Raquel woke up with nervous butterflies in her stomach. This was the last time she would wake up in this room – tomorrow, she would wake up in a different house: her own home, with a husband, and a staff of servants to direct, and new liberties and possibilities. She couldn't wait to go out riding alone for the first time, or take a carriage into town with only a servant to accompany her, or to receive her first gentleman caller unchaperoned. She was eager to meet new people, to join societies and improve her mind, and to finally engage in charity work, which her parents had always forbidden. From now on, nobody would forbid her anything – her husband could, of course, but she had an understanding with Lord Marquina, and she knew he wouldn't stand in her way. She realized fully well how lucky she was. Her future husband was kind, and handsome, and intelligent, and one of the most modern and open-minded men she had ever met. She looked forward to getting to know him better once they were alone, to talk to him, to share her life with him. Even though she was eager to have a life outside of the house as well, she took her duties to her husband very seriously, and she resolved to try her best to be a good wife to him. A slight blush crept into her cheeks as she thought about what Monica had told her about the wedding night – yes, she took that duty seriously too.

After breakfast, Monica and Laura came up to help her dress, together with her ladies' maid, Annie, who would be going with her to her new home. Her dress was white – quite an extravagant luxury because, as Laura pointed out, it would be extremely hard to keep clean. Only the very richest ladies could afford to buy a dress they would only wear once, so both Monica and Laura had gotten married in a sensible colored dress that they would be able to wear to church afterwards, but Mr. Murillo's fortune had almost doubled since Laura got married five years ago, and Raquel's dowry was so big that she could afford an impractical dress for her wedding. They had gone to the best tailor in London to get it made – a simple but elegant garment with a little lace at the sleeves. Her hair was carefully and elaborately pinned up by Annie, and Monica brought her flowers from the garden to make a little crown, then a light veil was placed over her head. A few touches of powder to her face, and then she was ready to leave for the church. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment and took a deep breath. This was it. This was the day her whole life would change.

…

Sergio felt a little nauseous as he woke up. Today was a day he'd never expected to live through, ever, and he still wished he didn't have to. He told himself his life wouldn't change so drastically – he and Miss Murillo would share a house, certainly, but they would each have their own activities, and he supposed a little conversation over dinner wasn't the worst thing in the world. Apart from that, they didn't need to spend any time together. Today would be unpleasant, certainly – he grimaced at the thought of the wedding night – but it was only one day and then his life would finally settle down to normalcy again. He sighed and got out of bed, then dressed himself in his new suit. Only Andrés would be with him today – they didn't have any other family, he didn't have any friends, and it was too hard for Tatiana to make the trip with seven children in tow, including a baby. He didn't mind, though. The fewer people present, the better.

His brother was already at the breakfast table when he got downstairs.

"So", he smiled broadly. "The big day. How are the nerves?"

Sergio merely grunted and shrugged, and Andrés' smile disappeared, to be replaced by an unusually serious expression.

"Sergio", he said earnestly, leaning forward in his chair, "I want you to know that I do appreciate you doing this. I know it's not what you wanted for yourself."

"No", Sergio said curtly. "It's not."

"But who knows, maybe you'll like having a wife and a family."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"I hope you're right, Andrés, but I can't imagine it."

"Just let her do whatever she wants and I'm sure she won't give you any trouble. Your life doesn't have to change too much."

"That's what I'm counting on", he mumbled.

They took a carriage to the church, where they arrived before the family of the bride, so he and Andrés walked up to the altar and waited there. There were many friends and family members of the Murillos in the seats already, all looking curiously at Sergio, who wished with all his might that he could be anywhere else right now. Then Mrs. Murillo arrived with Mrs. Benson, and Sergio straightened up as the organ started to play and the guests turned their attention to the back of the church. There were a few breathless moments in which he could feel his heart beat in his throat, and then there she was, on the arm of her father, walking up the aisle towards him. He didn't know anything about women, but he realized that she looked very pretty. He'd been thinking of her as the queen in this game of chess, and she certainly looked the part today, in her white dress and with a crown of flowers on her hair. She looked up at him with shining eyes and a smile, and suddenly he felt a stab of something he'd never felt before and which he couldn't identify, but then she was next to him and the priest began to speak, and the feeling went away again.

The ceremony was short and to the point, and then they and their witnesses signed the marriage register and that was it. He was a married man. He turned around with a mixture of regret and resignation, and offered her his arm. She took it with a smile, and they walked out of the church together, followed by their cheering friends and family. There would be a small celebration at the house of the father of the bride, so that's where they went, the bride and groom sharing a carriage with Andrés and Laura. The celebration itself was a blur to Sergio – noise, music, strangers shaking his hand and clapping him on the shoulder – he just wanted to go home. He stuck close to Andrés and tried not to embarrass himself or his new wife. He couldn't wait for this day to be over.

