Hi everyone, I'm back and here is the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.
"You are back. I was so nervous. What did George say?" Joana asked out of breath, shortly after we reached the mansion. Henry had just lifted me off his horse, when his mother had come running.
"He gave us his blessing, of course." Henry told her with an arrogant smile and I giggled. He always seemed so sure of himself.
"Oh, that is wonderful. But that means you are getting married the day after tomorrow." Joana gasped and pulled her son in for a quick hug, shortly followed by me.
"That is correct." Henry said, obviously amused.
"We still have so much to do. You need to try on your gown. The dressmaker has done her job wonderfully, now we just need to see if it fits you."
"I am sure that can wait until later. We are both exhausted from the travel, I am sure Mary would like to take a bath and rest."
"Of course. I forgot my manners. Let me take care of everything my dear. Henry, I trust you to escort her to her room." She put special emphasis on the to and I was not quite sure why, but I blushed.
"Of course, mother." Henry smiled and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me into the mansion.
"I wonder if my family missed me." I said aloud after we climbed the stairs to the first floor.
"We were not gone for more than three days; I do not think they have. Otherwise my mother would have said something." Henry answered and he was probably right. It was possible not to meet each other in days, the mansion was big enough. Besides, I had avoided my mother and Kitty as much as possible anyway.
Not long after we reached the door to my room. Henry smiled down at me.
"Rest. I will make sure the maids prepare a bath for you and also bring you something to eat."
"Thank you." I smiled at him, before opening the door and walking into my room. When the door closed behind me, I sighed deeply. I could not wait to be married to him. The good thing was that it was only two days until I would be married.
And that to the man I loved. I had never expected my life to be like this.
Exhausted from the travel I climbed into the bed. I just wanted to rest for a short moment until my bath arrived.
When I opened my eyes the next time, I saw that it was dark outside. That surprised me because it had been noon, when we returned to the mansion.
This could only mean that I had slept until dawn.
I must have been more exhausted than I expected.
Now I felt much better. I climbed out of my bed and saw a tray of food waiting for me on the table close to the window. So the maids had seen that I was asleep and left the food so I could eat when I woke up.
With a smile, I sat down and realized how hungry I was. I emptied the trey within minutes. A content sigh escaped my lips, while leaning back in my chair.
I looked up, when I heard a knock on my door.
"Yes." I answered, feeling confused. Who could this be?
When the door opened, my question was answered immediately. It was Joana and she smiled brightly.
"I know I told Henry that I let you rest. Nevertheless, I really want you to see the dress. It is beautiful and I cannot wait for you to marry."
I smiled at my soon to be mother. It was overwhelming how much she was looking forward to the wedding. Sometimes it seemed she did that even more than I did.
"I will not tell him." I told her with a smile and she quickly walked into my room, closing the door behind her. She had a clothes bag in her hand and I guessed that my wedding dress was inside of it.
Looking at it, I grew excited myself. What would the dress look like? And more important, what would Henry say when he saw her in it?
"Don't worry. It is beautiful." she reassured me before placing the bag on my bed. She pulled the gown out of it and I gasped.
It was indeed beautiful. The most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was different from what I had expected after talking to the dressmaker. But the result was even better.
With a smile, I walked closed and touched the soft fabric of the dress.
"It is perfect." I whispered, feeling a lamb in my throat.
"I know. Try it on." Joanna answered, just as excited as I felt.
Joana helped me out of my day dress and into the beautiful white dress with the exquisite embroidery.
She carefully closed the hooks in the back of the dress and said:
"Now turn around, please."
I did and Joana gasped, I could see the tears in her eyes and was immediately worried. Did it look horrible?
My fear was dispelled when Joana said in a breathy voice:
"You look gorgeous."
"Really?" I asked unsure, looking down at myself. Joana laughed, placed her hands on my shoulders and turned me around, so I could look at myself in the mirror.
The dress really fit perfectly and actually made me like my figure for the first time ever. I always had the feeling to be too womanly, but in this dress, it seemed that every curve of my body was perfect.
"It is wonderful." I gasped, feeling overwhelmed by the sight in front of me.
"Henry will love it." she said and I smiled brightly. Was she serious? I hoped he did. I wanted to stun him, as I had never been able to do so with another man.
"Very well, that shall be enough for today. I will send you your bath up and then you can relax, before tomorrow. It will be a very hectic day." Joana said and helped me to take the dress back off.
She carefully placed it into the bag and closed it.
"I will take this to my room, if that is alright with you." she smiled and I nodded, still feeling overwhelmed by how pretty the dress was and how much I had liked seeing myself in it.
"Good. Then I see you tomorrow." Joana smiled one last time before leaving the room. I sighed deeply and sank down onto the nearest chair. This all felt like a dream. But if it was, I never wanted to wake up.
