“Ms Cordelia. Your uncle and fiancé are in the study awaiting your arrival. One more anxiously than the other. Would you like to join them or should I stall for a few minutes so that you can change into a dress?”
Cordelia stopped to smile at her old friend. He may have merely been the old butler to her family but to her he was one of her dear friends. “Are they dressed that formally, Jeffrey? I did not even know Rhett was coming today.”
“Very formal Ms Cordelia. If I could hazard a guess I would say that you might be going out to dinner together. But knowing your uncle and your fiancé my odds are on the Cheston Gala. I had not heard if your aunt had accepted that one.”
“Thank you. My aunt may or may not have but Rhett most definitely did and I completely forgot. I’ll go change as quickly as I can. Do they know that I have been out?”
“No, Ms. Cordelia. I may have misled your uncle to believe that you were still getting ready for the evening. Something about your unruly hair.”
“Perfect.” She dashed upstairs to change into whatever dress she found first. Instead she discovered her new cream silk gown elegantly laid out on her bed. Knowing her aunt, she must have been looking for her and figured to move the process along by setting out everything she would need.
As soon as she was in the dress and her hair was done, with lightning speed, she rushed to the study doors. Jeffrey was waiting for her there with a gloved hand on the doorknob.
“Beautiful.” He gave a small bow.
Having grown up in the overly large mansion she was accustomed to the formality her uncle demanded but the rebellious streak she had never really managed to squash reared to life as she flitted in before she could be announced. Both her uncle and fiancé turned to greet her. Her uncle with a scowl at her lack of manners and Rhett with a relieved smile.
Unlike her, Rhett held his true personality in check around her uncle. Her esteemed guardian was too influential to not. However, she was family and could get away with more.
“Cordelia.” Her uncle growled, not marring his carefully crafted pleasant smile. “It is not becoming of a young lady to keep a guest waiting so long. Even more so when it is your fiancé and future husband that is the one doing the waiting. When you are married you will be expected to always be directly on hand for whatever you husband may require of you.”
Cordelia covered her own scowl with a graceful curtsey. “Yes, uncle. Please forgive my tardiness. My hair just would not cooperate and I could not bear to see you disgraced by my untoward appearance.”
He appeared mollified at least a little by the explanation, ridiculous as it was.
Rhett crossed the room and bowed over her hand. His low tone set her nerves on fire. “Unruly hair indeed. You have been dearly missed, love, and” his voice grew louder so that her uncle could hear, “may I be so bold as to say that you are as lovely as ever.”
He softly and slowly kissed the back of her hand, as if giving her a promise of more later.
When he straightened he turned back to her uncle with deference. “We must be going if we are to make it to the Gala at a proper time.”
“Indeed indeed.” Her uncle practically clapped his hands with glee. “We will be following you shortly. Once my own wife is ready.” He leaned toward Rhett as if he were whispering a great secret to him. “She requires a lot more effort to appear comely these days.”
Rhett nodded but Cordelia could see the tightness around his mouth.
“We will look for you.” Rhett bowed and reached out his arm for Cordelia to take.
Once out of the house both Rhett and Cordelia heaved a sigh. “His unkind remarks are getting worse.” Rhett stated with a surprising lack of emotion.
“Really? That wasn’t so bad.” Cordelia hated feeling like she was making excuses for him because she had no doubt that her uncle was quite demeaning about her aunt’s appearances.
“It was what he said in private.” Rhett’s scowl spoke more than his words. “Someone needs to take him to task. Tonight I found myself longing for the day where I would no longer waiting around to please him so that I could stop his hateful words.” Rhett was usually far too even tempered to respond to her uncle’s snarky remarks.
He stopped as they neared the car and pulled her sharply to him. “I have been waiting patiently for this.” He swooped in for a kiss that left her near swooning. When they were once again headed to the awaiting car he smiled over at her. “Now, where were you when I arrived? I know you don’t take that long to get ready so you must have forgotten about the gala.”
“I did. I was over at Josephine’s house. Her dog just had puppies. And they were absolutely darling. There was this black little snuggler who was begging me to never leave. So I may have lost track of the time and almost lost my sense of reason as well.” She pouted his way with a smile. “I want a puppy, Rhett.”
He chuckled and hugged her. “I would give you one right this very minute if I didn’t think that your uncle would find some way to be rid of it before morning.”
“Why do we have to wait so long to be married?” She sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder, careful to not mess up her delicate curls.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “If it was up to me we would already be married. But these are the hoops we must jump through to receive your uncle’s approval.”
“Stupid approval.” She shot him a grin as he opened the door. “If we didn’t need it I would say to forget him and be married this instant.”
“I love you Cordelia. Any wait will be worth it if it means I will be married to you for eternity.”
She huffed with a smile directed up at him. “Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I can wait.”