…

They didn't get a chance to talk throughout the celebration, but Raquel kept an eye on her new husband and she could see that he was suffering. She wanted to spare him as much discomfort as she could, so at the earliest possible opportunity, she went over to him and suggested that they leave, and the look of relief in his eyes was so clear that she couldn't help but smile. Her trunks had already been packed, so all that was left to do was say goodbye to her family. She embraced Monica and her sister, kissed her father on the cheek, then walked into the open arms of her mother, who was a little misty-eyed.

"I'll be back soon to visit, Mother", she said. "And you and Laura can come visit me all the time."

"Yes", Marivi said. "I know. But I'll still miss you."

"I'll miss you too", Raquel whispered, her throat tight. As much as she was looking forward to starting her new life, it wasn't easy to leave behind everything she knew and the people she loved to step into the unknown.

Her mother let go of her and took her face between her hands.

"God bless you, sweetheart. I hope you'll be happy."

"I'll write to you tomorrow", Raquel assured her.

And then they were off, and she watched her childhood home grow smaller and smaller in the distance with a slight feeling of sadness – but then she turned her eyes firmly to the road ahead, and the sadness was replaced with hope, with joy, with eagerness for this new adventure.

Annie accompanied a cart carrying her things, while she and Lord Marquina shared a carriage with Lord De Fonollosa. Raquel rather wished she could be alone with her new husband, because he didn't say a word while his brother kept up a constant stream of pleasantries for the entire drive. She responded to him politely, but she was glad when the carriage turned off the main road to pass through a pair of big wrought-iron gates. She looked out of the window with interest as they drove through a long lane lined with oak trees, and then, finally, the house came into view. She liked it immediately – it was clearly older than her father's house, but well-maintained: a large red-brick mansion with big windows and ivy creeping up against the façade. It was absolutely charming, and she smiled to herself as Lord Marquina helped her out of the carriage and she looked up at her new home.

"Do you like it?" he asked her quietly, and she nodded happily.

"I do, sir, it's lovely."

He inclined his head, pleased.

"I hope you'll be happy here."

There was a bustle of servants as her things were carried inside, then he took her around the house, showing her the dining room, the drawing room with the piano, the library, his study, and the ballroom, which looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. Finally he left her at her bedroom door so they could all change for dinner. Her bedroom was a bright, spacious room with light blue wallpaper, a dressing table, a wardrobe, and a large four-poster bed. She took off her gloves and ran her hand over the soft white sheets. Tonight, he would take her in his arms and kiss her, and they would lie down here together and… A shiver ran down her spine, and she felt a tingle in her lower belly that she didn't think was entirely due to nerves.

Annie entered the room and helped her change into a different dress, then redid her hair, removing the flowers from it. When she heard the clock in the hallway strike the hour, she went down into the dining room, where a footman served them dinner. Again, it was Lord De Fonollosa who carried the conversation. He was polite and perfectly pleasant, but she wished he would just go away so she could try to have an actual conversation with her husband for the first time. To her relief, once dinner was cleared, her brother-in-law announced that he was leaving.

Lord Marquina looked up in alarm.

"Leaving? Now? I thought you were going to stay until tomorrow?"

Lord De Fonollosa grinned.

"I think it might be best to give you two some privacy so you can… get on with things."

Raquel saw her husband shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"You shouldn't ride through the dark, Andrés."

"I'll stop at an inn when it gets dark."

"That's ridiculous, why would you stay at an inn when you can just as well sleep here?"

Raquel got the distinct sense that her husband wasn't keen on being alone with her. She tried not to mind – he was very shy, after all, and it was only normal that he would need some time to get used to her.

Lord De Fonollosa got up.

"No, no, I'm set on going. I have an appointment in London tomorrow and you know I don't like to get up early."

Raquel went through to the drawing room, where she settled herself in front of the fire, while Lord Marquina saw off his brother. Finally, he entered the drawing room too, and they were finally alone.

…

Sergio watched Andrés drive off with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew he'd have to be alone with her at some point, but he hadn't counted on it being so soon. He turned around and reluctantly went to the drawing room, where she was sitting in front of the fire. She looked up and smiled at him when he entered, and he walked over and gingerly sat down in the chair on the other side of the fireplace, casting around for a topic of conversation that would keep his mind off… off of what he'd have to do later. What could he talk to her about? Should he bring up abolition again? Probably not. He cleared his throat.

