Burn - Edmund Bridgerton II's story

The Wedding (Part 1)

The day of Amelia's and Geoffrey's wedding – July 2nd, 1839 – turned out to be the hottest one of the summer so far, if not the hottest in many summers. The air lay still, thick, heavy and scorching, as if it indeed was hell Amelia had ended up in. She sat in the dressing room of the small church staring with empty eyes at her own reflection in the mirror, while Siena and Genevieve fussed about around her and tried to get some make-up to stick on her damp face.

Amelia's soon-to-be mother-in-law, Mrs Margaret Dorset, had most decidedly wanted to decorate the room with beautiful white chiffon that hung down everywhere from the ceiling and pink rose petals were scattered around the floor. Amelia did not mind. She did not care about anything. Not the decorations, not her hair, not her make-up and not even her stupid wedding dress that was far too hot for this weather with its long sleeves and high neck.

"Bloody hell, why did this have to be the hottest day ever...!" Genevieve complained, fluttering her fan vigorously. "Even rain would have been better than this..."

"No, we don't want any unlucky rain on Amie's wedding day!" Siena snapped, but wiped away some sweat from her own forehead as well. Amelia did not bother to point out that according to popular belief, rain on a wedding day was a good sign. "This is a happy occasion!"

"It doesn't seem so happy..." Genevieve muttered and glanced at Amelia, who kept staring into the mirror like some catatonic patient. "Amie, darling... Um, is everything alright?"

"Yes." Amelia replied bluntly and joylessly. "Can I have a moment alone?" She asked, looking at the two women through the mirror, but it sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Of course..." Siena smiled a bit warily, grabbed a hold of Genevieve and tugged her away with her from the room. Amelia took a deep sigh and placed her hand softly on her belly, on top of the thick white lace.

"I'm doing this for you..." She whispered, not to herself, but to her unborn baby. A strange feeling had been with her ever since she had accepted the truth that she was in fact with child. She was not anxious or worried, but determined and calm that everything would work out from now on. She and her selfish feelings towards Eddie did not matter anymore, as she would be someone's mother in a few months. All her life Amelia had been a lonely only child, but from this day on she would never be lonely again. She would have a husband and – most importantly – she would have a son or a daughter, even though the father might not be the husband in question.

Eddie did not love her. If he did, he would have said it. Her mother was probably right, he had just enjoyed laying with her and last night he had ruthlessly dumped her on his doorstep, angry and jealous over the fact that she could not be with him anymore. But, it did not change the fact that Amelia still loved him and probably always would, no matter how far to the other side of the world he would travel away from her...

"Miss Amelia...?" A knock and a female voice from the door yanked Amelia away from her dark thoughts. She turned around in her chair and saw Charlotte and Lily Bridgerton peek in through the door. "I hope this is not weird or anything, but we wanted to come and say hi...!"

"No, not at all...!" Amelia lied and forced some sort of smile on her face, though she was in no mood to meet Eddie's sisters right now.

"Are you nervous...?" Charlotte grinned and shut the door behind them.

"There are a lot of people out there...!" Lily exclaimed excitedly. Both of the girls were dressed in pretty light-teal dresses and their dark hairdos looked as beautiful as ever.

"I am a little nervous, yes..." Amelia muttered and tried to maintain that travesty of a smile.

"But happy too...?" Charlotte enquired, sounding a bit hesitant.