marrying him." I said conversationally to Allegra as she put white lilies on the knot in my head.

"Not really," she answered, her concentration was fixed on her work. "Mama believes that true love is never measured in the time they spend together. There are couples that had been married for forty years yet they still don't really know each other, then there are some who only knew each other for a couple of days and knew that they made for each other."

"Your mother is a wise woman."

Allegra beamed at me through the reflection on the mirror. Obviously pleased by my remark about her mother. "She's working here at the villa for years as the duke's housekeeper. Mama loves His Grace as if he was her real son. Unfortunately, my sister gave birth and Mama needs to take care of my niece since my sister is working in Rome."

"Did you work here as your mother's replacement?" I asked, trying to learn anything about my groom-to-be.

Allegra nodded. "When my Mama needs to quit, I felt sad because I need to stop in college since Mama no longer has income from working for the duke. When the duke learned that his housekeeper's youngest daughter is still in college, he offered to fund my education until I graduated. You don't know how happy I am when Mama told me about it, Your Excellency." She smiled warmly. "In return I asked him to let me repay his kindness by working in his villa for the summer for free..."

"Instead he still paid your salary?" I concluded. I already knew that Don Lucca Cavelli was a good man. He already saved a drowning woman on a cold sea, didn't he? He even agreed to my insane plan in avenging the people who hurt me.

My maid nodded. "His Excellency insisted that the money is for my expenses in school. Don't worry, Miss. The duke is a good man and he will take good care of you. I never saw him so besotted with a woman before."