A Kiss Before the Wedding - A Pembroke Palace Short Story by Julianne MacLean Page B

his
father’s title. Instead, he craved freedom—freedom to choose his
own path in life.
    And tonight he felt positively euphoric.
Donatello had invited him to attend a dinner at the Vatican the
following week with a group of physicians that had come all the way
from Amsterdam.
    As William made his way up the stairs to his
bedchamber, he realized it had been months since he’d written a
letter home. He felt a sudden compulsion to pick up his quill and
write to Adelaide about all that had happened recently. He wished
she were here so that he could show her all the wonders of Rome. It
had been too long since they’d sat in the same room together, or
went riding across the moors, or swam under the waterfall on her
father’s estate. God, how he missed her.
    She would celebrate her nineteenth birthday
soon. A woman, at last. Perhaps, finally, it was time to go home,
for he had been waiting a very long time to declare his feelings.
His whole life, it seemed.
    When he reached the door to his bedchamber, he
entered quietly, as it was late and he did not wish to wake anyone
in the household.
    He closed the door behind him and set the candle
down on the cabinet to his left.
    Shrugging out of his dinner jacket, he glanced
at the fireplace. The kindling was laid out for him, but he did not
wish to light a fire on such a warm summer night. A few candles at
his desk would serve him well enough.
    William tossed his jacket over the upholstered
bench at the foot of his bed, but as he tugged at his neck cloth,
he noticed a letter on the corner of the desk. It must have been
delivered while he was out.
    Quickly, he crossed to it, picked it up, and
turned it over. As he beheld the familiar red seal, his heart
leapt, for the letter had come from Adelaide. What perfect
timing.
    Surely there was some form of destiny at play
here, for now that he knew his true purpose in the world, he had
been thinking such wonderful thoughts about the sort of future they
could enjoy together.
    He tore eagerly at the seal, sat down in the
chair, and began to read...
     
    My dear Mr. Thomas,
    There is something I must tell you. It
hardly seems possible that I am writing this. I cannot believe it
has been almost two years since you left Yorkshire. I am sorry for
not writing to you more often these past few months, but recently I
have been rather swept away by circumstances that I must now convey
to you.
    In May, I visited London for part of the
Season. At one particular ball, I was introduced to a most
illustrious person, His Grace, the Duke of Pembroke. If you were
here, I would tell you every detail, but I cannot possibly write
the words. To put it plainly, the duke has asked for my hand in
marriage, and I have accepted. His Grace does not desire a lavish
or extravagant wedding, so we will be married at his private family
chapel, at Pembroke, in July.
     
    The whole world turned white before William’s
eyes. He rose abruptly from his chair and knocked it over onto the
floor.
    Adelaide had accepted a marriage proposal from a
duke? No, it could not be!
     
    I wonder what you must be thinking as you
read these words. I hope you are not too terribly astonished.
    This feels strange. I wish you had been
here to advise me before I made my choice of a husband. You have
always been my closest, dearest friend, and you have always told me
the truth, even if it was not what I wanted to hear. But in this
case, I am sure you would approve.
    The duke is a handsome, pleasant, and very
wealthy man. I am sure I do not need to explain what this means for
my family. Father has been doting over me like never before,
treating me like a fragile piece of porcelain, indulging my every
whim. I am happy, of course, that he is so pleased, but there is a
part of me that is unsure.
    I wish you were not so far away, for you
would know just how to ease my mind. You would help me remember my
duty.
    Perhaps I shouldn’t be writing to you like
this, but I could not take this step without some