Rosamund
I have made a terrible mistake.
It was the morning of day two at Wellspring, and I was sitting at the writing desk in my chambers, staring at a blank sheet of paper as though the secrets of the wedding planning might materialise from it if I glared at it long enough.
Well, they didn’t.
I have never organised a wedding, nor have I attended a wedding to begin with. The closest I had come to anything resembling a celebration was the matron at Hadley Cross letting us have an extra slice of bread on Christmas morning.
And now, I had boldly declared, in front of the Duke, his staff, and his insufferable secretary, that I would plan my own wedding to one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, in three days.
What had I been thinking?
"You could apologise to him," Fanny, who was standing behind me, said quietly. "Tell His Grace you spoke out of turn..."
"No!" I shook my head.
"Rosamund—"
"Absolutely not. I will not give that insufferable prick and his mistress something to gloat about."
"Rosamund," Fanny sighed. "Admit it, you don’t even know where to begin. You said so yourself five minutes ago."
"It can’t be that hard." I tapped the quill against the desk. "People get married every day. You need a priest, a venue, food and a dress. How complicated can it be?"
Fanny sighed again, shaking her head. Then she pulled up a chair and sat beside me.
"Do you know anyone here in Wellspring?" she asked.
"No."
"Do you know any of the elite families? The lords and ladies that the Duke would be expected to invite?"
"No!" I shook my head. "But I can always get the names from the housekeeper."
"How about his friends? His associates? His allies at court?"
"Fanny," I let out an exasperated sigh. "I didn’t know the man existed until four days ago. How am I supposed to know these things about him?"
"Exactly." She leaned forward. "This isn’t a village wedding, Rosamund. This is the Duke of Wellspring. There are protocols, guest lists, and seating arrangements based on rank. Some families will be deeply offended if they’re not invited. You need musicians, decorations, a trousseau, and wedding announcements sent by courier. And you have two days to do all of it."
I stared at her, realising for the first time the magnitude of what I’d taken on.
"Good," I said.
"Good?" Fanny blinked, arching her brows. "What’s good about it?"
"If I can’t organise this wedding, the Duke will have no choice but to postpone it, which is exactly what I wanted in the first place." I set the quill down and turned to her. "Let’s not waste today worrying about flowers and guest lists. We have more important things to focus on."
"Hold on, my lady," Fanny raised her hand in protest. "You volunteered to plan the wedding just to sabotage it?"
"Of course not," I scoffed. "I volunteered because I didn’t want Jennifer planning my wedding. If other ladies had died from her planning, it would be one of the quickest ways for me to die." I stood and smoothed my dress. "And if the wedding falls apart because the Duke’s fiancée couldn’t pull it together in time, that’s his problem for giving me three days instead of four weeks."
Fanny stared at me for a long moment, then shook her head with admiration and disbelief in her eyes. "You’re either the smartest woman I’ve ever met or the most reckless."
"No, Fanny," I shook my head. "I want to only survive. Now come, I want to see more of this estate."
We made it as far as the west corridor when I spotted Jennifer at the top of the staircase with two guards flanking her, as though she had been waiting for us.
"Lady Rosamund?" She came down to the base of the stairs where I was. "Where are you off to?"
"I’d like to see the grounds," I replied, trying to move past her, but she blocked my path.
"That won’t be possible. His Grace has instructed that you remain within the main house until the staff can arrange a proper tour."
"I don’t recall asking for permission, Jennifer. I’m the Duke’s fiancée. I can go where I please."
"No doubt about that," Jennifer said with a dry laugh. "But you’re not the duchess, and until that changes, the running of this household remains under my authority."
"Your authority?" My lips quirked as I took a step toward her. "You mean sleeping with the Duke?"
"Lady Rosamund!" Her lips flattened into a line. "I know you grew up in some hellhole and know nothing about the right way to address people. One more insinuation about my relationship with the Duke..."
"Don’t worry, Jennifer," I stopped her mid-sentence. "I am not interested in the Duke. You can have him all to yourself."
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
"Listen, I told the Duke that I will plan the wedding, and I need to see the grounds to do that. Unless you’d like to explain to him why I couldn’t prepare for the wedding, please get out of my way."
Something ugly flashed across her face as she closed the distance between us.
"You think you’re clever," she said with a small laugh. "You think that because the Duke has given you free rein to run your mouth, that you have power in this house. You don’t, Rosamund."
"Your point, Jennifer," I said, steely, holding her gaze. "I don’t have all day."
"It’s an attitude like this that will make you meet your end quicker," Jennifer huffed and took a step back. "I’ve been here longer than you’ve been alive, Rosamund. I’ve watched women far more prepared and far more willing than you walk through these doors. And I’ve watched every single one of them leave." She paused. "Some on their feet, some not."
"I appreciate the information, but you don’t scare me, Jennifer." I laughed, though my insides were filled with fear. "Now step aside. I’m in a hurry."
"Or what?" Her smile broadened. "You’ll threaten me the way you threatened the Duke? Go ahead, Rosamund. Let’s see how far your bark carries when there’s no one to hear it."
"I can’t listen to your nonsense anymore," I hissed and made to push past her when she raised a hand.
"Guards, escort Lady Rosamund back to her quarters. She’s feeling unwell."
"I am fine!" I said as the two guards stepped forward, positioning themselves beside me. "Stop this nonsense at once," I turned to Jennifer. "I am not a prisoner here."
"Rest well, Lady Rosamund," she said sweetly. "Tomorrow is going to be a very long day."
~~~
I was still shaking with rage when I reached my chambers. No matter how much I tried to talk the guards out of letting me go, they’d refused. They wouldn’t even talk to me.
"That woman," I seethed, pacing the length of the room. "She had me escorted like a prisoner in my fiancé’s house. Who does she think she is?"
"Don’t worry too much about it, my lady," Fanny sighed. "When you become a Duchess, this will not happen."
That was the truth. Until I had the Duke’s name, I had no power.
I dropped onto the edge of the bed and pressed my palms against my eyes, willing the anger to cool and willing my mind to think instead. I needed a plan, something to leverage on.
Just then, a knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
The door opened, and Mrs Harlow entered, followed by Dora carrying a tray of tea and small cakes. They set the tray on the side table, and Mrs Harlow gave her customary nod.
"Refreshments, my lady. How are you finding your stay here? Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked in one breath.
"Actually. Yes. I have a question for Dora." I turned to Dora. "Dora, you’ve been here for three years. Did you ever serve any of the Duke’s former fiancées?"
Dora went white. The cup she was setting down rattled against the saucer. Her mouth opened and closed. "I —my lady, I —that is —"
"I’m not trying to fish for information about them," I said gently. "I volunteered to plan my wedding to the Duke, but I have no idea how to begin. I was hoping you could tell me how the previous weddings were organised. What traditions were followed, and what did the ceremonies look like?"
Dora’s panic shifted to confusion. She frowned, glancing sideways at Mrs Harlow, then back at me.
"My lady, the Duke never... there were no..." Dora swallowed hard. "The other ladies, they didn’t — most of them were gone before —"
"What Dora means to say," Mrs Harlow cut in smoothly, stepping forward, "is that His Grace has never married any of his previous fiancées. No weddings took place. The engagements ended before ceremonies could be arranged."