Casanova: Marriage of convenience, or is it?
When they reached the cathedral, Bryant Grimani noticed not only were his daughter's eyes slightly red as if she had been crying, Henriette's were just as red.
He wondered why both his daughter and his daughter in law had red tear stained eyes. He hopped they had not been fighting.
Grimani junior also noticed his wife had red tear stained eyes. He was alert and slightly alarmed when his baby sister emerged from the white horse driven carriage, and discovered her eyes were also red and tear stained.
He smiled at his sister who nodded in return. He asked his wife "what happened? Why do both you and my sister have red tear stained eyes? Surely Casanova is not worth having two women crying over him?"
Henriette sighed "she felt little overwhelmed over getting married, knowing her marriage will be more then likely loveless. I felt terrible for her, simple as that."
Grimani sighed "yes, and we all know who the individuals are that are responsible for that don't we?" he said coolly as he lead her inside the cathedral for the ceremony.
Henriette Grimani had the sudden and un-lady like urge to clobber her husband in the face, good hard and proper.
The ceremony went off without a hitch. Astra and Henriette felt their hearts breaking as the ceremony progressed, while Giacomo felt like his world was ending. And Grimani felt satisfied, that Casanova no longer had a leg to stand on, other wise he'd be committing adultery.
When Giacomo and Astra exchanged rings, they shared a kiss, their first kiss ever. It was gentle and hesitant. It felt wrong to both the bride and the groom.
When they pulled away after a moment they turned to face everyone. There were no beaming smiles of happiness from neither the bride nor the groom.
The best man looked like he was caught between anger and sympathy. The maid of honour looked heart broken but trying to conceal it.
And finally the senior and the junior Grimani's were nodding satisfied, one because his daughter was married, and would not become a spinster and a laughing stock of society.
And the other because now his wife was all his weather she liked it or not. Now she would be committing adultery if she even attempted anything with Casanova. Casanova would as well. Both were well and truly out of each others grasps.
It was done both the bride and groom thought with more then a little sadness. They were married. She would never have the chance to fall in love with someone who would love her fully in return.
And he would never have the woman he loved; he sealed his fate, to forever more be in a loveless marriage. Life was cruel, that much he and she knew.
Giacomo led his new bride down the isle. He squeezed her hand when he saw she looked miserable and about to burst into tears.
He made a mental note to take her to one side and talk with her, letting her know she was not alone, that he would be suffering right along side her.
As they shared their first dance as husband and wife, Giacomo commented "you look beautiful, really beautiful." Astra smiled slightly "you're not looking so bad you're self either."
She sighed "after we'd said our vows and exchanged rings" she trailed off, closing her eyes, her lower lip trembling slightly. She continued after taking a moment to compose her self "I was thinking of how I will never get the chance to find the kind of love you and Henriette have. It is a very depressing thought to say the least."
Giacomo felt his heart clench at hearing this. The senior Grimani was a bastard, for making his only daughter marry someone she did not love and did not love her in return.
Astra suddenly let out a small and bitter laugh "at least I can be thankful I've not married a man old enough to be my grandfather." She added around a chuckle "my friend Lisbon, her late husband was sixty, he croaked it on their wedding night. She was widowed right after he had taken her virginity."
Giacomo cringed and laughed "oh god, imagine losing your virginity to a man whom has got more Wrinkles then your parents most likely do combined, then they go and croak it?"
Astra looked revolted at the mere images her mind was managing to come up with. This caused Giacomo to laugh knowingly, knowing exactly what she must be imagining.
Giacomo was expected to at least dance with Henriette. Astra danced with her brother, refusing to look at her husband and her sister in law dancing.
Her brother was another matter entirely; he could not take his eyes off them it was as if he was transfixed, his blood slowly beginning to boil in anger and jealousy.
Astra sighed "don't look at them it is only making it worse." Her brother much to her surprise did as he was told, that had to be a first. 'Wow this really must be getting under his skin' she thought.
Giacomo and Henriette noticed both of their spouses were looking like they would rather be any where but right there and in the same room as them.
Astra was refusing to look in their direction, whilst her brother looked about ready to have an aneurism. He was red in the face from anger.
They watched as Astra glared at her brother, saying something, that made him turn away from them. Henriette sighed and Giacomo echoed her sigh with one of his own.
Grimani was seething and Astra knew it. She said through clenched teeth "stop it. You getting all bad tempered and making a scene is not going to solve anything.
It is only going make her hate you, and Giacomo would find that more satisfying then anything else." Grimani gritted his teeth and moved them away to the other side of the room.
After Giacomo had finished dancing with Henriette, he went to reclaim his wife from her brother. He was instantly alert and ready for trouble, when Grimani glared at him, and his wife would not meet his eye.
Grimani steered Henriette far from Giacomo. Astra declined to dance claiming her feet were sore, which was not a complete lie, they were sore.
Giacomo sighed, they had been married less then eight hours, and already his wife, was pulling away from him. He didn't know why, but that bothered him more then he liked.
Giacomo led her into the court yard. She sat on one of the benches while he began to pace. He stopped suddenly and asked her. "What was being said between you and your brother whilst I and Henriette were dancing? It looked like from where I and Henriette were standing, that you were having an argument."
Astra sighed wearily and pinched the bridge of her nose. "He was about to make a scene and thump you and more then likely place Henriette in a chastity belt."
Giacomo snorted. Astra couldn't help it and she snapped at him "it is not amusing in the least Giacomo. I do not wish to have to prevent my brother from trying to kill you or at least beat you to a bloody pulp, on a regular basis."
Giacomo sighed and sat down beside her and watched the stars in the bright night sky. Astra was doing the same whilst looking pensive in the process.
Giacomo turned to gaze at his wife, noticing how stunning she looked all in white. Under the moon and star lit sky, as the gentle breeze ruffled an odd curl and her vale.
Giacomo suddenly asked "is it just me, or did Henriette seemed to look paler then usual?" Astra sighed.
"I think, she maybe pregnant. All the symptoms are there. She is easily more emotional, she gets tiered quicker, more often then not."
She added "plus I heard some of the maids gossiping that they have heard her being ill of morning constantly for the past two weeks."
Astra looked at her husband and felt bad for him. He looked like someone had punched him in the gut, knocking the air out of him completely. He looked shattered.
Astra said "I'm sorry, but there is nothing you can do. She is his wife and it is her duty to provide him with children to continue on the Grimani blood line and generations."
Giacomo turned to her "just as it is now yours to continue on the Casanova blood line and future generations." Astra said "I'm so sorry it is not her who will bare your children. I know you would have liked and preferred it that way. But life is cruel and for the most part, out of our control."
Astra sighed "I shall not bother ever comparing my self to her, because I know I shall never hold a mere candle to her. She is your one and only, and she belongs to another."
She stood up and walked over to the balcony and looked over at the cannel, the moon reflecting and glittering off of the waters surface.
She laughed bitterly "Christ, this would have been easily described as romantic, if it had not been for the circumstances, and that you're with and sharing it with the wrong woman."
She turned around and faced him "what ever children we have if we have any at all. I will make sure they are loved; I'll always make sure their loved. Just because their parents don't love each other, does not mean they have to suffer for it."
Giacomo swore he could hear her heart breaking and his right along side it. This woman, his wife, she was incredible, full of such love and caring. It broke his heart knowing that love wasn't his and his wasn't hers.