"Well, Miss Murillo…" He stumbled to a halt, then said: "Or… or I suppose I should call you Mrs. Marquina now."

"How about you call me Raquel?" she smiled.

He swallowed. Oh, that didn't feel right at all. He was suddenly so, so conscious of the fact that she was a complete stranger to him. Still, he felt obligated to respond:

"Alright. And you may call me Sergio."

She nodded, still smiling, and he asked:

"How… how do you like your room?"

"It's a lovely room", she said. "I like the wallpaper."

"You can redecorate it if you want", he said quickly, then he added with some difficulty: "And… and the other rooms too."

She shook her head.

"I wouldn't want to change your house too much."

"It's your house too now", he said, though the idea still felt very wrong to him. "You can make any changes you want, except… except to my study."

She gave him a close look.

"I don't think you like changes, though… do you?"

He hesitated.

"I want you to feel at home."

"Thank you. But I don't think I'll be making any changes soon."

He felt a rush of relief. Having her in the house was quite enough change to start with. An awkward silence fell, and as he looked at her, his thoughts involuntarily turned to… that. She seemed so calm – did she have any idea of what was coming? No wonder, with those noble ladies. Don't know nothin' going in. She'd been raised as a proper young lady, so he had to assume that she knew nothing. An alarming thought suddenly occurred to him: was he supposed to talk to her about it? Should he prepare her in some way? Where would he even start? The thought of explaining the difference between their anatomies to her made him cringe. What words would he even use? The names of body parts in his anatomy books might be unfamiliar to her, and using vulgar expressions with her was out of the question. Showing her pictures was even more unthinkable. He tried to think of ways to broach the topic, but he couldn't, he couldn't do it. No, talking about it was not an option.

She smiled at him.

"Are you alright?"

No, no, not at all.

"Yes", he said. "Just… just a little tired. It's been a long day."

"Perhaps… perhaps we should go up to bed?" she suggested.

He observed her expression – calm and steady. He could see no fear in her eyes, and he concluded that, no, she had no idea of what was about to happen. God, he felt terrible. Still, there was nothing for it – they would just have to get it over with.

So he nodded and got up, and she followed him up the stairs. He stopped in front of her bedroom door, his mouth dry, his palms sweaty, his heart racing almost painfully. Everything Jennie had told him was swirling through his head – oh god, the mere thought of having to do any of that made him so deeply uncomfortable – he might die from sheer embarrassment. Then he looked down at her – she looked so small and fragile, and the idea of laying her down on the bed, unsuspecting, and pushing himself inside of her suddenly seemed like an act of absolute barbarism to him. Blood everywhere, girl wouldn't stop crying for hours. Oh god, what if she bled, what if she cried? He couldn't stand the thought of hurting her, he couldn't stand the thought of her crying. He so badly didn't want to do this that he wasn't sure if he'd even be able to.

And then a glorious thought suddenly occurred to him: what if he didn't? She seemed to have no idea, so what if he just never enlightened her? He could save her all of this pain and distress. After all, this was a marriage of convenience for both of them – even if she did know what was expected of them, he was sure that she didn't want it, and who was he to force himself on her? True, their marriage should technically be consummated, but who would ever know? He was almost dizzy with relief as he came to a conclusion: all of this was entirely unnecessary.

…

She looked up at him, a little breathless with anticipation. Oh, he was so handsome… she couldn't wait to feel his arms around her, to be close to him, to kiss him. She wondered what it would feel like when he finally pressed his lips to hers, and she wished he would hurry up already, the tingle in her belly even stronger than before. In the privacy of the bedroom, the barriers between them would finally fall away and she would finally get to know him. She hoped he would talk to her afterwards, she hoped he would stay with her and sleep next to her, she hoped she would wake up to his kisses in the morning. Her husband.

He was looking down at her with a conflicted expression, and she wondered why he looked so nervous – Monica hadn't said anything about it hurting for men – and besides that, she assumed he'd done it before. She considered standing up on her toes and kissing him, instead of waiting for him to kiss her, but she realized fully well that that would be improper and that he probably wouldn't like her being so forward. Still, something had to happen. She was just about to suggest they go into the room, when she suddenly saw something shift in his expression. He cleared his throat.

"Well", he said, "I hope you'll sleep well, Miss Murillo."

She blinked up at him, confused. The next moment, he gave her a slight bow, said "goodnight", and then, to her utter consternation, he turned around and walked away. She kept standing in the hallway for several minutes after he'd disappeared, wondering what the hell had just happened.