A Kiss Before the Wedding - A Pembroke Palace Short Story Read Free

are a golden beauty, Adelaide. Everyone sees it but you.”
    “They are just jealous,” Mary assured her. “For
years the duke has been an impossible catch. He has showed no
interest in matrimony until you came along. It was love at first at
sight, and it drives them all mad with envy.”
    Adelaide sat down on the lichen-covered wall of
the fountain and angled her parasol against the blinding sun.
    “Do you really believe in love at first sight?”
she asked. “The duke barely knows me, nor I him. On the surface he
is very handsome and amiable, and he certainly flatters me with his
attentions and treats me with the utmost respect. But it is not as
I imagined it would be.” She paused. “If you must know, I am
anxious about the wedding night.”
    Her sisters exchanged a knowing look, then each
sat down on either side of her.
    “It’s normal to be nervous,” Margarite said.
“All brides are, but everything will be fine. The duke is an
experienced man. He will show you what to do. Do not fret. And it
will get easier after the first time.”
    Adelaide swallowed uneasily. “I am sure you are
right, for you are a married woman now, Margarite, and you have far
more experience than I.”
    The back door of the palace swung open just
then. A liveried footman appeared, crossed over the flagstone
terrace, and strode purposefully down the steps. In a gloved hand,
he carried a golden salver.
    “He has a letter,” Mary said. “I wonder which
one of us it is for.”
    They all stood up and waited. The footman’s
shiny buckled shoes crunched noisily over the gravel as he
approached. Adelaide couldn’t help but notice the perspiration
dripping from under his white wig.
    What a silly ensemble on a day such as this, she
thought. Then she wondered if she truly was cut out to be a
duchess. How would she ever manage?
    The footman arrived and bowed to her. “A letter,
my lady.”
    She glanced down at the gold plate and winced at
the blinding reflection of the sun as she picked up the letter.
“Thank you.”
    He bowed again, then turned and began the long
trek back to the palace.
    “Who is it from?” Mary asked.
    Immediately, Adelaide recognized the dark blue
seal, and her pulse began to race. The summer heat seemed suddenly
intensified, and she was forced to sit down again on the fountain
wall.
    “It is from Mr. Thomas,” she explained as she
broke the seal.
    Her sisters sat down on either side of her and
leaned close to read over her shoulder, but she could not possibly
allow that. She rose to her feet and strode off across the green
grass to read it alone.
     
    My darling Adelaide,
    Forgive me for such intimacies when you
are about to be married, but I must speak from my heart. I received
your letter about your engagement, and I have come home to declare
myself.
    You said I was your closest friend, and I
remain ever so. Nothing matters more to me than your happiness. For
that reason, I must assure myself that you are certain of your
path, and that you are in full possession of the facts before you
embark upon a lifelong journey you cannot undo.
    Please see me one last time before your
wedding. I am not far from you now. I am staying at the inn in
Pembroke Village, and I will come to the estate at dusk. I will
wait for you at the entrance to the maze.
    — William
     
    Before Adelaide could fully comprehend the
situation, she found herself scanning the horizon, as if William
would suddenly gallop out of the distant forest, ride toward her,
scoop her up onto the back of his horse and ride away with her.
    Her heart raced. He was back! He had returned
from abroad. How she longed to see him!
    A hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped.
    “What does it say?” Margarite asked with a
frown.
    Adelaide quickly folded the letter. “It says he
has come home from Italy, and he is here in Pembroke Village. I can
hardly believe it.”
    “Does he wish to attend your wedding?” Mary
asked innocently. “Good heavens, will the duke allow