Transformed [W&W Book 1]

Chapter 45

Theresa awoke to the sound of her maid opening the door.

The previous night came rushing back to her and she jumped up, imagining the maid's reaction to Wildwood's presence in the room. The scandal would be most troubling, not to mention Francine's reaction.

Then she realized he was already gone as if he had never been; as if it all had been just a dream.

No, she could see the blanket that he had used to cover himself folded neatly on the edge of the bed. He had been there.

She smiled wryly that he had the presence of mind to leave before they were caught in an embarrassingly compromising situation.

Theresa sighed as she glanced at the maid. She wondered why the maid had come in to bother her so early.

Of course.

The Wedding.

Theresa took a bath and then the maid helped her dress. A lady's maid lent by the queen did Theresa's hair.

Daphne had managed to find a dress in a shade of blue lavender that matched Theresa's eyes perfectly. A matching flower was set in her dark hair.

Theresa inspected herself in the mirror and she realized with some surprise that she looked quite pretty. She had little enough time to consider such frivolities and she would never be as delicate as her sister, but she at least she looked passable.

Not that pretty really mattered when her whole future would be mental slavery, but perhaps she might enjoy this one last day of relative freedom before Francine had her trapped in complete isolation again.

* * * * *

Theresa peeked at the assembled crowd through a crack in the door. She could not believe how many people were attending her sister's wedding. She tried not to think about how Francine was somewhere out there among them.

The queen stood beside her, wearing a golden dress and an intricate crown on her head. There were only a scant few minutes left until the ceremony was to start.

"Good crowd?" the queen asked. She smiled gently.

"I don't think we know so many people," Theresa commented.

"True enough, but your sister needed a good audience, don't you think? Her title might not be great, but a demonstration of my favor will give her a fair amount of power amongst the nobility. It's all about who you know and who knows you, you know?"

Theresa had not realized that the queen's idea to join the wedding as a witness had been to help Daphne. "Thank you." She tried not to sound as if the idea was new to her.

"No need to thank me. It's my hobby. I enjoy meddling in other people's lives. Good naturedly, of course," she said with the wry good humor Theresa was coming to expect from her.

Truly, the queen was nothing like what Theresa would have expected her to be. The queen had a public face, but she allowed it to slip in private.

She supposed that she and Daphne were privileged enough to see the real woman beneath the crown because of their tentative connection to Wildwood. It was yet another thing she supposed she owed him.

Jim led Daphne into the waiting room and she looked utterly beautiful. Her dark brown hair was piled on her head and a veil was set in her hair with flowers. Theresa's heart swelled with affection. She wished that their parents had been here for this moment.

However, beneath Daphne's veil, barely visible, her blue eyes were bloodshot and her face was soaked.

Jim seemed to be half supporting her weight on his arm. He looked incredibly nervous and terribly uncomfortable with the crying young woman clinging to him.