5

MADDIE

The sea of white and ivory threatened to drown me.

Enormous racks of tulle and silk and lace and taffeta surrounded me, towering overhead like great white ghouls. I wanted desperately to burn it all to the ground, so that I didn’t have to go through with trying them on.

Wedding dress shopping was supposed to be exciting, but the bubbling in my stomach made me want to puke.

A sprightly woman practically bounced her way over to me, holding two glasses of champagne. She passed one to Katherine, who took it with a strained smile. I stared at the pale, golden liquid, then shook my head. I didn’t need it reappearing in a sea of bubbling vomit over a dress.

Landon had insisted that I had to attend this little shopping soiree with my soon to be sister-in-law, though he was no happier about it than I. My pleading to just have them pick something fell on deaf ears. The threat of another of Mac’s fingers from Harry had ensured I had attended in the end.

Katherine walked across to a rack and ran a hand across the varying materials. She kept stealing small glances my way between shaky sips of her champagne. Had they had forced her into attending as well?

‘Right,’ said the sales assistant, ‘What would you like to try on? Is there a style you’ve fallen in love with? Something you’ve spotted and dreamed about wearing.’

‘I don’t care.’ My voice was more hollow than I’d meant it to be, but I had no intention of playing the smitten bride.

The woman’s brow furrowed as she looked at Katherine, then back to me. ‘There must be something you want to try? Perhaps some lace?’

‘Honestly, I don’t care. Just pick a dress and I’ll wear it.’

‘Is there a budget you’d like to stick to?’

I shrugged, but Katherine spoke up. ‘No budget, whatever Maddie wants.’

The woman gave me another perturbed look before nodding. ‘How about you two have a look around and I’ll go pick out a few of my favourites from the storage rooms?’

I slumped onto one of the sparkly, uncomfortable sofas and stared up at the ceiling.

‘I think you’d knock them out in something like this.’ Katherine held up a dress much like the one I’d worn at the party, but in an ivory silk.

‘Why are you here?’

Katherine stiffened with the dress draped over one arm, the other sifting through the rack.

‘I thought it might be nice to meet you properly before the wedding.’

‘Why do you care? Don’t you hate me?’

‘I don’t even know you.’

I laughed. ‘As if that matters when you are from our families. Hate is a game the whole family get’s to play together. Has to play together.’

‘My father has enough hate to go round.’ There was a deep sadness in her voice, which caught me off guard. Shit, maybe she really didn’t hate me.

I sat up in the chair and inspected Katherine King. She was shorter than me, and curvier. Her hair was a red so dark that I couldn’t decide whether it came from a bottle. She was fair and freckled, though, so chances are that the red was real at some level. Camden wasn’t a redhead, and neither was Harry. Did she take after her mother? Katherine held herself as though she were desperately trying to make herself as insignificant as possible. Her father was one of the richest men in Scotland, if rumours were to be believed, yet she didn’t have the confidence of someone who grew up with anything she pleased.

‘You know I don’t want to marry Camden, right?’

‘I do.’

‘So why pretend like this is normal? Why play act?’

‘Because you still deserve to feel beautiful. And you need to go into the ceremony acting like you own every single man there, no matter how terrified or angry you are. My father will exploit any weakness he finds. You need to show him none.’ She picked up a princess style tulle dress, and I shook my head. ‘Plus, Cam isn’t so bad. Not underneath. Maybe you won’t hate him.’

‘I hate him. Does he share your feelings about me?’

Katherine hesitated before shaking her head. ‘No, he doesn’t. He’s mad about being forced to marry you.’

‘Then he should refuse.’

‘No one refuses Father without consequences.’ Katherine visible shuddered before steadying herself against the rack.

‘What are Camden’s consequences?’

‘I don’t know, but they are bad enough for him to marry someone he despises.’ Katherine shrugged. ‘Sorry.’

The sales woman arrived and ushered us toward a plush room surrounded by mirrors and a podium. There were a lot more seats available than we had filled.

She led me to a large dressing area where the woman had me out of my clothes and being strapped into a dress before I could argue. As the corset back tightened and constricted, I held back a sob. I wanted out. So very desperately. But Mac needed me.

I kept my gaze low until I was on the podium and the woman encouraged me to look. The dress was undoubtedly beautiful, but the staring at myself in the dress was too much. Too real. I looked like a fucking bride, and not even a fake one.

Blinking furiously, I tried to stem the bitter tears that pricked my eyes. The saleswoman grinned and clapped her hands.

‘Oh, I just knew you’d love it once you got it on!’ Her voice took on a pitch that would frighten rodents away. ‘It’s a mermaid fit with a--‘

‘Get it off.’ It was cutting off my air as panic set in. ‘Fucking get it off.’

My nailed rasped at my back as the woman gawped at me like a paralysed fish. Hot flushes swept over me as I blinked through the tears.

Katherine was on her feet and undoing the corset before the woman figured out I was serious.

I reached out to steady myself against the mirror as my vision blurred through my wet eyes. ‘Please. Please get it off. I can’t breathe.’

‘It’s okay. It’s loosening.’ I took a deeper breath as Katherine yanked at the stays.

‘I’ll give you two a moment.’ The woman said, backing toward the door with wide eyes.

As soon as it was loose enough, I dropped the dress and hauled it off of my legs, letting it crumple into a heap on the podium. Left in nothing but my pants, I wrapped my arms around myself and crumpled into a heap on top of the dress. The tears came like a downpour that I couldn’t stop. I cursed myself as Katherine slid off her coat and wrapped it around my shoulders. I couldn’t do it. I was going to let Mac down and my brothers would blame me. Harry would torture him and kill him all because I just couldn’t face it.

Katherine slid down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward her. I tried to resist it, but I’d not been hugged properly since Esther left and her arms reminded me of my sisters.

I gave into the comfort and fed on it like a half starved vampire.

‘Listen to me, Maddie. You can get through this. It’s shit and it shouldn’t be happening, but you are strong enough to weather this storm. I promise I’ll help to make it bearable.’

‘I’m not strong enough. He’s going to kill Mac.’

‘We won’t let that happen. You are going to dry your tears, find a dress that will leave every jaw in that room on the floor and then say I do. Because we are stronger than they know and we will not let them win.’ Katherine pushed my wet hair away from my face and gave me a nod.

‘It’s only a marriage on paper. Your life won’t be so different from how it is now. Just a different man to obey.’

‘I don’t intend on obeying your brother,’ I said, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand.

A genuine smile lit up Katherine’s face. ‘Good.’

Despite my utter intentions to hate her, I was finding it difficult.

A strong cup of coffee and two glasses of champagne later, my resolve had returned. Katherine was right. I was going to wipe the floor with the King men. It was a shame I was going to destroy her family in the process.

‘What is your most expensive, most risqué dress?’ I asked the saleswoman, who I’d since discovered was called Fiona.

She bit her lip. ‘I know the perfect one. It’s over twenty thousand pounds, though.’

I looked at Katherine, who grinned.

‘Perfect. Bring it out.’

If Harry intended to make me marry his son, the least I could do was hit his deep pockets.